The forex – or, foreign exchange – market is the largest financial market in the world. A forex broker is a company that helps facilitate trades in this market. Forex brokers grant you – whether you are a retail or professional client – the ability to buy or sell currencies via an online trading platform. Forex brokers act either as an agent (sending trades to another dealer) or as a dealer (taking the other side of each trade). Broadly speaking, forex brokers are financial institutions that accept your deposits in connection with maintaining a live trading or brokerage account, and execute your orders (instructions) to buy or sell currencies. Because brokers accept deposits, you must be sure they are properly licensed and regulated, just as you would when depositing money with an institution claiming to be a bank.