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Trade with the Best STP Forex Broker
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Forex.com US

Forex.com US Review
Trader's rating 4.8
Editor's rating 5

 

Trading Accounts & Conditions

 

Account type Min. deposit Min. trade size Max. leverage Average Spreads
Standard $50 0.01 1:50 1.4 pips 

 

Leading US broker Forex.com offers a single account type on several trading platforms. The broker provides commission-free trading with variable spreads and the option to use micro lots.

 

In addition, Forex.com offers swap-free accounts to investors of Islamic belief, as well as free demo ones for 30 days after sign up.

 

 

Forex.com (US) Advantages

 

Regulated in the US and other countries

Forex.com belongs to the Gain Capital group. Gain Capital meets high standards of corporate governance, financial reporting and disclosure. The parent company of the major FX brand Forex.com, GAIN Capital Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:GCAP)  is a registered Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) and Retail Foreign Exchange Dealer with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and is a member of the National Futures Association (NFA).

 

Besides, its subsidiaries are properly licensed in the countries of their operation: 

 

Company Country Regulation
GAIN Capital Group, LLC USA NFA, CFTC
Forex.com UK Limited UK FCA
GAIN Capital FOREX.com Australia Pty Limited Australia  ASIC
Forex.com Canada Limited Canada  ILLROC
GAIN Capital Group (Hong Kong) Limited  Hong Kong SFC
GAIN Capital Japan Ltd.  Japan FFAJ

 

Apart from Forex.com, Gain Capital Group is operating the brands City Index, GTX, Gain Capital, FinSpreads, and others.

 

The largest broker in the US

Not only that Forex.com is regulated in the United States, but it is actually the largest forex broker in the country. After FXCM has left the US market, Forex.com became the undeniable leading provider of financial services in the US.

 

Actually, a very few brokers have remained active on the strictly regulated US market: Oanda, Interactive Brokers, and TD Ameritrade.

 

Competitive spreads

Forex.com offers commission-free trading with variable spreads, the average ones on EUR/USD amounting to 1.4 pips, which is a rather competitive pricing. By comparison, the cost of trading at Oanda, another US broker, is exactly the same.

 

Low minimum investment required

In order to open an account with Forex.com, one has to invest just $50. Almost everyone can afford such an investment.

 

Several top-notch trading platforms available

Leading US broker Forex.com offers a single account type on several trading platforms. The broker provides commission-free trading with variable spreads and the option to use micro lots.

 

Actually, this piece of trading software is as sophisticated and customizable as the MT4. Its professional-grade trading tools include top-notch interactive charting with more than 100 predefined indicators, as well as the option to create some of your own. There are also a number of Integrated trading strategies, which are also customizable. Besides, users can code their own trading strategies (in C++), there is a back-testing excel tool available, and signals trading. Here is a snapshot of the platform:

 

Click on the image to zoom-in.

 

Some of the new functionalities of the platform after a recent update include powerful charts with integrated one-click trading, smart trade ticket with advanced risk management option, pre-defined and customizable layouts, and more. 

   

Various payment methods, fast withdrawals

Yet another thing we like about Forex.com (US) is the fact that it support several convenient payment methods, and namelY Debit Card, Wire Transfer, ACH and Checks. What is even more important from a client's point of view, withdrawals are processed pretty fast – within 48 hours.

 

Bonuses available

Last but not least, Forex.com (US) offers cash rebates for high volume traders. The latter are able to get rebates up to $10 per million traded. 

 

 

Forex.com (US) Disadvantages

 

Leverage capped to 1:50

Actually, this is not a weak side of the broker itself, but a legal requirement in the US. Brokers operating in the country are not allowed to provide leverage of more than 1:50, and Forex.com simply complies with the regulatory requirements. 

 

 

Conclusion

 

Forex.com (US) is the largest US broker and one of the few actively operating in the country. A market leader offering trading in more than 80 forex pairs and CFDs, it has serviced over 200,000 customers globally.

 

The US broker is a part of the Gain Capital group – a leading forex brokerage with global presence. All members of the Gain Capital family are duly regulated by the respective governmental agencies, including Forex.com (US). It is registered with the CFTC and a member of NFA. US regulation is one of the strictest, which is a good thing in terms of investor protection, however some of the rules imposed are considered too restrictive.

 

For example, Brokers registered with the NFA are required to maintain a net capital of at least $20 million to guarantee customers’ positions, which is the highest minimum capital requirement worldwide. Moreover, hedging is not allowed and leverage is limited to 1:50, as we already mentioned above.

 

Now, let’s sum up the strong and weak sides of Forex.com (US):

 

Pros Cons
A global leading broker Leverage capped at 1:50
Solid regulation  
Competitive spreads, commission-free  
Several trading platforms, including MT4  
Low min. deposit required  

 

BDSwiss

BDSwiss Review
Trader's rating 0
Editor's rating 3

Trading Accounts & Conditions

 

Account type Min. deposit Min. trade size Max. leverage

Average spread
Basic  $200 0.01 1:30  1.5 pips
Raw  N/A 0.1 1:30  0.4 pips + $8 /lot
Black  N/A 0.01 1:30  1.1 pips

 

BDSwiss offers trading in wide range of financial instruments – many forex pairs, as well as CFDs on indices, commodities, equities and cryptocurrencies. Its clients are offered access to the popular MetaTrader 4 platform and a choice of three account types – Basic, Raw Spread, and Black. Swap-free services are available for all of them

 

Overall, the trading conditions of BDSwiss seem good – the initial deposit for the Basic account is not high and the spread is on the upper end of average. However, we could not find information on the initial investment amounts for the other two accounts, which offer better spreads. For more information on trading costs in forex trading, check out the below link.

 



>> Compare some of the tightest spreads here <<

 

 

As regards leverage, the maximum level provided by the brokerage is 1:30, in line with the regulations applicable for this Cypriot brokerage. As you probably know, the maximum leverage available to retail investors was capped at 1:30 throughout the EU.

 

 

The Company. Security of Funds

 

Company

Country

Regulation

Bdswiss Holding PLC

Cyprus

CySEC

 

Formally known as Bank De Swiss,  BDSwiss was initially a Cypriot binary options broker, but changed the nature of its offering after this type of trading was banned across the EU in July 2018 (and ESMA keeps renewing the prohibition ever since). The broker is owned by Bdswiss Holding PLC, a Cyprus Investment company operates another forex brokerage brand, Swiss Markets. Firm (CIF), licensed and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC). Now that the UK is about to leave the EU, Cyprus is becoming the most popular destination for European forex broker.  Here are some of the rules which CIFs have to comply with.



First of all, CySEC requires Cyprus-based brokers to hold a minimum of €730 000 in order to prove their good financial standing. Moreover, all CySEC-regulated companies are members of the Investor Compensation Fund, which may cover tour investment loss to a maximum of 20,000 EUR per person in the event that the broker becomes insolvent. Such compensation schemes serve as an additional guarantee to clients’ funds.


In addition, as CySEC is part of the European MiFID regulations, and the companies regulated by the Cypriot financial watchdog are free to operate in all EU Member States. Therefore, they are also required to comply with all the rules and restrictions, introduced on a EU level: the leverage cap which we already discussed, provision of negative balance protection, and ban on trading incentives such as bonuses with trading volume requirements, among other things.

 

 

>> More brokers regulated in Cyprus <<

 

 

BDSwiss also has an offshore entity, BDS Markets Ltd. (Domain bdswiss.com), which is said to service clients outside the European Union Area.

 

 

Trading Platform

 

As we already mentioned, BDSwiss offers the renown MetaTrader 4, delivering a wealth of information in a simple layout, and also allowing clients to automate their trades by Expert Advisors (EA). This is one of the reasons why this platform is so popular among trader. What is more, it offers a great charting package with a number of technical indicators, and extensive back-testing environment. Here you may check out more brokers that support it.

 

 

>> Find the best MT4 brokers <<

 

 

Methods of Payment. Transfer fees

 

Clients of BDSwiss may use credit/debit cards, bank transfers, Sofortüberweisung, Skrill, Neteller, iDEAL, DotPAy, GiroPay, and PostePAy for deposits, and Credit/debit cards, bank transfers, Skrill, and Neteller for withdrawals.

 

With the exception of bank wire transfers, BDSwiss does not require a minimum withdrawal amount. That being said, please note that a 10 EUR fee will apply to any bank wire withdrawals under 100 EUR and any other withdrawals amounting to 20 EUR or less. Bank wire international payments are charged with a 10 EUR basic fee, and the minimum withdrawal amount is 50 EUR. The same fee applies to SEPA transfers, and the minimum withdrawal amount is 5 EUR.

 

 

Conclusion

 

BDSwiss is a Cypriot forex and CFD broker that has more than 7 years of experience in the financial markets. The broker supports the MT4 platform and is duly licensed by CySEC, which is its greatest advantage.

 

To sum up our review on BDSwiss:

Pros

Cons

CySEC license

Leverage capped at 1:30

MT4 available

No info on minimum investment amounts on Raw & Black accounts

Competitive spreads

 

Wide range of financial instruments

 

 

 

 

Headquarters: Makariou III Street 160 3026, Limassol

Country: Cyprus

Regulation: CySec

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