Summary

Founded in 2006, with regional offices and sales centres all around the world in cities like Paris, Milan, Tokyo, and Sydney. AvaTrade has its administrative headquarters in Dublin, Ireland It began as a small company in the heart of Ireland, but in recent years has grown to accommodate 300,000+ clients globally. The firm executes more than two million trades a month. It offers about 800+ tradable instruments.

In pursuit of creating the optimal trading environment for its clients, the broker has maximised its efforts in creating platforms that serve both novice and professional traders. AvaTrade is one of the best MetaTrader 4 brokers. You can also operate an AvaTrade account on any of its three other trading platforms, namely MetaTrader 5, WebTrader, and the mobile trading platform, AvaTradeGO. It also has a range of different account types and payment methods you can choose from, we will go over them individually later on in this article.

The trading firm features a full spectrum of financial instruments like forex, stocks, commodities, indices, cryptocurrencies, ETFs, and even bonds. Such variation in trading instruments offered will enable you, as a trader, to diversify your portfolio and take advantage of all the different exchanges and markets.

The broker’s educational materials cover a broad range of topics. Everything from entry-level content like what forex trading is to more complicated and sophisticated trading terminology such as Vanilla options is covered in the material, proving to be a useful tool for beginners and professionals alike.

In this AvaTrade Global review, we will take a closer look at its Pros & Cons, Regulations, Deposits & Withdrawals, Account Types, Supported Offices, Leverage, Spread, Educational Materials, Customer Support, Users’ Reviews, Account Opening Procedure, Trading Platforms, Other Products and Services, Trading and Non-Trading fees, and Payment Methods.

Regulations

Traders are at peace when trading with regulated brokers, as they ensure clients’ funds are protected at all costs. AvaTrade is authorised and regulated by nine regulatory authorities around the globe. Below are the different entities of the broker and their regulatory bodies:

AVA Trade EU Ltd.: This entity is authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland. It has its office address at AvaTrade Financial Centre, Five Lamps Place, Amiens Street, Dublin 1, Ireland

• Regulatory Number: C53877

Ava Trade Markets Ltd.: It is authorised by the British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission (FSC). It is located at Kingston Chambers, PO Box 173, Road Town, Tortola British Virgin Islands, BVI.

Ava Capital Markets Australia Pty Ltd.: Located at Ava Capital Markets Pty Ltd C/O WeWork, Ground Floor, 320 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia. This entity is regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission in Australia (ASIC).

• Regulatory Number: 406684

Ava Capital Markets Pty.: This entity is in South Africa and is regulated by the South African Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) with an office address at No. 70 Grayston Drive, 2nd Floor, Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa.

• Regulatory Number: 45984

Ava Trade Japan K.K.: Located at Minatoku Akasaka 2-18-1, Akasaka Hillside Building (4th Floor), Tokyo, Japan, this entity is licensed by the Financial Services Agency (FSA).

• Licence Number: 1662

Ava Trade Japan K.K.: This entity is authorised and licensed by the Financial Futures Association (FFA) of Japan.

• Licence Number: 1574

Ava Trade Middle East Ltd.: The entity is authorised and regulated in the UAE by the Abu Dhabi Global Markets (ADGM) Financial Regulatory Services Authority (FRSA). It has an office address at Suite 307, Al Sarab Tower, 15th Floor, Abu Dhabi Global Market Square, Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

• Regulatory Number: 190018

DT Direct Investment Hub Ltd.: It operates under the jurisdiction of the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission. It is located at 74 Archiepiskopou Makariou C’,Amaranton Court, 2nd Floor, Mesa Geitonia, Limassol, Cyprus.

• Regulatory Number: 347/17

ATrade Ltd.: It is also regulated in Israel by the Israel Securities Authority with an office address at Arieh Shenkar St 9, Herzliya, 4672509, Israel.

• Regulatory Number: 514666577

AVA Trade EU Ltd: This entity operates at a Polish Branch which has been authorised by the Polish Financial Supervision Authority. It is located at Ul. Postępu 15, 02-676 Warszawa, Poland.

Supported Countries

AvaTrade seeks to have a global outreach, with an online platform that provides financial services and products to an international audience. In agreement with such aims, it offers its services to countries in Europe, the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and even the Americas. Although it does accept Canadian traders, the same cannot be said for U.S. residents and nationals.

The broker offers its services in multiple languages, including Polish, Dutch, Italian, English, German, Spanish, Swedish, Hungarian, Arabic, Chinese, and many more.

Available Assets

AvaTrade offers its customers 800+ all sorts of financial instruments including forex, stocks, commodities, cryptocurrencies, indices, ETFs, and bonds. All of these are discussed separately in details below.

Cryptocurrencies

The cryptocurrency market has taken the world by storm, and many people are flocking to this market – trying to become a part of this new sector. AvaTrade allows you to trade 15+ cryptocurrencies with them, all in a few simple steps. The brokerage has listed Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Ethereum among many others on its platform. Clients from the UK will only be allowed to trade cryptocurrencies if they are a professional trader.

Stocks

On AvaTrade’s trading platforms, you will find a huge collection of stocks to choose from. An account holder can access all major exchanges including NYSE, NASDAQ & FTSE, and trade stock CFDs in 610+ companies without worrying about any exorbitant charges or fees. The broker’s platform has all the major stocks including Apple, Google and Facebook with a leverage up to 1:10.

Commodities

The broker provides a wide array of hard and soft commodities for clients to add to their portfolios, around 15+. Depending on your country of residence, you might also be able to trade with a leverage of up to 1:200 and enjoy very competitive spreads. Its wide selection includes oil, natural gas, gold, copper, silver, coffee, cotton, wheat trading, and sugar amongst many others.

Indices

AvaTrade account holders will have access to 30+ indices on the trading platform. Trading indices with this online broker, not only diversifies your portfolio but also gives you the best opportunity to speculate on the world’s top financial markets. Additionally, you will also enjoy industry-leading spreads and leverage on top of having the choice to trade US, Asian and European indices.

Forex

As a customer, you have access to 50+ currency pairs. You can trade the popular ones like the EUR/USD and GBP/USD pairs or go for less popular forex pairs like the USD/RUB.

ETFs

AvaTrade allows you to trade 60+ ETFs including S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN – Series B and Energy Select Sector SPDR on different global exchanges. These financial instruments can be found on all its trading platforms, but are particularly concentrated on the MT5 platform.

Bonds

AvaTrade’s bond collection is very limited, with currently only 2 bonds available to customers. They include the Japan Government Bond and Euro-Bund.

Spreads

A spread is the difference between the instrument’s buy and sell price. AvaTrade customers will have to put up with spreads of varying sizes as each instrument has its own spread. All of their spread rates are also over market.

Leverages

The maximum leverage you are offered is the same irrespective of the country you are currently either a resident or citizen of. For example, the leverage for forex is up to 1:400 and it’s up to 1:200 for commodities.

The table below contains the minimum spread and maximum Leverage on both forex pairs and commodities offered to global clients:

Fees & Commissions

AvaTrade fees can be categorised into, Trading and Non-Trading fees.

Trading Fees

As stated on its website, AvaTrade like most other brokers does not charge its clients commission on their orders. You will also find its spreads to be very competitive, like other similar online brokerages.

Spread

AvaTrade charges a different rate of spreads on each asset class. The minimum spread on EUR/USD is 0.9 pips and the stock indices like US-500 have a spread cost of $0.25 over the market. Bonds and ETFs are also subject to spread over the market; the EURO-BUND has a spread of $0.03 over the market. The spread for commodities like GOLD is 2.9 pips, but for Platinum, it is $1.10 over the market. For cryptocurrencies, the spread is also charged over the market, like BTC has a 0.20% over-market spread rate. The equities have a spread rate in percentage, e.g. AAPL is charged a 0.13% spread rate.

Non-Trading Fees

Although the broker doesn’t charge any account opening, downloading, setup, deposit, and withdrawal fees – AvaTrade clients will be charged inactivity and administration fees.

Inactivity fee

Following three consecutive months of non-use and every successive month after that will result in a fee, which will be taken automatically from the client’s trading account. This rule applies to all account holders, except for those living in countries where the legislation prohibits the collection of such fees. Based on your base currency, you will be charged 50 USD/EUR/GBP.

Administration fee

As an AvaTrade customer, you will also have to pay an administration fee if your account hasn’t been used for more than 12 consecutive months – except if your country’s legislation prohibits the same. This fee is charged primarily to offset the cost incurred by the AvaTrade team of making such financial services available to the customer, even though it isn’t being used. The administration fee charged is 100 USD/EUR/GBP.

Trading Platforms

AvaTrade trading platforms cater for every client and empower them with varying levels of trading experiences to begin their trading journey. The main trading platform offered by the broker is AvaTradeGo. However, five of its trading platforms are MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader5, DupliTrade, AvaOptions and WebTrader.

Desktop Trading Platform

AvaTradeGo is the trading platform offered by AvaTrade. It can be accessed on desktop as well as on mobile. The AvaTradeGo on desktop trading platform has numerous features which include the following:

Quick View

The AvaTradeGo platform enables its users to have a quick view of a specific tradable instrument. Within a single window, the users can simultaneously watch the whole market, one single selected instrument and also its chart.

Market News

The desktop trading platform offers up-to-date information of the market. The market calendar offered by the broker on its platform helps traders to stay updated on the latest market news and events.

Technical Indicators

The platform has a wide range of technical indicators available for its users to calculate trading decisions.

How to open a Live Account with AvaTrade’s Desktop Trading Platform?

• Go to the broker’s website and click on “Register now” and then enter a valid email ID. After this, you must create a password for this account according to the guidelines mentioned below.

• Please enter your first name and last name as it appears on official documents like your passport. Then choose your date of birth from the calendar provided and your country of residence. Follow it up by entering your address and phone number. If you have a partner code, you must type it out in the space provided.

• The next step is to choose your principal occupation and total estimated annual income from a drop-down menu. Then, you must choose the option that best describes your total estimated value of savings and investments, and the amount you intend on investing every year.

• Please select your current employment status and source of trading funds from a drop-down menu. Then select whatever platform you wish to use this account with and the base currency you’d like to associate with your account.

• The final step is to agree to the terms and conditions and click on “Complete Registration”.

Mobile Trading Platform

AvaTrade has a mobile application – AvaTradeGO – for traders to access and manage their trading accounts on the go. The app is available on both IOS and Android devices, and you can download it from either Google Play or the App Store. The following are some features of the Mobile Trading platform, AvaTradeGo:

Trading Central

The Trading Central feature of the Mobile version of AvaTradeGo platform provides integrated research and related tools to help traders reduce the risk involved in the trade.

Trade Ticket

This feature of AvaTradeGo Mobile version enables the traders to use the AvaProtect option. By using it, traders can place StopLoss and TakeProfits on their trades and protect themselves from maximum loss, or take desired profit while they are unable to check the application.

Market Sentiment

This feature of AvaTradeGo Mobile helps the traders to take a quick view about the market sentiment for all tradable instruments. The traders can easily understand whether there are more buyers or sellers in the market.

How to open a Live account with AvaTrade’s Mobile Trading Platform?

• Click on “Create Live Account”. Alternatively, you could click on the other “Demo Account” option if you wish to start with a demo account instead.

• Select your country of residence and enter a valid email ID. Then create a password for yourself, making sure it’s a secure one with uppercase and lowercase letters.

• Enter your first and last name, as it appears on your passport or any other official document.

• Select your date of birth from the calendar below.

• Fill in information about your registered address, for which you pay utilities and receive financial statements.

• Enter your phone number details.

• Choose between the MetaTrader 4 platform and the MetaTrader 5.

• Select the account currency you wish to associate your account with.

• Choose your principal occupation from the list.

• Follow it up with selecting the option that best represents what your source of trading funds is going to be.

• Then, select the amount you make annually (an estimate).

• Select the total estimated value of your savings and investments from the list.

• After that, choose the amount of money you intend on investing annually from the options given.

• Tell them about your current employment status, by selecting the right option.

• And last but not least, agree to their terms and conditions to get started.

Accounts

There are mainly 4 different types of accounts: retail, professional, Islamic, and a demo account. It is worth bearing in mind that some of them might not be available in your region.

Demo Account

With a demo account, you are able to test out new trading strategies without the risk of losing any personal funds in the process. This gives you exposure to the market for the first time, and at AvaTrade, a demo account gives you access to all trading platforms including MT4, MT5, WebTrader, and AvaTradeGO. The best part is that it is unlimited so that you can use it for as long as you want until you’re comfortable committing real funds.

A beginner could also utilise the demo account to get familiar with these platforms, and try risk management tools such as stop-loss and take profit for the first time ever. AvaTrade offers  a standard Demo with an account balance of $10,000. The demo account reflects market conditions and prices precisely. A trader can use the experience on a live account.

Retail Account

A retail or standard account is targeted at those individuals that may be beginners or simply do not have enough experience to qualify for a professional account. Under non-EU jurisdictions, a standard account holder is granted high risky leverage to trade with in most cases. But because of the European Securities and Markets Authority rules and regulations, EU retail clients can only trade with a leverage up to 1:30 on forex pairs, for example. Other than that, a retail account grants you access to all the trading instruments offered by AvaTrade.

Professional Account

While a retail account is available to just about everyone, to become a professional account holder you need to meet some predefined criteria. If you meet any two of the following three conditions, you will be eligible for a professional account.

• Your trading activity in the last 12 months is of significant size
• You have relevant trading experience
• A financial instrument portfolio worth over 500,000 € (inclusive of cash savings and financial instruments)

A professional trader is entitled to trade with pre-ESMA leverage, meaning that their maximum leverage is much more than their retail counterparts. For example, they enjoy leverage of 1:400 on forex pairs. Furthermore, the Professional Account is only available to the clients from EU and the UK.

Islamic Account (Swap Free)

Traders who keep their position overnight are charged an overnight fee, referred to as “swaps”. However, this kind of interest is prohibited for Muslims under Sharia law. To resolve this issue, AvaTrade offers its Muslim clients the option to go swap-free with an Islamic account – that is the only thing that sets this account apart from a regular one. All other features, like maximum leverage, are the exact same. Moreover, after you’ve applied for an Islamic account, you will also be able to engage in halal gold and silver trading, where physical gold stores support all trades.

Account Base Currency

AvaTrade users can choose from a variety of base currencies. USD, EUR, CHF, and GBP are the base currencies with which traders can open an account with.

Payment Methods

At AvaTrade the payment method you will use to deposit funds into your account varies based on your country of residence. The option to use credit cards and wire transfer is available to all its clients (credit cards cannot be used by Canadian clients). Clients except for those from Australia and the European Union can also deposit via e-payment methods such as Skrill, WebMoney, and Neteller.

Deposit Methods

The minimum deposit amount is $100 on credit card, debit card, and wire transfer. Credit cards and debit cards are the fastest way to deposit funds into your account – with the payment credited into your account almost instantly. However, this may be prolonged to one business day if it’s your first time depositing via credit card or debit card due to security verification reasons. Wire transfers can take up to 7 business days depending on the bank and country in which it is located. Lastly, when using e-payment methods, you can expect your deposits to be processed within 24 hours.

How to make a deposit?

• Log in to your AvaTrade account
• Click on the ‘Deposit’ section and choose your preferred deposit method
• From the drop-down menu, don’t forget to select the specific trading account you wish to deposit into.

Withdrawal Methods

AvaTrade, being a regulated broker, has to strictly adhere to regulatory requirements set by the different regulatory authorities. As per these regulations, withdrawals may only be made via the same payment method used to deposit funds into your account. You must withdraw up to 100% of your deposit to your credit card or debit card when making a withdrawal, and can then withdraw the rest (the profit made) using another payment method.

AvaTrade offers its clients a hassle-free quick withdrawal procedure. The withdrawal process on average takes only one or two working days for withdrawals issued via credit card and other e-payment systems. On the other hand, wire transfer could take over 10 business days for the withdrawals to be successfully completed.

The broker operates Monday through Friday, excluding weekends and all other holidays mentioned in the official calendar. You should bear in mind that due to clearance delays from banks, e-payment systems, and credit cards – this process could potentially take longer than expected.

How to make a withdrawal?

• Log into your account using a registered email address and password.
• Go to the withdrawal section and fill out an online withdrawal form.
• The withdrawal is likely to be processed within the next 24 business hours.

Education

The online brokerage has really outdone itself when it comes to educating its clients on the whole trading market. If you consider yourself a visual learner, you can easily learn from the many video tutorials offered by the firm.

However, if you prefer articles and written material to be a quicker and better method to grasp information, there are a plethora of articles available on the website for you to benefit from. You can also download its free eBook on “Forex Trading Strategies” to better understand the forex market, and learn new trading strategies that might just work for you. They have sections dedicated to both beginners and professionals alike so that no matter how much experience you have with trading; you will always leave the website having learned new information.

Although you could just as easily click on the “Education” tab on the dashboard to find the article you’re looking for, the broker also has a search feature on its website that enables customers to enter keywords and get the information they specifically wanted.

Customer Support

AvaTrade customers can contact the customer support team via a wide array of methods: email, live chat, WhatsApp messaging, and finally over the phone. A comprehensive FAQ section equipped with a fully functional search bar also exists to help you find exactly what you’re looking for.

Let’s begin with email. In order to resolve a problem via email, all you have to do is fill in the form shown above. Please choose the reason for this request from the drop-down menu, and enter all relevant information like your email ID, phone number, and name.

A client can text them using WhatsApp by messaging them on their WhatsApp number: +447520644093.

AvaTrade’s live chat feature is referred to as “AvaGuide”, and it has a dedicated chatbot to answer all your queries in real-time. Explain your problem as briefly as possible, or alternatively, select one of the topics and choose the question that best matches your query from a list of questions generated by the chatbot.

The phone number you can use to call them varies depending on your country of residence. AvaTrade has provided separate phone numbers for each country to contact the support team.

Reviews

What Reddit Users Say About AvaTrade

Reddit users’ views on AvaTrade were for the most part positive, with only a minority preferring other brokers to it.

When asked about his thoughts on and experience with AvaTrade, this particular user was particularly fond of their no-commission policy and went on to commend them for their quick withdrawal processing speeds. Another user too loved trading with them, going as far as to call them “great” – basically one of the best forex brokers.

What Quora Users Say About AvaTrade

Quora users had conflicting views on the broker, with some calling it an outright scam while others sang praises of their different platforms and features.

This particular Quora user, warned others to steer clear of the broker as he had had a horrible experience with them, which involved his “money” getting stolen. He further pointed out that the firm in some countries like Belgium has already been blacklisted.

This other Quora user couldn’t disagree more with the previous user’s claims, instead of calling them a “scam”, she likened them to a reliable online trading platform that professional traders so desperately require. Her post further explained that their automatic trading platforms are a must-have for “ novice traders” who have little to no experience with trading all sorts of financial instruments.

TrustPilot Users Reviews About AvaTrade

AvaTrade had an exceptionally high rating of 4.8/5 on TrustPilot, with an overwhelming 72% of comments agreeing that it is an excellent platform to trade with.

Many users, in agreement with this one, were delighted by the fact that they would receive a call immediately after opening an account with them. A lot of users loved their user-friendly platform and found it easy to use.

Although the broker received positive feedback from the majority of its customers, a handful were disappointed with their experience with the broker and said that they personally wouldn’t recommend it to others. This particular TrustPilot user had a lot of negative things to say about the leverages offered and their withdrawal processing times.

ForexPeaceArmy Users Reviews About AvaTrade

AvaTrade did not live up to the expectations of ForexPeaceArmy users, earning itself a shameful 2-star rating on the review site.

Like many other users, this user found withdrawals to be a “nightmare” and explained how their customer service team and account managers were unhelpful when it came to withdrawal requests. Some users went into detail about their horrible experiences with AvaTrade, and criticised the transparency of the broker and the low leverages offered to traders.

Standing against the tide, this user hailing from the United Arab Emirates shared his positive experience with the broker. He was overjoyed by the “transparency” and micro lot sizes of 0.01 offered by the broker, as they provided a good way for beginners to navigate the market and their platforms.

Is AvaTrade Safe?

All traders at one point or the other will take into consideration the broker’s approach to customer fund security when choosing one to trade with. The trading market is unpredictable at times and if traders are not careful they may end up losing all their investments. The threat of losing your funds is very real – AvaTrade is well aware of all this and therefore has taken all necessary measures to protect customer funds.

Every trader is asking the question “Is AvaTrade trustworthy?”. The following are the reasons that might answer this question.

First of all, it is no secret that this international broker is one of the most heavily regulated online brokerage firms in the world, with licences across 5 whole continents. Obtaining these regulatory licences, not only allows them to operate internationally but is beneficial for customers too. Regulatory bodies oversee their processes and make sure that they fall in line with the country’s jurisdiction – which prioritises customer fund security and safety above all else. This means that the chances of a client’s money being stolen or lost is minimised to the max.

Furthermore, AvaTrade offers its clients a risk management tool dubbed “AvaProtect”. In exchange for a hedging cost paid at the time of purchase, clients can protect a particular trade against losses of up to 1 million dollars. Under it, AvaTrade reimburses customers for losing trades at the end of the protected period. These funds will be sent directly into your account. You will find this feature exclusively on its mobile trading platform, AvaTradeGO App, and its web-trading platform.

Lastly, their negative balance protection scheme ensures that clients never lose more money than they have in their accounts.

Other Products and Services

AvaSocial

AvaTrade introduces the AvaSocial mobile app to its clients. It is a social trading app on which you can follow and copy the trades of leading traders in the industry. You have the freedom to ask your mentors about their trading strategies and discover new effective ones in the process. The app is offered in partnership with FCA-regulated Pelican Trading. There are numerous benefits of using the app, such as creating a network of like-minded traders or receiving real-time updates about the trading activities of your friends and experienced traders alike.

AvaPartner

As a member of this affiliate program, you can get rewarded for referring traders to AvaTrade. Their affiliate program comprises nearly 70,000 partners spanning more than 150 countries. Partners have earned $250,000,000 in commissions as of yet. They can owe this success to their policy of issuing regular payments on time.

As a partner, you will be granted access to a large library of marketing resources and may even have your own dedicated account manager to assist you in making successful referrals.

Refer a Friend

If you don’t have the social media presence required to join their forex affiliate program, there’s no need to worry. AvaTrade account holders have the option to share a personal link found under the “Refer a Friend” section on their accounts, with their friends. If their friends make a deposit, they will be compensated automatically.

Below are the cash credit traders can receive when their friends make their first deposit on AvaTrade:

Bottom Line

AvaTrade is one of the most regulated online brokerages in the world, with over 9 bodies overseeing its work, across 5 different continents. Such licences make it possible for them to offer their financial products and services to an international audience; they have clients from all over the world.

The broker gives clients numerous assets to trade from, including forex, stocks, commodities, cryptocurrencies, indices, ETFs, and bonds. Although you aren’t allowed to own these individual financial instruments, you can trade their CFDs to profit off of them.

Moreover, it has different accounts to choose from. Each account offered caters to a specific audience. For example, although the maximum leverage for those residing in Europe is relatively low for retail traders, professional traders have the ability to make use of pre-ESMA leverage.

The customer support and educational materials are also top-notch. A search bar is really helpful when it comes to finding the exact document you’re looking for.