IG Japan Ends Discount Program on Aug 17

IG Japan to shut Introductory Program

IG Securities, the Japan arm of IG Group, will discontinue its Introductory Program for new clients on Sunday, August 17, 2025, ending a two-week discount that let fresh accounts trade at 50% of the normal minimum. The broker said the move follows product size adjustments introduced in May 2025, which it says created a more comfortable trading environment and reduced the need for incentives.

Customers who activate accounts before the cutoff will retain access to the reduced minimum during the program‘s final days, but all trades from Monday, August 18, will follow the updated product size rules, according to IG Japan’s notice. The firm advised clients to contact its support desk with questions and emphasized that the improved trading environment remains in place.

What changes for new and recent clients

• Two-week, 50% minimum trading discount sunsets on August 17, 2025.
• Program phase-out begins August 18, with all new trades applying revised product sizes.
• Product size changes implemented in May 2025 underpin the shift and are cited as improving trading comfort for many users.

Why IG is making the change

IG Japan links the decision to its May 2025 recalibration of product sizes, arguing that these updates enhanced trading conditions sufficiently to retire the discount for newly onboarded traders. In its announcement, the company thanked clients and attributed the termination to trading environment improvements, including stock size changes.

Group performance context

The decision arrives alongside a stronger financial year for the parent group. IG Group reported a roughly 24–25% rise in FY25 net profit to about £380 million, with subsidiaries IG Markets and IG Index posting higher profits and net trading revenue compared with FY24. IG Markets‘ profit reached £131.2 million and net trading revenue rose to £384.9 million, while IG Index logged £92.7 million in profit with revenue up to £228.3 million, marking a recovery from 2023’s pressures of inflation, higher rates, volatility, and weaker equities.

What traders should watch

For prospective IG Japan clients, onboarding after August 17 means no two-week 50% minimum discount and immediate adherence to the revised product sizes. Traders who qualify before the deadline can still use the discount during the programs final window, but should prepare for the new parameters from August 18 onward.

“Due to improvements to the trading environment, such as changes to the size of stocks, we have decided to end the ‘Introductory Program’ service,” IG Japan stated in its Friday update.

About IG Broker

IG Group is a London-listed online trading provider offering OTC derivatives and spread betting via subsidiaries including IG Markets and IG Index, which reported revenue and profit growth in FY25 as group net profit rose to about £380 million.