Is XTB Regulated? Is it safe? - TU Expert review
License is the most important document you have to consider when choosing a broker. Many traders, who would like to start working with XTB try to check whether it is regulated. Traders Union experts have already done that. In this article, you will learn whether XTB is regulated, what regulatory authorities supervise the broker and whether it is safe to work with the company in general.
Short summary about the broker XTB
The X Trade Brokers (hereinafter “XTB”) is registered in Belize and provides a fairly extensive list of financial services to traders. The company was incorporated in 2002 and its financial regulator is the Belize International Financial Services Commission (FSC, 000302/438), CySEC (169/12), FCA (522157). The broker has offices in Spain, Poland, and the UK, where it is authorized and regulated by the National Financial Supervision Commissions. The XTB is focused on working primarily with European investors. It has several significant awards, including the Best Broker in Europe award by Global Banking & Finance Review and Best Financial Teacher by World Finance Exchange & Brokers.
| 💰 Account currency: | USD |
|---|---|
| 🚀 Minimum deposit: | no minimum deposit |
| ⚖️ Leverage: | Up to 1:500 |
| 💱 Spread: | From 0.1 pips |
| 🔧 Instruments: | Currencies, stocks, indices, raw materials, CFDs, and cryptocurrencies |
| 💹 Margin Call / Stop Out: | 30%/30% |
Pros and cons of XTB
👍 Advantages of trading with XTB:
•minimum deposit - $1;
•a wide range of trading instruments;
•branches in 12 countries.
👎 Disadvantages of XTB:
•the demo account is only available for four weeks;
•all analytical materials provided by the broker are exclusively in English;
•no PAMM accounts;
•the broker is focused on European clients.
Why is it important to work with a regulated broker?
License is a document that certifies that a broker operates legally and guarantees fulfillment of its obligations to the traders. A financial license is issued by a financial regulatory authority of a country (the National Bank) or a specialized authority (for example, Securities Commission, Futures Trading Commission, etc.). It is important to choose licensed brokers for the following reasons:
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A license guarantees that the broker operates in compliance with the rules of the financial regulator that issued the document.
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In order to obtain the license, a broker must comply with certain requirements, for example, the size of the authorized capital or personnel qualification. It is simply not lucrative for scammers to comply with such requirements.
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A broker’s license provides access to real markets, and you can be sure that the quotes are real and up-to-date.
The best option is to work with a broker that holds the license of the jurisdiction, where the trader resides. You can also choose a company with a financial license of another reliable jurisdiction, for example, the U.S. or the European Union.
Is XTB Regulated? Broker’s license
Security (Protection for Investors)
The financial regulator of X Trade Brokers is the Belize International Financial Services Commission (FSC). The broker's license number is 000302/438.
Also, X Trade Brokers is licensed by financial regulators in Spain, Poland, and Turkey.
👍 Advantages
- Licensed by financial regulators in several countries
- There are representative offices in 12 countries
- The broker's regulations and rules for the provision of financial services are freely available on the official website.
👎 Disadvantages
- Complaints are accepted only in English
- Complex and lengthy complaint procedure
- Claims that relate to compensation for personal injury damage are not considered
- Claims by traders with small losses are not considered
Brokerage fees
Broker’s regulation is the most important choice criterion. However, before you start working with the broker, it is also important to analyze its commissions and fees. TU analysts have studied the commissions and fees charged by XTB, which you can see below.
The XTB broker was analyzed by the Traders Union specialists for hidden fees. The broker charges a commission for withdrawing money in the following amounts: 1.5% of the amount (but not less than USD 30) when withdrawing money to a bank card (Visa, Mastercard), as well as when withdrawing to SafetyPay. When withdrawing to Neteller and Skrill, XTB charges 2% of the withdrawal amount.
| Account type | Spread (minimum value) | Withdrawal commission |
| Standard | From $5 | 1.5% - when withdrawing money to a bank card (Visa, Mastercard), as well as when withdrawing to SafetyPay; 2% when withdrawing to Neteller and Skrill |
| Swap Free | From $7 | 1.5% - when withdrawing money to a bank card (Visa, Mastercard), as well as when withdrawing to SafetyPay; 2% when withdrawing to Neteller and Skrill |
Brokers that are similar to XTB
Many brokers operate legally, obtaining relevant licenses and permissions. However, when choosing a broker, it is important to compare their trading conditions. TU experts have prepared a comparative analysis of XTB conditions with its closest competitors.
Comparison of XTB with other Brokers
| XTB | RoboForex | Pocket Option | Exness | Eightcap | AMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Trading platform |
MT4, xStation 5 |
MT4, MT5, R MobileTrader, R StocksTrader, R WebTrader |
Pocket Option, MT5, MT4 |
Exness Trade App (mobile), Exness Terminal (web), MetaTrader5, MetaTrader4 |
MT4, MT5 |
MT4, MT5, AMarkets App |
Min deposit |
$1 |
$10 |
$5 |
$10 |
$100 |
$100 |
Leverage |
From 1:1 |
From 1:1 |
From 1:1 |
From 1:1 |
From 1:30 |
From 1:1 |
Trust management |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Accrual of % on the balance |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Spread |
From 0.1 points |
From 0 points |
From 1.2 point |
From 1 point |
From 0 points |
From 0 points |
Level of margin call / stop out |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Execution of orders |
Market Execution |
Market Execution, Instant Execution |
Market Execution |
Market Execution, Instant Execution |
Market Execution |
Market Execution, Instant Execution |
No deposit bonus |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Cent accounts |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
XTB is a broker that focuses on the European segment of the market. The company is suitable for novice traders because the deposit in XTB starts from $1. A leverage of 1:500 will allow you to test almost any trading strategy without significant investments.
The minimum deposit in RoboForex is $10. Leverage up to 1:2000. Traders choose RoboForex for reliability, favorable trading conditions, minimum spreads, and commission fees. The company is recommended for beginner traders and experienced investors.
Pocket Option offers a wide range of trading instruments and copy trading services. It constantly improves its service quality and expands the list of assets and trading platforms. The broker is suitable even for novice traders without significant capital due to the low initial deposit. Experienced traders who work with CFDs and binary options can also use Pocket Option’s services.
Exness broker is a trusted broker partner that is compliant with all relevant terms. Exness complies with all payment obligations and pays money earned.
Eightcap has favorable working conditions due to a large choice of instruments, tight spreads, high leverage, and no withdrawal fees. Integration with popular trading platforms and basic deposit/withdrawal options greatly facilitates work with the broker and reduces the entry threshold. In addition to comfortable conditions and low financial costs, traders get free educational materials and special services for technical analysis. Some solutions, like Capitalise.ai, have no constructive counterparts. A relative disadvantage is the absence of opportunities for passive income. Also, the broker works only with CFDs, so other groups of trading instruments are not available.
AMarkets is a broker that is more suitable for professional trading. Everything here is designed to accommodate trading with EAs and that is the broker’s strength. The weakness of the broker is that it won’t be easy for traders without experience to work here.
Conclusions
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- Is City Index Regulated? Is it safe?
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- Is Purple Trading Regulated? Is it safe?
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- Is Robinhood Regulated? Is it safe?
- Is Tradeo Regulated? Is it safe?
- Is Orbex Regulated? Is it safe?
FAQ
How difficult is it to obtain a brokerage license?
The procedure for obtaining a license differs depending on the jurisdiction, but it is very difficult and expensive to get the document in a reliable jurisdiction. This is why only reliable brokers obtain licenses.
Why is it not recommended to work with offshore brokers?
Offshore brokers have to meet minimum requirements for obtaining a license and reporting, which is why often scammers get such licenses.
Can an offshore broker be reliable?
Yes, although there are not many of such brokers. There are brokers with a good reputation, but with an offshore license. You still need to be very cautious when working with such companies.
How do I check a broker’s reputation?
In order to check a broker’s reputation, you need to read user reviews. However, it is recommended to only use independent websites for that.
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Team that worked on the article
Mikhail Vnuchkov joined Traders Union as an author in 2020. He began his professional career as a journalist-observer at a small online financial publication, where he covered global economic events and discussed their impact on the segment of financial investment, including investor income. With five years of experience in finance, Mikhail joined Traders Union team, where he is in charge of forming the pool of latest news for traders, who trade stocks, cryptocurrencies, Forex instruments and fixed income.
Olga Shendetskaya has been a part of the Traders Union team as an author, editor and proofreader since 2017. Since 2020, Shendetskaya has been the assistant chief editor of the website of Traders Union, an international association of traders. She has over 10 years of experience of working with economic and financial texts. In the period of 2017-2020, Olga has worked as a journalist and editor of laftNews news agency, economic and financial news sections. At the moment, Olga is a part of the team of top industry experts involved in creation of educational articles in finance and investment, overseeing their writing and publication on the Traders Union website.