ECN
A network that matches buy and sell orders between market participants directly, typically with raw spreads plus a commission.
Why ECN Matters
Understanding ECN helps you compare brokers on broker types & execution and avoid surprises. It's one of the details our reviews check so you can judge a broker on evidence, not marketing.
Example of ECN
When you read a MyTradingReviews listing, ECN is one of the data points we verify and display — so you can see exactly how each broker handles it before you open an account.
Compare how each broker handles ecn in our independent broker reviews and the comparison tool.
Definitions follow one published methodology — verified data, real accounts and dated evidence, not marketing. When a broker changes its terms, the reviews change with it.
Related Terms
A broker model that routes your orders directly to liquidity providers instead of taking the other side of your trade.
Orders are passed straight to liquidity providers without manual dealer intervention.
A broker that takes the opposite side of client trades and sets its own bid/ask prices. Also called a dealing desk broker.
A broker's internal desk that processes client orders and may hold them rather than passing to the market.