Difference between STP and ECN accounts
STP and ECN operate as the NDD (No Dealing Desk) which means that traders' orders are forwarded to the interbank market without being processed by the dealing desk. Also STP trades are forwarded directly to liquidity providers while ECN trades form inner liquidity between the members of the electronic network.
The key difference between these two types of accounts is the commission. On ECN accounts traders are charged a fixed commission for opening and closing trades and spreads depend on the prices of liquidity providers. On STP accounts no commission is charged but the FXOpen mark-up is added to the spread of liquidity providers.
As a rule, ECN offers a wider range of financial instruments including various CFDs.
The additional differences are listed in the table:
FXOpen Markets: ECN vs. STP
| STP | ECN | |
| Minimal deposit | USD 10 | USD 100 |
| Margin Call | At Margin Level of less than 50% | At Margin Level of less than 100% |
| Stop Out | At Margin Level of less than 30% | At Margin Level of less than 50% |
FXOpen AU: ECN vs. STP
| STP | ECN | |
| Minimal deposit | USD 10 | USD 200 |
| Margin Call | At Margin Level of less than 50% | At Margin Level of less than 100% |
| Stop Out | At Margin Level of less than 30% | At Margin Level of less than 50% |