Avatrade is a global forex broker based in Dublin, Ireland. Ava Capital Markets LTD was launched in 2006 and is a subsidiary of Ava Group, an international investment company. With offices in Paris, Tokyo, Milan, Sydney, Shanghai, and other major centers around the world, Avatrade is considered to be one of the most trusted names in the forex industry. As a truly international broker, Avatrade is regulated by various government agencies including the CBI, MiFID, FSA, ASIC, and BVIFSC.
Avatrade offers a very broad and diverse product line. Aside from most currency pairs from majors to exotics, they also offer CFDs, Commodities, ETFs, Bitcoin, Bonds, Indices and FX Options.
In addition, they have many different options for traders including automated trading via MQL5, Mirror Trader, Zulutrade, and its API library. Furthermore, traders get access to quality market analysis and educational tools including Autochartist, Sharp Trader, and FXInsights.
Regulation
Avatrade is one of the largest global foreign exchange brokers and they are licensed to do business by various financial regulatory bodies around the world.
- Europe – Ava’s European arm – Ava Trade EU is authorized and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) and (MifID) allowing them to operate in the European territories.
- Japan – Ava Trade Japan KK is licensed by the Financial Services Agency (FSA) which is the regulating body that oversees operations within Japan.
- Australia – Ava Capital Markets Australia Pty Ltd, is registered and licensed in Australia by the agency referred to as (ASIC) – Australia Securities and Investments Commission.
- South Africa – Ava Capital Markets Pty Ltd is licensed in South Africa thru the Financial Services Board (FSB)
- International – Ava Trade Ltd, organized in the British Virgin Islands is regulated by (BVI FSC) – British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission. This registration allows them to accept clients from various parts of the globe. Due to current regulations in in the United States, US based traders are not accepted at Avatrade.
Safety
AvaTrade has been in business for over a decade, and is a subsidiary of a $ 17 billion holding company. As such they are considered to be a very safe and financially secure broker with outstanding credentials. Over the years, they have built a solid reputation with the trading community.
Avatrade is subject to strict regulation and requirements over its operations by the various regulatory bodies that oversee their activities. AvaTrade holds licenses in many jurisdictions including the European Union, Australia, South Africa, the British Virgin Islands, and Japan.
As for your personal data, they take great steps to keep your information secure and only use it for their internal purposes. Their website and platform is protected with SSL encryption and they have built a solid data infrastructure and incorporated enhanced security features to prevent DDOS attacks.
As a testament to their reliability, Avatrade has won a host of awards for its excellent reputation in the industry. Some of these include “Best Alert System”, “Best Financial Derivatives Provider”, and “Best Forex Broker 2016”.
Trading Platforms
Avatrade offers multiple trading platforms to choose from:
- Metatrader 4 (PC, Mac, Browser) – Metatrader is the forex industry’s leading retail trading platform and is considered to be the standard by which all other platforms are judged. Metatrader offers a wide range of analytical tools including advanced charts, backtesting capability and the ability to create automated trading strategies called Expert Advisors (EA). Also, important to note is that Avatrade is only one of a handful of brokers that offer the Mac version of the Metatrader 4 platform.
- Avatrader (PC, Mac, Browser) – A versatile trading platform that is customizable based on a trader’s requirement and preferences. You can trade over 200 instruments using this platform. The platform is available with fixed spreads only and the max leverage using this platform is 200:1. Technical traders will find the fully integrated Autochartist package quite valuable.
- AvaOptions (PC, Browser) – Avatrader offers vanilla options on approximately 30 currency pairs. You will have access to various option related studies and analytics. A big advantage of using AvaOptions is that it allows traders to trade both spot forex and FX options from within a single platform.
- Other – Integration with multiple third party platforms is available. The most popular among these are Zulutrade, and Mirror Trader by Tradency.
Trading Instruments
There are many asset classes and trading instruments available at Avatrade. You can trade currencies, commodities, stocks indices, CFDs, Bitcoin, ETFs, and bonds among other things.
- Currencies – Over 60 currency pairs available including all Majors, many Minors and Exotic pairs.
- Commodities – Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Copper, Palladium, Gold, Silver, Corn, Wheat, Soybeans, Sugar, and more.
- Individual Stocks – Exxon, Bank of America, Yahoo, Twitter, Walmart and many more.
- Stock Indices – Nasdaq, S&P 500, Dow Jones, Russell, DAX, CAC, SMI and more.
Account Types
Avatrade offers both a Demo account and a Real Account. A demo account is a virtual account that you can use to test drive the trading platform or practice and fine tune your strategies without the requirement of committing real money behind the trades.
A Real Account is just that – a Real Live Account which must be funded. You can open and fund your account with the base currency in either USD, GBP, EUR, or AUD. There are various methods to fund your account including credit cards, wire transfers, and online payment processors such as PayPal, Skrill, and Webmoney.
With a Real Account, you have the choice of four different account types. These include the Silver, Gold, Platinum and AvaSelect account.
- Silver Account – Minimum Deposit is $ 100
- Gold Account – Minimum Deposit is $ 1000
- Platinum Account – Minimum Deposit is $ 10,000
- AvaSelect Account – Minimum Deposit is $ 100,000 ( With the AvaSelect Account you will get a Dedicated Senior Account Analyst )
Learn more about opening an account with Avatrade – Go Here
Commissions and Spreads
Avatrade has two different pricing models – fixed spreads and floating spreads, also referred to as variable spreads. The typical fixed spread on the EUR/USD is approx. 2 pips, whereas the variable spread would be a bit lower at approx. 1.5 pips. For day traders or shorter term traders, the variable spread model would likely be the preferred choice. Based on the trading platform you choose, you will either be priced at a fixed spread or variable spread.
Below are the three main Avatrade platforms and their corresponding spread model:
- Metatrader 4 – Fixed Spread and/or Variable Spreads
- Avatrader – Fixed Spread Model
- AvaOptions – Variable Spread Model
Customer Support
Customer service reps are available via phone, email and live chat. Phone and Livechat inquires can be made 24 hours a day, 5 days a week – Monday thru Friday. Email support is always available and a support ticket is usually handled within 24 hours.
Avatrade offers multi lingual support services and you can choose from many different languages including English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Dutch and more. For those who have general questions, you can also refer to the FAQ section on their website for quick answers to basic questions.
Bonus and Promotions
Avatrade has very generous bonus offerings for new account holders. The bonus amounts will vary based on the amount deposited into a Live trading account, but you can expect to be receive anywhere from $ 100 upto $15,000 as a signup bonus.
In additional to their traditional bonus promotions, Avatrade also offers a referral bonus. Anytime you refer a trader to Avatrade and they signup for a real account, you can be rewarded with a bonus ranging from $ 50 – 400. Terms and conditions apply.
Click Here for more details on Avatrade’s Bonus and Promotions.
Mobile Trading
There are a few Mobile Trading platform options that Avatrade offers. There is the AvaTradeAct mobile app, the widely used Meta Trader 4 mobile app, and the AvaTradeGo mobile app. With each of these mobile trading apps, you can open and manage positions, analyze charts, and view exchange rate data among other things.
Automated Trading
Automated trading has become increasingly popular with many forex traders. Avatrade has kept up with this demand by making a wide range of automated trading platforms available to its traders. Below you will find a list of automated trading platforms compatible with Avatrade.
- Mirror Trader – An automated trading platform by Tradency, traders can copy trades directly into their account from a select group of experienced traders, while maintaining full control of position sizing and other money management variables.
- RoboX – Personalized trading tools which enable users to automate their trading methodology. After you answer a few questions, RoboX can provide access to many different trading strategies.
- Zulutrade – An established social trading network that enables users to follow and copy trades of various strategy providers on its network.
- MQL5 – Get access to the Metatrader community and subscribe to MQL5 signal services. Trades can be copied and directly implemented within the users MT4 platform.
- API – For experienced programmers that want to use the AvaTrader API libraries to create custom trading strategies and systems and connect them to the Avatrader platform.
Deposits and Withdrawals
The minimum deposit for funding an account at Avatrade is $ 100 and the maximum leverage available is 400:1. Deposit funding can be done using a credit card, bank wire transfer, 3rd party payment processors including PayPal, Moneybookers, Neteller, Skrill, and Webmoney.
Withdrawing funds can be done in the same manner as deposits. The process for requesting a withdrawal is fairly straightforward. You fill out a simple withdrawal request within the “My Ava” dashboard. Typically, it takes up to 5 days for the request to be completed. Avatrade also offers a debit card option for withdrawals. Using the Ava Debit MasterCard, you can typically get your withdrawal funds quicker that via the other options.
Unique Features
Avatrade has a rich set of automated trading features that are second to none. Whether you are a new trader looking to copy trades of more experienced traders or you’re a computer programmer looking to custom build your own automated solution, Avatrade can meet your automated trading needs. Ava customers have access to Mirror Trader, RoboX, Zulutrade, MQL5, and its own API libraries. Best of all, all these solutions are available at no additional cost to the user.
Pros and Cons
Cons
FAQs
Is Avatrade a regulated broker?
Yes, Avatrade is regulated by various government agencies including FSA, ASIC, CBI, BVIFSC, MiFID.
How safe is Avatrade?
Avatrade has been in business for over 10 years, and is owned by a $ 17 Billion holding company. They are considered financially stable and safe.
What trading platforms does Avatrade offer?
Avatrade offers three main trading platforms – Metatrader 4, Avatrader, and AvaOptions.
What Trading Instruments are available at Avatrade?
You can trade over 60 currency pairs, major commodities, CFDs, ETFs, Bitcoin, Stock Indices, Individual Stocks, and Bonds.
What is the Commission / Spread structure at Avatrade?
Avatrade has two different pricing models – fixed spreads and floating spreads. There are no commissions on trades.
How many account types does Avatrade have?
You can choose a Demo account or Live Account. For Live Accounts, there are 4 different account types based on initial deposit.
How is customer support at Avatrade ?
Customer support is available 24/5 via phone and live chat and 24/7 via email. Avatrade offers multi lingual support.
What bonus does Avatrade offer?
Avatrade offers a generous signup bonus. The amount depends on the initial deposit. They also have a referral bonus.
Does Avatrade offer Mobile trading?
Yes, Mobile trading is available via AvatradeAct app, Metatrader 4 app, and AvatradeGo app.
What options are there for Automated trading at Avatrade?
Automated trading is made available via Mirror Trader, RoboX, Zulutrade, MQL5, and their API.
What’s the minimum deposit to open a Live account at Avatrade?
The minimum deposit to open a Live account is $ 100.
What is Avatrade’s max leverage?
Max leverage at Avatrade is 400:1