ActivTrades review
ActivTrades is a multi-asset CFD and forex broker founded in Switzerland in 2001, with its headquarters moving to London in 2005. The core entity, ActivTrades PLC, is FCA-regulated, and the wider group holds further licences with Portugal's CMVM, the Bahamas' SCB, Mauritius's FSC and Brazil's BACEN/CVM (as ActivTrades CCTVM). It differentiates on platform choice, running a proprietary ActivTrader app alongside MT4, MT5 and TradingView, and cites a large operating scale of 100,000+ traders across 170+ countries and 500 million+ trades executed. Client funds carry negative-balance protection plus supplemental insurance of up to $1,000,000. Its Trustpilot page currently shows a guideline-breach warning after a batch of fake reviews was removed, and a publicly visible Ombudsman complaint highlights cross-entity jurisdiction friction.
ActivTrades key facts
- Website: www.activtrades.com
- Category: CFD / forex broker
- Founded: 2001, Switzerland
- Headquarters: London, UK
- CEO: Alex Pusco
- Regulation: FCA, CMVM, SCB, FSC, BACEN/CVM
- Platforms: ActivTrader, MT4, MT5, TradingView
- Instruments: 1,000+ across 7 asset classes
- Clients: 100k+ in 170+ countries
- CEO: Alex Pusco
- FYI Score: 83.4/100 (ranked #116 of the CFD brokers we track)
Regulation & licences
- ActivTrades PLC is FCA-regulated in the UK, the group's home jurisdiction since its HQ moved to London in 2005.
- Additional group entities are regulated by the SCB (Bahamas), CMVM (Portugal), FSC (Mauritius) and BACEN/CVM in Brazil (as ActivTrades CCTVM).
- The group markets itself as regulated in five top jurisdictions: FCA, CSSF (Luxembourg), SCB, BACEN & CVM and CMVM.
- Client funds carry negative-balance protection plus supplemental insurance of up to $1,000,000.
Spreads & fees
- Forex CFD spreads start from 0.5 pips, per the group's own marketing claims.
- Average execution time is cited at under 0.004 seconds, with over 93.6% of orders filled at or better than the requested price.
- No commission structure is broken out publicly beyond the spread-inclusive pricing shown on the live rate ticker.
Platforms & tools
- Four platforms: the proprietary ActivTrader (web and mobile, with TradingView charting built in), MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and native TradingView integration.
- The ActivTrader mobile app has 100k+ downloads across iOS and Android.
- Weekly webinars, daily market analysis and price-mover alerts are bundled as research and education tools.
Markets & account types
- 1,000+ instruments across 7 asset classes: forex, stocks, indices, cryptocurrencies, ETFs, commodities and bonds.
- Individual and Islamic (swap-free) account types, plus a free demo account.
- 24/7 support in 14 languages; the site cites an ADVFN 'Best Customer Service' award.
Markets
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Platforms
ActivTrader, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, TradingView
Who ActivTrades is for
For an individual trader, ActivTrades offers tier-1 UK regulation, a genuinely broad platform choice, and a large instrument list. The recent Trustpilot fake-review flag and a visible Ombudsman complaint about cross-entity jurisdiction are worth weighing, and traders should confirm which regulated entity their account sits under.
Pros
- Long operating history (founded 2001) and a large user base: 100k+ traders in 170+ countries, 500m+ trades executed.
- Tier-1 regulation (UK FCA) at the core of the group, with fund insurance up to $1,000,000 on top of standard negative-balance protection.
- Four-platform choice (proprietary ActivTrader, MT4, MT5, TradingView) is broader than most single- or dual-platform CFD brokers.
- 25+ industry awards cited, including a 'Best Customer Service' award from ADVFN's International Financial Awards.
Cons
- Trustpilot flagged ActivTrades' page for a breach of its guidelines, removing a batch of fake reviews; its TrustScore is currently unavailable as a result.
- A publicly visible Financial Ombudsman Service complaint on Trustpilot illustrates friction around cross-entity jurisdiction, where a UK-serviced client's dispute was initially routed toward the Mauritius FSC entity rather than the FCA one.
- Specific spread numbers beyond the 'from 0.5 pips' headline figure aren't broken out by account tier on the public site.
- Multi-entity structure (FCA, SCB, CMVM, FSC, BACEN/CVM, CSSF) means the protection a client gets depends on which regional entity they are actually onboarded to.
ActivTrades FAQ
Is ActivTrades regulated?
Yes. The core entity, ActivTrades PLC, is regulated by the FCA in the UK. Other group entities are regulated by Portugal's CMVM, the Bahamas' SCB, Mauritius's FSC and Brazil's BACEN/CVM.
How long has ActivTrades been operating?
Since 2001, when it was founded in Switzerland. Its headquarters moved to London in 2005, and it has been FCA-regulated as ActivTrades PLC since.
What trading platforms does ActivTrades offer?
Four platforms: its proprietary ActivTrader (web and mobile, with TradingView charting), MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and native TradingView execution.
Why is ActivTrades' Trustpilot score unavailable?
Trustpilot flagged the ActivTrades page for a breach of its guidelines and removed a number of fake reviews, so no aggregate TrustScore is currently shown.
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