Binary options in mainland China: platforms and risks

No platform here is licensed in mainland China. Capital controls and the 2021 crypto ban make funding them legally risky, so read the risks before the list.

By BinaryChooser editorial teamPlatform research for Asian markets

Checked on 4 October 2026

Short list for China

Strongest all-rounderPocket OptionOur pick4.1/5BinaryChooser score

Smallest depositPocket Option$5
Top advertised payoutIQ Option95%
Best trading screenIQ Option4.8/5
Biggest practice balancePocket Option$50,000

Full list of 3 platforms

1.Pocket OptionOur pick

Very small first deposits and copying other traders

China: Accepts residents

4.1/5

Lowest deposit: $5
Lowest trade: $1
Top payout: 92%

4.1/5

BinaryChooser score

+50% bonusConditions

Go to Pocket Option Read the review

Show everything

The cheapest way in, with a quick fixed-time platform and copy trading built in. Behind it is only a Comoros licence, and several regulators have named it in warnings.

The trading screen: asset, timer, stake and the payout shown before you trade (+67% on BNB OTC here).

The numbers

Lowest deposit: $5
Lowest trade: $1
Top payout: 92%
Win rate to break even: 52.1%
Practice balance: $50,000
Smallest withdrawal: $10

92% applies to popular assets at busy hours; quieter hours are reported 7–12 points lower. Win rate to break even: The share of trades you have to win at the top payout just to stay level. Real payouts are often lower, which pushes this up.

Strengths

Accounts open from USD 5 and trades from USD 1
Copy trading and contests on the same screen as the chart
Many ways to pay in, including crypto and local agents in Asia
Light web platform that runs well on a phone

Weak points

Only an offshore Comoros licence
Named by the UK FCA, the US CFTC and India's RBI
Bonuses lock your balance behind trading volume
Refuses residents of the Philippines and Japan

Not for you if

You want a regulator behind your money, or contests make you trade too much

Trading

Trade durations: 3 seconds – 4 hours
What you can trade: Currencies, Crypto, Commodities, Shares, Indices (100+)
Platform: Browser, Android, iPhone, MT5 (forex)
Phone app: Android: Yes · iOS: Browser app only
Copy trading / contests: Yes / Yes

Money in and out

Pay-in methods: Cards, E-wallets, Crypto, Local payment methods
Pay-out methods: Cards, E-wallets, Crypto, Local payment methods
Pay-out speed: Typically 1–3 working days; crypto often quicker (user reports)
Pay-out charges: None from the platform; your payment provider may charge
Dormant account fee: Not mentioned in the sources we checked – read the current terms
Bonus offers: Deposit bonuses, often 50–100%, with volume rules that can block withdrawals
Account currency: USD

Account and help

Account levels: Status levels with higher payouts as total deposits grow
Identity check: Needed before your first pay-out
Support: Live chat, Email, Help pages
Launched: 2017

Licence

The operator says it is licensed by the Mwali International Services Authority (MISA) in the Comoros. That licence offers little investor protection and no compensation fund, and no regulator in your Asian market oversees the company.

FCA (United Kingdom): Public consumer warning
CFTC (United States): RED list of unregistered foreign firms
RBI (India): Alert List of unauthorised platforms (19 Nov 2025)

Pocket Option alternatives

How we calculate the score

Platform and apps (25%)4.7
Costs and minimums (20%)4.8
Payment options (15%)4.6
Support (15%)4.2
Licensing and openness (25%)2.6

Sources for these numbers

2.IQ Option

Experienced traders who want detailed charts and a desktop app

China: Accepts residents

4.0/5

Lowest deposit: $10
Lowest trade: $1
Top payout: 95%

4.0/5

BinaryChooser score

Go to IQ Option Read the review

Show everything

The most complete platform and the best apps we cover, from a group with a CySEC-licensed arm in Europe. Asian clients, though, sign with an offshore company that no regulator supervises.

IQ Option trading platform — The IQ Option trading screen: asset, timer, stake and the payout before you trade.

The numbers

Lowest deposit: $10
Lowest trade: $1
Top payout: 95%
Win rate to break even: 51.3%
Practice balance: $10,000
Smallest withdrawal: $2

95% is the advertised top; gold paid 86–88% at busy hours and 78–82% at quiet hours when checked. Win rate to break even: The share of trades you have to win at the top payout just to stay level. Real payouts are often lower, which pushes this up.

Strengths

Best platform: browser, Windows and macOS app, Android and iPhone
Digital options with a strike price you choose, plus CFDs
Running since 2013
Detailed charts and a fast interface

Weak points

Options for Asian clients come from an unregulated offshore company
On the alert lists of Singapore's MAS and India's RBI; sanction case in Brazil
Dormant account fee after 90 days
Fewer crypto deposit options than rivals

Not for you if

You trade rarely (dormant fee) or withdraw several times a month

Trading

Trade durations: 60 seconds – 1 month
What you can trade: Currencies, Crypto, Commodities, Shares, Indices, ETFs (300+)
Platform: Browser, Desktop app, Android, iPhone
Phone app: Android: Yes · iOS: Yes
Copy trading / contests: No / Yes

Money in and out

Pay-in methods: Cards, E-wallets, Local payment methods
Pay-out methods: Cards, E-wallets, Local payment methods
Pay-out speed: Up to 3 working days, often less
Pay-out charges: One free withdrawal a month; further ones reported at 2% (USD 1 min., USD 30 max.) – check current terms
Dormant account fee: About 10 USD/EUR a month after 90 days without trading
Bonus offers: No bonus confirmed in the sources we checked
Account currency: USD

Account and help

Account levels: Standard and VIP (VIP reported from about USD 2,000 in deposits, outside the EU)
Identity check: Needed before your first pay-out
Support: Live chat, Email, Phone, Help pages
Launched: 2013

Licence

IQ Option Europe Ltd holds CySEC licence 247/14 but cannot sell binary options to retail clients in the EU. Clients in Asia sign with an international company that no financial regulator oversees; sources place it in St Vincent and the Grenadines or, more recently, Antigua and Barbuda (Sky Ladder LLC), so read the legal page at sign-up.

CVM (Brazil): Stop order and sanction case (settlement rejected in March 2026)
MAS (Singapore): Investor Alert List (since 2017)
RBI (India): Alert List of unauthorised platforms (19 Nov 2025)

IQ Option alternatives

How we calculate the score

Platform and apps (25%)4.8
Costs and minimums (20%)4.2
Payment options (15%)4.4
Support (15%)4.2
Licensing and openness (25%)2.6

Sources for these numbers

3.Olymp Trade

Traders who want a mature app and a registered company

China: Accepts residents

3.9/5

Lowest deposit: $10
Lowest trade: $1
Top payout: 93%

3.9/5

BinaryChooser score

Go to Olymp Trade Read the review

Show everything

A long-running fixed-time platform with polished apps and a company registered in Vanuatu. Its paperwork is clearer than most offshore rivals, but there is no strong regulator and India's central bank has flagged it.

Olymp Trade platform — Olymp Trade's trading screen: asset, timer, stake and payout before you trade.

The numbers

Lowest deposit: $10
Lowest trade: $1
Top payout: 93%
Win rate to break even: 51.8%
Practice balance: Yes
Smallest withdrawal: $10

93% applies to selected assets; quieter hours pay less. Win rate to break even: The share of trades you have to win at the top payout just to stay level. Real payouts are often lower, which pushes this up.

Strengths

Operator registered in Vanuatu; Financial Commission member since 2016
Payouts up to 93% and timers from 5 seconds to 23 hours
Low entry: USD 10 deposit and USD 1 trades
Well-made web platform and apps

Weak points

No strong regulator; Vanuatu oversight is light
On the Reserve Bank of India's Alert List
Best conditions only on higher account levels
Closed to the US, UK, Canada and the EEA

Not for you if

You need a strong regulator or live in India

Trading

Trade durations: 5 seconds – 23 hours
What you can trade: Currencies, Crypto, Commodities, Shares, Indices (100+)
Platform: Browser, Android, iPhone
Phone app: Android: Yes · iOS: Yes
Copy trading / contests: No / Yes

Money in and out

Pay-in methods: Cards, E-wallets, Crypto, Local payment methods
Pay-out methods: Cards, E-wallets, Crypto, Local payment methods
Pay-out speed: Depends on account level and method; higher levels first
Pay-out charges: No platform fee listed; payment providers may charge
Dormant account fee: Check the current terms
Bonus offers: Promo codes and deposit bonuses with conditions
Account currency: USD

Account and help

Account levels: Starter · Advanced (from USD 500) · Expert (from USD 2,000)
Identity check: Needed before your first pay-out
Support: Live chat, Email, Help pages
Launched: 2014

Licence

The operating company, Aollikus Limited, is registered with the Vanuatu Financial Services Commission (no. 40131).

RBI (India): Alert List of unauthorised platforms (19 Nov 2025)

Olymp Trade alternatives

How we calculate the score

Platform and apps (25%)4.5
Costs and minimums (20%)4.4
Payment options (15%)4.4
Support (15%)4.2
Licensing and openness (25%)2.6

Sources for these numbers

China at a glance

Currency: Chinese Yuan (CNY). Platform accounts are in US dollars, so every deposit and withdrawal in CNY is converted.
Time zone: Shanghai (UTC+8)
Platforms open to residents: 9 out of 9: Pocket Option, IQ Option, Expert Option, Olymp Trade, Binomo, Binarium, IQcent, BinaryCent, Exnova
Weekends: On Saturdays and Sundays platforms show their own OTC prices, not live market prices.

Market hours in local time (on 4 October 2026)

Tokyo: 08:00–17:00
London: 15:00–00:00
New York: 20:00–05:00
London and New York both open: the busiest hours, when payouts are usually highest: 20:00–00:00

These times shift by an hour when Europe or the US changes the clocks.

Before you pick

1Make sure the platform accepts residents of China: the list below shows only those that do.
2Work out the win rate you need to break even instead of trusting the top payout; off-peak payouts are lower.
3Look for costs that appear later: pay-out charges, dormant account fees and bonus volume rules.
4Practise on the demo, then deposit a small sum and withdraw part of it before you trade more.

At a glance

What we compare	Pocket Option★	IQ Option	Olymp Trade
BinaryChooser score	4.1/5	4.0/5	3.9/5
Accepts residents	Accepts residents	Accepts residents	Accepts residents
Lowest deposit	$5	$10	$10
Lowest trade	$1	$1	$1
Top payout	92%	95%	93%
Win rate to break even	52.1%	51.3%	51.8%
Practice balance	$50,000	$10,000	Yes
Smallest withdrawal	$10	$2	$10
Licence	Offshore registration	Offshore registration	Offshore registration
Platform	Browser, Android, iPhone, MT5 (forex)	Browser, Desktop app, Android, iPhone	Browser, Android, iPhone
Phone app	Android · iOS: Browser app only	Android · iOS: Yes	Android · iOS: Yes
What you can trade	Currencies, Crypto, Commodities, Shares, Indices	Currencies, Crypto, Commodities, Shares, Indices, ETFs	Currencies, Crypto, Commodities, Shares, Indices
Pay-in methods	Cards, E-wallets, Crypto, Local payment methods	Cards, E-wallets, Local payment methods	Cards, E-wallets, Crypto, Local payment methods
Pay-out methods	Cards, E-wallets, Crypto, Local payment methods	Cards, E-wallets, Local payment methods	Cards, E-wallets, Crypto, Local payment methods
Trade durations	3 seconds – 4 hours	60 seconds – 1 month	5 seconds – 23 hours
Charges	None from the platform; your payment provider may charge	One free withdrawal a month; further ones reported at 2% (USD 1 min., USD 30 max.) – check current terms	No platform fee listed; payment providers may charge
Dormant account fee	Not mentioned in the sources we checked – read the current terms	About 10 USD/EUR a month after 90 days without trading	Check the current terms
Support	Live chat, Email, Help pages	Live chat, Email, Phone, Help pages	Live chat, Email, Help pages

Our scoring method

Platform and apps25%
Costs and minimums20%
Payment options15%
Support15%
Licensing and openness25%

Who regulates here: CSRC

The China Securities Regulatory Commission has licensed none of these platforms.

No platform listed is licensed by the CSRC. Moving money abroad for trading can breach foreign exchange rules, and crypto transactions are banned.

Questions from China

Are binary options legal in mainland China?

Offering such products without Chinese authorisation is illegal, and many foreign trading sites are blocked. The platforms listed accept residents under their own terms only.

Can I deposit with crypto?

China banned crypto transactions in 2021, so crypto deposits add legal risk.

What about the USD 50,000 quota?

The annual foreign exchange allowance for individuals is not meant for overseas securities or derivatives trading.

Is there tax on trading profits in China?

That depends on local law and your circumstances. Keep a record of every deposit and withdrawal and ask a tax adviser in China.

What can I do if a withdrawal is refused?

Write to support with your documents and keep copies of everything. Members of The Financial Commission can be reported there. Never pay to have a withdrawal released.

Can I practise first?

Yes. Almost every platform has a free demo with virtual money; use it until you know the platform well.