ActivTrades

4
ActivTrades is a well-regulated Forex and CFD broker that offers a wide range of tradable instruments, and provides access to multiple trading platforms.
Trading Platform:
MT4/5, ActivTrader, TradingView
Max Leverage:
400:1 for Professional account, 200:1 For Individual account
Markets:
Forex, Shares as CFDs, Indices, Cryptocurrencies, ETFs, Commodities, Bonds
Regulations:
UK, Brazil, Portugal, Luxembourg, Bahamas, and follows MiFID Directives
Min Deposit:
$0
Open an account Read full review

Summary

Established in 2001, this Forex broker has steadily grown its customer base to reach over 140 countries. ActivTrades provides a range of tradable assets, including currency pairs, indices, commodities, ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds), and over 1,000 CFDs (Contracts for Difference). Clients can access the full set of MetaTrader platforms or use the broker’s in-house ActivTrader software. The ActivTrader software is fully compatible with the TradingView platform. 

Headquarters in LondonActivTrades serves its global clients with offices in Bahamas, United Kingdom, and Luxembourg. The broker is well-regulated by top-tier regulatory bodies, ensuring a secure trading environment. The broker is licensed by reputable institutions such as the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) in Luxembourg, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) of the UK, and the Securities Commission of the Bahamas.

In this review of ActivTrades, we’ll delve into its essential features, discussing fees, safety, trading platforms, available trading instruments and more. 

⚠ Risk Warning: CFDs are complex instruments and are usually traded with leverage, which significantly increases the chances of losing money. 81% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. It’s your responsibility to understand the inner workings of CFD instruments and understand the underlying risks.

Overall

Pros
  • Offers access to most popular trading platforms: MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, TradingView (one of the most popular charting platforms)
  • The broker provides a custom-built ActivTrader platform. In addition, mobile and web based terminals are available
  • Offers various account types, including: Professional, Individual, Demo, and Islamic (Swap-free)
  • Provides 24/5 professional customer support via live chat, email, and over the phone. The support is available in 14 languages
  • Multiple account currencies: traders can open accounts in EUR, USD, GBP, SEK or CHF
  • Offers various asset classes for trading, including: Forex, Shares as CFDs, Indices, Cryptocurrencies, ETFs, Commodities, and Bonds
  • Low spreads. Spreads start from 0.5 pips on EUR/USD
  • The broker is well regulated in various jurisdictions, including: UK, Brazil, Portugal, Luxembourg, and Bahamas
  • The broker provides extensive educational materials, including: webinars, seminars, trading guides, glossaries, economic calendar, and analysis
Cons
  • High funding fees: there's a 1.5% charge for deposits made using Credit/Debit cards, and there's a 9 GBP fee for bank transfer withdrawals
  • There’s an inactivity fee of 10£ per month after 16 months of inactivity

Fees

Pros
  • Low spreads. Spreads start from 0.5 pips on EUR/USD
Cons
  • There’s an inactivity fee of £10 per month after 16 months of inactivity
  • There's a 1.5% charge for deposits made using Credit/Debit cards, and there's a £9 fee for bank transfer withdrawals

Trading Instruments

Pros
  • Offers wide range of instrument classes, such as: Forex, Shares as CFDs, Indices, Cryptocurrencies, ETFs, Commodities, and Bonds
  • Multi-asset trading is supported by two platforms. To trade various asset classes, traders can choose between MetaTrader 5 and ActivTrader
  • Spreads and trading fees are low
Cons
  • Number of tradable currency pairs is low compared to industry leaders. Only about 47 Forex pairs are offered

Account Opening

Pros
  • Fast onboarding and fully digital
  • Customer-friendly and intuitive registration page
Cons
  • Doesn’t accept traders from the USA, and sanctioned countries

Deposit & Withdrawal

Pros
  • Offers top-tier trading platforms such as MetaTrader4, MetaTrader 5, and TradingView
  • Offers custom made ActivTrader platform
  • Desktop, mobile, and web trading software is provided
Cons
  • Deposits made by Credit/Debit cards are subject to 1.5% fees
  • Bank transfer withdrawals are charged by 9 GBP
  • Crypto deposits aren’t available

Trading Platform

Pros
  • Offers top-tier trading platforms such as MetaTrader4, MetaTrader 5, and TradingView
  • Offers custom made ActivTrader platform
  • Desktop, mobile, and web trading software is provided
Cons
  • None

Customer Service

Pros
  • Provides professional customer support 24/5
  • Customer service is available via live chat, email, or free call
  • Customer service is provided in 14 languages
Cons
  • Live customer support isn’t available on weekends

Research & Education

Pros
  • Offers educational webinars
  • Offers seminars
  • Provides traders with manuals and trading dictionaries
  • Provides market analysis
  • Provides economic calendar
Cons
  • None

Regulation & Safety

Pros
  • The broker is regulated in multiple jurisdictions
  • ActivTrades is fully compliant with MiFID regulations
  • Provides negative balance protection
  • Keeps deposits in segregated bank accounts
  • Provides traders fund protection with up to $1 million
Cons
  • None

Full Review

Pros
  • Low trading fees such as spreads and commissions
  • Access to various trading platforms
  • Multilingual support available 24/5
  • Offers Professional, Individual, Demo, and Swap-free accounts
  • No dealing desk execution
  • Offers wide range of trading instruments
  • Provides extensive educational materials
Cons
  • High non-trading fees, such as inactivity fees, funding fees
  • Funding options are not as diverse as what competitors are offering

Fees

When it comes to fees, the broker offers low trading fees, as spreads start from as little as 0.5 pips. Spreads can increase in low liquidity environments, however, fees are still very low. On the other hand, there are deposit, withdrawal, currency conversion and inactivity fees. Traders can plan strategically and pick free funding methods, and never leave money on inactive trading accounts to avoid paying the charges. 

Assets Fee Level
CFDs on US Stock N/A
CFDs on EU Stocks N/A
EUR/USD From 0.5 pips
Inactivity FEE Yes, £10 per months after 16 months inactivity

Non-trading fees

ActivTrades XM Axi
Account fee No No No
Inactivity fee Yes, £10 per months after 16 months inactivity No No
Withdrawal fee There's a 1.5% charge for deposits made using Credit/Debit cards, and there's a £9 fee for bank transfer withdrawals. $0 $0

Trading Instruments

ActivTrades offers a wide range of tradable instruments, including: Forex, Shares as CFDs, Indices, Cryptocurrencies, ETFs, Commodities, and Bonds. 

Forex trading at ActivTrades

You can trade currency pairs on any platform offered by this broker. Currently, the broker provides access to a diverse range of 47 forex pairs, categorized as follows:

Majors: Includes popular pairs like EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/CAD, CAD/JPY, GBP/CAD, etc. Spread starts as low as 0.5 pips.

Minors: Encompasses pairs such as AUD/USD, NZD/CAD, NZD/USD, AUD/CAD, EUR/AUD, etc. Spread starts from a competitive 0.6 pips.

Exotics: Comprising pairs like EUR/NOK, USD/MXN, USD/PLN, USD/ZAR, etc. The spread for exotics starts at 5.9 pips.

Maximum available leverage for retail traders to trade Forex is 200:1, and the spreads are low compared to competitors.

Crypto trading at ActivTrades

Investing in crypto assets and actively trading them is becoming increasingly popular. ActivTrades offers cryptos as CFDs (Contract for Difference). CFDs are best for active trading as traders are allowed to go long or short and use leverage to increase their purchasing power. Maximum available leverage for trading crypto derivatives at ActivTrades is 10:1, which is quite large compared to other brokers. Keep in mind that crypto markets are highly volatile and high leverage can be dangerous especially for beginners. 

The broker offers popular crypto assets with target spreads from 0 pips. Offered assets are: Cardano, Bitcoin cash, Bitcoin, Doge coin, Polkadot, EOS, Ethereum, Chainlink, Litecoin, Neo, Stellar, and Ripple. 

Shares and bonds trading at ActivTrades

There are over 1000 bonds and shares available for trading with this broker. Traders have access to some of the most popular markets, such as the USA, UK, and Germany, etc. You can trade popular company stocks as CFDs such as:

  • Apple
  • AIRBNB
  • Adobe
  • AMD
  • Amazon and more. 

In addition, there are 6 bonds for trading: EURO BOBL, EURO BTP, EURO BUND, EURO SCHATZ, US DOLLAR VS BRAZILIAN REAL FUTURES, and US T-BOND. 

Keep in mind that Stocks, bonds, and futures aren’t available on MetaTrader 4. Traders need to pick MetaTrader 5 or custom-made ActivTrader to trade these instruments. 

Commodities and Indices trading at ActivTrades

Commodities are raw materials that are mined or grown. ActivTrades offers hard commodities such as: Brent oil, Crude oil, Gold, Platinum, and Silver. Spreads start from as little as 0.03 pips on Crude and Brent oil. 

In addition, there are futures on soft commodities such as: Corn, Cocoa, Coffee, Sugar, Wheat, etc. 

As for the indices, traders are offered Cash indices and index futures. There are 14 cash indices available with spreads from as little as 0.2 pips. Indices have dual use, they help traders analyze certain industries and sectors, and they can be traded as CFDs. Spreads on the popular index, S & P 500 (or US 500) start from 0.23 pips.

Markets & Products General

ActivTrades XM Axi
Stock Over 1000 - -
ETF 3 - -
Forex 47 48 34
Fund - - -
Bond 6 - -
Options - - -
Futures 34 - -
Cfd Over 100 122 51
Crypto 12 5 3

Account Opening

Account opening process with ActivTrades is fast, fully digital, and comfortable. The broker provides an intuitive and user-friendly webpage to its clients. The first step is to register as a trader, choose your preferred account type, account currency and other features. The second part is providing the broker with proof of identity and proof of residence. 

  • Proof of identity: traders can you national passport, ID document, or Driving License
  • Proof of residence: for proof of residence traders can upload utility bills or bank statements. Keep in mind that bank statements need to clearly show addresses. 

The broker doesn’t onboard traders from the USA, and sanctioned countries. Trading CFDs is not permitted in the USA. The following countries are in the restricted list: The United States of America, Balkans, Belarus, Burundi, Congo, Dem. Rep. of Congo, Crimea region of Ukraine, Cuba, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, North Korea, Russia, Ukraine, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen, Zimbabwe.

Minimum Deposit

When it comes to minimum deposit, ActivTrades is one of the very few brokers that doesn’t have any. Traders can open trading accounts with as little as 1 USD. Available account currencies are: EUR, USD, GBP, SEK and CHF. Keep in mind that by opening an account that you use the most, you’ll be able to save money on currency conversions. 

Account Types 

There are many types of traders. To meet the requirements of different traders, the broker offers Individual, Professional, Islamic (Swap-free), and demo accounts.  

Professional account 

Maximum available leverage for Professional account holders is 400:1. Negative balance protection is provided and the close out level is up to 30%. The account holders get dedicated account managers. In addition, deposits made by the traders are kept in segregated bank accounts covered by enhanced protection, up to $1,000,000.

Individual account

Individual account holders are retail traders. Maximum available leverage for retail traders is 200:1. Similarly to Professional account users, Individual accounts are protected by the enhanced funds protection up to  $1,000,000. Negative balance protection is also provided, and the trade execution time is ultra fast. There are no dealing desks with this broker. Orders are executed by market execution model. 

Demo and Swap free accounts

Demo accounts enable traders to learn trading, test their strategies and get experience in a risk-free environment. On demo accounts trades are made using fake money in a simulated environment based on live charts. 

As for the Swap-free accounts, these accounts are aimed at traders that follow Sharia law. In accordance with Islamic finance, there are no interests charged on the Islamic account. Instead, there are commissions and spread markups. Traders of Muslim fate can contact the customer support and ask to convert existing accounts or open new ones.

Deposit & Withdrawal

ActivTrades offers multiple deposit and withdrawal options to its customers. Credit card, bank wire transfer, and online wallet options are available. Let’s take a look at the funding methods and charges in more detail. 

Deposit options and charges

Funding method Fee Standard transfer time
Bank wire transfer Free Same working day

Credit/Debit card

UK & EEA

 1.5% 30 min

Credit/Debit card

non EEA

 1.5% 30 min
Neteller Free 30 min
Skrill Free 30 min
AstroPay Free 30 min

 

Withdrawal options and charges

Withdrawal method Fee Standard timeframe
Bank wire transfer 9 GBP Same working day
Credit/Debit Card* Free Same working day
Neteller Free Same working day
Skrill Free Same working day
AstroPay Free Same working day

 

Please note that the standard timeframe and bank wire transfer fees may change. The broker does its best to process requests within the given timeframe, however, there might be some delays. 

The 9 GBP withdrawal fee is charged from the broker’s end. Please keep in mind that some intermediary banks might also charge the commission fee. 

Funding fees with this broker are high compared to industry leaders. Most Forex and CFD (Contracts for Difference) brokers do not charge their clients with such fees. 

In addition, please note that there’s a 0.3% currency conversion fee that is applied when deposits are made in different currencies than the account base currency.

Platform & Trading Experience

Trading platforms play a major role in the success of a trader. Platforms help come with tools and historic chart data that enables traders conduct technical analysis, place various order types, and backtest/demo test trading strategies. 

ActivTrades offers some of the most popular Forex and CFD trading platforms such as MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, TradingView, and a custom built ActivTrader. Let’s discuss each platform in more detail. 

MetaTrader 4 (MT4)

Released in 2005, MT4 quickly became industry standard. Almost every Forex broker offers the MT4 trading platform to its customers. The platform is highly reliable, is available in 21 languages, comes with a strategy tester, and comes with 50 pre-installed technical indicators. In addition, there are 9 different time-frames available for multiple time-frame analysis. MT4 is mostly used for trading Forex pairs, a limited number of cryptos, commodities, and indices. 

MT4 supports automated trading through algorithms called Expert Advisors (EAs). Traders can purchase EAs, or build their own robots and technical indicators. The platform uses MQL4 coding language. Due to the fact that MT4 is an old and super popular platform, it has the largest pool of custom-made robots and technical indicators. However, when purchasing trading robots, traders need to be cautious, as some algorithms do not work, and some are outdated.

MetaTrader 5 (MT5)

MT5 is the successor to the MT4 and was released by MetaQuotes in 2010. Like the MT4, MT5 is super popular among traders. MT5 comes with enhanced features and capabilities from the MT4. On the downside, the platform feels a bit more complex. MetaTrader 5 supports various asset classes and is considered a multi-asset platform. In addition to Forex, commodities, crypto, and indices, traders can use MT5 to trade stocks, bonds, and futures. 

MT5 comes with an integrated economic calendar and integrated trading statements. MT5 uses MQL5 coding language and has a huge library of custom-built indicators and trading robots. It should be noted that MT4 and MT5 use different trading algorithms. MT5 comes with enhanced backtesting robots and offers DoM (Depth of Market) capabilities. The DoM feature helps traders analyze bids and ask prices and make more informed decisions. 

ActivTrader

ActivTrader is a custom-built trading platform by the ActivTrades broker. The platform offers a modern looking design and covers various asset classes, including: FX, shares, indices, commodities, ETFs, and bonds. The trading platform provides access to over 1000 tradable instruments. 

Let’s see how MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and ActivTrader compare: 

ActivTrader MetaTrader 4 MetaTrader 5
CFDs (Contracts for Difference) On Shares Available Not available Available
Min Target Spread Forex 0.5 pips 0.5 pips 0.5 pips
Hedging Allowed Yes Yes Upon Request
Commission Free Trading Yes Yes Yes
Account Currencies €, £, $, CHF, SEK €, £, $, CHF, SEK €, £, $, CHF, SEK
Demo account Available Available Available
Minilots & Microlots Available Available Available
Dealing Desk No No No
Market Execution Yes Yes Yes
Automated Trading Not available Available Available
Free Educational Section Available Available Available
Pivot Points Indicator No Yes Yes
Negative Balance Protection Yes Yes Yes
Mobile trading app Yes Yes Yes

 

Now let’s compare the technical features of the platforms:

ActivTrader MetaTrader 4 MetaTrader 5
TradingView Integration Yes No No
Advanced Symbol Search Yes No No
Buy/Sell Again Functionality Yes No No
Dark/Light Theme Yes No No
Market Sentiment Indicator Yes No No
Progressive Trailing Stop Yes No No
Pullback Entry Yes No No
Bulk Position Management Yes No No
Trailing Stop Yes Yes Yes
One Click Trading Yes Yes Yes
Position Management On The Chart Yes Yes Yes
Indicators Yes Yes Yes
Drawing Tools Yes Yes Yes
Hedging Mode Yes Yes Upon Request
Multi Chart Support Yes Yes Yes
Exposure Tab No Yes Yes
Economic Calendar No No Yes
Order Types 8 6 8
Timeframes 9 9 21
Strategy Tester Not available Simple Advanced
Tick Chart Standard Standard Extended
Chart Types 14 3 3

 

TradingView

In addition, a TradingView platform is available that can be integrated with ActivTrader software. TradingView is a user-friendly platform that was developed to aid traders in technical and fundamental analysis. It offers advanced charting tools and a social networking feature where users can share ideas. These are what make TradingView stand out: 

  • Advanced Charting: Easily customize charts with various technical analysis tools for a thorough market study.
  • Social Networking: Share charts and trading ideas, fostering a collaborative environment for learning from fellow traders.
  • Multi-asset support: TradingView covers a wide range of tradable instruments, such as: stocks, cryptos, commodities, indices, and more.
  • Mobile apps are available both for Android and iOS users. 

Whether you are a beginner or an experienced trader, TradingView’s modern and intuitive interface and powerful features make it a popular choice. As already mentioned, TradingView is integrated with ActivTrader platform, this simply means that traders can conduct analysis using TradingView and place orders right on the charts, order will automatically get executed by the ActivTrader platform. 

It should be noted that professional traders often use the TradingView for analyzing, due to its extensive capabilities and place orders manually on provided trading platforms such as MetaTrader 4, or MetaTrader 5.

Customer Service

Having access to professional customer service is super important for every trader. ActivTrades offers 24/5 active live support via chat, free call, and email. The broker provides support in 14 most spoken languages. The customer support agents are highly professional and were helpful in answering our inquiries.

Research & Education

Access to proper education is crucial for traders to make money in the financial markets. Traders need to understand the markets that they trade, develop trading strategies, tools and techniques for market analysis, and learn how to manage their emotions. Furthermore, developing sophisticated risk management techniques is also very important. 

In order to aid its clients in development, ActivTrades provides extensive educational materials. There are educational webinars and seminars available. In addition, the broker provides traders with manuals and trading dictionaries. Furthermore, economic calendar and market analysis are also provided. Traders can easily access the educational resources from the broker’s main page, under the “Learn to Trade” tab.

Regulation & Safety

Choosing a safe broker is the most important step traders make. There are two main indications of broker safety: its reputation and regulations. ActivTrades has over 20 years of experience and has over 100k clients from over 140 countries. 

The broker is well-regulated in various jurisdictions and follows the MiFID directive. Let’s take a look at the regulators:

  • ActivTrades Corp is authorized and regulated by The Securities Commission of the Bahamas.
  • The broker is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (in the UK), registration number 434413.
  • ActivTrades is authorised and regulated in Portugal by the Comissão do Mercado de Valores Mobiliários (CMVM) with the number 433.
  • The broker is regulated by CSSF (Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier) in Luxembourg
  • ActivTrades is regulated by the Banco Central do Brasil – CVM. 
  • The broker is regulated by CMVM & registered with CONSOB

Furthermore, as already mentioned, ActivTrades is compliant to MiFID directives. MiFID, or the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive, is a set of rules within the European Union (EU) designed to oversee financial markets. Its primary goals are to boost transparency and safeguard the interests of investors.

Final Thoughts

To sum everything up, ActivTrades is a well-regulated Forex and CFD broker that offers a wide range of tradable instruments, and provides access to multiple trading platforms. Maximum available leverage is 400:1 for professional traders and 200:1 for retail traders. Trading fees are low and spreads start from 0.5 pips on EUR/USD, however, there are non-trading fees such as inactivity fees, and deposit and withdrawal fees (on some funding methods). Overall, ActivTrades is a good broker.

Brief Overview

🏛 Country of regulation UK, Brazil, Portugal, Luxembourg, Bahamas
💸 Trading fees class Average (spreads are low, but non-trading fees are high)
💸 Inactivity fee charged Yes. £10 per month after 16 months of inactivity
💸 Withdrawal fee amount £9 for bank transfer, other withdrawal options are free
💸 Minimum deposit $0
⏰ Time to open an account 24-48 Hours
💳 Deposit with credit card Yes
👛 Depositing with electronic wallet Yes
🎮 Demo account provided Yes
📊 Products offered Currency pairs, Futures, CFDs, Shares, ETFs

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