Darwinex Review: Pros and Cons Uncovered 2023

Founded in 2012, Darwinex is a copy trading broker with a lot to offer from their data-driven approach including low trading costs and a secure trading environment regulated by the top-tier FCA.

Key Darwinex strengths include:

• Accessible $500 minimum deposit
• No Dealing Desk execution model
• Insurance up to $500,000
• Very low trading costs

As with most top brokers in the industry, Darwinex offers you the opportunity to try out their service before you move to live trading. They offer an unlimited demo account where you can get to grips with all features of the broker risk-free.

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What Is Our Opinion On Darwinex?

Darwinex is an NDD broker that facilitates direct market access and is a top copy trading broker with many great features and offers including contents with prizes particularly for long-term investors. Though they are a major broker Darwinex is only regulated in the EU and UK. They have a relatively high minimum deposit but competitive trading costs in general.

Your trading and funds at Darwinex will also be very secure thanks not only to their stellar reputation but excellent insurance of more than £500,000 provided for all traders. Although they do not offer a research section at the broker, they do have an excellent, proprietary trading platform where a range of APIs supporting algo-trading is catered for.

What are the Darwinex Pros and Cons?

Pros

The main issues you will encounter when trading with Darwinex is that firstly the broker is only available in relatively few countries since they are only regulated by the FCA while also being compliant with MiFID rules.

Beyond that, there are a few points to note. The broker does not offer any swap-free account type for Islamic traders, while they also may charge a fee based on your deposit method. This is 0.2% if you use an eWallet while withdrawals are charged at 1% of the amount with possible extra fees on bank wires from your bank. Using Trustly for bank wires will have a fee of $3.50. The withdrawal process itself can also take up to 3 business days for processing.

When it comes to trading there is no research section available which is disappointing. The only tool you have access to is a detailed economic calendar. Meanwhile, social trading features are at the core of the broker so if you are not into social trading, they may not be a great choice.

Cons

On the upside if you are trading with Darwinex you will have a higher level of insurance coverage than the standard £85,000 of FSCS cover. The broker coverage stretches to £1,000,000.

in general, you will also experience low trading costs no matter what type of account you choose alongside being backed by some excellent copy trading features as a focal point of the broker. They also support algo-trading.

You will also have many free challenges and trading contests to participate in here where you can win real money and more great prizes. Darwinex also provides extensive and high-quality educational support in a number of forms including video tutorials, webinars, and content on all aspects of trading to further your development.

Pros and Cons: a Summary

The table below showcases some key broker areas and the pros and cons found in each.

If you want to expand your research, and evaluate some options similar to this broker, you can consult the alternatives to Darwinex.

CFDs and Forex Review

Trading CFDs and forex at Darwinex you will ultimately find a strong selection of more than 300 assets to trade in multiple markets. These include forex, commodities, indices, US stocks, and Cryptoassets with a verylow spread starting at 0 pips and a commission that remains excellent value at $3 per round turn trade.

When trading at Darwinex you will find that the algorithm they have employed may well work to benefit more skilled traders with an improved price that does not always seem equal. The minimum deposit here is also a little higher with the possibility of deposit and withdrawal fee being charged depending on the method. In all though, they can be a solid choice for forex and CFD trading for most.

Pros

• Many trading techniques are supported including scalping, hedging, and algo-trading
• Great value trading costs with a spread from 0 pips and commission from $3 round turn

Cons

• Only 41 forex pairs are available which is quite limited for a major broker
• Deposit fees could vary based on the method used
• Withdrawal fees start from a minimum of 1% of the amount

Social Trading Review

Darwinex was in fact started as a social trading broker. This means they have some strengths in this particular sector that can benefit those interested in social trading including their own very user-friendly, and proprietary trading platform.

Among all of the features here you can also find a dedicated hall of fame section where you can find some of the most successful Darwinex traders to follow and copy trades from.

Pros

• The web trading platform caters well to social trading

Cons

• Every trader has a unique strategy that may or may not be suitable
• Interaction among the Darwinex community of traders is limited

Copy Trading Review

Copy trading is also a core part of the offering at Darwinex. Here you can use the Darwinex trading platform including their mobile platform that is ideal for copy trading and managing your account in detail on the move. Copy trading here is very well-supported by the MT4 EAs feature as well as multiple APIs and the wider MQL trading community as a whole.

While there are fees of 20% on profits you make as a copier there are also a number of contests you can enter with real prizes to be won such as the DarwinIA challenge that can reward some of the top 80 performing traders with great prizes that should be reinvested within 6-months.

Overall, Darwinex may not be perfect for casual traders since it is more geared toward medium and longer-term investment though this could also be perfect for many.

Pros

• Active and successful traders are well rewarded
• There is an incentive to make consistent profits
• They provide some of the best copy trading features in the industry

Cons

• There is a high 20% performance fee on profits
• You only earn a percentage of the reinvested amount

Is Darwinex regulated and legit?

Darwinex has top-tier regulation in place from one of the most respected bodies in global finance. This body is the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK under regulation number 586466.

In addition to this, the broker is also MiFID compliant. This means that it can be completely trusted as secure and transparent and can also offer services to traders within the EU.

Foundation and Offices

The broker was founded in 2012 as a social-copy trading broker. In the number of years that have followed, Darwinex has managed to expand its offering and become one of the top brokers in the forex industry. They now run an international operation from two office locations as follows.

London (UK)

Level 39, 1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf,

London E14 5AB, UK

Madrid (Spain)

Barrio Salamanca, Calle de Recoletos, 19,

Madrid, Spain, 28001.

Money Protection

Darwinex put in place a number of measures to ensure that your funds are well protected when you are trading with them. Firstly, they offer negative balance protection as standard. This is offered to all Darwinex traders around the world and essentially means that you can never lose more money than you deposit in your account.

Second to this, your funds are always held in segregated accounts with top-tier financial institutions. This means that if anything untoward were to happen with the broker falling into bankruptcy or insolvency, your money would be fully protected. The broker also provides for a standard insurance to each trader which covers amounts up to £85.000 as standard under the broker regulation. This is enhanced further by Darwinex who cover up to £500,000 per trader in insurance.

In Which Countries is Darwinex not Available?

Darwinex is regulated and accepts traders in many parts of the world as an international broker. There are still a few countries in each region though that the broker does not accept for trading. The countries where traders are not accepted are as follows:

What Are Darwinex Account Types?

Here is a closer look at all of the account types you can expect to find at your disposal once you sign up with Darwinex.

Darwinex Demo

Forex trading demo accounts are among the best places to get started if you are new to trading, or new to a particular broker. They allow you to try a fully replicated version of live trading with a broker, but without any of the risk since you are using virtual currency, and with no obligation to make a real deposit. It is the perfect way to get to know trading, and a broker.

With Darwinex, you will have access to an unlimited demo account which does not expire at all. The only way your Darwinex demo account can expire is if you have 30 days of inactivity. This makes it great for beginners or those who are getting to know the platform. Again, setting up your demo account is a really fast, convenient process. Here you simply choose your trading platform, enter your email address, and create a username and password.

Darwinex Standard Account

Once you have decided to begin Darwinex live trading, the account type of choice for many is the Darwinex Standard Account. This account type is available with a minimum deposit of 0 and you can choose from the MT4 or MT5 trading platform.

You can look forward to trading more than 300 assets here with a very low spread that starts from 0 pips. You can also take advantage of some excellent copy-social trading features that are available. This is really the only live account of choice for the majority of standard traders with Darwinex.

Darwinex Joint Account

A Darwinex Joint account is also available. This account type has many of the same great features that you find through the Darwinex Standard account, though here the Darwinex minimum deposit will be $10,000. For this reason, the joint account is aimed at, and predominantly designed for the use of corporate traders at Darwinex.

Professional Account

The third account type available at Darwinex is the Professional Account. You may qualify for this type of account if you meet at least two of the following conditions.

• Have made an average of 10 transactions of significant size per quarter in the past year
• A Financial instrument portfolio of over €500,000 (in your bank or trading account)
• Possess a required amount of experience in the financial services sector

If you have managed to meet at least two of these conditions, then you will be able to open a Darwinex Professional account type. Here you can benefit from a vastly increased leverage that rises to as much as 500:1 on forex, generous monthly rebates, your own dedicated account manager, and more.

How Can You Deposit And Withdraw With Darwinex?

Account Base Currency

Through Darwinex, there are three base currencies made available. These are the USD, EUR, and GBP. Your base currency is that which you can trade in, and having a base currency available that matches the currency you are depositing and withdrawing in is important since it can save you on conversion fees.

Deposit

Taking a closer look at making deposits with Darwinex, here are some of what you can expect when it comes to minimum deposit requirements, methods, and fees.

The Darwinex minimum deposit is $500 for a standard account type, and $10,000 for a joint account if you are a corporate client. Deposits can be made in USD, EUR, or GBP. Comparative to other major brokers in the industry, you will find that the Darwinex minimum deposit is relatively higher than most.

As you would expect with a major forex broker, there are several methods available for making your Darwinex deposit. These include wire transfer which takes between 1-3 business days. Trustly can also be facilitated for this. Credit/Debit cards from Visa and MasterCard as well as eWallet deposits through Skrill and Neteller are also accepted for instant deposit.

Deposit Fees

Darwinex deposits are typically fee-free The only charges which you may incur are the 0.2% commission fee on deposits if you use an eWallet, a conversion fee if you are depositing a fee that does not match your base currency, or a bank commission fee on your wire transfer.

Withdrawals

Here is a look at the Darwinex withdrawal methods that are made available and any fees that you may run into when making a withdrawal.

The Darwinex withdrawal methods provided are exactly the same as the ones that you will use to deposit. This means that wire transfers, major cards, and some eWallets are all accepted. Generally, a withdrawal will take 1-3 business days to complete depending on the method you use.

Withdrawal Fees

The following Darwinex fees are applied on withdrawals depending on the method you are using. Credit/Debit card withdrawals along with eWallets are charged a %1 fee. Bank transfers are also 1% plus any fee that your bank charges, while if you use Trustly for wire transfers then the fee will be $3.50.

How Much Are Trading Fees With Darwinex?

When it comes to spreads and commissions at Darwinex, the spread available is floating only. This spread typically remains very competitive and starts at 0 pips plus a $3 round turn commission.

Uniquely, the Darwinex spread can change based on your trading skill. This is determined by an algorithm the broker has in place, and effectively means that more skilled and high volume traders can benefit from improved pricing. That said, here are a few sample spreads from the most commonly traded Darwinex assets.

• EUR/USD – 2 pips
• SPX500 – 3 pips
• Gold – 25 pips
• Bitcoin – 2%
• US Shares – 0.1 pips

How Much Are Non-Trading Fees With Darwinex?

In addition to the spreads and commissions, here are a couple of other fees to look out for if you are trading with Darwinex.

Overnight Fees

Overnight fees are those which you incur through keeping a position open overnight. Since Darwinex is a CFD provider, these fees are charged on every asset at the closing of the market. This fee is ever changing since it depends on the asset and market traded. Therefore you can get more information about it directly through your trading platform, or the pricing section of the Darwinex website.

Inactivity Fees

Unlike some other major brokers, you will be pleased to find that Darwinex does not charge any inactivity fee at all.

Performance Fees

If you are engaged in copy trading and have made a profit, then a fee of 20% will be applied to your profits as a copier of the trades.

Which Markets Does Darwinex Offer?

Darwinex provides for a range of markets although they are quite limited in terms of assets available with a little over 50 in total to trade. Here is a more detailed look at exactly what is available.

Forex

Darwinex has a total of 41 forex currencies available for trading. Here you will find a spread that starts from as low as possible at 0 pips with a $3 per lot round turn commission. You will also have access to leverage which reached a maximum of 30:1.

Commodities

When it comes to commodities, there are a total of 4 available for trading with Darwinex. These include 2 metals in the form of Gold and Silver, and also 2 energies in the form of WTI and Brent Crude oil. Here you can access leverage of up to 20:1.

Indices

There are a total of 10 indices available for trading at Darwinex. These include major indices from countries all round the world such as the US, UK, Australia, China, and various EU nations.

Cryptoassets

Trading cryptocurrencies at Darwinex you will find that a total of 5 markets are available. These include all of the major cryptos such as Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Ripple. Although no leverage on trading is facilitated here, you can purchase fractions of cryptocurrencies.

How Are Execution, Leverage And Position Sizing With Darwinex?

Executions

Darwinex is an NDD (No Dealing Desk) Broker. As an NDD broker, they facilitate the most direct access possible to the interbank market. Ultimately as a trader, this means that you will have some of the fastest trade executions around, coupled with some of the lowest spreads and commissions available from any broker. This type of execution is ideal from a trader perspective.

Sizing

The minimum trade size at Darwinex is 1 micro lot. This is equal to 0.01 standard lots and means that you can open a non-leveraged position for as little as $1000. Then if you are trading on leverage, this amount needed to open the position will be proportionately lower.

Leverage

When it comes to Darwinex leverage, it is important to note that the broker is not regulated outside the UK and EU. Given that, the maximum leverage you can have on any market as a retail client is 30:1. This depends on your status as a trader though, with the exception that as a professional trader you can access up to 500:1 leverage.

Although the leverage on the assets within these markets may vary, typically the maximum Darwinex leverage allowed is 30:1 on major forex pairs, 20:1 on other forex pairs, 20:1 on gold and major indices, 10:1 on non-major indices and other commodities, 5:1 on stocks, and 1:1 on cryptocurrency.

Risk Management

The area of risk management is understandably of great importance when you are trading with any broker. This is something that Darwinex very much recognizes and provides tools to assist you in collaboration with the trading platforms available.

Through the platforms you can put stop losses, trailing stops, and take profits in place to help control your exit points from a particular trade. Limit orders can help manage your entry levels into positions, and margin calls are facilitated to help you manage levels of equity. All of these tools make it possible to manage your trading risk through the broker and trading platforms. A guaranteed stop loss position can also be set for a small mark up on the trade.

Trading Hours

The Darwinex trading hours refer to the time periods during which the assets are available to be traded. These differ slightly depending on the asset. Forex trading markets are available on a 24/5 basis Monday to Friday. Commodities are available on a 23/5 basis with a 1 hour pause between the days, while the crypto trading markets are available 24/7. Both the indices and stock markets are available during the local hours of the actual markets you are trading.

Forbidden trading techniques

When it comes to trading techniques you can utilize as a Darwinex trader, both scalping and hedging are possible. The use of VPS is also permitted with Darwinex as it utilizes the EAs features within the MetaTrader platform. In fact, the broker caters very well for this use with its own APIs such as the FIX API which provides you more information about a particular market during opening hours.

MetaTrader MQL robots are also allowed as is MetaTrader Zorro which is a self-learning AI that is particularly useful when testing out trading strategies. The Darwin API is also available and this too provides additional trading and order features. Overall then, the broker provides for automated traders and those with a variety of trading techniques extremely well.

What Platforms Does Darwinex Offer?

Here is a detailed look at what you can expect from the trading platforms on offer through all mediums when you are trading with Darwinex.

Charting and Trading tools

The charting and trading tools on offer at Darwinex are all provided through MetaTrader. This should be of comfort to you as a trader since MetaTrader is one of the top trading platforms when it comes to providing charting tools and indicators. They offer a total of 51 charting indicators and 31 drawing tools as standard though these can be further added to and customized with the support of the trading platform community should you need to. The highest levels of convenience are also on offer with one click trading directly from charts available, and the ability to keep updated with markets through regular customized price alerts.

MetaTrader 4

MetaTrader 4 is one of the trading platforms you will have to choose from when trading with Darwinex. It is now renowned as one of the best, most powerful trading platforms in the industry. It provides for the highest levels of security with encrypted communication and features a wealth of indicators and charting tools in one of the most highly-customizable trading platforms available. It also facilitates the creation of automated trading strategies and a mobile trading platform that loses none of this comprehensive functionality. MT4 is one of the most respected trading platforms for a reason and that has much to do with combining a highly professional, lightweight trading platform, with some of the best functionality and flexibility in the sector.

The trading platform is available on all mediums including desktop, webtrader, and mobile, and can be run on basically any machine through Windows, Mac, Android, or iOS.

MetaTrader 5

MT5 houses almost all of the same excellent features that you will also find in MT4. Here, there are a few slight upgrades which will allow you to trade in more markets, with more indicators, and a total of 6 more pending orders along with an increased market depth detail level which now includes a 21 different timeframes for trading.

The best thing is, through MT5 you will lose none of the top-grade functionality and level of trading capability that you have access to in MT4. It has simply advanced in a few areas. Again, this trading platform is available through all mediums as a Webtrader and on mobile with compatibility for both Android and iOS.

Darwinex Proprietary trading platform

Besides having access to two of the very best trading platforms ever released in MT4 and MT5, at Darwinex you can utilize their own very user-friendly and intuitive trading platform. This provides for all of the social trading features and access to the Darwinnex community. It can be an ideal place for testing out any trading robots and managing your account. The Webtrader provides many of the same excellent features you will also find with MT4 and MT5, though it is put together in a more visually appealing manner.

The Darwinex trading platform also includes a “hall of fame” area where you can see some of the most profitable traders with the broker, and a detailed education section. It is an excellent addition to the selection of great platforms that are already available.

Darwinex Mobile Platform

The Darwinex mobile trading platform is also available and provides for a very lightweight and user-friendly alternative if you are not mobile trading through MT4 or MT5. It is particularly useful if you are engaged in copy trading with Darwinex and will allow you the chance to manage your account, including deposits, and withdrawals easily on the move.

What Extra Trading Services does Darwinex Offer?

There are also some other products which you may encounter when actively trading with Darwinex.

€30M DarwinIA Challenge

This Darwinex product is a form of contest or challenge which rewards the best performing Darwinex traders each month with an amount of €5,000,000 in notional capital which they can then reinvest over a period of 6 months.

This amount will be shared between the top 80 traders in a month, and they will then have the right to earn 20% on the profits generated from this reinvestment as a performance fee.

Social Trading – Copy Trading

Darwinex provides very much for both social and copy trading as a point of focus in their operation.

Social trading with Darwinex is particularly well provided for through their webtrader platform where you can also interact with other Darwinex community members. Through this proprietary trading platform you will also be able to follow other traders.

If you wish to engage in copy trading, this is also possible through the support of the MT4 EAs, APIs and MQL trading community from which you can copy strategies and trading robots to implement on your own trading platform.

How Is Darwinex Customer Service?

Languages

Darwinex language support is limited. They provide for only 4 languages. These are English, Chinese, Spanish, and French.

Customer Service

When it comes to customer service, the broker performs well. They provide for a huge FAQ section on their website which answers dozens of the most common questions you may have. If you can’t find the answer here then you can always contact the support team through web-based live chat, email, or telephone.

Does Darwinex Have Research And Education Services?

Research

Unfortunately, Darwinxex does not have a research section at all. This is a big negative for all traders of each level who could always benefit from a detailed research section. The only tool that the broker provides in this regard is access to a detailed economic calendar. This will keep you up to date with the important economic events each day and allow you to monitor how they impact the market.

Education

The education section is also an area where the broker thankfully manages to excel. They provide an extensive range of video tutorials that can really help you get started as a trader. There are 10 in total on this topic, and 30 videos overall on every aspect of Darwinex as a broker which can provide some knowledge to all levels of trader.

You will also have access here to a range of webinars and a detailed and often updated blog section with many useful articles on the market, basics, trading, and more detailed topics to help you along such as algo trading. There should again be something to appeal to all.

Darwinex vs other brokerage firms

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FAQs

Is Darwinex legit?

Yes, Darwinex is legit, safe and well-regulated. They have also been around the industry for many years building their positive reputation.

How much is the leverage with Darwinex?

With Darwinex the maximum leverage available is 30:1 (on forex major pairs). This is due to regulatory requirements with 30:1 maximum leverage being the most a broker can offer UK or EU traders.

What is the minimum deposit on Darwinex.com?

$500 is the minimum amount of money needed to open an account with Darwinex. This Darwinex minimum deposit still represents good value within the sector.

Does Darwinex work with MT4?

Yes. Darwinex works with MetaTrader 4. The MT4 trading platform is provided for you to use as a Darwinex trader.

How many trading platforms can I choose from at Darwinex?

You have multiple trading platforms to choose from at Darwinex. This choice includes MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and their own proprietary Darwinex Trading Platform. These platforms are available on mobile, desktop, or through webtrader for easy, in-browser trading.