Swissquote Review 2019 Is it Safe or Scam? All Pros & Cons

Swissquote is a broker offering traders access to forex and CFDs. This is the London subsidiary of the larger Swissquote Bank which is publicly traded on the Swiss Stock Exchange and offers access to a large range of products. In this review we will be looking at their CFD & Forex Trading offers.

Swissquote is regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA. The Financial Conduct Authority reference number is 562170. In England and Wales, Swissquote is registered with number 07710095 and VAT number 133445531. The registered office is at Boston House, 63-64 New Broad Street, London, EC2M 1JJ.

Risk Warning: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 80% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

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Swissquote at a Glance

Swissquote Regulations

Since Swissquote is authorized and regulated by the FCA, it complies fully with the regulator’s rules for holding assets. This includes keeping client funds fully segregated from the Swissquote funds. This ensures that if Swissquote were to become insolvent, client funds would not be at risk. Creditors of Swissquote would not be able to access those funds. The FCA also has strict rules regarding reconciliations, record-keeping, providing statements, and annual auditor reports.

Each client has their funds held in a segregated client account for Swissquote clients. It may be at one or more than one banks that Swissquote has approved. By default, client money is pooled with the money of other clients. It sits in an omnibus account for general clients. This is the case unless a different agreement is made. Swissquote does not pay interest on client money that it holds.

FCA Rules require Swissquote to periodically review the banks holding client money. In the unlikely event that a bank with client funds becomes insolvent, you are a general creditor. The losses from the insolvency are shared among other clients who also have money with that bank. In the case of banks within the UK, there is coverage under FSCS.

Eligible counterparties and professional clients may have some slight differences in how their funds are held. In this case, funds transferred to Swissquote have a Title Transfer Collateral Arrangement. In other words, the funds secure or cover present, future, contingent, prospective, or actual obligations to the broker. In this case, FCA rules do not treat the funds as client assets or money. Eligible counterparties and professional clients receive written agreements that outline the terms for this agreement.

Swissquote Group Holding Ltd is the leading provider in Switzerland for online trading and financial services. This is the parent company of Swissquote, the London subsidiary. Swissquote Group is on the SIX Swiss Exchange as symbol SQN and has been since May 29, 2009.

The headquarters of Swissquote Group are in Gland (VD). There are additional offices in Bern, Zurich, Dubai, Hong Kong, Malta, and London. The Group has 662 staff in its employee.

Swissquote Trading Assets

Clients of Swissquote can trade currencies, precious metals, stock indices, commodities, and bonds. The stock index offerings include the main American and European indices, plus those from Japan. Most stock index CFDs offer Forward or Spot/Synthetic choices. The former has an expiration date while the latter does not but has an overnight rollover or swap interest.

Currency pairs available to trade on Swissquote include both major pairs and emerging or exotic pairs. Currency pairs can lead to profits, particularly with leverage, over short periods, whether there is a downward or upward trend. Precious metals trade like currencies. Because they have a negative or low correlation to the other asset classes, they are great for hedging and diversification. Swissquote provides access to gold, silver, platinum, and palladium.

Stock indices let traders capitalize on the market movements of a broader nature. Swissquote provides access to #SP500, #NAS100, #DE30, and #SMI. This includes low capital requirements, high leverage, no shorting rules, and no restrictions for day trading.

Commodities have active markets. They are influenced by numerous factors, such as global economic developments, tech advancements, and more. Assets include crude oil, natural gas, and copper. Finally, bonds will have an increase in price when the interest rates drop and vice versa. This makes them helpful for hedging. The primary treasury products you can trade with Swissquote include the US T-Bond, the German Bund, and the British Long Gilt.

Swissquote Demo Accounts

Swissquote offers demo accounts. This is a free account that uses virtual money so there is no risk involved. With the demo account, traders can access the full features of their platform of choice. Any beginners should definitely make use of the demo account before trading real money on a live account.

Swissquote Account Types

There are four main account types from Swissquote: Premium, Prime, Elite, and Professional.

• Premium Accounts have a minimum deposit of €1,000. There are no commissions on this account type and spreads start at 1.3 pips. The maximum leverage is 1:30 for forex, 1:10 for commodities, and 1:20 for gold and indices. Expert Advisors and HFT are allowed. This account has negative balance protection and deposit protection of up to £50,000. Maintenance margins are 100 percent, and the stop-out level is 50 percent.
• Prime Accounts are nearly identical to Premium Accounts with two main differences. Spreads start at just 0.6 pips and the minimum deposit is €5,000.
• Elite Accounts are also very similar, changing the spreads, commissions, and minimum deposit. While Premium and Prime Accounts have no commissions, Elite Accounts do. The commission is €2.5 per side per lot that is traded. The minimum deposit is €10,000. To make Elite Accounts stand out, spreads start at 0.0 pips.
• Professionals Accounts have the same minimum deposit of €10,000 and spreads from 0.0 pips. They also have the commission of €2.5 per lot traded per side and deposit protection. This account type also allows Expert Advisors and HFT and has a 100 percent maintenance margin. Professional Accounts can have a leverage of up to 1:400 and have stop-out levels at 30 percent. This type of account does not have negative balance protection. Note that not everyone is eligible for a Professional Account.

Who Is Eligible for a Professional Account?

To receive a Professional Account, you need to meet two out of three potential criteria.

You must have a minimum of one-year experience working in the financial sector. This must have been in a position where derivative trading knowledge was necessary.

And/or you must have an investment portfolio that is at least €500,000. This can include investments and cash.

And/or you must have traded derivatives of a significant size at least ten times each quarter. This must be the average frequency over the past four quarters. In this case, derivatives include spread bets, futures, forex, and CFDs.

Swissquote Account Currencies

Swissquote offers an impressive array of 15 different currencies. These include USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, CHF, CAD, AUD, PLN, TRY, SEK, SGD, NOK, XGD, CZK, and HUF.

How to Open a Private Account With Swissquote

If you want to open a private account at Swissquote, it can be a joint or personal account. In either case, you need to verify both your identity and address. In the case of joint accounts, both account holders must submit the relevant documents.

ID verification must not be expired. It can include a photocard driving license, a passport, or a national ID card. The address verification can be a credit card statement or bank statement. Or it can be a utility bill from landline phones, electric, water, or gas. Your address verification document must be from within the past three months. It must also have your full name, current residential address, the date, and the issuer.

In the case of copies, they must be certified. This can be done by a notary public, bank manager, lawyer, accountant, or solicitor. The person completing the certification must have no connection to the company or individual. The copy must also include the stamp as well as information of the certifier. This information includes their signature, employer or registration number, full name, address, and the date.

In certain cases, you may need additional documentation. An example would be proof of a source of funds.

How to Open a Corporate Account With Swissquote

To open a corporate account with Swissquote, you will need to submit a list of documents. These include proof of the business address, the Company Incorporation Certificate, and the Articles of Association. You will also need the share register. Finally, you will need verification of two directors and of shareholders who own more than 25 percent.

In the case of corporate entities that are directors or shareholders, they need to submit certain documents. These include proof of their business address, Articles of Association, and Certificate of Incorporation. They must also submit verification of their shareholders and directors.

In the case of private individuals who are directors or shareholders, their required documentation varies slightly. They must provide address and ID verification. Those verification documents must meet the same requirements as a private account holder would meet.

In some cases, the documents may require certification. This would be based on the company’s country of location. It is also possible that companies with a certain structure will require additional documents.

What Account Documents Does Swissquote Have Available?

Many of the interactions that clients complete with Swissquote require filling out a form. As such, the broker has a page in its Support section with all the forms and documents clients may need.

You will find questionnaires for Introducing Brokers and asset managers. There are also applications for opening margin trading accounts, for corporations or individuals. You will also find both a joint and a sub-account application.

This is additionally the section to get the form for a Funds Withdrawal Request or a Leverage Setup Request.

Swissquote Deposits

There are two main methods of depositing funds into your Swissquote account: wire transfers and credit cards. If you choose to deposit via a card, you can do so with either Visa or Mastercard. There are no transaction fees associated with this deposit method.

To complete a bank wire transfer to your Swissquote account, you must use a minimum AA rated bank. You can begin the wire process from the bank account where your funds currently are. Swissquote will not charge you a transaction fee for this deposit. Your bank, however, may charge you a fee.

You can deposit in GBP, EUR, AUD, CHF, JPY, PLN, HUF, CZK, or USD. The transaction time for deposits varies based on banks. Most transactions are handled by Swissquote the same day the broker receives them.

Keep in mind that Swissquote will not accept third-party payments. This means that your deposit method must bear the same name as your Swissquote account.

Swissquote Withdrawals

To withdraw funds from Swissquote, you must fill out a Funds Withdrawal Request Form. Withdrawals are always completed via bank transfers. When filling out the form, sign and date it. You cannot postdate the form and must send it to Swissquote within three days of the date on your form. If Swissquote receives the form more than three days after the date on the form, they will need to reject it for security reasons.

Swissquote Leverage

Maximum leverage for most types of accounts on Swissquote is 1:30 for forex. It is 1:10 for commodities or 1:20 for indices and gold. Those with Professional Accounts can use a leverage of up to 1:400. You can choose to adjust the leverage currently on your Swissquote account by sending the broker a request. This is done via the Leverage Modification Request form.

Swissquote cautions that using leverage can increase risk as well as profits. Because of this, the broker strongly suggests that beginning traders use lower leverage. The broker further suggests using limit and stop orders to further mitigate risk.

Trading Conditions

Trading with Swissquote gives clients full transparency when it comes to their trades. The trading conditions are also very competitive. You can view the trading conditions for a particular asset on the page for Spreads and Swaps under Pricing. Here, you will see the symbol, minimum spreads (based on account type), margin requirement, and minimum and maximum transaction size.

That page also includes links to the expiration dates as well as swap rates. Swap rates are a necessary factor when determining your overnight position strategies. The swap rates display the currency pair, short base, and long base. You can scroll through the assets or search. The expiration dates are necessary for trading Forward CFDs. For the Forward Expiration Dates, you see the asset’s name and its symbol. You will also see its MT4 symbol, the contract month, and the first and last trading days. This page is divided by asset class: stock indices, commodities, and bonds.

Swissquote Trading Platforms

Swissquote offers a range of platforms for traders to choose from. These include their own “Advanced Trader” and both MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. MT4 is the most popular trading platform for forex. It works seamlessly with Swissquote to give access to deep liquidity as well as quick trade execution. MetaTrader 5 is the latest generation of the software. It is specifically designed for more experienced traders who want the latest tech and features.

Both MT4 and MT5 let you trade forex, precious metals, Forward CFDs, and spot CFDs. Both have mobile trading and desktop trading, while MT4 also offers web trading. Both offer Expert Advisors (automated trading) and hedging. Only MT5 enforces FIFO by default. Both include real-time news. Only MT4 offers a Multi-Account Manager (MAM).

Swissquote also has its own award-winning platform, Advanced Trader. This was developed in-house to ensure full use of the Swissquote trading environment.

MetaTrader 4

As previously stated, MetaTrader 4 is the standard for forex trading around the world. It has excellent charting and analysis tools, including for technical analysis. You can use 30 built-in indicators. There are also more than 2,000 free custom indicators plus 700 paid custom indicators. Or you can make your own indicator.

MetaTrader 4 has 24 analytic objects such as arrows, shapes, Fibonacci tools, Gann tools, and lines channels. There are also customizable charts featuring nine  time frames. You can even combine graphical objects and indicators for one symbol.

MT4 supports Automated Trading, either via copy trading or robots. There is a built-in editor so you can develop a strategy and then back-test it. Or use a free or paid Expert Advisor or copy the trade of one of the hundreds of successful traders.

MetaTrader 4 has support across devices. This includes the web platform that works from your browser of choice. It is fully compatible with the native MT4 desktop application. For security, all data is encrypted before transmission. The mobile version of MetaTrader 4 is available for Android and iOS. It includes the most popular tools plus all types of orders. It also has account monitoring, one-click trading, and interactive quote charts.

Trade using market execution or instant execution for market orders. Market execution will execute at the best price available. If there is not an available price, it will be rejected. This type of order might be filled with worse or better conditions than your requested price. Instant execution is rejected or executed at your requested Ask or Bid price. In the case of Stock Indices, it gets executed at the Market Best conditions.

MetaTrader 5

MetaTrader 5 has many features and tools in common with MetaTrader 4. It has the charting and analysis capabilities that advanced traders love. You can forecast price direction and detect trends thanks to the technical analysis tools.

There are 80 indicators built-in. You can find hundreds more from the Code Base and the Market. Or you can create an indicator yourself. There are also 44 analytical objects, such as various channels, Gann, Elliott tools, Fibonacci tools, and geometric shapes. There are also highly customizable charts that include 21 time frames. This lets you customize the appearance of graphical objects and indicators. You can also set calculation parameters.

In addition, MT5 offers automated trading. Like MT4, this is via the built-in editor, thousands of Expert Advisors and hundreds of traders to copy trading. The market order types are also the same as with MT4, including instant execution and market execution.

MetaTrader 5 is available on the web without any installation. It works in any browser and operating system and securely encrypts all data. Or use it on Android or iOS. You get the full trading orders, most popular tools, one-click trading, account monitoring, and interactive quote charts.

MetaTrader Master Edition

In addition to the other MetaTrader platforms available for Swissquote clients, there is a MetaTrader Master Edition. This Master Edition is available for free for Swissquote clients and is a unique offering. It has 12 advanced tools as well as 15 new indicators.

The platform includes a correlation matrix perfect for those who examine multiple instruments at once. It shows whether instruments have a weak or strong correlation. The correlation strength is easily highlighted and you see the average correlation between given symbols. This feature only requires a single click to modify parameters.

MetaTrader Master Edition also offers stealth orders, ideal for scalpers. This feature lets you easily close all positions with a single click. At the same time, you insert a pending order that was hidden, until execution. All of these orders have no tolerance level. The feature lets you easily create and edit your stealth entries. You can use closing pending orders, filtering, trailing stops, and stop-loss/take profit to exit the stealth, account, and symbols.

Unique Features

Even the Trade Terminal of MetaTrader Master Edition is unique. It lets you view and access full account activity and trading positions easily. Use the terminal to easily create order templates, trade multiple currencies, or set alarms with email notifications.

The Mini Terminal is also highly convenient for efficient management of positions. The features in the Mini Terminal help with risk and order management. This is done via integrated calculators for margin and lot-size and preset trailing stops, take-profits, and stop-loss. It also includes the ability to create order templates for OCA and OCO orders.

Unsurprisingly, MetaTrader Master Edition also has an extensive array of technical indicators. There are 15 of them, including Renko, Keltner, Pivot, and Donchian.

To ensure that Swissquote clients can make full use of this platform, the broker offers a full set of guides. There are user guides for 12 different tools and all 15 indicators. Each guide is a multipage PDF with an overview and detailed information about using the given tool or indicator.

Swissquote’s Advanced Trader

As mentioned, Advanced Trader is an award-winning platform developed in-house. Advanced Trader is available for all Android and iOS devices. It supports logging in with touch ID. Because of its mobile use, this platform was engineered so the trade orders use minimal bandwidth. It includes a customizable interface so you can easily access the tools and instruments you use. There are also Fast Trading features, which are easy to set up via preferences.

Advanced Trader includes 27 indicators, such as RSI, Heikin-Ashi, Stochastic, and MACD. There are also 17 overlays, including Parabolic SAR, Ichimoku, and Bollinger Bands. The platform additionally features an integration of real-time news. This news comes from both Swissquote and Bloomberg.

One very useful feature of Advanced Trader is the automatic pattern detection. This prevents missed opportunities and saves time spent analyzing charts. It can detect and then highlight the 17 chart patterns that are the most common. For each, it indicates pattern strength by darkness of the shade. This is particularly helpful for traders who are just beginning to analyze charts for patterns.

The Advanced Trader platform also offers some order types that you cannot get from other platforms. These include Order Cancels Other, which combines a limit order and stop order. Executing one automatically cancels the other. If done orders have two legs. They only execute the second portion if the first portion’s conditions were met. If done / OCO orders place an OCO following the order only when the first portion is executed.

What Plug-ins Can Swissquote Clients Add to the Platforms?

To supplement the MetaTrader platforms, Swissquote clients can also use complimentary plug-ins. This includes Autochartist, a famous market scanner. This plug-in gives features like volatility analysis and automated trade alerts. It is available for both demo and live accounts.

Autochartist relies on powerful search engines that constantly scan markets. They automatically recognize setups for trades. They then send alerts to users based on your chosen technical analysis. This can be set up for Fibonacci patterns, key levels, and regular chart patterns.

There is an automated technical analysis, including early identification for horizontal levels, Fibonacci patterns, and chart patterns. Autochartist also has a built-in risk calculator for determining real capital exposure. This lets you adjust position sizes based on risk. It also includes an event impact analysis. With this, you can easily and accurately evaluate the likely impact on instruments of specific economic events.

Beginners will appreciate the trading opportunities from the Autochartist plug-in. These include the automated trade alerts featuring quality scores so you can make a decision. It also provides education via the Trading Community Tab, Market Reports, and Webinars.

Experts will appreciate the more advanced features and information from Autochartist. Autochartist will monitor the Swissquote markets so you can see completed and emerging tradeable patterns. It eliminates time-consuming tasks advanced traders typically use. It also has features like Price Range Forecast, Volatility Analysis, and Performance Statistics. These can help expert traders make informed decisions, improving trading efficiency. The tools are adaptable thanks to customized searches and filters.

Stop-out Policy

Swissquote accounts that use MetaTrader will automatically close any open positions that are at their stop-out level. The page dedicated to Trading Policy within Pricing on Swissquote explains the calculations for your stop-out level. Or you can contact the Swissquote team to assist you.

Type of Orders

Swissquote lets traders choose from several different execution methods, which depend on order type. Market orders execute at the next price available. If there is not a price available, they are rejected. The order is filled fully, but this can be at a better or worse price than requested.

Swissquote also offers limit orders. Buy limits activate when the asset’s Ask price reaches your buy limit order. Sell limits activate when the Bid price reaches your sell limit order. Both types of limits are either executed at the next price available or rejected when the price is not available. They are fully filled, with the possibility of a better or worse price. This also applies to Take Profit orders.

Stop orders are also available. Buy stops activate when an Ask price reaches your buy stop order. Sell stops activate when a Bid price reaches your sell stop order. Both are also rejected when no price is available or executed at the next price that is available. They are filled fully, sometimes better, sometimes worse. This also applies to Trailing Stop orders.

What Kind of Analysis Does Swissquote Offer?

Swissquote has a section on its website dedicated to Research. Here, you will find an area for live analysis. This includes a range of articles related to the assets tradeable via the broker. You will find trends and predictions, all based on and including detailed analysis from experts.

The same area of the Swissquote website also has a section called Reports. This has even more detailed information on specific assets. You will find Weekly Market Outlooks, Daily Technical Reports, and Daily Market Briefs. All of these have descriptive headlines and indicate which category of a report they fall into. They then include brief explanations of the topic as well as projected impacts. Expect topics such as Brexit and the U.S. Federal Reserve, among many others.

Educational Resources

To get some basic education, visit the Insights section of the Swissquote website. The Insights are divided into trading and robo-advisory. You will find resources such as interviews and guides to improve your knowledge base regarding trading.

Swissquote offers a downloadable e-book called “Introduction to Forex Trading.” This is free and available to clients and non-clients alike. It includes a general introduction as well as how forex trades work and trading strategies.

In addition, Swissquote has a dedicated Learning Center with a great deal of information. This section focuses on videos providing clients with the information they need. Keep in mind that the Learning Center is only available in English, despite most of Swissquote being multilingual.

There are sections of videos on the introduction to forex and CFDs. These include choosing a broker, a general introduction, how to trade, and factors affecting the market. There are also videos on technical analysis, teaching traders skills like support and resistance, trends, and using charts. Fundamental analysis videos include an introduction and fundamental trading strategies. The risk management videos include an intro, measuring risk, and managing risk.

There are then specific videos dedicated to the various platforms you can use with Swissquote. You will find videos introducing MetaTrader 5 and Advanced Trader. There are also videos showing how to use specific features of those platforms. At the bottom of the Learning Center, you will also spot a user guide for Swissquote MT4. This PDF outlines everything from downloading and launching the platform to actually using it for trades.

Webinars and Events

In addition to the above educational resources, Swissquote also offers a range of webinars for clients. These occur in a range of languages, such as English, Spanish, and Italian, among others. Topics vary but can include live trading, spread trading, Autochartist, and more. For each webinar, you can view the category, language, topic, summary, time, and date. There is also the option to filter the webinars by language.

There are also in-person events from Swissquote for clients. These are in a similar range of languages and have a similar amount of information online. You can view the upcoming events and register via the Swissquote website.

Introducing Brokers

Swissquote specifically offers a set of solutions for Introducing Brokers, designed to build their client base and boost revenue. The Introducing Brokers get automated commission reporting, a tailored reward scheme, and a swift onboarding process. They also get an Advanced Client Tracking System, Partner Link, for ease of use.

The clients of Introducing Brokers receive access to the range of competitive financial products. They also get the user-friendly and powerful trading platform, multilingual customer support, and market research.

To become a partner with Swissquote, you just fill out a simple form. Then, Swissquote will send more information about its partnership programs. The company will also send information about its Multi-Account & Currency Tool.

Money Managers

Swissquote also offers specific tools and solutions for money managers. There is a range of trade allocation tools. All integrate with the Swissquote precise execution and deep liquidity. The result is access to order capabilities and full hedging that many other brokers do not offer.

Market managers who use Swissquote solutions will have more time to study the markets, instead of worrying about admin tasks. Swissquote has an efficient onboarding process for clients plus multilingual support. It also provides exclusive market research during the day. Swissquote has excellent liquidity thanks to its aggregated pool from more than 15 different Tier 1 providers.

Market managers will also appreciate the flexible compensation structures. Meanwhile, the comprehensive set of monitoring and reporting tools lets them track pertinent information with ease.

Swissquote Customer Support

Swissquote has a Support page on its main website with a great deal of information. Although not specifically called an FAQ page, it fulfills the role of one. There are answers to the most common topics and questions, divided by a range of themes. These include opening an account, managing the account, legal information, and honing trading skills.

The Support page also has a section to “Contact and Locate Us.” Clicking on the button to contact the “desks” gives you full contact information for various purposes. You will see the address, hours, phone number, and email address for the Representative Office and FX Trading Desk. There are also numbers for those calling from outside of the United Kingdom, organized by country. The European numbers are toll-free.

For convenience, there is a floating Live Chat button in the bottom right corner of the website. You can click on this to begin a live chat with the Swissquote support team. It is also worth noting that the Swissquote website is available in English, German, Italian, or Spanish. This way, clients with a range of native languages can find the information they need.

Competitors

Swissquote is in competition with similar brokers which have covered before, as follows:

Conclusion

Swissquote is the fully-regulated subsidiary of Swissquote Holding, which is also regulated. Swissquote provides access to a range of markets, with a focus on forex. Clients can choose to trade from more than 130 forex and CFD instruments, such as commodities, bonds, and stock indices.

There is access to several MetaTrader platforms or the proprietary Advanced Trader platform. Unfortunately their Advanced Trader platform is not one of the better options we have seen, it can be a little confusing and the mobile version lacks some features. We recommend you use one of the Meta Trader platforms on offer.

Both private and corporate accounts are available. Swissquote also offers a range of educational tools and analysis to assist clients with trading techniques.

There is a demo account that is worth testing out before choosing one of the four main account types. They also require no minimum deposit for their standard accounts which makes them more accessible to everyone.

You can trade with confidence with Swissquote, they are are a very large and well established, and well regulated broker who have been around since 1996 and backed by a real swiss bank.

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Risk Warning: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 80% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Swissquote

Ease of Use

7.0/10

Reputation

9.0/10

Fees

8.0/10

Customer Support

9.0/10

Payment Methods

9.0/10

Pros

• Well Regulated by FCA
• Multiple Trading Platforms
• Good Educational Tools
• Wide Range of Trading Assets
• Demo Accounts

Cons

• More for Experienced Traders

5,654