XTB Review

  • Who are XTB

    XTB is a global regulated online trading platform based in Europe.

  • Year founded

    2002

  • Address:

    Level 9, One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, E14 5AA, London, United Kingdom; Ogrodowa 58, 00-876 Warszawa, Poland

  • Account opening

    The following link will take you to account opening.

  • Minimum deposit

    $1

  • Regulated by

    FCA in the UK, CySEC in Cyprus, IFSC in Belize, KNF in Poland, CNMV in Spain, and DFSA in Dubai.

  • How does XTB earn a profit?

    XTB makes money on commissions it charges for trades and spread costs for stock and ETF CFDs. In addition, it deducts fees from dividend payments and gets profit from other types of commissions.

XTB is an international online broker helping its users trade a big variety of different assets in one place. This article aims to review this platform in detail, discover its features, pros, and cons in order to help investors make a weighted decision.

Table of Contents

XTB Tradable Assets

XTB offers retail traders and investors over 2,100 financial instruments, which differ in terms of risks, time and money costs, and profit opportunities. As a result, both novices and experienced clie

  • Stocks
    XTB offers 1800+ UK, US, Poland, and Czechia stocks for trading, which include Tesla, Apple, Alibaba, IDEX, Microsoft, Groupon, Shopify, Netflix, American Airlines, Adobe Systems, Dropbox, AMC Networks, Coca-Cola, China Mobile, Colgate-Palmolive, Canadian National Railway, Coinbase, Costco, Hasbro, McDonald’s, NVIDIA, Walt Disney, and Boeing.
  • Commodities
    Copper, Palladium, Aluminium, Zink, Gold, Silver, Sugar, Soybeans, Wheat, Corn, Platinum, Cotton, Cocoa, Oil, Nickel, Coffee. In addition, Emiss, Schatz 2Y, Bund 10Y, and TNOTE are available on XTB.
  • Forex
    XTB allows you to trade major currency pairs, such as USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, CHF, AUD, and CAD as well as less popular assets including New Zealand dollar (NZD), Poland z?oty (PLN), and Turkish lira (TRY).
  • ETFs
    XTB offers130+ ETFs for trading, among which are Global X Copper Miners, ARK Innovation ETF, ARK Genomic Revolution ETF, iShares MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan, iShares STOXX Europe 600, iShares MSCI United Kingdom, iShares MSCI Germany, VanEck Vectors Video Gaming, and eSports, iShares MSCI All Peru Capped Index, iShares MSCI EAFE, and Vanguard Total Bond Market.
  • Indices
    US 30, De 30, Fra 40, RUS 50, EUR 50 cash, SPA 35, UK 100, VOLX, EU 50, US 500, US 100, US 2000, EU 50, Fra 40, AUT 20, AUS 200, CZKCASH, BRAComp, CHNComp.
  • Crypto
    The broker suggests 5 cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), and Ripple (XRP).

Please note that the above securities were correct as at the time of publication.
Since then it is likely the above list has evolved.

How Much Leverage does XTB provide?

On XTB, it is possible to perform leveraged trading on ETFs, cryptocurrencies, stocks, indices, commodities, and forex. The type of leverage you can get at XTB is defined by your location and the type of asset you are trading. Non-UK customers can trade with leverage up to 500:1 while UK accounts get up to 30:1 leverage. Leverage for crypto is 5:1.

Does XTB accept US clients?

No, they don’t. Due to regulatory constraints, clients from the US are not allowed to trade on the XTB platform.

Is XTB regulated and are my funds protected?

XTB strives to give its clients protection and be a reliable broker. Therefore, it is licensed and regulated by several leading financial agencies around the globe: the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), the International Financial Services Commission in Belize (IFSC), the Financial Supervision Authority (KNF) in Poland, the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) in Spain, and the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA). In addition, XTB is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.

In order to secure clients’ investments, the broker keeps them separate from its own money in segregated bank accounts in accordance with the FCA’s rules. Moreover, traders fall under the investment claim category. This means that funds deposited with XTB are 100% protected through the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). Consequently, FSCS will pay compensation of up to £ 85,000 per person in the event of XTB's bankruptcy.

Account Opening

To open an account with XTB you must complete an online form, provide some personal information, such as your name, e-mail, phone number, address, and then choose the account type. You will need to upload your proof of identity and bank statement documents to verify your identity and address.

New non-European clients can get a welcome bonus. That is to say, 50% of your first $100 deposit and more can be added to your account if you trade a minimum amount of lots in 60 days since your account opening. To get the bonus, you have to apply to the sales team.

Account Closing Process

To close your XTB account, you must send an email titled “Request for XTB Account Deletion” with your application to the support team. Most importantly, you must withdraw cash before closing your account. Withdrawals are processed on the same day if requested before 1 PM or within 1 business day. The money returns to the same payment account under your name used for depositing. The company charges a 10 EUR fee for withdrawals less than £60, €80 or $100.

Features

  • Trader’s calculator. This is a function aiming to help you manage your risks. It estimates costs and profits before opening the position and determines the parameters of your trade.
  • Trading from a chart. This feature enables you to place and edit pending orders right on the chart providing instant trading.
  • Negative Balance Protection (NBP). This feature serves to protect customers from losing more than their account balances. It is available for UK and EU retail clients.
  • Stop-loss orders. This is an automatic feature that closes your trades when prices reach levels set by you.
  • Take Profit automatic orders. With the help of this item, clients may be sure that they lock in profits if prices hit their target values.
  • Economic calendar. It contains information about upcoming economic events.
  • Price Alerts. You can set the price level and get an alert when the market reaches it.

 

  • Standard account. This one is available to anyone except for residents of restricted countries. Unfortunately, XTB does not accept traders from more than 35 countries including India, United States, Australia, Belgium, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Israel. Standard trades are commission-free (except for CFDs on stocks and ETFs). On the other hand, limited geography results in a slightly wider market spread.
  • Islamic account. XTB offers Islamic accounts for clients only from certain countries, such as UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Jordan, Bahrain, Lebanon, Egypt, and Malaysia. They are swap-free, but do not allow cryptocurrency trading and require a commission from $10 per lot.
  • Professional account. It is available to customers who have worked as professionals in the financial sector for at least one year and completed 10 significant transactions per quarter over the previous four quarters. Furthermore, the size of their investment portfolio must exceed €500,000.

Leverage

On XTB, it is possible to perform leveraged trading on ETFs, cryptocurrencies, stocks, indices, commodities, and forex. The type of leverage you can get at XTB is defined by your location and the type of asset you are trading. Non-UK customers can trade with leverage up to 500:1 while UK accounts get up to 30:1 leverage. Leverage for crypto is 5:1.

What Are The Advantages and Disadvantages of Trading with XTB?

Advantages
  • A huge number of tradeable assets capable of meeting the requirements of both experienced traders and full novices
  • A welcome bonus for nen-European customers
  • Educational materials for newbies
  • Mobile trading option
  • Intuitive interface with comprehensive charts and graphics
Disadvantages
  • In spite of the fact that XBT provides its clients with many trading instruments, tools, and functions, it still has some disadvantages, including:
  • No two-step verification.
  • The product portfolio is limited mostly to stocks and ETF CFDs.
  • No social trading.
  • An inactivity fee is charged.
  • Clients from more than 35 countries, including the US, are not accepted.
  • Copy trading is not available.
  • Limited range of cryptocurrencies.
  • Only one trading platform.
  • Limited deposit methods.

Commission and charges

Overview

XTB charges different types of fees, including spread charges, execution commissions, inactivity fees, and a 2% fee for funding through an e-wallet. Registering with XTB is free of charge. An inactivity fee of €10 or equivalent in GBP or USD is charged monthly if you do not trade on your account for more than 12 months. XTB also deducts fees from dividend payments. For example, 30% is deducted from US stock dividends. Other commissions include a 25 EUR fee for a paper daily report on the client’s account, a 3.5 EUR fee for opening and closing on a professional account, and a commission withheld from turnover for some instruments.

Stocks & ETFs

Stocks and ETF CFDs do not have spreads wrapped around their market price. Instead, they are subject to execution commissions from 0.08% to 0.25%.

Cryptocurrencies

Bitcoin 0.5%-1% Ether 0.5%-1% Bitcoin Cash 2%-2.5% Litecoin 1%-1.5% RIPPLE 2.5%-3%

Currencies

AUD/USD 0.00019 Pips AUD/CAD 0.00046 Pips AUD/CHF 0.00044 Pips CAD/CHF 0.00054 Pips AUD/NZD 0.00091 Pips CHF/PLN 0.002 Pips CHF/JPY 0.045 Pips CHF/HUF 0.24 Pips CAD/JPY 0.035 Pips AUD/JPY 0.043 Pips

Commodities

Aluminum 12 Pips Copper 23 Pips Gold 0.35 Pips Corn 0.39 Pips Cotton 0.19 Pips Cocoa 13 Pips Coffee 0.2 Pips Emiss 0.1 Pips Bund 10Y 0.02 Pips

Indices

EUR 50 cash 2.2 Pips EU 50 2 Pips Fra 40 1.1 Pips AUT 20 25 Pips De 30 1 Pips AUS 200 5 Pips CZKCASH 3 Pips BRAComp 125 Pips DE 30.cash 1 Pips CHNComp 20 Pips

Usability

XTB uses its own award-winning xStation platform, which is accessible both on the web and within the mobile version. It is intuitive and easy to use. In addition, comprehensive charts, live performance statistics, alerts, and a large selection of trading tools make it suitable for both beginners and advanced traders.

How to place a trade

First, before placing a trade, you must select a trading platform. Second, you need to add funds to your account. After that, you may start trading.

At the time of writing, XTB clients can only use one type of trading platform, namely xStation 5 or its mobile version xStation Mobile. As for the web version, it is fully compatible with Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Opera browsers. The mobile applications for both iOS and Android have all the functionality of the desktop platform.

You can deposit via bank transfer, credit card, debit card, or e-wallet. PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, and bank transfers are possible in EUR, USD, GBP, and HUF currencies. EUR, USD, and GBP are available for credit cards deposits, which are free of charge. Using an e-wallet to fund your account is subject to a 2% fee of your deposited amount. There are no minimum deposit requirements for individuals. However, corporate clients have to make a minimum deposit of £15,000.

You can place a trade on xStation in three ways: via the Market Watch window, via the Charting deal ticket, or directly on the chart. After that, select the transaction volume, apply a stop loss if necessary, and determine the direction of your trade.

Customer service

XTB aims to provide its customers with the best trading experience. There is a friendly support team ready to help users via online chat 24 hours a day from Monday to Friday. Besides, you can reach them by phone from 9:00 to 18:00 (UK time). You can also send your inquiries outside working hours via email. Their Twitter or Facebook pages can also serve as a source of information. Most important, the team speaks different languages, so you don’t have to worry if your knowledge of English is poor.

Does XTB Offer Demo Accounts?

XTB offers a free 30-day demo account with $100,000 in virtual funds to test the platform and its features. To register, you need to enter your country and email. In fact, you get 24-hour support, all the tools and financial instruments of xStation platform at your disposal along with the opportunity to learn how to trade without any risks.

What Are XTB's Opening Hours?

XTB typically operates 24 hours a day from 11:00 pm on Sunday till 10 pm on Friday (UK time). Nonetheless, trading hours may differ for some assets and securities. For instance, ETFs can be traded from 15:30 till 22:00, and stocks from 09:00 till 17:30. The broker does not operate on weekends and public holidays. Cryptocurrency trading is available 24/7 from Saturday 4:00 am to Friday 10:00 pm.

Does XTB Provide Mobile Trading?

You can download the xStation mobile application from the Google Play store and access the world’s financial markets wherever you are. You will get a trader's calculator, Interactive charts, economic calendar, performance statistics, and bulk order closing to manage your investments on the move.

Does XTB Provide Trading Education?

The XTB platform strives to support traders with information. Therefore it provides ‘Learn to Trade’ and ‘Market Analysis’ sections suitable for both beginners and experienced traders.

‘Learn to Trade’ offers Trading Academy with a variety of lessons, live webinars, and articles covering topics from basic to expert level. The ‘Market analysis’ section is full of market news, price tables, and provides a market calendar.

Equally important is the XTB’s YouTube channel with XTB live news, market updates, weekly market analysis, platforms’ tutorials, and trading masterclasses, which is a great source of knowledge for users.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How is XTB regulated?

It is regulated by 6 financial authorities: FCA in the UK, CySEC in Cyprus, IFSC in Belize, KNF in Poland, CNMV in Spain, and DFSA in Dubai.

Is there a minimum deposit?

No minimum deposit is required.

Can I use an Islamic account on XTB?

Yes, and it is fully compliant with Sharia law.

Is XTB a market maker?

XTB Ltd is not a market maker and has no dealing desk.

Is this broker good for beginners?

Yes, it provides tutorials, support, a demo account for beginners.

Conclusion

XTB is highly valued by its clients for the good level of customer support and a big variety of available trading assets. The possibility to contact support not only on the web but also on the phone adds points to its team’s score. Also, extended working hours represent another advantage that attracts users to this platform. Other advantages include comprehensive user guides for beginners, demo accounts where one can test his or her trading strategies, and a convenient interface.

The cons of the platform include relatively high fees and inaccessibility in the US markets which excludes a rather high portion of potential customers from the list. However, the public reviews show that these disadvantages are not so important as users are mostly pleased with the ways XTB works and praise it for all its advantages.

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