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If you are looking for synthetic indices brokers, the honest answer is shorter than you might expect: Deriv is the broker that creates and lists them. Boom, Crash, the Volatility indices, Step Index, Jump and Range Break are Deriv’s own instruments — not market products that many brokers carry under a shared name.
That single fact explains most of the confusion around this search. Traders compare “synthetic indices brokers” the way they would compare forex brokers, and then cannot work out why the list keeps collapsing back to one name.
Which brokers offer synthetic indices?
Deriv. The instruments were designed and are operated by Deriv, and they trade only on Deriv’s platforms and its MetaTrader 5 offering. Other brokers do sell products they describe as “synthetic” — proprietary baskets, simulated pairs, or in-house indices — but those are different instruments with different pricing models. A Boom 1000 chart at one broker and a similarly-named product at another are not the same market.
So when you see a review page listing “the top 5 synthetic indices brokers”, check what is actually being listed. Usually it is either five ways of reaching Deriv, or four unrelated products padding out a list.
Why the list of synthetic indices brokers is so short
Ordinary CFDs track something external — a currency pair, a share, a commodity. The broker sources pricing from the underlying market. Synthetic indices have no underlying market. Their movement is produced by a random number generator with published, audited parameters: a stated volatility, and in the case of Boom and Crash a stated average spike frequency.
That means the instrument is the model, and the model belongs to whoever built it. A broker cannot simply add Boom 500 to its platform the way it adds EURUSD. This is also why these markets price continuously, weekends included, and why they are unaffected by interest-rate decisions or economic releases.
The full synthetic indices list
These are the instruments you should expect to find in the market watch. If your account does not list them by these names, you are not looking at a synthetic indices account.
- Volatility indices — Volatility 10, 25, 50, 75 and 100. The number is the stated annualised volatility, so Volatility 10 is comparatively sedate and Volatility 100 is not. Volatility 75, often written VIX 75 in trading forums, is the best known of the group and is not related to the CBOE VIX.
- Boom indices — Boom 300, Boom 500 and Boom 1000. Price drifts downward and spikes upward on average once every 300, 500 or 1000 ticks.
- Crash indices — Crash 300, Crash 500 and Crash 1000. The mirror image: upward drift with sudden downward spikes.
- Step Index — moves in fixed increments with equal probability up or down, which makes position sizing unusually predictable.
- Jump indices — steady volatility punctuated by periodic jumps.
- Range Break indices — trade inside a range, then break out at a stated average frequency.
Each has its own spread, minimum lot size and tick value. Treat them as separate markets rather than variations on a theme — a strategy built for Step Index will not transfer to Crash 1000.
Synthetic indices brokers with MT5
This is the most common follow-up question, and it has a clean answer: synthetic indices run on MetaTrader 5, through Deriv’s MT5 offering. They are not available on MT4.
The distinction matters if you intend to automate. An expert advisor written for MT4 will not run on these instruments without being rebuilt for MT5 — the languages differ, and so does the order-handling model. If you are shopping for an EA, confirm it is an MT5 product before anything else.
Deriv also offers its own platforms — DTrader, Deriv X and cTrader — but MT5 is the one that matters for automated trading, because it is where expert advisors run.
Opening an account from South Africa, Nigeria or Kenya
Deriv operates through several regional entities, and the instrument list differs between them. This is the single most common way traders in Africa waste an afternoon: they follow a link written for another region, complete a signup, and find no synthetic indices in the platform at all.
Before funding anything, check that the account you have opened actually lists Boom, Crash and the Volatility indices in its market list. If it does not, you are on the wrong entity and should not deposit. Deriv’s own account signup will route you appropriately from your region.
Practical points that matter more in this region than the marketing usually admits:
- Deposit and withdrawal methods. Local bank transfer, mobile money and e-wallet coverage vary by country and change more often than instrument lists do. Check current methods for your country before committing.
- Minimum deposit. Synthetic indices are leveraged. A small account and a full-size lot is the most common way new traders lose everything in a single spike.
- Weekend exposure. Because these markets never close, a position left open on Friday is still live on Saturday. On conventional forex it would not be.
What to check before choosing
- Are the instruments actually there? Open the market watch and look for Boom 500, Crash 500 and Volatility 75 by name.
- Is it MT5? Required if you plan to run an expert advisor.
- What is the spread on the specific index you want? Spreads differ substantially between Volatility 10 and Volatility 100; a single headline number tells you nothing.
- What is the minimum lot size? This sets the smallest risk you can take, and therefore the smallest account that makes sense.
- Is there a demo? Trade the instrument on demo long enough to see a losing stretch before risking real money.
Can you run a trading robot on synthetic indices?
Yes, and it is one of the more sensible applications of automation. These markets run 24/7 and their behaviour is statistical rather than news-driven, so a rule-based system is not fighting economic releases the way it would on currency pairs. It also means a human cannot realistically watch them continuously.
We cover this in detail on our synthetic indices trading robot guide, including how to judge an EA before buying one and why a VPS matters when a spike resolves in seconds. For the instruments themselves, see our Boom 500 index guide and the Crash 500 back-test review, or the broader Deriv synthetic indices trading guide.
Frequently asked questions
Which broker has Boom and Crash indices?
Deriv. Boom 300, 500 and 1000 and Crash 300, 500 and 1000 are Deriv instruments and are not listed by brokers that only carry forex and share CFDs.
Are there other synthetic indices brokers?
Other brokers sell their own proprietary or simulated products, but they are not the same instruments. If you specifically want Boom, Crash, Step or the Volatility indices, you want Deriv.
Can I trade synthetic indices on MT4?
No. They are served on MT5. An MT4 expert advisor will not work on them without being rewritten.
Do synthetic indices close at weekends?
No. They price continuously, because there is no underlying market to close.
What about standard forex?
For currency pairs, indices and commodities rather than synthetics, we list the brokers we work with on our trusted brokers page.
Trading leveraged products carries significant risk and can result in the loss of your capital. Nothing on this page is investment advice.
What it costs to start with synthetic indices brokers
There is no single minimum deposit, and any page quoting one figure is oversimplifying. Minimums are set per payment method and differ again per regional entity — the same two variables that decide which instruments you can see at all.
To give a sense of the structure rather than a promise: on Deriv’s published European schedule, card deposits start around €10, bank transfer around €5, and crypto between €15 and €50 depending on the coin. Those are European entity figures in euro. If you are opening an account from South Africa, Nigeria or Kenya, your entity, your currency and your local payment methods will all differ — local bank transfer and mobile money options exist in several African markets that do not appear on the European list at all.
The reliable move is the same one that applies to comparing synthetic indices brokers generally: open the account first, then look at the cashier before planning a deposit. The figures shown there are the ones that apply to you.
Demo accounts at synthetic indices brokers
A demo account carries the same Boom, Crash and Volatility instruments as a live one, with virtual funds. There is no cost and no obligation to fund anything afterwards.
Use it for two things specifically. First, confirm the instruments are actually listed — this is the fastest way to check you are on an entity that carries synthetic indices, before any money moves. Second, trade long enough to experience a losing stretch. A week of favourable conditions teaches nothing; the point is to see what a run of adverse spikes does to your account and to your decision-making.
If you intend to run an expert advisor, demo it there too. See the spike-trading robot guide for what to check before buying one.
Verification: what synthetic indices brokers ask for
Expect proof of identity and proof of address — a government ID and a recent utility bill or bank statement showing your name and address. This is standard anti-money-laundering practice across regulated brokers, not something specific to synthetic indices.
Two practical points. Complete verification before you need to withdraw rather than at the moment you want your money, because that is when delays hurt. And use payment methods in your own name only — Deriv states plainly that using methods which are not yours is prohibited, and it is a common reason withdrawals get held.
Leverage, margin and getting money out
Leverage at synthetic indices brokers varies by entity and by instrument, and it is not a single advertised number. Higher leverage does not make a strategy better; it makes position sizing less forgiving. On instruments where a spike resolves in seconds, that distinction is the whole game.
On withdrawals, the general rule is that funds return by the route they arrived — card deposits back to the card, e-wallet to the same wallet. Plan around that if the method you deposit with is not the one you want to be paid into. Note too that some methods accept deposits but not withdrawals, so check both directions before choosing one.
None of this is unique to one broker, but it matters more here than in most markets, because the instrument list, the payment options and the limits are all decided by which entity your account sits under. That is the recurring theme of this page: verify the entity first, and the rest follows.