Trading with leverage means controlling positions that are larger than your account balance. For example, if you have $5,000 in your trading account and $10,000 as collateral in the event of a loss, a brokerage will allow you to trade with $15,000 in currency. Many brokerages provide various levels of leverage, including 11.00 with no additional margin, 1:2 1:3, and higher.
Some forex brokers provide up to 500:1 leverage. This means you could begin trading with a fraction of the funds required to open an account with most US banks. The average required minimum deposit is around $5,000. However, high leverage comes with high risk, so look for a broker who offers leverage greater than 100:1. Assume you're trading on a platform with a leverage of 50:1 and have deposited $500 into your account.