Interactive Brokers Review 2026: We Review Features, Legality, Markets & More

An overview of Interactive Brokers (IBKR)

Many investors in the US are familiar with Interactive Brokers, a publicly traded brokerage firm where you can invest in different stocks, options, and futures.

Interestingly, this platform launched ForecastEx, its own prediction exchange, in 2024, which is a CFTC-registered Designated Contract Market (DCM). It has now been implemented into the main IBKR platform.

As such, you’re not signing up on a separate prediction market app. Rather, you’re opening (or already have) a full brokerage account that holds event contracts right next to your investment portfolio.

Now that we have got that out of the way, here are a few facts about Interactive Brokers prediction markets.

How do Interactive Brokers prediction markets actually work?

Break down how Interactive Brokers works

Predict crypto trends at Interactive Brokers

They follow the same setup, which I found in my recent ROLR review. Basically, each market on the IBKR platform asks a simple question about a real-world outcome that hasn’t happened yet.

Here’s an example from the election category:

Will Democrats take control of the US Congress (the Senate and the House of Representatives)?

The answer to this question is either Yes or No, each having its own contract and priced between $0.01 and $0.99. The event contracts to the question are as follows:

• Yes: $0.40
• No: $0.60

The price for each contract is simply the crowd’s (participants like you and me) current guess of the probability that an event will or won't happen.

Therefore, the Yes contract says participants believe there’s a 40% chance the Democrats will control both the US Congress and the Senate. The same goes for the No contract. The market believes there’s a 60% chance that it doesn’t happen.

Then it’s up to you to predict the outcome and back it with real money. That means either buy Yes contracts (at the current market price) if you think that outcome will happen, or buy No contracts if you believe otherwise. If your prediction is correct, the corresponding contracts settle at $1. If you’re wrong, you get nothing.

I tested this out by purchasing $1,000 worth of Yes contracts. That means I have 2,500 Yes contract shares. By the time the US midterms come, and my prediction is correct (the Democrats did a full Congress sweep), each contract settles at $1. That means I’ll get $2,500, with a potential profit of $1,500.

But if the Democratic Party doesn’t control the chamber of Congress, my prediction is wrong, and I’ll lose my $1,000.

Just so we are on the same page, this is a personal test to see how this prediction market app works. It’s not in any way showing favoritism or bias. Neither is it a nudge for you to take the same position as me.

Then there’s something I noticed, which I also mentioned during my DraftKings Predict review: you can enter and exit at different positions even before the real-world event finally settles. As you’re aware, the US midterms are still a few months away. So expect the Yes and No contract prices to adjust when new information about a party or a candidate comes to light.

The implication for me when this happens is that if sentiments shift in line with my predictions, the event contract price I purchased will rise. I can then close out early and make some profits on the difference. The same goes if current market sentiment runs counter to mine; I can just exit to minimize losses, keep some of my initial investment, and move to the next potential trade.

Before I continue, I should note that when you purchase a contract, you incur a $0.01 charge. If you decide to sell the contract before the event finally resolves to either $0 or $1, you incur another trading fee of $0.01. It’s usually a small charge that can add up if you trade frequently.

What are the Interactive Brokers prediction markets categories I can trade?

As I mentioned earlier, Interactive Brokers combines prediction markets from ForecastEx, Kalshi, and CME Group. That means you can expect a wide range of highly liquid markets. The categories I found during my review include:

Let me give you an idea of the questions whose Yes/No contracts you can trade in the table below:

If you’re a prediction market trader, you’ll notice I didn’t mention sports-related event contracts. Well, that’s because IBKR hasn’t added that category yet. There may be an update to that in the future. In the meantime, you can trade the available categories I shared above right on the platform.

Types of event contracts you’ll find at Interactive Brokers prediction markets

Most prediction markets you’ll find at Interactive Brokers fall into one of these three types:

Binary contracts

They are the simple Yes or No contracts, and they make up the bulk of the platform. Here are a few examples:

• Will the US grant a license for a new nuclear reactor before 2027? Yes or No.
• Will NASA land on the moon before 2027? Yes or No.
• Will Ramzan Kadyrov (Head of Chechnya) leave office in 2026? Yes or No.
• Will the next Fed rate ike happen before 2027? Yes or No.

Categorical contracts

These cover situations with several possible outcomes lined up in advance for a single question. They are also common, especially in the elections and culture markets. Here are a few examples:

• Who will be the 2028 Democratic Party’s presidential candidate? Gavin Newsom, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, John Ossoff, Kamala Harris, Rahm Emanuel
• Who will be the 2028 Republican Party's presidential candidate? JD Vance, Marco Rubio, Ron DeSantis, Tucker Carlson
• Who will win the Fields Medal in 2026? Yu Deng, John Pardon, Jack Thorne

Interestingly, each possible outcome has a Yes or No contract. When the event settles, the correct contract resolves at $1 while every other resolves at $0.

Scalar contracts

These are a bit different. They settle based on where a number lands within a set range, with a Yes/No binary contract attached to it. They are common in the financial markets category and the environmental (daily) categories. For instance:

• Where will the Bitcoin price be at the end of 2026? $65,000 to $69,999.99, $70,000 to $74,999.99, $75,000 to $79,999.99, $80,000 to $84,999.99.
• What will be the Nasdaq-100 close price at the end of 2026? 32,500 to 33,000 or at least 33,000.01
• What will be the highest temperature in Chicago (daily)? 78° to 79°, 80° to 81°, 82° to 83°, 84° to 85°.

Regardless of the structure, you buy a contract for a few cents to almost a dollar, and the price reflects what the crowd currently thinks the chances are. Get it right, and your contract settles at $1. Get it wrong, and it settles at zero.

Is there a sign-up offer for Interactive Brokers prediction markets?

Yes. It’s a $10 welcome deal you’ll get immediately when you register for an account. It’s really a modest offer compared to the $1,000 in prediction credits that I received during my ROLR promo code review.

To claim this $10 bonus, you’ll need to create an account using the banners on this page. This action will take you to the IBKR official page, where you’ll input a username and password. After clicking Continue, you’ll be prompted to choose your state of residence and begin the registration.

Confirm your email and phone number to complete your account registration process. You’ll need to also provide the following: income and tax information, funding details, and personal and contact details.

I should mention once more that the account you create, while it’s for trading prediction markets, can also be used to manage your stocks and ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds). The registration process is fairly straightforward, but you’ll need to carefully enter every detail requested by the operator, as you’ll verify them later.

Once all is in place, you’ll get your $10 bonus, which you can use to trade different event contracts. From my experience, you don’t need an Interactive Brokers prediction markets promo code to claim this offer.

IBKR prediction markets usability

Away from the sign-up bonus, it’s time to see how it actually feels to use the platform. If you’ve used a few prediction market sites, you’ll be pleased by this platform’s design and usability. If you haven’t, the site has a modern and professional design that feels functional.

On this prediction market platform, you’ll find the categories neatly arranged at the top. There’s also a Popular tab where you’ll find recent and trending markets with their respective event contracts.

And when you select a market, you’ll find a live chart showing how Yes/No event contracts trade in real time. Just below it, you’ll see the price from different exchanges available for this market and the attached liquidity. Each market has a rule attached by the prediction app it was sourced from.

Is there a dedicated app for Interactive Brokers prediction markets?

There’s no separate standalone prediction market app. But there’s the full IBKR mobile app, available on iOS and Android. Once you install it and log in to your account, you’ll find the prediction markets after a few taps.

The mobile layout closely mirrors that of the desktop. Event contract charts render smoothly, orders are quick to fill out, and notifications for market settlement work reliably in my testing. One area where the mobile app shines is speed. If a market shifts due to breaking news or a recent development, you can react from your pocket almost as fast as you could at a desk.

Take your first step at Interactive Brokers

Keep trading on the go at Interactive Brokers

Available Interactive Brokers prediction markets payment methods

There are a few payment methods you can use to fund your IBKR prediction market account. They include ACH transfer, bank wire, mail a check and check deposits, and crypto [USD Coin, PayPal USD (PUSD), and Ripple USD (RUSD].

From my review, the ACH transfer allows you to link your bank account to your IBKR account with zero fees. However, expect 1 to 2 business days for your funds to land in your account.

Cryptocurrency payments (using stablecoins) are faster. But expect tiered fees up to $0.35% on every stablecoin deposit amount (at least $1). The same goes for bank wires, as you can deposit funds and trade them within one business day. But expect fees to apply, which your bank will determine.

The platform processes withdrawals using the same methods used for deposits, except for cryptocurrency. The fastest are ACH transfer and bank wire, which are free once per calendar month. Subsequent withdrawals will incur a fee, and your bank will also charge you for an incoming transfer. Based on my assessments, there’s no minimum deposit or withdrawal.

Customer support on the IBKR prediction market platform

I took the time to explore the IBKR prediction markets, and the available channels were the same as those available for the main brokerage platform. First things first, I searched for live chat and had to go through a few clicks before I found it.

Go to the footer section of the IBKR prediction market homepage and click Form & Disclosure. It will take you to a new page where you’ll find Support. Then you’ll find an option for Phone Support or a Chat Room to speak with a live agent via voice call or chat.

I opened the Chat Room session with a simple question about the platform’s incentives. Within minutes, I got a clear answer. The live chat support runs from Sunday 20:00 to Friday 20:00. So any issue you may have during the weekend may not be resolved right away till when live support officially opens.

I also found a dedicated FAQ page on this operator’s homepage, which answers key questions about prediction markets and what you can trade. The customer service support is cool, and I have no complaints here.

Is Interactive Brokers prediction markets legit?

Yes, it is. This prediction market app is owned by Interactive Brokers LLC, a member of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). It’s regulated by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

During my testing, I found that this brand was founded in 1977 and has a rich history in the finance industry. That gives the platform a different kind of trust that even popular prediction markets cannot replicate.

Security and safety at Interactive Brokers prediction markets

Regarding security, the platform provides account protections, including Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption, two-factor authentication (2FA), and mandatory Know Your Customer (KYC) checks. Of course, these features won’t protect you against a losing prediction; nobody can do that. But it ensures you trade with peace of mind.

Please note that prediction markets have their risks. You can lose your funds if your prediction is wrong. That’s why I always advise users to trade within their limits and not risk more than what they are comfortable losing.

Explore Interactive Brokers prediction markets today

To be candid, I have reviewed several prediction market apps. But Interactive Brokers brings something different to the table. You get a well-established broker that lets you trade event contracts in the same account you can use to hold your stock portfolio.

It might not feel as flashy as some newer names, but you can expect a modern and professional site that works well on PC and mobile. So, if you want a prediction platform with rich financial history and that aggregates event contracts from other sites, Interactive Brokers is worth a look. Click the banners on this page to open an account on this platform and explore your options.

Interactive Brokers prediction markets review FAQs