Broker (Embedded Contracts)

Interactive Brokers

Institutional-grade brokerage with ForecastEx political, economic, and financial event contracts.

Politics Economics

Go to Interactive Brokers ↗

✓ Best for

✓ Active traders who already use Interactive Brokers for stocks or futures
✓ US users who want zero-commission event contracts with tight spreads
✓ Professional traders comfortable with Trader Workstation

✗ Avoid if

✗ Casual users: the IBKR interface is not designed for beginners
✗ Traders looking for sports contracts (ForecastEx is politics/economics only)
✗ Anyone who needs a standalone prediction market app

About this operator

Interactive Brokers integrated ForecastEx event contracts in 2024, making political, economic, and financial market event contracts available directly inside the IBKR platform. IBKR clients do not need to open a separate account, event contracts are treated like any other derivative and settle in USD. The ForecastEx selection covers Fed rate decisions, election outcomes, and financial market thresholds. Because IBKR targets institutional and professional retail clients, it is the preferred access point for serious traders who already use IBKR for equities, futures, or options.

Quick facts

Founded	1977
Headquarters	Greenwich, Connecticut, USA
Type	Broker (Embedded Contracts)
Settlement	USD
Fees	No commission on event contracts
Min deposit	$0
KYC	Full KYC (institutional + retail)
Volume	High (institutional focus)
✓ Data verified April 2026

Scorecard

Interactive Brokers — Scorecard

Fees

Excellent

Liquidity

Weak

Ease of use

Poor

Regulation

Excellent

Market range

Weak

Editorial ratings based on publicly available data. Your experience may vary.

Pros & cons

Interactive Brokers — strengths and weaknesses

✓ Strengths

✓ Institutional-grade platform
✓ Deep market data tools
✓ ForecastEx integration

✗ Weaknesses

✗ Complex interface: not designed for casual prediction market users
✗ Narrow event contract selection (ForecastEx only, no sports)
✗ US-only for event contracts
✗ Professional-grade platform with a steep learning curve

Real cost

What does it actually cost to trade on Interactive Brokers?

Fee breakdown

No commission on ForecastEx event contracts. The cost is the bid-ask spread in the market. A $1,000 position in a liquid political market typically has a spread cost of $2–5 at entry, similar to a stock ETF spread. In thinner markets the spread may be wider.

Fees shown are approximate. Always verify the current fee schedule directly on Interactive Brokers before trading. → Check current fees on Interactive Brokers ↗

Getting started

How to start trading on Interactive Brokers

1 Open an IBKR account at interactivebrokers.com (individual accounts are free)
2 Complete full KYC: government ID, financial information, and trading experience questionnaire
3 Fund your account (minimum varies by account type; $0 for cash accounts)
4 Search "event contracts" in Trader Workstation or the web portal to find ForecastEx markets

Go to Interactive Brokers ↗

FAQ

Frequently asked questions — Interactive Brokers

What event contracts does Interactive Brokers offer? +

Interactive Brokers offers ForecastEx event contracts covering US political elections, Federal Reserve rate decisions, inflation readings, economic indicators, and financial market thresholds. They appear in the same interface as equities, futures, and options. No separate account needed.

Does Interactive Brokers charge fees for event contracts? +

Interactive Brokers does not charge additional commissions on ForecastEx event contracts. Revenue comes from the bid-ask spread built into the market. If you already have an IBKR account you can trade event contracts at no extra cost within your existing account structure.

Is Interactive Brokers suitable for active prediction market trading? +

Interactive Brokers is best for professional and institutional users who want prediction market exposure inside an existing multi-asset trading environment. It offers deep market data, programmatic access via the IBKR API, and portfolio margin treatment. It is not designed for casual prediction market users; Kalshi or Robinhood are more appropriate for retail traders.

Can non-US users access ForecastEx through Interactive Brokers? +

ForecastEx is a CFTC-regulated US product. Access is currently limited to US residents with a US IBKR account. International IBKR clients are not able to access ForecastEx event contracts through their non-US accounts.

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