Exante Broker Review: Pros and Cons Uncovered 2023

In this Exante review you will find the results of the broker information that the InvestinGoal’s team has analyzed.

In summary, the main features of Exante are:

• Over 400000 tradable assets.
• Excellent features for professional and institutional clients.
• Competitive spreads

The UK based entity is able to onboard and deliver cutting-edge services to Elective Pro and Institutional clients based in the UK and Gibraltar (no retail clients onboarding).

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(74-89% of retail CFD accounts lose money)

Our Opinion on Exante

Exante is a next-generation investment company providing access to over 400,000 instruments from more than 50 global markets. Built specifically for professional trading, the broker offers a powerful proprietary platform.

The minimum deposit is quite high, but you can also engage in professional algo-trading with a great range of supported APIs.

The broker offers access to a wide range of markets, among the highest number of any European broker. Exante is also very popular with both European and Asian traders.

Pros and Cons

Pros

On the positive side, the trading platform offered is very powerful. Traders will also have access to more than 50 markets around the world to trade on a total of more than 400,000 instruments.

This strong platform combined with other factors makes Exante a good choice for engaging in algorithmic trading.

Cons

Some of the downsides that are apparent when trading at Exante include the fact that no Islamic account is offered by the broker. The minimum deposit required is also quite high and therefore may not be accessible to all traders.

A further drawback is that the education and research sections of the broker are poor compared to some other brokers.

Pros and cons: a summary

CFDs and Forex Review

Exante offers one of the most extensive ranges of assets among any broker in Europe. Stocks, ETFs, metals, futures, options, funds, and bonds are all tradable as CFDs as well as the selection of forex currency pairs on offer. Trading costs on these assets are also highly competitive.

Pros

• Huge asset range
• Low trading costs
• Fractional shares trading is available

Cons

• High minimum deposit to start trading

Algo Trading Review

Exante is an ideal broker choice for algorithmic trading. This is thanks to the powerful trading platform offered by the broker in combination with an excellent range of supported tools. These include several APIs like the HTML API and FIX API.

The broker also supports Excel integration and all activity can be easily monitored through the trading platform.

Pros

• Great range of API available

Cons

• Advanced features may require a higher balance

Is Exante regulated and legit?

Exante has regulatory oversight from several respected bodies in place.

EXT LTD is regulated by the CySEC, under license n° 165/12, LHCM LTD is regulated by the FCA to operate in the UK, under license n° 789421. XNT LTD is authorized by the MFSA, under license n° IS/52182, and XHK LTD is regulated by SFC (Hong Kong), under license n° BNN565.

Exante is also a chartered member of the LSEG.

Foundation and Offices

Exante was founded in Malta in 2011. The broker has its HQ in St. Julians and operates 9 offices throughout Europe and Asia including the following locations:

• Limassol (Cyprus)
• Amsterdam (Netherlands)
• London (England)
• Hong Kong (HK)
• Kyiv (Ukraine)
• Riga (Latvia)
• Petersburg (Russia)
• Moscow (Russia)
• Almaty (Kazakistan)

Money Protection

Exante assets are all stored separately from those of clients. Customers’ funds are kept within major global banks including ING Bank, Bank of China, HSBC, Bank of Valletta, and Alpha Bank.

In the UK, the dedicated depositary bank is Santander UK.

Added to that, the ICF also insures traders funds up to €20,000 in the EU while negative balance protection is provided as standard.

Awards

The broker has collected several awards including the European Business Magazine Award, Best Broker Digital Award, Investment Innovation Award, and Diversity in Finance Award all in 2020.

Exante also picked up the Best Trading Platform (2019), Investor of the Year (2018), and The Global Finance Award (2018).

Countries where Exante is not available

Traders from across the EU and many other countries are accepted by Exante. Users from the USA, Japan, Iran, and North Korea are not accepted, and clients from Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ethiopia, Iraq, Laos, Syria, Uganda, Vanuatu, and Yemen require an EDD.

Account Types

Here is a more detailed look at each account type made available at Exante.

Exante Demo

The Exante demo account is available on both individual and corporate account types. It is also possible to access the broker’s web platform without registration.

These demo accounts and platform access are available for an unlimited period of time while traders have access to a demo account balance of €1,000,000 in virtual currency. This can also be added to or adjusted by contacting customer support.

New demo accounts can also be created. Trading on 50+ global exchanges is possible through these demo accounts.

Individual Account

The Exante individual account is the account type made available to all individual traders. The account provides access to a complete range of more than 400,000 assets across over 50 global markets. This account type has a €10,000 minimum deposit requirement.

Corporate Account

The Exante corporate account is the normal account type available for corporate registrations. This account too provides access to over 50 markets with the full range of 400,000 assets to choose from.

There are no differences from trading with an individual account besides the minimum deposit which is €50,000 on a corporate account.

Joint Account

Joint accounts are available where multiple individuals want to share one account. Up to 4 individual clients can participate in a single joint account. Each client must first create an individual account and pass the compliance test to register as a member of a joint account.

Again this account type gives access to the full range of more than 50 markets and 400,000 tradable assets.

MAM/PAMM Account

The broker provides MAM/PAMM and professional trader services through this account type which operates via a module implemented within the trading platform. The account allows you to place orders for chosen assets on several accounts simultaneously.

An unlimited number of sub-accounts can be opened and different allocation methods are available. With this account, the same full selection of assets and markets is available.

Islamic Account

An Islamic account is not currently offered by Exante. You can read through our top10 forex brokers for islamic trading accounts if you need to open a swap-free account.

Deposit and Withdrawal

Account Base Currency

Exante lets you trade from a single multi-currency account that supports multiple base currencies including EUR, USD, AUD, CAD, CHF, CZK, GBP, HKD, JPY, NOK, NZD, PLN, SEK, SGD, TRY, and RUB. Deposits can also be made in EUR, USD, GBP, CHF, CZK, RUB, PLN.

Base currency availability may vary based on your account type. Conversion fees may be applied if you don’t make the deposit in one of these currencies.

Your funds will remain in the currency of your choice unless you intentionally convert them or enable the “automatic currency conversion” function.

Deposit

Here is all of the key information related to making a deposit with Exante.

EXANTE Minimum Deposit

The broker has a minimum deposit of €10,000. This applies to the individual account type while the corporate account type requires a minimum deposit of €50,000.

EXANTE Payment Methods Available

Bank transfer is the only method supported for making a deposit. This can take from 1 to 5 business days to process and it is the safest way to transfer large sums of money.

As an alternative, you can link your EXANTE account to a GBXP prepaid card as a funding option.

Deposit Fees

Exante does not charge any fees on deposits. Fees may be charged by issuing, intermediary and/or beneficiary banks that process wire transfers so it is important that traders double check this with their own banks first.

The same applies for GBXP prepaid card which charges no fees on deposits.

Withdrawal

Here is a closer look at all of the information related to making withdrawals at Exante.

EXANTE Minimum Withdrawals

There is no minimum withdrawal amount. The basic Exante account also allows withdrawals in multiple currencies including EUR, USD, GBP, CHF, CZK, RUB and PLN.

EXANTE Payment Methods Available

As with deposits, the sole method supported for making deposits is via bank transfer. Again this is a safe and secure method and almost all banks are supported by the broker.

Withdrawal Fees

Exante charges a fixed fee on withdrawals of €30 or its equivalent. There may be additional charges if your funds are transferred to a non-european bank or if transferring funds to another broker’s account.

Trading Fees

Here are some of the commissions and fees which traders will encounter while using Exante.

Stockbroking commissions

The maximum stockbroking commission is $0.02 per share on the major US exchanges. This fee varies from between 0.02% to 0.18% on European exchanges. Trading on major European exchanges, such as Euronext Brussels or Euronext Paris, is subject to a 0.05% fee.

The broker also provides access to major Asian exchanges, with fees ranging from 0.1% on the Tokyo Exchange to 0.1927% on Hong Kong exchanges. More details are available below.

Future & Options Contracts Fees

Most exchanges charge a commission from $1.50 per futures and options instrument traded. There are a few exceptions which are listed below.

• Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange: 2 USD
• Hong Kong Futures Exchange: 22.54 HKD
• Osaka Securities Exchange: 20 JPY
• Australian Stock Exchange: 6 AUD
• Singapore Exchange: 2.5 USD
• Tokyo Commodity Exchange: 215 JPY

Market data Fees

Some exchanges may offer free real-time market data by default. Others may provide market data with a 30 minute delay. Fast real-time data from these exchanges requires a fee and you can subscribe to any of these exchanges via the Client Area.

These exchange data fees are listed below.

Manual execution Fees

This execution fee applies to phone and email orders which are manually executed. The fee for these is €90. This fee is only charged if the instrument is available for trading in the online platform but you choose to order by phone or email.

Dividend Withholding

Tax on dividends is regulated according to the law of the country in which the traded company is registered and listed. Exante provides investment services on an execution only basis.

Any proceeds from transactions are passed directly to clients who are then responsible for their own tax filings. The exception is US dividend tax which is charged at a rate of 15%.

Account Management Fee

There is no account management fee. Having accounts with Exante is always free of any management fee.

Margin trading fees

Margin trading is free if kept below 100%. In the case that the account exceeds 100% of the margin then there is a fee equivalent to 100% p.a. on the exceeded value charged daily.

Overnight Fees

All short trades and forex attract an overnight fee if the positions are held open overnight. This fee varies depending on the market and is always fluctuating. The precise amount can be checked at the time within the Client Area of the broker.

Non Trading Fees

Inactivity Fees

An inactivity fee is charged. This applies if there have been no trades on an account for a consecutive 181 days (6 months), no open positions and a balance of less than €5,000. This inactivity fee is €50 per month. Authorised traders or agents are not charged any inactivity fee.

Markets

There are a total of more than 50 markets and 400,000 tradable instruments to choose from.

Stock & ETFs

More than 10,000 stocks are available as well as a range of unique ETFs from over 50 markets worldwide. Fees start from 0.02 USD on US stocks, 0.05% on UK stocks, 0.12% on Australian with a 6 AUD minimum, and 0.08% on Chinese stocks.

Note that engaging in fractional shares is possible with Exante by using both the Desktop and Web Platform. Fractional shares trading is available for market and limit orders but not on all assets, since it’s disabled on futures and options.

Forex

There are 50 currency pairs offered in total with ultra-low latency execution in 10ms. Spreads start from 0.3 pips on EUR/USD, 0.7 pips on EUR/GBP, and 0.5 pips on GBP/USD.

Metals

Gold, Silver, Copper, Platinum, and Palladium are all available. These are tradable as futures, options, spots, and ETFs.

Futures

More than 500 futures are made available. These come from over 30 different markets around the world.

Options

There are various options available on a wide range of base assets. Precise targeting is also available with calculated Greeks and implied volatility.

Funds

More than 200 funds are available to trade in with a variety of fund strategies to choose from.

Bonds

Trading is possible in 9 bonds. These are both exchange-traded and OTC and can be very suitable for a low-risk strategy.

Execution, leverage and position sizing

Here is a closer look at some of the key trading features of Exante.

Executions

Exante is a Straight Through Processor (STP) broker. The broker also provides a Direct Market Access (DMA) solution to place orders directly on the exchange. Exante has a network of more than 1,000 servers around the world helping ensure low latency and safe data transfer.

Margin Trading (Leverage)

Exante leverage starts from 20% for stocks and 5% for currencies. That is 1:5 for stocks, and 1:20 for forex. Traders can also disable leverage entirely on their accounts if desired.

Note though that non-leveraged accounts cannot trade options, futures, or short stock or funds.

Sizing

Exante has no minimum transaction size. This means it can be lower than 1 standard lot if required. The size of the minimum traded unit may vary by exchange.

Pre-Market Features

Pre-market and aftermarket orders are both allowed through the broker. These are dependent on the exchange and asset traded while liquidity is generally lower during these hours and prices can differ.

Risk Management

Multiple risk management tools are accessible through the trading platform. These include take profit, stop loss, and limit orders as well as trailing stops. All of these can assist traders in managing entry/exit points from trades.

Margin calls are also provided by the broker to help with managing account equity.

Trading Hours

The trading hours depend on the local hours of each exchange. Opening hours for US equities are 2.30pm – 9pm GMT. FX markets hours are 24 hours a day from 10pm (UTC) on Sunday to 10pm (UTC) on Friday. During daylight savings, these times are an hour earlier.

CFD indices trading hours change depending on the index. For energies, it’s either 01:00-24:00 or 03:00-24:00, 5 days a week, and for metals, it’s 01:00-24:00 five days a week.

Trading techniques

Algo-trading is supported by the broker with strong API support provided through both the HTTP API to design financial apps to boost your strategies, and the FIX API to automate your trading. There is also excel integration through which traders can create algorithms and open orders.

Platforms & Mobile

This is a look at what to expect from the trading platforms available at Exante.

Charting and Trading tools

An extensive range of charting tools across a number of different timeframes, and many highly customizable indicators are available on the trading platforms.

Both technical and analytical tools are featured and the broker’s web-based platform operates very efficiently using minimum bandwidth.

Proprietary (Web platform)

The Exante web platform is available for Windows, macOS, or Linux terminals. The platform provides support for multiple languages including English, German, Spanish, Italian, Czech, Russian, Portuguese, Chinese, Chinese traditional, and  Polish.

There are over 400,000 tradable instruments to choose from and the platform is low latency thanks to the multitude of servers around the world.

Mobile

A mobile trading platform is offered and available on iOS or Android devices. This platform offers the same features, control, and functionality as the web-based platform and can also run simultaneously with the web platform.

Special features you can find on Exante

White label services

Fully branded White Label solutions that are highly customizable are offered to financial institutions. This can feature the branded imagery in the client area and allow for code tweaks to ensure only the partner’s name is featured.

Those in need can choose the white label options/models with the assistance of a dedicated manager. This product can then work to provide all of the same benefits as Exante itself has including access to all markets, trading platforms, and features.

Velexa

Velexa is a top-notch trading platform, specialized in API and third-party provider for Exante. Velexa’s key features are simplicity, familiarity and speed-to-market.

The platform is also highly-configurable and flexible. As a client, you can remove all barriers by using the private cloud-based environment and consuming the API services.

GBXP prepaid card

GBXP is an integrated card, connected directly to your Exante trading account. This payment method is regulated by FCA (Reference number: 900941). By using the card you can:

• Send funds across the globe
• Choose to transfer funds in EUR and GBP
• Find no payment fees but a fixed fee on ATM withdrawals, available in local currencies
• You can choose between standard and premium card type

The card allows contactless payments and secure payments with 3-D technology.

Customer Service

Languages

The broker provides excellent language support to traders from around the world. Customer support, the broker website, and the trading platform all have several languages available including

English, Russian, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Czech, and Chinese.

Customer Service

Exante offers excellent customer service and support throughout. The support team can be contacted 24/7 by phone, email, or live chat. Their answers are also usually very fast within a few minutes as they claim to respond in under 3 minutes. For other questions, there is also a strong and detailed FAQ section.

Research and Education

Research

The research section of the broker is limited though a good insight section is provided with a regularly updated market analysis available. There is also a press section available to view the latest news.