What is Leverage and How Does It Work?
Leverage lets you control a trading position worth much more than the money in your account. If you have $100 and use 1:100 leverage, you can open a trade worth $10,000.
A simple example: Gold (XAU/USD) is trading at $2,000 per ounce. One standard lot of gold = $200,000 in value. Without leverage, you would need $200,000 to trade one lot. With 1:2000 leverage, you only need $100 as margin (deposit) to control that same position.
| Leverage | Your $100 controls | 1% market move gains/loses | Risk level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:1 (no leverage) | $100 | $1 | Very low |
| 1:10 | $1,000 | $10 | Low |
| 1:100 | $10,000 | $100 | Medium |
| 1:1000 | $100,000 | $1,000 | High |
| 1:2000 | $200,000 | $2,000 | Very high |
Exness Maximum Leverage by Account Type
| Account type | Max leverage | Unlimited leverage? | Min deposit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard ⭐ | Up to Unlimited | ✅ Yes (equity < $1,000) | $10 |
| Standard Cent | Up to Unlimited | ✅ Yes (equity < $1,000) | $10 |
| Pro | 1:2000 | ❌ No | $200 |
| Raw Spread | 1:2000 | ❌ No | $200 |
| Zero | 1:2000 | ❌ No | $200 |
What is "unlimited leverage" on Exness?
Exness describes "unlimited leverage" as leverage beyond 1:2000 — in practice it can go much higher when specific conditions are met. This applies on Standard and Standard Cent accounts when:
- Your account equity is below $1,000
- You have made at least 10 trades in the past 60 days, totalling at least 5 lots
- You are not holding trades over the weekend
For most Ugandan traders starting with $10–$200, the unlimited leverage condition (equity below $1,000) will apply. This means you can effectively open very large positions relative to your balance — but this dramatically increases the risk of a margin call wiping the account.
The practical advice: even if unlimited leverage is available, use 1:100 to 1:500 maximum when starting out. High leverage is a margin efficiency tool for experienced traders, not a shortcut to big profits.
Exness Leverage on Gold (XAU/USD)
Gold is the most popular trading instrument among Ugandan Exness users. On Exness, gold has a maximum leverage of 1:2000 on Standard accounts. Gold moves roughly $10–$30 per ounce per hour during active markets. With high leverage, even small gold moves translate to large profits or losses:
| Account balance | Leverage | Lots you can open | $10 gold move impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | 1:100 | ~0.05 | +/- $5 |
| $100 | 1:500 | ~0.25 | +/- $25 |
| $100 | 1:2000 | ~1.0 | +/- $100 (full account) |
A 1:2000 leverage position on $100 can lose everything on a $10 gold move. Gold moved $30 in 15 minutes during the March 2025 Fed announcement. Use 1:100 to 1:200 for gold trading as a beginner. See our full Exness gold trading guide for safe position sizing.
How to Change Your Leverage on Exness
-
Log into your Exness Personal Area at exness.com
Use your email and password. -
Go to My Accounts → find your trading account
Click the three-dot menu (⋮) next to your account. -
Select "Change Leverage"
A dropdown appears with available leverage options from 1:1 up to 1:2000 (or Unlimited on eligible accounts). -
Select your desired leverage and confirm
The change takes effect immediately. You can change it again at any time.
Which Exness Account Has Unlimited Leverage?
The Standard and Standard Cent accounts support unlimited leverage, subject to the conditions above (equity below $1,000, 10+ trades in 60 days). The Standard account is the most popular choice for Ugandan traders because it has no commission, accepts a $10 minimum deposit via MTN Mobile Money, and offers the full range of instruments including gold, forex, and the Volatility 75 Index.
The Standard Cent account works identically but with cent-sized lots — 0.01 standard lots become 1 cent lot. This is useful if you want to trade smaller amounts while still practising real-money discipline.
Recommended Leverage Settings for Uganda Traders
| Experience level | Recommended leverage | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Complete beginner | 1:50 to 1:100 | Mistakes won't wipe the account immediately |
| Intermediate (6+ months) | 1:200 to 1:500 | Better capital efficiency with risk management in place |
| Experienced trader | 1:500 to 1:2000 | High leverage used for short-duration, small-position scalping |
| Anyone | Unlimited — not recommended | Margin calls happen almost instantly on any adverse move |
Open Your Exness Account
Start with a Standard account and $10 via MTN Mobile Money. Set your leverage in the Personal Area before your first trade.
Open Exness Account →High leverage trading carries significant risk of loss. Start with 1:100 or lower.
Yes. The Volatility 75 Index on Exness supports leverage up to 1:2000 on Standard accounts. Given how fast V75 moves, most experienced V75 traders use 1:100 to 1:500 and keep lot sizes at 0.01–0.1. The V75 can move 200 points in minutes, so unlimited leverage on V75 is extremely dangerous.
Exness offers some of the highest leverage in the industry. Most brokers cap at 1:500 or 1:1000. The European regulation cap is 1:30 for retail traders. Exness operates under FSA (Seychelles) and CySEC regulation, which allows higher leverage for non-EU clients including Ugandans. XM and HFM offer up to 1:1000; Deriv offers up to 1:1000 on most instruments.
If your equity grows above $1,000, Exness automatically adjusts your leverage downward — typically to 1:2000. Any open positions remain open, but new positions will have the lower leverage applied. This is a risk management feature, not a punishment. It's actually safer to trade at 1:2000 than truly unlimited leverage.