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By Joanne Cassar / 12. Oct 2026
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By Joanne Cassar / 23. Sep 2026
IC Markets - Regulated By FSA
Forex broker execution speed is the time required to process a trade after an order reaches the broker's trading infrastructure. It can affect the price at which a market order is filled, particularly during volatile markets.
For traders researching execution speed, RoboForex is one broker to examine because it publishes execution information for its trading services. RoboForex's forex page advertises order execution from 0.1 seconds, while its formal execution rules state that customer orders are generally processed within 1–3 seconds and may take longer under abnormal market conditions.
That difference highlights an important point: execution-speed numbers are not automatically comparable across brokers. A broker may measure server processing time, bridge latency, or another part of the execution process. Traders should therefore compare execution methodology, slippage, fill quality, infrastructure, and trading conditions alongside headline speed.
Forex execution speed describes how quickly a broker processes and fills a trading order.
When you click Buy or Sell, the process involves several stages:
The total experience can therefore be longer than the broker's advertised internal execution time.
This is why a trader should distinguish between network latency, broker processing time, liquidity-provider execution, and total round-trip order time.
For scalpers, news traders, and automated systems, even small differences can matter. For longer-term traders holding positions for hours, days, or weeks, execution speed may be less important than spread, financing costs, liquidity, and overall trading conditions.
The following comparison uses execution figures published by the brokers themselves. These figures should not be treated as a scientific apples-to-apples ranking, because each broker may use different measurement periods, platforms, account types, and definitions.
| Broker | Published Execution Figure | Infrastructure / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| RoboForex | From 0.1 seconds on its forex page; 1–3 seconds in formal execution rules | MT4/MT5; execution varies by account and market conditions |
| IC Markets Global | Average under 40 ms | Equinix NY4 infrastructure and low-latency connectivity |
| Pepperstone | From 50 ms; some published materials cite most orders under ~30 ms for specific entity data | MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView; published fill-rate data |
| FP Markets | Under 8 ms average on current Bangladesh page | Equinix NY4 co-location and ECN liquidity |
| FOREX.com | 0.002 seconds average on its disclosed platform data | Published statistics exclude MetaTrader-entered orders |
The figures demonstrate why execution-speed comparisons require context. FOREX.com's published 0.002-second statistic, for example, measures elapsed time between order receipt and execution for specified eligible orders, while its disclosure excludes orders entered through MetaTrader. FP Markets publishes an average below 8ms on its current Bangladesh-facing page, while IC Markets states an average execution speed under 40ms. Pepperstone publishes execution figures around 50ms on some current pages and also has entity-specific disclosures around 30ms.
These numbers describe different measurement environments and should not be interpreted as a universal fastest-to-slowest ranking.
RoboForex currently publishes two different execution-related descriptions that are important to understand.
Its forex trading page advertises high execution speed with order execution from 0.1 seconds. Its formal Order Execution Rules state that customer orders are processed in 1–3 seconds, with the possibility of longer processing during unusual market conditions.
This does not necessarily mean the two statements contradict each other. Marketing pages and formal execution rules can describe different stages or operating conditions.
For traders, the important question is what happens to the order under real trading conditions.
RoboForex's formal rules also specify that ProCent and Pro accounts use Market Execution, while certain fixed accounts use Instant Execution. The execution model therefore matters when evaluating speed and potential slippage.
RoboForex also states that Buy Stop, Sell Stop, and Stop Loss orders can be executed at a price different from the specified level because the triggered order becomes a market order and is processed at the current available price.
That is particularly relevant to volatile-market strategies.
IC Markets Global publishes an average execution speed of under 40 milliseconds and highlights low-latency fibre-optic connectivity and Equinix NY4 infrastructure.
The broker also positions its environment toward high-volume traders, scalpers, and automated trading systems.
For traders comparing execution speed, the infrastructure is important. A broker's physical and network proximity to liquidity providers can reduce latency, although it does not guarantee a particular fill price.
IC Markets also promotes a low-latency collocated VPS option. This can be relevant to Expert Advisors and automated strategies because reducing the distance between the trading terminal and broker infrastructure can reduce network-related delays.
However, a low published latency figure does not guarantee that every order will be filled at the displayed price.
Pepperstone publishes fast-execution figures and states that most orders are executed in less than approximately 30 milliseconds for Pepperstone Group Limited, while another current product page cites execution speeds from 50 milliseconds and a 99.32% fill rate.
The broker explains that its execution figures relate to processing after an order reaches its bridge. That distinction is important.
A trader's actual end-to-end latency can also depend on:
Therefore, a published 30ms or 50ms figure should not automatically be interpreted as the time from clicking the Buy button to receiving a final fill.
FP Markets currently advertises an average execution figure of under 8 milliseconds on its Bangladesh-facing website and says its infrastructure is co-located at Equinix NY4 with top-tier liquidity providers.
The broker also advertises raw ECN spreads from 0.0 pips and an order fill rate of 90% on the page reviewed.
For traders focused on execution, this combination of low-latency infrastructure and liquidity access is more informative than the millisecond figure alone.
The key question is whether the trader's actual strategy benefits from the infrastructure.
A long-term swing trader may not notice much practical difference between several milliseconds of broker-side processing. A high-frequency-style strategy or EA can be much more sensitive to execution conditions.
Scalping strategies often attempt to capture relatively small price movements.
Suppose a strategy targets a small movement and enters during a fast market. A delayed fill or unfavorable slippage can reduce the expected edge.
Execution speed can affect:
However, speed should never be considered separately from spread.
A broker with slightly slower published execution but significantly tighter effective trading costs could potentially produce different results from a broker advertising extremely fast execution.
Latency usually refers to the delay involved in transmitting information between systems.
Execution speed generally refers to how quickly an order is processed once it reaches the relevant broker infrastructure.
These concepts overlap but are not identical.
For example, imagine your computer is located far from a broker's server. Your network connection may add latency before the order reaches the broker. The broker might process the order extremely quickly after receiving it.
Your total trading experience therefore depends on both.
This is why traders using automated systems often consider VPS hosting located close to the broker's servers.
Fast execution does not eliminate slippage.
Slippage occurs when the final execution price differs from the price available or requested when the order was submitted.
This is particularly common during:
RoboForex's own explanation notes that certain stop orders can ultimately become market orders and may therefore execute at a different price from the original trigger level.
The same principle applies broadly across the forex industry: fast-moving markets can change between order submission and execution.
No.
Execution speed is only one part of execution quality.
A useful broker comparison should consider:
How quickly does the broker process orders?
How quickly can your order reach the broker's infrastructure?
How frequently and by how much do orders fill away from the expected price?
How consistently are orders successfully filled?
What is the effective bid-ask cost under normal and volatile conditions?
How much liquidity is available around the quoted price?
Does the account use market execution, instant execution, or another model?
Does the broker support MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView, or proprietary platforms?
Is low-latency VPS or virtual hosting available?
Which legal entity holds your account, and which regulatory framework applies?
Scalpers should generally look beyond the headline execution number.
The most useful combination is:
low latency + competitive spreads + reliable execution + deep liquidity + consistent fills.
For example, IC Markets, Pepperstone, and FP Markets all publish low-latency or fast-execution information, but their reported figures use different methodologies.
RoboForex also publishes fast execution information and offers multiple account types with different execution arrangements.
Instead of choosing a broker solely based on the smallest millisecond figure, scalpers can run controlled tests using the same instrument, position size, trading session, and strategy.
Expert Advisors can make execution speed particularly important because they may respond to market conditions automatically.
An EA may generate an order within milliseconds, but the order still has to travel from the trading terminal to the broker.
This creates several potential bottlenecks:
EA → MT4/MT5 → Internet → Broker server → Liquidity → Fill → Confirmation
A VPS can reduce the network component of this process when properly located.
RoboForex supports MT4 and MT5, while IC Markets, Pepperstone, and FP Markets also offer platforms commonly used for automated trading.
For EA traders, testing the actual live environment is more valuable than relying exclusively on promotional execution statistics.
A practical broker execution test can use the same EA or manual strategy across multiple demo or live environments.
Record:
Run enough observations to identify patterns rather than relying on one or two trades.
Also compare normal-market execution with high-volatility periods.
RoboForex itself recommends modeling execution delays when backtesting trading robots. Its educational material explains that execution delay can affect slippage and that testing with realistic delays provides a more meaningful assessment of an automated strategy.
The headline numbers are useful, but they should not be treated as a universal ranking.
RoboForex publishes execution from 0.1 seconds on its forex page, while its formal rules state 1–3 seconds for customer order processing under normal conditions. IC Markets publishes average execution under 40ms, FP Markets currently advertises under 8ms, and Pepperstone publishes figures around 50ms or lower depending on the entity and methodology.
The major lesson is that execution speed is measurement-specific.
A serious forex broker comparison should therefore combine:
For scalpers and algorithmic traders, these factors can have a meaningful effect on strategy implementation. For longer-term traders, spread, financing, liquidity, and overall account conditions may matter more than a few milliseconds.
There is no single universal threshold. Execution speed should be evaluated together with latency, spread, slippage, liquidity, and fill quality.
0.1 seconds equals 100 milliseconds. Whether that is fast enough depends on the strategy, market conditions, and how the broker defines the measurement.
RoboForex advertises execution from 0.1 seconds on its forex page. Its formal execution rules state that customer orders are processed within 1–3 seconds under normal conditions, with longer processing possible in abnormal markets.
It depends on the trading strategy. Scalpers and high-frequency-style strategies can be sensitive to both, while longer-term strategies may place greater emphasis on spread, financing, liquidity, and overall trading costs.
A VPS can reduce network latency between the trading terminal and broker infrastructure when it is appropriately located. It does not guarantee better fills or eliminate slippage.
No. Slippage can still occur because market prices can change between order submission and execution, especially during volatile or thin-liquidity periods.
MT5 has a more modern architecture and more advanced computing capabilities, but actual trade execution depends on the broker's infrastructure, account, connection, liquidity, and market conditions. Platform choice alone does not guarantee faster fills.
The most useful forex broker execution speed comparison is not simply a list of brokers ordered from the smallest millisecond figure to the largest.
Instead, evaluate the complete execution environment.
RoboForex, IC Markets, Pepperstone, and FP Markets all publish information about execution speed or infrastructure, but their figures are not necessarily measured in the same way. A trader should therefore examine the methodology behind each statistic and, where possible, conduct independent testing.
For scalpers and EA traders, prioritize consistent execution, low latency, competitive spreads, liquidity, and reliable fills. For swing and longer-term traders, execution speed remains relevant but may be less important than total trading costs and overall account conditions.
The best execution environment is the one that matches your strategy, trading frequency, instruments, account type, and risk management requirements—not necessarily the broker advertising the smallest millisecond number.
Forex and CFD trading involves substantial risk and may not be suitable for every investor. Leverage can magnify both profits and losses. Execution speeds, spreads, liquidity, and trading conditions can change depending on market conditions, account type, platform, jurisdiction, and technology. Published broker statistics are not guarantees of future execution quality. Always review the broker's current terms and consider testing an execution environment before committing significant capital.
