HighLow

Editor’s Note: Why HighLow Doesn’t Suck in 50 Words

This broker doesn’t suck for a couple of reasons including transparency, regulation, trading, and bonus terms (cashback). There are no hidden agendas here, no shady account managers, and no onerous bonus terms. Instead, you have a broker operating in line with Australian financial regulations, an easy-to-use and trustworthy platform, and a bonus that is actually that, a bonus.

Why Does HighLow Suck in 50 Words

This broker might suck because you won’t find all the exotic options like range, boundary, hyper, ladder, one-touch or no touch. You also won’t find long-term expiry over one day as they seem more focused on fast trading and they have a very limited number of assets (only 32), out of which 3 are cryptocurrencies. The biggest downside is that as a relatively new development (May 3, 2021), ASIC announced that it has made a product intervention order that bans binary options for Australian clients (more on this below).

Is HighLow A Scam?

HighLow is Not a Scam. If it is a scam, then it is perpetrated in conspiracy with Australian regulators and I just don’t see that happening. The company shows great transparency, as seen from the section above and it’s worth noting that all information I’ve just given you is available right on their website so I didn’t have to do much detective work, like in the case of other brokers. All I did was to confirm the information on the regulator’s page – everything checks out.

At the same time, the bonus (cashback) terms don’t indicate scam to me, in fact, quite the opposite, but you have to read on to find out what I mean. Until then, it suffices to say that any complaints you may find are trivial and/or the product of negative marketing.

Should I Open An Account With HighLow?

HighLow is a trusted broker, owned and operated by HighLow Markets PTY Ltd, a financial services firm registered and regulated in Australia by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission with Australian Company Number (ACN) 143 553 628 and Australian Business Number (ABN) 85143553628. Their subsidiary in the UK is, HighLow Markets Ltd., which provides “payment processing, market data and financial commentaries”.

If you are looking for a respectable broker (the owning company is registered since 2010), with easy, and I mean easy, bonus terms as well as payouts up to 200% then I would say yes, you should definitely open an account with HighLow.net. Considering that most of the time I need serious detective skills to do proper binary options broker review, writing about HighLow.net was a breeze. I didn’t have to search the darkest corners of the internet to find out the name of the company, I didn’t have to read all their Terms and Conditions document to see if they have hidden strings attached. Nope, everything is out in the open, what you see is what you get, so kudos to HighLow for that.

The broker offers a web-based platform (no download or install necessary), which is incredibly easy to use… maybe a bit too easy. If I were to complain about something, this would be it. The platform is too simplistic, the charts are too small and there’s absolutely no way of performing even basic technical analysis (they don’t even have candlestick charts). Nowadays almost all trading platforms are offering at least fundamental tools like drawings and classic indicators but unfortunately, HighLow falls short in this category.

As for option types, they offer the good old High/Low trading, High/Low Spread, Turbo, and Turbo Spread. The high/low is standard binary options presented on an easy-to-use platform. The spread high/low is the same except the asset must close above or below a spread amount, usually, only a few pips, to finish in the money and earn a payout of 200%. Normal high/low pays in the range of 85%. Expiry is mostly short-term. The longest is one day, which equates to a 24-hour expiry from the time of purchase. Others include 30 seconds, 1 minute, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 15 minutes, and one hour.

HighLow also has one of the easiest to get Demo accounts I’ve seen. You just click a button! That’s it; you don’t have to sign up, you don’t have to deposit, you don’t even have to give them your e-mail. All you do is click on “Quick Demo” and you will get a 10,000 virtual money account to play with. I don’t know if the demo is time-limited but it doesn’t really matter because clicking again on the button shouldn’t be much trouble.

On the other hand, if you want a real account, the minimum deposit is just $50, which is among the lowest in the industry. I never understood why brokers won’t let people just deposit low amounts (like 50 bucks). Surely, if the brokerage is offering a great service, clients will then deposit more, but let us invest small at the beginning until we get to “know” each other. Overall I like HighLow because they don’t seem greedy… yeah, I think that’s the main reason. They offer a service, which I consider excellent, and then let you decide if you want to continue using it; they don’t tie you with bonus turnovers, they don’t make you deposit a lot and they offer a free demo (no deposit and no registration required). And let’s not forget the very important aspect of regulation: Fully Regulated by ASIC, with your money held in a different account than the company’s money. This is how brokers should do things!

Their Australian headquarters are located at Level 10, 20 Martin Place, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia. It is also very important to note that these are physical addresses, not virtual offices, so traders can visit them just how they can visit a bank. Payment processing may be operated by their UK subsidiary, Highlow Markets Ltd, located at Medius House, 2 Sheraton Street, London, W1F 8BH, United Kingdom.

HighLow Complaints

There really aren’t a lot of complaints on this broker. That’s maybe because they do things the right way, without the use of scams or bonuses and without annoying, high-pressure tactics. This doesn’t mean this is a perfect broker, just one that isn’t rocking the boat isn’t ruffling feathers. We did manage to find a few complaints about lag on the platform and some clients claimed that trades opened in their accounts out of the blue. We cannot confirm or deny any of these claims.

HighLow Regulatory Warnings And Announcements

18.11.2015: HighLow Markets PTY Ltd appeared on a list published by Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) that contained names of entities that operated financial instruments businesses without proper authorization. We’ve already mentioned before that the HighLow regulation only applies to the territory of Australia so this warning is not a great surprise. However, we couldn’t find HighLow Markets PTY on FSA’s updated warning list (December 2016) which means they’ve probably solved the problem. Source for original FSA warning: FSA Weekly review No. 171.

01/04/2021: ASIC has made a product intervention order banning the issue and distribution of binary options to retail clients. This is not directly aimed at HighLow but it affects their client base considering they are an Australian broker. Read more about the ban in ASIC’s Media Release.

HighLow Bonus

The HighLow.net bonus is one of the few in the industry I actually like. It is not a lure, a trick, or a trap. It is a reward for trading, a real bonus, that you can get in two ways. First-time depositors can get $50 cashback on their first trade, after that you earn points through trading that can be redeemed for cash back once a month. The terms, enjoy the money. Once this bonus is redeemed and in your account, it is yours, without any strings attached.

HighLow Withdrawals

Withdrawals are super easy. They are processed within one business day if you are using but it will take between 1 and 3 business days usually to get the funds in your account. The minimum withdrawal through bank transfer is just 10 USD (50 USD for Credit Card, Poli and Bitcoin).

HighLow Extras

The Free Demo is the best one I’ve seen yet. No email, no registration, no deposit, just click a button and get $10K virtual money. Great stuff!

HighLow Ratings

User Friendly 17/20

This platform is super user-friendly. It is transparent, it’s regulated and it is easy to use. There are lots of educational materials as well, and very friendly bonus policy. The minimum investment in a single trade is $10 (max $2,000), which is great for newbies because they can start small. Also, mobile apps are available for iOS and Android, so you can trade from anywhere. The website is available only in English.

Number of Assets and Expiry 16/20

Assets and expiry are both limited but not deal breakers. Their asset basket is composed of only 32 underlying, including 3 cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin). Expiries tend to the short term: 30 seconds 1, 3, 5, 15, and 60 minutes with one day as the single long-term choice.

Commissions, Support and Effective Returns 17/20

There are no commissions to open trades, just like with any broker, but you will have to pay a transaction fee that is charged by the payment processor. It is very important to note that withdrawals via Neteller/Bank are processed within one business day. Support is OK, they have plenty of resources, but no account “managers”. Returns are good, standard binaries return in the range of 85%, the spread options go up to 200%, which is really nice.

Deposit, Payments & Bonus 17/20

Deposits are easily made, through credit card, wire transfers, Poli, Bitcoin, and Litecoin (please note that some methods may change depending on the client’s location). The minimum deposit is $10 for bank transfers and $50 for other methods. Payments are processed quickly. The bonus terms are fantastic. You don’t get the bonus upfront, tying up your deposit and profits, you get it after, as a reward for trading or in the form of cashback upon first deposit. Points you earn also include additional deposits you might make.

Website Extra’s 16/20

HighLow is a straightforward and honest broker, simply trying to deliver binary options to traders. They are fully regulated and they offer segregated accounts, meaning that your money is held in Client Money Trust Accounts with National Australia Bank (NAB), an AA-rated top-tier bank, not in the same accounts as the company’s money. Oh, and did I mention the amazingly easy-to-get 10,000 USD Demo? Yup, I did but I had to do it again.

HighLow Overall Ratings (83) + ASIC Regulated (+3) = 86/100