Vantage FX Review
- Strict regulation
- Segregated client funds
- ECN / STP execution model
- 300+ CFD trading instruments
- Commission free accounts
- MT4 smart trader tools
- Pro Trader Tools
- Educational resources
- Platforms: Vantage FX App, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, Web, Mobile
Point Summary
Introduction
Vantage FX is a regulated online trading broker founded in 2009 that offers institutional trading conditions to retail clients across the globe in a transparent true ECN/STP environment without dealing desk intervention. They provide access to over 300+ trading instruments on multiple asset classes including Forex, Commodities, Cryptocurrency, Stocks, Shares, Indices, Metals, Energies, ETFs CFDs.
Vantage FX is an electronic communication network (ECN) broker using top tier liquidity providers (LPs) for institutional grade liquidity to ensure fast trade execution speeds and tight interbank RAW ECN spreads from just 0 pips. Liquidity providers contributing to the deep institutional liquidity pool include some of the world’s largest institutions such as J.P. Morgan, HotSpot FX, National Australia Bank (NAB), Citibank, BNP Paribas, HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, UBS and more.
Vantage FX clients can trade the markets using a variety of 15 trading platforms including the popular MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5) platforms for desktop, web and mobile. They offer leverage of up to 1:500 depending on your account equity. There are zero account fees, a $200 minimum deposit requirement and multiple ways to fund your account.Vantage FX Liquidity Partners
Vantage FX incorporate the latest innovative technologies which they are always looking to enhance and update to remain a leader in the industry. They have a partnership with Equinix which enables them to provide a diverse network of servers linked by fibre optics. Every fibre optic line that connects their services is carefully selected and tested to ensure minimal latency with up to 100 gb/s bandwidth. Servers are located worldwide in major financial hubs including New York and London, giving ECN market liquidity direct to client platforms for fast execution speeds.
Vantage FX also use the oneZero™ MT4 Bridge which is a price aggregator that connects their dark liquidity pools directly to clients MT4 platforms. The oneZero™ MT4 Bridge can handle a large number of market orders (up to 500,000 trades executed per millisecond) and is capable of processing 150 unique price feeds at speed. The oneZero® MT4 Bridge is kept running at high speeds with Intel Xeon® E7 Processors and Turbo Boost Technology, designed for 99.99% uptime, up to 3.2ghx frequency and the ability to process 18 core speeds.Vantage FX Trading Server Map
Vantage FX have been recognised for their services by winning multiple awards including Financial Trading Services Provider of the Year (CV Magazine, 2019), Financial Trading Services Provider of the Year (Fintech Awards 2018), Best ECN Broker (The Forex Awards 2016), Best Customer Support (The Forex Awards 2016), Best Forex Education Asia Pacific (IB Times Trading Awards 2012) and many more over the years.
Vantage FX have developed and maintained partnerships with some leading financial companies in order to offer clients a comprehensive brokerage service. Partnering with MetaQuotes gives top trading platforms whilst the oneZero Liquidity Bridge enables Vantage FX to manage trading platforms through an intuitive front end that offers a great deal of flexibility in how they configure pricing, offer spreads, aggregate liquidity and integrate with post-trade processors. Trading Central gives client’s industry leading market analysis and cellexpert provides cutting-edge marketing tools to affiliates.Vantage FX Award Winning Broker
Vantage FX Regulation
The Vantage Group consists of a number of companies who are authorised and regulated in various jurisdictions. As a regulated financial services providers they must meet strict capital requirements, abide by internal procedures including risk management, regular staff training, financial compliance and strict auditing procedures.
Vantage International Group Limited trading under Vantage FX, is authorised and regulated by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA), Securities Investment Business Law (SIBL) number 1383491.
Vantage Global Prime Pty Ltd trading under Vantage FX, is regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), with license number 429801.
Vantage Global Prime LLP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the United Kingdom with license number 590299.
Choosing an online broker with strict regulatory oversight helps to give clients confidence that they are using a trusted and reliable broker that will keep funds safe and secure. Vantage FX take regulation very seriously and aim to provide a transparent and safe trading environment to all clients whatever their experience level or investment size.
Vantage FX hold client’s funds in segregated accounts with Australia’s AA rated National Australia Bank (NAB), separate from the company’s funds. This is to ensure that client funds are not used for any other purposes such as business operating costs. NAB are amongst the 4 largest financial institutions in Australia and have a market capitalisation of $93 billion with over 12 million customers, constantly ranking in the top 20 list of the safest banks in the world.
Vantage FX has professional indemnity insurance cover in place to cover the work done by their representatives, employees and other authorised representatives. They are also strictly audited on a regular basis.
Vantage FX Countries
Vantage FX offer trading services to clients from most countries excluding residents of certain jurisdictions such as the United States, North Korea and some other regions. Some Vantage FX broker features and products mentioned within this Vantage FX review may not be available to traders from specific countries due to legal restrictions.
Vantage FX Platforms
Vantage FX offer a variety of top trading platforms including the popular MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5) developed by MetaQuotes. MetaTrader is freely available on desktop (Windows / Mac), web and mobile (iPhone / iPad / Android / Tablet). All of the platforms update simultaneously so that users can open, manage and close positions in real time from multiple devices. The broker also has their own proprietary Vantage FX mobile trading app.
MetaTrader 4 (MT4)
MT4 is one of the most widely used trading platforms in the world which is known for its user-friendly interface and short learning curve. It is simple enough for novice traders whilst having enough advanced functionality for the more experienced traders.
The Vantage FX MT4 has increased performance with the custom made oneZero™ MT4 Bridge which connects MT4 to their deep liquidity pools. They have worked alongside MetaQuotes to ensure that their fibre optic network and servers get the most out of the platform’s capabilities.
MT4 offers 9 different chart timeframes and 3 different chart types (line, bar and candlesticks). You can load charts of all trading instruments in multiple windows and customise them to suit your preferences.
There are over 50 technical indicators that can be added to charts for technical analysis, including moving averages, MACD, Bolling Bands, RSI, CCI, Stochastics, Parabolic SAR and more. Users can create and save trading templates for future use. There are multiple order types and alert notifications can be set via pop up, SMS and email.
MT4 supports fully automated trading through expert advisors (EAs) which can be coded within the built in MetaEditor and back tested over historical data in the strategy tester. MetaQuotes has a large online community where users share ideas, indicators, templates and more. It also has a built in market place where users can subscribe to a variety of signals and automated systems.Vantage FX MT4 Powerful Charting
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) Web Trader
Vantage FX offer MT4 web trader which allows you to run the platform in most popular web browsers without needing to download or install any additional software. The web trader keeps the same intuitive interface and functions as the desktop platform.
MT4 is also available for download on both Android and iOS. This allows traders to trade whilst on the go from anywhere in the world where they have an internet connection. All of the usual MetaTrader features are available through the mobile application and it can be downloaded for free from the relevant app stores. Users can view prices in real time, open, amend and close positions straight from their mobile devices. Account trades are synched across all MetaTrader platforms.
Whilst MT4 remains the most popular trading platform, its successor MT5 has some additional features whilst maintaining the overall intuitive feel and features of its predecessor. Vantage FX have their MT5 Equinix server NY4 located in New York within close proximity to their primary liquidity providers to help improve execution speeds.
MT5 has 21 timeframes compare to MT4’s 9 timeframes as well as support for more order types and additional built in technical indicators for further market analysis. You can see market depth with level 2 pricing. The netting and hedging position accounting system lets traders maintain full risk management control of their account.
MT5 can support an unlimited number of charts in the users watch list. There is an inbuilt alert system to keep track of price movements and a built-in economic calendar to keep track of the latest financial news all within the platform. The MQL5 editor lets you programme your own custom indicators and automated trading strategies whilst multi-currency back testing on tick data is possible.
The MT5 web trader provides the same functionality as MT5 desktop without needing to download or install any additional software. MT5 web trader runs directly in most popular web browsers so you can access your account from any location at any time, provided there is an internet connection.
The MT5 mobile application is freely available to download on both Android and iOS devices. You can access your trading account to manage positions and analyse the markets whilst on the go. The main functionality of the MT5 desktop platform is available through the mobile application.
The Vantage FX App allows you to access the global markets and trade from anywhere at any time. It offers traders easy, yet powerful mobile access to hundreds of FX Pairs, Commodities, Indices, Share CFDs and more. The Vantage FX App is available for both iOS and Android devices and is equipped with a suite of trading and investing tools.
Vantage FX offer professional money managers fully customisable multi account manager solutions via a MAM console in partnership with MetaFX. The administrative side is handled in house so users can fully focus on the trade management aspect. There are a number of professional traders who use the platform which has been thoroughly tested to ensure its stability and flexibility.
Features of the MAM / PAMM solutions include an unlimited amount of trading accounts, STP bulk order execution on master account with instant allocation to sub accounts, multiple allocation methods, partial closing, position management functionality, expert advisors, live order management monitoring and support for hedging and scalping.
Using Zulutrade, traders can access signals from other traders which they can then choose to follow and have these signals copied directly to their own trading account. Signals can be filtered according to duration, drawdown, profit (pips / %), amount of trades and more. ZuluTrade has over 10,000 traders and 800+ billion in traded volume, making it one of the largest social trading platforms in the world.
Traders are ranked by ZuluRank, a proprietary performance evaluation algorithm and accounts can be fully managed through the account management suite which has advanced risk management features such as ZuluGuard. It should be noted that historical performance is by no means any guarantee of future performance.
Vantage FX clients can sign up to the ZuluTrade and connect their live account to the platform via the website or mobile applications (iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry, and Kindle Fire).
Vantage FX provide traders with a selection of trading tools to assist them with their trading. This includes MetaTrader add-ons and market analysis tools. Clients can unlock a premium set of trading tools and gain exclusive insights to what is currently moving the markets, as well as actionable technical trade setups and real-time macro-economic news events, all from within your client portal. To gain access to the Pro Trader Tools, all you have to do is ensure your trading account is funded with a minimum of $1,000, and then agree to the terms and conditions and your suite of Pro Trader Tools will appear in your client portal.
MT4 Smart Trader Tools
This package from Vantage FX contains tools to improve your MT4 platform and take your trading to the next level. It is free to all traders who open a Vantage FX live account and deposit a minimum of at least $1,000. There are tutorial guides and videos explaining how to use each of the tools.
Alarm Manager
The alarm manager can be set to send you alerts and notifications of specific activities and also perform automated actions on your behalf. There are 6 types of alarms, alerts vis email, popup, sounds, SMS and twitter broadcasts. You can set it to automatically trigger orders and close trades.
The correlation matrix is a simple matrix grid for all symbols that enables you to see at a quick glance the correlation scores and strengths of these patterns. Correlation timeframe can be chosen from 1 hour to 1 week and symbols include Forex, Commodities and Indices.
The correlation trader lets you quickly and easily compare the correlation between different markets and timescales. You can compare key figures such as net profits for each symbol and also place, manage and close orders directly from the charts.
Excel RTD LinkVantage FX Correlation Trader
This tool allows users to put real time account data into excel for comparing, analysing and creating rules. There are no macros or programming required. Trading commands can be sent from VBA code within Excel.
This lets you edit the market watch window in MT4 so that you can customise it to your preferences. You can change symbol names, create groups, view graphic market overviews for each symbol and trade directly from the market manager.
The mini terminal is for traders who require extra speed when entering or exiting positions as it enables trading with complex order types in just one click, directly from the chart.
The sentiment trader tool displays the current sentiment of Vantage FX traders on selected instruments. You can see the volume of long and short traders. Sentiment analysis is often used as part of a contrarian trading strategy.
The session map simply displays an overview of the different key market across the world: London, New York, Tokyo and Sydney. It shows a time line that is reflective of the trader’s timeline to help keep in touch with the market sessions. There are also markers for future calendar events with colour coded impact levels.
The trade terminal is a one click trade manager with a range of built in functions for quick trading. Traders can quickly open multiple order types, close individual or all orders, create templates for frequently used functions, quickly modify orders, set alarms and more.
Vantage FX have teamed up with MetaQuotes to provide their clients with free access to a large number of MT4 signals. These signals can be accessed from the signals tab in the MT4 terminal. The MT4 trading signals will send you an alert when there is a potential trade opportunity on a specific trading instrument. These signals can be copied directly onto your trading account although you should be aware of the risks when copying other traders’ signals.
An expert advisor (EA) is an automated trading system that runs on charts in the MT4 trading platform. They can analyse the markets for trading opportunities and place, manage and close trades automatically. Vantage FX MT4 users can gain access to thousands of EA’s from within the MT4 markets tab. There are reviews and statistics of these EA’s although it should be noted that past performance is by no means any guarantee at all of future results.
A Virtual Private Server (VPS) is a remote machine in the cloud that can run your trading platform 24/7 without you needing to have your own computer switched on. This can be useful for those who wish to run an automated trading system around the clock or who need a more reliable connection to the trading server if their internet connection is lagging.
Vantage FX clients who signup to one of their preferred VPS partners and trade a minimum of 10 standard lots per round turn per month are eligible for the free VPS service.
The Vantage FX economic calendar is provided by MetaQuotes and lets you track the latest market events. It can be used as part of a fundamental analysis. The calendar displays the dates and times of releases, the impact level expected, the country affected and the forecasted/previous/actual results of the release.
Vantage FX have partnered with Trading Central to provide award winning technical analysis and daily market commentary from expert market analysis teams, covering 70 tradeable markets. This gives clients an insight into what is moving the markets each day. It contains trading setups which can be used to compliment your own trading strategy. Signals can be delivered directly into your email inbox twice per day.
Vantage FX clients also get free access to some exclusive MT4 indicators from Trading Central. These indicators can be used as part of an existing trading strategy and to compliment the built in MT4 indicators. All of the indicators can easily be installed into the MT4 platform and customised.
The Trading Central Adaptive Candlesticks indicator can detect real time reversal and continuation candlestick patterns.
Analyst Opinion indicator for MT4
This Analyst Opinion indicator will superimpose Trading Central’s analyst research, forecasts, commentary and key support/resistance levels onto MT4 live charts, of any timeframe and supported instrument that you choose.
Adaptive Divergence Convergence Signals for MT4
The Adaptive Divergence Convergence Signals indicator adapts its lengths to dynamically changing market conditions (shorter in trending markets, longer in ranging) to help identify different market conditions. In addition to this, there are two consistent oscillators (one slow, one fast) that are also harvested from the analysis to help support trading decisions.
Sentiment Indicators
Vantage FX have a sentiment page that displays the percentage of buy and sell positions of clients. Sentiment analysis can be used alongside technical and fundamental analysis as part of a trader’s overall market analysis. Vantage FX display the sentiment of Forex, Commodities and Indices markets.
You can follow the markets that are moving with AI Market Buzz tool. Clients can use the tool to find out what drives the global markets with access to all the latest news coverage, media content, and price events across all markets. The AI buzz meter shows the volume of social media chatter and news about your favourite assets so you don’t miss a thing. You can view the ratio of professional financial media versus social media mentions so you can filter the noise accordingly.
Featured ideas gives access to personalised trade ideas in real-time. Whether you are a scalper, swing trader, or long-term trader, you can filter trade ideas by time frame, indicators, and candlestick patterns to find the best setups for your trading style.
The analyst views provide expert trade ideas that are an exclusive market research solution which combines senior market analyst expertise along with algorithmic pattern recognition.
Vantage FX have a variety of educational materials in their free education library for all trader skill levels covering both basic and advanced trading concepts.
Learn Forex
This section of the Vantage FX website contains a comprehensive guide on trading the forex market including what it is, how to conduct market analysis, trading psychology and more. The guide is displayed in an easy to follow step by step process with images included.
MetaTrader Manuals Videos
There are sections of the Vantage FX website dedicated to tutorial guides and videos for using the MetaTrader platforms. These guides cover the very basics such as how to install MetaTrader to the more advanced custom indicators.
Market News
Vantage FX have a wide variety of news resources in their News Centre to help keep traders up to date with the latest market happenings. There is a mixture of news analysis and discussions covering both technical and fundamental analysis. It should be mentioned that the articles are not as frequently updated as some other online brokers.
Vantage FX Instruments
Vantage FX offer traders a range of assets and financial markets to trade including Forex, Commodities, Cryptocurrency, Stocks, Shares, Indices, Metals, Energies CFDs.
Forex Trading
The forex market is the largest in the world in terms of volume with a daily turnover of more than $4 trillion. Participants include banks, governments, companies and retail traders. When trading forex you are speculating on the price of one currency against another as forex markets are traded as currency pairs. Major currency pairs include the EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY and EUR/JPY. If a trader was buying the USD/JPY currency pair, they would be buying USD and selling JPY.
Vantage FX offer 40+ major, minor and exotic currency pairs. FX spreads start from just 0 pips with leverage of up to 1:500 available.
Indices Trading
Vantage FX offer 10+ of the world’s most liquid stock exchange indices, including SPI200, DAX30 and SP500. Indices are available in the MetaTrader platforms with leverage of up to 1:200.
Commodities Trading
Vantage FX offer traders 24-hour access to the most liquid commodity markets including precious metals, energy and soft commodities. Clients can trade oil, gas, gold, silver, cocoa, sugar, wheat, etc.
Share CFD Trading
Vantage FX clients can trade share CFDs (contract for differences) of some of the largest companies in the world, with access to 50 US and 50 Hong Kong listed blue chip companies. This includes Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and more. Share CFDs allow traders to speculate on price differences without needing to own the underlying asset and are available with leverage of up to 1:20.
Vantage FX offer cryptocurrency trading on some of the most popular cryptos such as BTC, ETH, LTC, DASH and Bitcoin Cash.
Vantage FX have a variety of trading accounts to suit different trader needs. The main differences between the accounts are the minimum deposits, spreads and commissions. Demo accounts are available to test the different trading platforms and conditions before opening a real account. Swap free Islamic accounts that comply with Sharia law are available upon request.
The Standard STP account is aimed towards traders who want direct market access and prefer higher spreads and no commissions. The minimum deposit required is $200 with variable spreads starting from 1.4 pips.
RAW ECN
The RAW ECN account is for traders who need deep liquidity and tighter spreads. The minimum deposit required is $500 with variable spreads starting from 0 pips and commission from $3.
PRO ECN
The PRO ECN is aimed at professional traders and money managers who need to trade high volumes. The minimum deposit required is $20,000 with variable spreads starting from 0 pips and commission from $2.
As broker fees can vary and change, there may be additional fees that are not listed in this Vantage FX review. It is imperative to ensure that you check and understand all of the latest information before you open a Vantage FX broker account for online trading.
Vantage FX Support
Vantage FX offer 24/5 award winning global support via online chat, email and telephone. They can also help you with trading platforms through the 1 on 1 support they offer using the TeamViewer screenshare software.
Vantage FX Deposit Withdrawal
Vantage FX have a variety of convenient methods for depositing and withdrawing funds from your trading account. This includes bank wire, credit card and online payment systems such as Neteller and Skrill. Please note that some methods may only be available to specific countries.
Some fees may be charged when using certain payment methods. Withdrawal requests are processed within the same day or next if outside working hours. The withdrawal time can vary depending on the payment provider and method. Bank transfers may take a few business days to clear whilst some methods can be instant.
Some payment systems may have transaction limits, restrictions, and requirements which are indicated on their respective websites. You may need to verify your account to remove limits on particular methods in some countries. All funds deposited into your trading account must be under the same name as your Vantage FX trading account.
Accounts can be opened in AUD, USD, EUR, GBP, SGD, JPY, NZD, CAD. The different currency options are beneficial as currency conversion fees do not apply when using an account in your own currency.
Vantage FX Account Opening
It only takes a few minutes to complete the Vantage FX online application form to open a trading account. You simply need to fill out your personal details and then verify your email address. Following on from that you will need to upload proof of identification (e.g. passport or driver license, etc) and proof of address (e.g. utility bill). Once your documents have been verified by the accounts team you can then fund your account using your preferred method and then commence trading online.
It is imperative to ensure that when you are going through a broker application, you clearly read all of the brokers terms, conditions and policies. Only proceed if you fully understand and agree to them.Vantage FX Open a Live Forex Trading Account
Vantage FX Summary
Vantage FX is a multi-regulated ECN online broker with flexible trading platforms and account types to suit different trader needs. They have a reasonable selection of trading instruments across multi-asset classes. There is a vast array of additional trading tools for conducting market analysis and receiving trading signals. Customer support is prompt, polite and efficient whilst there is a convenient selection of funding options.
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