The term Base Currency is used for accounting purposes to refer to the currency in which an investor maintains its book of accounts. For purposes of an IBKR account, each client will specify at the point of application a single Base Currency which will determine the currency of translation for statements and the currency used for determining margin requirements. While the Base Currency selected will typically be the principal form of currency in which the client intends to hold cash and the denomination of instruments which the client trades, clients are eligible to hold cash balances and trade instruments denominated in either a Base or non-Base Currency. If the client elects to maintain a cash account then they are restricted to holding only long cash balances regardless of the currency of denomination. …

CHANGE BASE CURRENCY

Use the button above or follow the below procedure to change your Base Currency:…

If you selected USD as your base currency, your account values will be shown in USD even if you are holding foreign currency or products denominated in a different currency. If you would like to see your current currency balances, open the Account window by clicking the Account menu option followed by Account Window. Scroll down to the Market Value- Real FX Balance section and you will see all of your currencies listed and their respective balances…

While you can change the currency in which positions are denominated in for statement reporting purposes through selection of a Base Currency, you cannot change the denomination for trading, clearing, settlement or profit/loss purposes. The currency in which a product is denominated for trading, clearing and settlement purposes is determined by the product specifications of the listing exchange and is not subject to election by IBKR or the client…

The Base Currency you elect for your account serves 3 primary purposes:

• Accounting Convention: the IBKR Universal Account offers clients the ability to trade multiple products from around the world in a single account. As clients trading global products are likely to hold positions which are denominated in different currencies, a single currency needs to be selected for the purposes of translating statement balances. In designating this single, or Base Currency, many clients elect the currency of their country of residence or where the majority of their income and assets are denominated…

You can confirm your base currency from:

• Client Portal: Go to the User menu (head and shoulders icon in the top right corner) followed by Settings. Then under…

It is important to note that changing your Base Currency does not convert existing cash balances or change the denomination of a security into any other currency.

The particular currency used to purchase and settle any given instrument, or meet the cash variation on a futures product, is determined by the listing exchange, rather than the broker. Accordingly, if you enter into a transaction to purchase a security which is denominated in a currency that you do not hold and, assuming that you have sufficient margin excess, IBKR will create a loan for those funds. Note that this is necessary as we are obligated to settle that trade with the counterparty (i.e., clearinghouse) solely in the designated currency of denomination…

No, it is not possible to designate more than one base currency on your account. Please note that despite the fact that you must choose a single base currency, you may hold cash balances in multiple currencies in your account.

Additional Information…

The Base Currency for the paper trading account is taken from the live account and cannot differ. To change the Base Currency in the live account. See: How do I change the Base Currency for my account?…

The base currency is an important aspect of your Interactive Brokers (IBKR) account. It affects various account features and operations. Here's what you need to know about base currency, how to change it, and its effects on your account:

• Changing Your Base Currency:…

If you are using a free trial demo account and you do not have yet a real account open it is not possible to change the base currency.

Convert your free trial demo account to a live IBKR account by selecting Open Account followed by Finish an Application…

The daily, year to date and custom date range statements will reflect the change in the base currency. However, the annual and monthly statements will not. Please be sure to check the Base Currency in the Account Information section of your Activity Statement if you are unsure of the base currency being used…

IBKR Canada accounts are only allowed to select USD or CAD as their base currency…