We Like:
- They have operated for over 15 years, granting them total experience in the field
- Offers minimum trading costs
- ASIC and FCA regulated
- Offers several trading accounts
- Offers ECN model
- The minimum deposit is $1
- Cryptocurrency offering is reputable
We Don’t Like:
- High minimum deposit in the UK
- Offers fewer instruments
- Charges fees for dormancy
- Educational tools are limited
- Not available to USA residents
The Verdict:
FXOpen is a global FX brokerage company established in 2005 to provide first-class and secure financial services to its client base. The company is highly reputable as it holds regulations from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and the Financial Conducts Authority (FCA). It is also registered to operate in Charlestown, Nevis, under FX Markets Limited.
Among the company’s biggest achievements was the introduction of the ECN trading technology, an innovative feature that shaves down the time taken when trading to offer lightning-fast trade executions. The broker prides itself as the first few brokers to implement ECN trading.
To date, the company offers 1000+ trading instruments, including Cryptocurrencies, Indices, CFDs, Metals, and Oil, using the MT4 & 5 platforms and its proprietary platform dubbed, TickTrader. Its assets trade with competitive spreads starting from 0.0 pips and low costs.
Company details
The broker first started as a financial school whereby it offered courses such as financial services. In 2005, abled traders came together and saw the need to advance the educational center into a brokerage firm offering a wide range of assets fueled by ECN technology and meager spreads starting from 0.0 pips.
Since its establishment, FXOpen grew to penetrate global markets by providing quality services to its clientele. It offers multiple asset classes and runs a stream of offices based in different sections of the globe, but its head office is located in New Zealand. The company’s goal entails offering real-time ECN order execution services tailored to serve peculiar clients through account types.
FxOpen asset classes include:
- FX pairs
- Commodities
- Indices
- Shares
- Crypto
The multi-asset broker continues to pull in more clients by offering attractive trading conditions and fast and error-free order executions backed by expert customer support. The assets trade with floating leverages:
- Cryptocurrency 1:2
- FX pairs 1:30
- Indices 1:20
- Commodities 1:10
- Gold 1:20
But the maximum leverage is capped at 1:500. As mentioned, trading is aided by the broker’s trading platforms that integrate with the following tools.
FxPro’s integrated trading tools include:
- Economic and earning calendars
- Percentage allocation master module
- Zulu trade for copy traders
- Market news
- Myfxbook for copy traders
- Virtual Private Server (VPS)
However, clients must fund their trading accounts with a set min. deposit ahead of tapping into the broker’s asset classes. The amount is capped as low as $1 for the micro account but stretches up to $100 for the ECN account. Although FxOpen provides a neutral advantage of $0 fees on deposits.
Available payment options
- Bank wire transfers
- Debit/credit cards
- China Union Pay
- Epay
- Crypto-deposits, among others.
Regulations
FXOpen is a reputable and trusted company regulated by the FCA and ASIC. Rules and guidelines include segregation of clients’ funds, transparent services, among others.
- Regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) — license 579202.
- Regulated in Australia by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) — license 412871.
Trading platforms
The broker provides several trading platforms to its wide client base. All the platforms are designed to best suit the requirements and expectations of the majority of the traders. The platforms include; MetaTrader4, MetaTrader5, WebTrader, and TickTrader.
TickTrader
- Highly customizable workstation
- One-click/double-click trade executions
- Level II pricing
- State-of-the-art technical analysis tools
- Comprehensive charting system
- Back-testing strategies
- Customizable alert system
- ECN accounts
MetaTrader 5
- Accessible 24/7
- Automated trading
- Expert advisors
- Stop limit orders with no slippage
- 80+ technical indicators
- Open up to 100 charts at a time
- 21-time frames
- ECN accounts
- Trading signals
MetaTrader 4
- Interactive charts
- 50+ built-in and third-party indicators
- User-friendly and highly customizable interface
- Expert advisors
- Automated trading
- One-click trading
- ECN and crypto accounts
Range of markets
Key markets offered by FXOpen include Forex, Indices, Cryptocurrencies, Commodities, and Shares. All these services come with full package advantages that seem to be capturing client attention. Some major merits that clients encounter include low commissions, competitive spreads that range from 0.0 pips, and negative balance protection. In total, the company ascertains that it offers over 1000 trading instruments available on their trading platforms, the MT4, MT5, and TickTrader.
Forex
FXOpen offers a variety of currencies in the FX market. Currently, the currency pairs tradable in the market are over 50, inclusive of major, minor, and emerging pairs. The market is usually open from Sunday night through Friday night. Some of the advantages enjoyed by the clients include low spreads, which start from 0.0 pips.
Indices
FXOpen grants its clients the opportunity to trade at least nine global indices. Some of the Indices tradable include UK100, US SPX 500 as well as Wall Street 30. All the available Indices are tradable under flexible contract sizes, extended trading hours, and special low commissions. Through Indices, clients can speculate on the performance of a group of stocks instead of a single asset.
Commodities
The commodities marketplace at FxOpen supports hard commodity products such as metals and energies trading 24/5 with ultra-fast order executions and competitive spreads and leverage. Some of the instruments include gold, silver, and natural gas, and their trade size is capped at 0.01 lot and 0.1 for the energy asset, respectively.
Shares
FxOpen allows clients to share products from major companies such as Apple, Amazon, and others trading with a leverage of 1:5 and a min. lot of 1. The market opens through weekdays guided by expert customer support and fast executions.
Cryptocurrencies
An array of crypto assets trade at FxOpen as CFDs meaning the trader does not own the underlying instrument but speculates the digital asset’s price. Some of the instruments include BTC, Ethereum, Ripple, among others, and also trade with speedy executions and leverage of up to 1:2.
Main features
FxOpen reiterates several features but based on our research. We have unpacked the following:
- ZuluTrade — Offers a ZuluTrade feature that bolsters copy-trading by connecting signal providers and followers.
- VPS hosting —The broker offers VPS hosting services upon request from clients to investors trading in an STP, ECN, or Crypto account.
- Percentage Allocation Master Module (PAMM) — This feature provides a master follower for copy trading where the master trading strategies are replicated automatically into the follower’s trading account.
- Economic calendar — FXOpen provides an economic calendar where traders can spot upcoming events and their effects on market conditions.
- Market News — FXOpen has an integrated market news section where traders are informed about several market conditions.
- Myfxbook — This is an auto trading platform that ensures error-free trade executions for higher profits.
Types of trading accounts
FXOpen offers different trading accounts such as the ECN, STP Micro, and Crypto accounts. STP accounts support the trading of instruments such as forex, gold, and silver. The ECN account offers trading services of instruments such as forex, gold, silver, indices, and energy. For crypto accounts, you can trade cryptocurrencies.
ECN Trading Account
- Min. deposit – $100
- Tradable assets – FX Spot CFDs, Shares CFDs, Spot Metals CFDs, Index CFDs, Crypto CFDs, Commodity CFDs
- Floating spread from 0.0 pips
- The commission per lot – $15
- Max. leverage — 1:500
- Margin call – 100%
- Market depth (level II quotes)
- Market execution
- Min. lot size — 0.01 lots
STP Trading Account
- Min. deposit – $10
- Tradable assets – gold, silver, 50+ currency pairs
- Floating spread
- The commission per lot — $0
- Max. leverage — 1:500
- Margin call — 50%
- Market depth (level II quotes)
- Market execution
- Min. lot size — 0.01 lots
Crypto Account
- Min. deposit — $10
- Tradable assets — BTC, DASH, PPC, LTC, EMC, EOS
- Floating spread
- The commission per lot — 0.5% trade volume turn round
- Max. leverage — 1:3
- Margin call — 30%
- Market depth (level II quotes)
- Market execution
- Min. lot size — 0.01 lots
Micro Account
- Min. deposit — $100
- Tradable assets — gold, silver, 28 currency pairs
- Floating spread
- The commission per lot — $0
- Max. leverage — 1:500
- Margin call — 20%
- Market depth (level II quotes)
- Instant execution
- Min. lot size — 0.01 lots
Opening an account at FxOpen
Step 1: Upon clicking the live account button, one must first begin by filling in their country of residence.
Step 2: You will then be directed to a secure server where you must complete an online application.Step 3: After completing your registration, you will be provided a username and password. You can then log in to the client portal, deposit funds, and start trading.
Commissions and spreads
The broker charges fees depending on the type of account. Some accounts, such as micro accounts, charge no commission, unlike the STP and the ECN accounts. The STP account charges commissions linked to the spread, whereas cryptocurrency accounts charge commission fees linked to the spread.
FXOpen spreads are known to fluctuate hence floating spreads. The spreads are usually subject to changes in the market. The spreads always start at 0.0 pips. Commissions charged in crypto accounts are about 0.5% per size. STP accounts are added to the spread, and for the ECN account, it ranges at about $15 per lot.
Customer service
FXOpen has made it possible for clients to be satisfied with their services. As a client, it is obvious that you may have queries or concerns about a service you are being offered. FXOpen has ensured to provide all the required basics, tools, and education to ensure the quality of service. The customer support platforms offered include; email, help center, customer support telephone, and live chat link button.
FXOpen Review
What we liked
- Easy to open an account
- Well regulated broker
- Offers real-time crypto trading
- Offers multiple account types to best suit everyone
- Ability to deposit with crypto
- Availability of multiple trading platforms
- Fast order executions
- No hidden commission
- Negative balance protection
- Segregation of clients’ funds
What we disliked
- Does not offer CFDs services to residents of the USA
- Commission for copy traders
- A limited number of CFDs
- Fewer educational tools
The bottom line
FxOpen operates an online brokerage platform offering retail and corporate traders a wide range of instruments with meager spreads starting from 0.0 pips and ultra-fast order executions fueled by ECN technology. It prides itself on over 15 years of experience serving its clientele but also faces some pull-backs. The broker fails to offer services to US residents among other nations and does not offer rich educational resources, making it challenging for a newbie to learn how to trade.