Forex IB Programme: The Awkward Questions to Ask First

Comparing IB programmes usually starts with the rate. It is the number on the landing page and the first thing anyone asks about. It is also the number least likely to determine how the partnership turns out.

What decides that is in the agreement: how qualification is measured, what happens when a month goes badly, who can change the terms, and what happens if you part ways. This guide sets out the questions worth asking about any forex IB programme before you look at the rate, including the awkward ones.

Key takeaways

• Read the agreement before the rate; the definitions decide what the rate is worth.

• Ask how tier qualification is measured, and how often it is reviewed.

• Get clear, written answers on negative months, term changes and ending the partnership.

• Make sure you can see the client data your payout is calculated from.

• Check the broker before the programme, because your clients' experience carries your name.

1. Start with the broker, not the programme

An IB programme is only as good as the broker behind it. Before comparing terms, check the broker's licence on the regulator's register, how deposits and withdrawals work and how client support is run. Our guide to what a broker licence does, and what it does not, explains the licence check step by step.

2. Questions about how you are paid

What exactly is the payout based on?

Ask for the formula, not the headline. Is it a share of net revenue, a fixed amount per lot, a one-off payment per client or a mix of these? For revenue share, ask how net revenue is defined and which positions count towards it. At Nexora, the programme works on revenue share across multiple tiers, and net revenue is calculated monthly on realised, closed positions.

How is qualification measured?

Tiered programmes live or die on their definitions. Does a deposit mean gross deposits, or net of withdrawals? What makes a client active, and over what period? At Nexora, tiers are qualified for on total net deposits and active clients, reviewed at the end of every month, with a grace period if your base falls. Whichever programme you are looking at, get the definitions in writing.

What happens in a negative month?

This is the question many partners forget to ask. If a month's net revenue is negative, does it simply count as zero, or is the shortfall carried forward against future months? Are there any circumstances where commission already paid can be reclaimed? Neither answer is wrong in itself, but you need to know which one applies before you plan around the income.

When and how are you paid?

Ask about payout frequency, payment methods, minimum payout amounts and any fees. Ask, too, what happens to commission on a client whose account is under review.

3. Questions about the terms

Can the terms change?

Every agreement has an amendment clause. Ask how much notice you get before a change, whether changes apply to clients you have already introduced or only to new ones, and what your options are if you do not accept them. A partnership is only as stable as the terms underneath it.

What happens if the partnership ends?

Ask whether commission continues on the clients you introduced after the agreement ends, for how long and on what conditions. Ask how either side can end the agreement and with how much notice. These are uncomfortable questions at the start of a relationship, which is exactly why they are worth asking then.

What are the marketing rules?

Brokers are responsible for how their services are promoted, including by partners. Ask what you can and cannot say, which countries you cannot target, whether materials need approval and what happens if a rule is broken. Clear marketing rules protect you as much as they protect the broker.

4. Questions about visibility and support

• Can you see client-level data? A portal with per-client figures lets you reconcile each payout against the activity that produced it.

• Who do you call? A named contact who understands your market works very differently from a general ticket queue.

• Who looks after your clients? Find out how onboarding, verification, funding, and support are handled, and at what hours.

• What materials are provided? Ready-made banners, landing pages and referral links can save weeks of setup.

• Are sub-IBs allowed? If you plan to bring in partners of your own, check whether the structure supports it and how it is paid.

Nexora partners have each of these: a live IB portal, a named partner manager, ready-made marketing materials and client support around the clock.

5. A one-page checklist

6. Questions a good broker will ask you

The vetting should run both ways. Expect a serious broker to ask about your audience, where they are, how you plan to reach them, and how you talk about risk. A programme that asks nothing about how you will promote it may not be checking anyone else either.

7. Before you sign

The right forex IB programme is the one whose agreement you understand in full, at a broker you would be comfortable sending your own family to. Once you know what to ask, the next question is what the business itself can realistically become, which our guide to the economics of an IB business covers without the fantasy. To go through these questions on Nexora's programme, the partnership desk is open.