ActivTrades Review – ActivTrade Regulation & Other Account Features
ActivTrades is one of the oldest Forex brokers in the industry that has been providing Forex products and services to the retail trading market since 2001. ActivTrades started its journey in the FX market from its home base in Switzerland but moved to the UK in 2005 to expand to a global audience from the largest financial center in the world.
ActivTrades received a regulatory license from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) of the UK in 2007 and is being scrutinized under the careful regulatory supervision of the FCA. ActivTrades reviews have been generating a mixed response from its clients, and the company has received numerous warnings and sanctions from the FCA as well as from other regulators due to their alleged misconduct in the market.
ActivTrades have been at the center of controversies on multiple occasions, which have led to diminished trust and confidence among potential clients.
- Forex products and services to the retail trading market since 2001
- Up to 1:400 leverage
Contact Info
- Website: www.activtrades.com
- Support: +44 (0) 207 6500 500
- Office Address: 1 Thomas More Square, London, E1W 1YN, UK
Regardless of their tryst with the regulators, the company has managed to stay abreast of the market by constantly revamping their products and services portfolio to match the expectations of modern day Forex traders. In this ActivTrades review, we find out whether it is worth to open an ActivTrades account for trading the markets, or whether it would be better to choose other options in the market.
ActivTrades Platforms & Features Offered To Clients
ActivTrades seems to be highly selective about the nationality of traders while providing their products and services. Naturally, traders from the US are not allowed to open an account with the company due to clear regulatory reasons, but the company may also decline traders from other regions. Make sure that ActivTrades accepts your nationality and country of residence before opening an account and depositing money, as it can help you to avoid any complications at a later stage.
Clients can open an account and start trading with a minimum deposit of $100. ActivTrades only provides a single type of account for all traders, which does help in minimizing the confusion for traders while making their choice. On the flipside, a single account type does prevent traders with higher trading capital from enjoying any added benefits, which are commonplace among other competing brokers in the industry. Deposits and withdrawals can be carried out through online payment processors such as Skrill, SOFORT, and Neteller, along with other traditional forms of payments such as Bank transfers and credit card payments.
The standard account offers access to a maximum ActivTrades leverage of 1:400, which is the accepted leverage for a normal trading environment. The ActivTrades spreads, on the other hand, are highly competitive, with the spreads on major currency pairs starting from 0.7 pips. The spreads do fluctuate during market conditions, but the average spread hovers around the 1.2 pips mark, which is indeed considered to be among the best spreads available in the industry. The lower spreads and high leverage is excellent for scalpers and high-frequency traders, which is further aided by the fact that ActivTrades supports both hedging and scalping strategies without any restrictions.
ActivTrades platform duties are taken over by the MetaTrader terminal, which is available in both MT4 and MT5 versions. The broker also provides a proprietary trading platform known as the ActivTrader platform, which offers a better graphical interface and more advanced features than the those provided by the MetaTrader terminal. Users can trade on the ActivTrades mobile apps that can be downloaded for both MetaTrader as well as ActivTrader for traders on the go. Therefore, the company has indeed covered a significant portion of the market that is looking for the best trading platform to invest in the Forex markets.
Traders can choose from a broad range of financial assets offered by the company that includes Forex, commodities, shares, indices, and other CFDs. Being a UK-based financial broker, ActivTrades also provides spread betting products to its traders, which offer a tax-free trading environment for traders in the UK. Spread betting is a highly controversial subject in the global financial markets; therefore, you should always ensure the legality of trading or investing in spread betting products in your jurisdiction before opening an account.
ActivTrades is known for its trading resources and several tools that help traders to perform extensive research to find great trading opportunities. There are several free Smart tools incorporated with every trading account, which provides an excellent platform for traders to evaluate the markets using different parameters, which is indeed an excellent option for traders looking for an edge in the market. ActivTrades also provides several premium products such as Molanis, AutoChartist, and access to a Virtual Private Server for low latency trading. Molanis is an automation program that allows traders to create ExpertAdvisors without any programming knowledge, while the AutoChartist platform is an excellent tool that helps in discovering trend patterns in the market. Premium products are usually available for a small fee or are available as free products if a trader transacts the required number of lots per month.
Rewards & Benefits With ActivTrades Forex Accounts
The broker has a points-based rewards system that rewards a client according to the points accrued by making deposits, trading on financial assets, and paying for the broker’s premium products. Once a required number of points are accumulated, traders may be able to exchange them for electronic gadgets and accessories that are listed on their official rewards program page. Nevertheless, there are any ActivTrades bonuses for deposits; instead, deposits carry more weight in the bonus points table, which can increase the chance of redeeming the points for receiving a gift.
Should I Choose ActivTrades?
In the grand scheme of things, opening an ActivTrades account is only suitable for smaller traders due to the inconsistencies in the overall customer services experience, and the numerous problems that are associated with the broker. Excellent trading conditions and remarkable trading tools are indeed significant incentives for opening an account, but the broker fails to ensure a sense of safety and security, which are some of the prime requisites for a trader. FCA regulation is seen as an important step for the broker in ensuring consumer trust and confidence, but the company may do well if it improves its overall reliability to match its competitors.
