Summary

Exante is a multi-asset brokerage firm with its main operational office in Cyprus. The company began offering brokerage services in 2011 and has grown to become a significant player in the brokerage industry. The broker is regulated by the Cyprus Security and Exchange Commission (CYSEC), Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). It operates through its 20+ global locations and 1,100 servers worldwide and offers its clients access to over 50 markets consisting of 600,000+ financial instruments spread across various global markets inclusive of: 50+ currency Pairs, 24,000+ stocks and ETFs, 500+ Global Futures, 270,000+ Options, 10+ Metals, 200 Funds and 8 Bonds. 

This Exante review will examine the trading platforms, tradable assets and account types of the broker. We will also look at the account opening process, fees and commissions and the various payment and withdrawal options offered to users. The brokers’ verification processes, spreads, leverage, customer support, and lots more will be explored too.

Regulations

Exante is licensed regulated by top-tier financial regulatory bodies within their respective jurisdiction. These entities and their regulators are: 

EXT LTD: This entity is incorporated as a Limited Liability Company under Cyprus law. It is located at 28 October Avenue, 365 Vashiotis Seafront Building, 3107, Limassol, Cyprus. It is regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC). 

• License Number: 165/12
• Registration Number: HE 293592

XHK LTD: Located at Unit A, 6/F CNT Tower, 338 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, and incorporated under the laws of Hong Kong, this entity is regulated by Securities and Futures Commission (SFC).  

• License Number: BNN565
• Registration Number: 2643270

LHCM LTD: Incorporated in England and Wales and located at 30 Churchill Place, London, E14 5RE, United Kingdom, this entity is one of the brokers authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)

• Reference Number: 789421 
• Company Registration Number: 09989858

Supported Countries

Exante has its brokerage services spread across 100+ countries in the world. These countries include Cyprus, Netherlands, Russia, Hong Kong, England, Nigeria, Portugal, Brazil and many others. However, it does not support clients from the United States of America.

Available Assets

There are 600,000+ Exante trading instruments spread across 50+ financial markets. They include 50+ forex pairs, 24,000+ stocks and ETFs, 8 bonds, 500+ futures, 10+metals, 200 funds and 270,000+ options. In this section of the review, we will explore each of these trading assets. 

Stocks and ETFs

The broker provides its clients with access to 24,000+ shares from around the world. Exante also allows its clients to tailor their portfolios to their preferences, with exchange possibilities ranging from blue chips or fresh IPOs to US markets or local European exchanges such as the Athens Stock Exchange, the Australian Securities Exchange, the Copenhagen Stock Exchange, Euronext Amsterdam, and others.

Metals

Metals are considered a popular choice for traders looking to diversify their portfolios beyond traditional currency pairs. They are simply defined as naturally occurring minerals traded on the foreign exchange market. Metals are another financial option made available by the broker for its customers. On Exante, clients can trade 10+ metals inclusive of: Gold, Silver, Copper, Platinum and Palladium as futures, options, spots and ETFs.

Forex Pairs

Forex pairs are the quoted price of the exchange rate of two different country’s currencies traded on the foreign exchange. Exante offers its clients access to trade 50+ currency pairs inclusive of major, minor and exotic pairs at low spreads. Forwards and swaps are also available on the currency pairs. These pairs are inclusive of: the EUR/USD pair, GBP/USD, USD/JPY, EUR/GBP, AUD/USD, USD/CHF and other exotic pairs. 

Bonds

Clients on Exante can get interest from trading bonds through price changes at different times of the day. The broker offers trading on 8 bonds made up of a unique set of both government and private owned bonds. With them, clients get unlimited opportunities of portfolio diversification.

Futures

Futures are derivative financial contracts that enable clients to either buy or sell an asset at a predetermined price and future date. On Exante, clients get access to trade more than 500 futures from commodities to bonds on markets like CME, LIFFE, or EUREX in over 30 different global markets inclusive of the Australian Securities Exchange, Chicago Board of Trade, Futures Exchange, Borsa İstanbul, Eurex Exchange, Hong Kong Exchange, Singapore Exchange and more around the world. 

Funds

Funds are professionally managed portfolios that are made up of pooled resources from various investors and sources to buy shares of bonds, stocks or other securities. Exante offers its clients 200 funds from all over the world to trade in, all from a single account. Clients can choose to invest in funds with a single click and monitor positions in real-time without having to leave their workplace.

Options

Options are financial tools based on the basic worth of equities such as stocks. With options, clients get the opportunity to buy or sell fundamental assets, without owning them. Exante provides its clients with access to 270,000+ diverse options traded on several European markets ranging from Chicago to Osaka. 

Spreads

Spread can be defined as the difference between a broker’s sell rate (ask) and buy rate (bid)  when exchanging or trading assets. Different brokers have different spreads per financial instrument, with most spreads being subject to changes during the trading day or other special circumstances. Exante is no different. The table below reviews the spread of all forex pairs and metals. 

Leverage

Leverage is defined as easily borrowed cash. With leverages, clients get access to additional funds that they may use to increase their purchasing power when trading various financial instruments. On Exante, leverage on liquid stocks is up to 1:5 and up to 1:20 on currency pairs. .

The table below shows some Exante trading instruments alongside their minimum spread and maximum leverage.

Fees & Commissions

Every broker levies certain charges for trading and non-trading activities against its clients. Such charges include fees on deposits/withdrawals, account maintenance and inactivity. These levies are known as fees and commissions and they differ per broker. However, Exante’s price structure seems to meet the average industry fees and commission margins. 

This section of the review will discuss the different kinds of Exante fees and commissions you might incur while trading with them.

Trading Fees

Trading fees are any charges clients incurred during the course of trading. TheyBelow are theExante trading fees the broker charges.

Spreads

The broker offers its clients competitive spreads across various financial markets. In addition to this, it has a starting spread of 0.3 pips on currency pairs like EUR/USD. It is however worthy of note that spreads are not fixed, hence they are subject to change during trading periods.

Commission

Exante charges no extra commissions aside its spreads on its forex pairs. However, trading stocks attract a minimum fee of 0.02% to 0.18% per share – depending on the chosen European exchange. Metals like Copper, Palladium and Platinum attract a fee of 3 USD, while futures attract fees starting from 1.5 USD; or the equivalent in a different base currency. 

Rollover Fees/Swap Rates

Holding leveraged positions through the night incurs charges known as rollover fees or overnight rates. Exante charges overnight fees for short and long CFD positions held all through the night. Positions opened and held from Wednesday to Thursday night; or through the weekend, attract a triple overnight rate. Overnight rates are subject to change depending on market conditions.

Non-Trading Fees

Non-trading fees are charges that are incurred outside normal trading activities. They are charges which are not related to trading. Below are the non-trading fees charged by Exante.

Deposit and Withdrawal Fees

Exante claims to charge no fees on deposits. However, handling charges may be issued by the issuing bank or financial institution that processes the deposit. Meanwhile, the broker charges a fixed withdrawal fee of €30; or its equivalent in a different base currency, on every withdrawal. 

Inactivity Fee

The broker charges an inactivity fee of 50 EUR on inactive accounts. This fee is dependent on, if a client’s last trade was performed more than six months ago, if he/she has no open positions, and has a balance under 5,000 EUR. However, these conditions do not apply if the client is an authorized trader/agent.

Desk Trading and Custom Requests

Exante charges a one-off fee of 90 EUR for trading any instrument on its platform via Exante Trade Desk. This fee also applies when ordering a custom-made, special account reports/documents different from the usual reports/documentation available on one’s Client’s Area (dashboard).

Interest Rates

Although Exante claims to offer negative balance protection to its clients, the protection comes at a price. The broker charges a certain interest rate on a client’s account with negative balance. However, the exact interest charged is dependent on the currency of the negative balance.

Custody Fees

This fee is similar to the overnight fee. Custody fees are fees charged by the broker for holding bond trading positions overnight. The fee is charged at 0.3% per annum.

Trading Platforms

Exante boasts of a proprietary trading platform known as Exante Trading. Exante Trading is the sole trading platform provided by the broker for its clients to access its full offerings. It is a platform that gives clients direct access to all the financial markets and instruments offered by Exante, from a single multi-currency account. On the platform, clients get full access to trade the 600,000+ financial instruments as well as 2 customizable APIs provided by Exante. The platform comes as apps for mobile devices (iOS and Android) and on the web as desktop applications for Windows, Mac OS or Linux computers.

This section of the Exante review will explore both the desktop and mobile trading platforms that the broker offers. 

Desktop Trading Platforms

Exante WebTrader is a user-friendly customized online trading platform that users can use to trade the financial market. It offers functions such as stops and limits, alerts, trade sizes and many more.

Design

The platform’s design is innovative and functional. It contains several smart settings like Smart search, which allows users to find the instrument they are looking for by just imputing its first 2 letters. The design allows for user flexibility while trading and even analysis optimization.

Features

The platform comes with lots of features and user flexibility. It incorporates dual function modes (automatic and manual) for opening orders, drag-and-drop capability, and multi tab support that lets users keep track of their positions on various markets simultaneously. It also allows multilingualism and asset basket trading – a tool that allows users the ability to deal with multiple securities and assets at once. In addition, the trading platform includes buying and selling financial products from a pool. It is built with a network of servers spread across the globe to ensure that users have some of the lowest latencies and safe data transfers.

Charting Tools

The platform also has up-to-date technical indicators for trend detection, a trading chart, live market prices and space for notes. Some of the technical indicators on the platform include: bolinga band, ATR, EMA, MACD, RSI, etc.

How to Open an Account and Trade on the Exante Desktop Trading Platform

The broker’s account opening process is quite lengthy. Clients should get their accounts verified before the account opening process is completed. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to open an Exante trading account.

1. Visit the broker’s official website (Exante.eu) and click on the “login” option which is visible on the homepage.
2. On the new page that appears, fill in your name, email and phone number. Then click on the “get started” option.
3. Set up your password to continue. 
4. Select the “open account” option displayed on the new page to continue.
5. On selecting “open account”, fill basic KYC details starting from knowledge and experience and click next.
6. On the new page, complete the KYC section on compliance and click next.
7. Add your tax residency and Tax Identification number, then click on next.
8. Complete the declaration page to confirm you are no US citizen and click next.
9. Complete the agreement page and proceed by clicking on “next step”.
10. Upload true copies of a valid Identification, proof of residency and click “send for review to proceed”.
11. You are directed to your client’s area (dashboard) afterwards. 
12. Click on ‘deposit’ on the dashboard, copy the broker’s account details and make the wire transfer. Contact the customer care or send an email to the support to confirm your payment. 
13. To begin trading, select the trade option on your client’s area and initiate a buy or sell order by clicking on the new order button. 

Mobile App

A mobile app version of Exante trading platform is available for on-the-go traders. The app supports iOS or Android devices and offers the same features and functionality as the web-based platform. Exante mobile app allows users access to all of the instruments offered by the broker, as well as the customizable APIs and trading interface. 

Trading Interface

The trading interface of Exante mobile app is user-friendly. The app is structured to allow for a high degree of personalization and flexibility, with the ability to be used in 7 languages: English, Spanish, German, Italian, Chinese and Polish. Most of the trading tools and indicators offered via the desktop version are literally available on the mobile trading app. However, small screen resolution is one limitation for clients aiming to do deep technical analysis. In all, the Exante app decently balances ease-of-use with the depth of its available features and yet ensures functionality. 

Tools and Charting

The mobile app offers a good range of analytical tools such as: Bollinger Bands, Real-time market data, Price alerts, multiple timeframe display of charts, etc. It offers up to 5 technical indicators to allow clients to have smooth trading. However, it does not incorporate live chatting.

How to Open an Account and Trade on Exante Mobile App

1. Download the broker’s mobile trading app from the Google Play Store or App Store on your mobile devices.
2. On opening the app, the login option is very visible. However, select the “don’t have an account?” option in case you are yet to open an account.
3. On selecting the “don’t have an account?” Option on mobile, it will take you to the Exante web trader to create an account.
4. Follow steps 2-10 under the Desktop Trading Platform account opening process section to successfully create your account. 
5. To begin trading, return to your mobile app; after a successful account creation on the web platform, and login. 
6. Make your deposit via wire transfer to Exante’s bank account.
7. On your home page, select the trade option.
8. Open your choice order (buy or sell) on any market of your choice.
9. Note: without a deposit, clients would automatically be trading a demo account.

 Exante Account Types

Having taken into consideration the various needs and categories of its clients, the broker floats two account types aside from demo accounts. These accounts are: individual accounts and Corporate accounts. The two Exante account types are designed to comfortably cater to the needs of all clients; private investors or corporate bodies. We will explore more about each of the account types in the Exante review.  

Exante Demo Account

The Exante demo account is a virtual account that is made available on both individual and corporate account types. It is a practice account with access to real-time data with which clients can experience live trading conditions without risking their funds. On the demo account, It is also possible to access the broker’s web platform without user verification. Clients get trading access of up to €1,000,000 in virtual funds to test their trading competency and strategies. In addition, they also get access to the broker’s full offerings, financial instruments and the APIs.

Exante Individual Account

The individual account is the account type made available to all individual clients. The account is specially customized for clients who trade personally. Clients are given access to more than 600,000 financial instruments across over 50 global markets, and trading features like hedging. The individual account type is customized to suit the individual trader. It is further personalized with the designation of a professional account manager for each client, and other features like negative account protection. However, this account type has a €10,000 minimum deposit requirement.

Corporate Account

The corporate account, on the other hand, is an account type for corporate bodies and institutions. This account allows for institutional trading, and also gives clients full access to all that Exante offers. Corporate accounts are customized to suit the institutional trader with several befitting features. Corporate account owners are entitled to professional account managers too, and they benefit from features such as: flexible onboarding, the APIs (HTTP and FIX API), omnibus accounting, regulatory compliance, granular reporting and tier 1 clearing. However, the minimum deposit for corporate accounts is  €50,000.

Exante Payment Methods

Unlike other brokers, Exante offers its clients just a single payment option for both deposits and withdrawal.  

Exante Deposit Methods

Deposit methods are means through which account owners can credit or fund their trading accounts. The only provided method for deposits on Exante is bank/wire transfer. The broker claims to exert no commissions on deposits but it stipulates that payments could take 2-5 working days to reflect in the trading account. It also states that clients may incur processing fees depending on their financial institution.

Exante Withdrawal Methods

Clients on Exante can withdraw their funds through the same method they deposited with. It provides only wire/bank transfer as its only means of withdrawal. The broker states that withdrawal requests take a day to be approved, but could take up to 5 working days to be processed. There is a minimum charge of €30 on every withdrawal. However, the processing bank might charge extra fees. Clients intending to withdraw from their trading accounts must first complete the KYC process and get their accounts verified.

How to withdraw Funds from Exante

Withdrawals on Exante begin with a login to one’s trading account with your username and password, and then the completion of the following steps:

1. Navigate to the ‘Account’ option on the dashboard and select Transfers.
2. Specify the withdrawal amount. Note, you must have no open orders while withdrawing, a warning message appears, reminding you to close the open trades first.
3. Select your preferred withdrawal currency. Exante allows withdrawal in EUR, USD, GBP, CHF, CZK and PLN. 
4. Click on “Send withdrawal request” after filling out the withdrawal form.
5. A two-step verification is used to confirm the withdrawal request; Google Authenticator or SMS.   

Exante Education

Exante doesn’t have a dedicated educational library. However, its website contains some learning resources for clients to gain insights. These include trading guides, articles, press releases and a detailed FAQ section that answers most of the questions and challenges that users may encounter. There are also trading guides that contain everything clients need to know on how to use the Exante platform most effectively. The broker also comes with a default market insights page that contains frequently updated news and articles to keep clients in the light of current happenings in various markets. 

Exante Customer Support

Exante claims to offer excellent and quick (within 3 mins) response customer service that can be contacted 24/7 by phone, email or live chat. In addition, there is also a detailed FAQ section that caters to most questions. The broker can also be reached on social media channels, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and  Youtube. 

Exante Reviews on Reddit and Quora

What do users have to say about the services provided by this broker? This is what we will be analyzing in this section of Exante review.

What Reddit Users Say About Exante

Reddit users are quite inconclusive on the broker. Some commended Exante for its good services and range of products but others favor other brokers over Exante.

What Quora Users Say About Exante

As at the time of writing this article, the Quora community has no comments about the broker. 

Trustpilot Users’ Review About Exante

It is all compliments for Exante on Trustpilot. They categorize it as one of the best online trading brokers. Many trustpilot users commends the trading platform for its user-friendly interface, as well as their fees and range of products. Though there are a few complaints of lagging and connectivity, most users, however, expressed their satisfaction with the broker. After 22 reviews, the broker stands with a rating of 3.7 on trustpilot.

ForexPeaceArmy Users’ Review About Exante

As of the time of writing this section, the broker holds a rating of 1.332 after 4 reviews on ForexPeaceArmy. It appears that of the four forexpeacearmy user comments, two were posted by Exante’s workers and, hence were taken down. As of the remaining two, one trader commended the broker for their trading platform and available markets, while the other complained of her funds and account being manipulated and stolen.

Is Exante Safe?

Aside from being regulated by multiple top-tier regulatory bodies, Exante allows users an option to incorporate a 2-factor login Authentication (2FA) for increased account security. In addition to these, the broker claims to limit their collection of customer private data and store the available data under SSL encryption. The broker also holds the client’s funds in segregated accounts held with established banks.

Exante Products and Services

The broker also has additional products and services that are yet to be discussed. In the section of Exante review, we will explore each of these other products and services.  

Exante Wealth Managers

The broker also gives willing clients the opportunity to forge ahead and make more dividends on trading as a wealth manager. On Exante, proven clients can bring in and manage multiple client accounts as a wealth manager. The broker allows its wealth managers the MAM option – MAM is an acronym for Multi-Account-Manager. It is a kind of managerial role that allows managers to trade for multiple clients for a percentage profit on each account. Wealth managers get access to:

• Flexible remuneration options.
• Direct Market  Access to 50+ global exchanges for their clients.
• Place new orders or edit the existing ones.
• Generate custom reports for their clients.

Exante HTTP API

API (Application Programming Interface) is a software interface that offers service to other software. API allows for two or more computer programs to communicate with each other. The HTTP API is one of the two types of APIs provided by Exante for its clients. The broker allows its clients the option to use the HTTP API to design sleek financial apps, smart messenger bots, option strategy advisors, track order execution and integrate their back office and trading systems. It also permits automated trading. With the HTTP API, users can create websites with wholesale trading solutions. 

Exante Fix API

Fix Api is another API option Exante provides to its clients. Fix API is most suitable for algorithmic traders. The broker supports a FIX 4.4-based API that enables clients to implement new trading strategies with their own software and equipment, quote retrieval, transfer data and partake in full-scale trading automation. On API, clients get to:

• Access 50+ markets from their accounts.
• Design and run algorithms directly on their device.
• Quickly relay large chunks of data, and hence boost execution.

Exante Family Offices

Family offices are an option provided by Exante for private financial agencies that are into investment management for high-net-worth families and groups. With the family office option, these private financial agencies can access new classes of assets for their clients, and ensure their clients’ assets are heavily protected with a globally licenced broker (SFC Hong Kong, CySEC).

They also get to enjoy certain features like choice of jurisdiction, and easy asset transfer, amongst others.

Bottom Line

Established in 2011, Exante has had over a decade of providing excellent service to its clients spread across the globe. Clients on Exante get access to dynamic trading tools and extensive customizable IT infrastructure with over 1,100 servers catering to their trading needs worldwide. The broker prioritizes its client’s safety and trading experience by offering them a perfect fusion of security, technology and trading flexibility. The broker ensures maximum account security for its client’s accounts and funds by incorporating an option for 2 2-factor authentication for login, and SSL encryption for their data. Furthermore, in compliance with the FCA and other regulatory bodies, Exante claims to keep its client’s funds in segregated accounts with established financial institutions. 

In this Exante review, we could see that the broker’s account opening process is quite straightforward, although it is a little longer than other brokerage firms. Providing two account types: Individual and Corporate accounts, clients can begin live trading with a minimum deposit of €10,000 for individual accounts and €50,000 for corporate accounts. The broker has a proprietary trading platform (Exante trading) through which its clients access its full offerings of 600,000+ financial instruments spread across 50+ financial markets. However, just a single payment option is provided by the broker. Clients can only fund and withdraw via wire/bank transfer. It also provides a demo account for its clients, with up to €1,000,000 in virtual funds to enable them to learn and perfect their trading skills without risking real money. 

Other features offered by the broker include negative balance protection, hedging, APIs (HTTP and FIX), as well as an educational section and a quick response 24/7 customer support that caters to clients’ questions speedily.