AvaTrade

Although Avatrade holds licences from a large number of top regulators, Ugandan traders are onboarded through AvaTrade’s British Virgin Islands (BVI) entity. This means that Ugandans have little recourse in the case of a dispute with Avatrade.

Regulatory Overview: AvaTrade, established in 2006, is regulated by multiple international authorities:

• Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) – Ava Trade EU Ltd (Licence No. C53877)
• Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) – Ava Capital Markets Australia Pty Ltd (AFSL No. 406684)
• British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission (BVI FSC) – Ava Trade Markets Ltd (Licence No. SIBA/L/13/1049)
• Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) of South Africa – Ava Capital Markets (Pty) Ltd (FSP No. 45984)
• Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) – DT Direct Investment Hub Ltd (Licence No. 347/17)
• Financial Services Agency (FSA) of Japan – Ava Trade Japan K.K. (Licence Nos. 1662 & 1574)
• Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Abu Dhabi Global Markets – Ava Trade Middle East Ltd (Licence No. 190018)

Top-tier regulators such as ASIC and the CBI enforce stringent requirements around client fund segregation, capital adequacy, and regular audits. Offshore regulators like the BVI FSC, while offering regulatory oversight, apply lighter standards.

Regulation for Ugandan Traders: AvaTrade does not hold a licence from Uganda’s Capital Markets Authority (CMA). Instead, Ugandan clients are onboarded through Ava Trade Markets Ltd, regulated by the BVI FSC. This structure enables access to AvaTrade’s global platform and instruments, but it lacks Ugandan regulatory protection.

Client Protection Measures: Even under the offshore regime, AvaTrade enforces several safeguards:

• Segregated Funds: Client deposits are held separately from the company’s operational funds, reducing counterparty risk.
• Negative Balance Protection: Clients are protected from losing more than their deposited amount.
• AML/KYC Compliance & Audits: AvaTrade follows international anti‑money laundering procedures and undergoes regular independent audits.

While these measures provide a level of client safety, Ugandan traders should note there is no local regulatory oversight (such as CMA-backed compensation schemes or local dispute resolution). Conducting thorough due diligence and employing robust risk management remain essential.

Overview: Ugandan traders using AvaTrade through its BVI-regulated entity can access over 1,250 CFDs across a wide range of asset classes, including forex, commodities, indices, shares, cryptocurrencies, ETFs, bonds, and FX options—with generous leverage allowances.

• Forex (up to 1:400): More than 50 currency pairs covering majors, minors, and exotics.
• Commodities (up to 1:200): Access CFDs on gold, silver, oil, natural gas, and soft commodities.
• Indices (up to 1:200): Trade global index CFDs such as US500, US30, FTSE 100, and Nikkei 225.
• Shares (up to 1:20): Stock CFDs from major US, UK, and EU exchanges.
• Cryptocurrencies (up to 1:25): Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Litecoin, and other crypto CFDs.
• ETFs & Bonds (up to 1:20): Select ETF and international bond CFDs.
• FX Options (up to 1:100): Vanilla options on currencies and precious metals.

Note: With instruments offered via the BVI-regulated entity, Ugandan traders enjoy higher leverage than locally or EU-regulated brokers. While this enhances market access, it also increases risk, so disciplined risk management is essential.

Avatrade offers a number of asset classes that aren’t found at other brokers. These include 50+ vanilla options which are traded exclusively on Avatrade’s AvaOptions platform, two bonds, 59 ETFs, and 13 cryptocurrencies, providing traders with excellent asset diversification.

Avatrade’s account requires a minimum deposit of 100 USD, making it accessible to most traders. No commissions are charged for Forex trading, and traders will find spreads of 0.9 pips (EUR/USD), which is around the industry average. It took us about 5 minutes to open an account at AvaTrade, and once our documentation had been submitted, our accounts were ready for trading immediately. We were also pleasantly surprised to receive a phone call from customer service to assist with troubleshooting issues.

AvaTrade keeps things simple with a single account (as well as a demo account).

Standard Account

In order to open an account, traders will have to make a minimum deposit of 100 USD. The account is available on MT4, MT5, and AvaTrade’s proprietary platform. We were pleased to see that spreads on the platform are 0.9 pips on the EUR/USD, as advertised on AvaTrade’s website and there are no commissions for Forex trading:

AvaTrade’s Ugandan clients also receive perks with higher deposit amounts.  For example, from 1,000 USD and upward, traders receive a 20% on-deposit bonus and one-on-one trading sessions with a personal account manager.  Clients who deposit 2,000 USD or more will gain free access to Duplitrade, a popular third-party copy trading platform. 

Demo Account

AvaTrade’s free demo account is a handy tool to practice your trading, test an expert advisor, or acquaint yourself with how Forex trading works. With 100,000 USD in virtual funds, the demo account accurately simulates AvaTrade’s real account but expires after 21 days.

AvaTrade has it’s own award-winning mobile app as well as support for the MT4 and MT5 apps. AvaOptions is also available for dedicated options traders.

AvaTrade App

We enjoyed how easy it is to use the AvaTrade app. It has a sophisticated dashboard and intuitive home screen that allows you to view educational videos, market analysis materials, and contact customer support from within the app.  It also has excellent search functionality and it’s simple to place orders, set price alerts, create watchlists, and view live prices and charts. Features include:

• Access to over 1,000 instruments—forex, stocks, indices, commodities, cryptos
• Live charting tools with zoom, indicators, and price alerts
• AvaProtect™: option to protect individual trades for a set time, refunding losses (T&C apply)
• Market Trends: see social sentiment from the AvaTrade community, helping inform your decisions
• Supports demo, live, and Islamic accounts with easy account switching
• Secure login using PIN or biometric authentication
• Integrated deposits and withdrawals functionality

MetaTrader 4 and 5

Avatrade offers MT4 and MT5 available for both Android and iOS. Although there is slightly limited functionality compared to the desktop versions of the platforms, with reduced timeframes and fewer charting options, traders will still have access to analytics with technical indicators, graphical objects, and a full set of trading orders. 

AvaOptions Mobile

AvaTrade also offers trading on vanilla options and has also created its own options mobile trading platform. Traders can choose between more than 40 currency pairs, and gold and silver. The platform gives you total control over your portfolio, letting you balance risk and reward to match your market view.

• Designed specifically for options traders
• Trade options on forex, commodities, and indices with simple mobile execution
• Seamless risk management via limit, stop, and expiry orders
• Compact hedging tools and payoff visualisations for smarter decision-making

AvaTrade offers a wider range of trading platforms than other brokers, including MT4, MT5, and its own in-house platforms – AvaTrade Webtrader and AvaOptions.  

For the purposes of this review, we tested AvaTrade’s web trader platform.  When you log in to your account you are immediately redirected to the platform.

AvaTrade WebTrader

The webtrader platform requires no downloads or installation and is available for all devices. We found that the web trader has a clean user interface and intuitive design, and is easy to navigate and search for various instruments, making it a great option for beginner traders. There are three chart types, including Line, Bar, and Candlestick charts and you can also access a wide selection of indicators in multiple timeframes. See below:

One drawback is that the platform is not customisable, and traders can’t change the size and position of the tabs.  The platform also does not allow traders to set price alerts and notifications. More advanced traders may prefer MT4 or MT5, both available at AvaTrade, which allows traders to customise their indicators, has many more chart types, and algorithmic (or automated) trading.

We were pleased to note that Trading Central, one of the most popular third-party trading tools on the market, is fully integrated into the platform and provides technical insight and instant pattern recognition.

Metatrader 4 (MT4)

We found that like most brokers, the AvaTrade MT4 platform is the standard version with 24 graphical objects and 30 built-in indicators. Unlike AvaTrade’s proprietary web trader, algorithmic trading is available, and MT4 is fully customisable. 

As you can see below, only the basic orders are available, Market, Limit, Stop, and Trailing Stop:

Metatrader 5 (MT5)

MT5, the newer version of MT4, is also available at AvaTrade. The difference between the two platforms is that MT4 is a Forex-only platform, while MT5 allows trading on all the assets available at AvaTrade. We recommend using MT5 if you are looking for a more powerful and faster trading platform when it comes to back-testing functionality for automated trading algorithms.  Additionally, traders prefer MT5 for its depth of market display, additional technical indicators, and analytical tools. 

AvaOptions

AvaTrade allows trading on vanilla options. Options trading provides traders with opportunities to benefit from more than just the 2-dimensional nature of Forex trading. Vanilla options are available on more than 40 currency pairs, gold, and silver. Trading options can be a complex undertaking, but the AvaOptions platform simplifies the process. 

Trading Tools and Social Trading

AvaTrade offers a limted selection of trading tools, but does have two social trading platforms.

Trading Central

Trading Central is a third-party company that provides AvaTrade’s clients with market insight and trade analysis. The market insight provided by Trading Central helps inform traders’ strategies and trading plans and is created by expert analysts. The tool helps merge these experts’ views with automated algorithms and offers pattern recognition to trigger trading ideas. Trading Central also delivers a daily strategy newsletter, combining both technical and fundamental research, directly to your inbox. Trading Central also provides an updated news feed for each asset, which also comes with a sentiment score for that asset.  An additional feature of Trading Central is the Trend Analysis, which predicts whether assets will rise and fall and by what percentage.

Capitalise.ai

Capitalise.ai provides AI-powered financial services for investors and traders. The platform uses machine learning algorithms to analyze financial data and provide insights for investment decision-making. Some of the services offered by Capitalise.ai include automated trading, portfolio management, and risk analysis.

AvaProtect

This unique trading tool allows ‎clients to purchase protection against losing trades for a specified time, and if a trade is closed during that period, any losses will be fully refunded.  While the AvaProtect feature is active, traders will still be able to benefit from any gains on a position. The cost of AvaProtect changes according to the market and size of the trade.  AvaProtect is also available on the AvaTrade Mobile App.  Note that this feature is not available on limit orders, only on market orders.

Overall, while AvaTrade’s in-house team does not provide as much market analysis as is available at other large international brokers, it provides a good set of third-party tools to help its clients make trading decisions. 

Duplitrade

Duplitrade is a popular copy trading platform that can link to the MT4 trading platform. DupliTrade allows traders to automatically duplicate the actions of expert traders (with proven histories) directly into their AvaTrade trading account. However, traders will have to deposit a minimum amount of 2,000 USD to access Duplitrade, way above the required minimum deposit.  We thought this offering was expensive compared to other similar brokers.

AvaSocial

AvaTrade clients can also download the broker’s social and copy trading platform – AvaSocial. Available on iOS and Android devices, the mobile app allows clients to replicate the trades of successful investors. You can opt to manually trade on market signals or follow a fully automated service. In addition, users can interact with other traders via community channels and ask questions on specific strategies, find out more about crypto markets, or seek out a trading mentor, making it an excellent tool for beginner traders.

Trading Tools Comparison

Broker

Economic Calendar

Autochartist

Trading Central

Trading View

Free VPS

VPS services are usually offered free with a minimum trade volume, otherwise a monthly subscription fee will apply. VPS services are usually hosted by third-party companies.

AvaTrade

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

Pepperstone

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

FBS

Yes

No

No

No

Yes

A well-regulated broker, AvaTrade ensures that all Anti-Money Laundering rules and regulations are followed, and as such, all non-profit withdrawals are returned to the deposit source. Traders can only withdraw up to 100% of the original deposit to a credit or debit card. After this, funds may be withdrawn by another method in the trader’s name.

Accepted Deposit Currencies: When we opened our account, we noticed that the AvaTrade client portal allows traders to choose between six base currencies, including USD, EUR, GBP, CHF, ZAR, and AUD. 

Funding Methods: We were pleased to find that AvaTrade offers a wide range of payment methods and does not charge fees for deposits or withdrawals.

We found that AvaTrade’s library of educational materials is world-class and on par with some of the best brokers in the world.  Education comprises trading videos, a trading beginners section, correct trading rules, online trading strategy guides, order types, technical analysis indicators and strategies, economic indicators, market terms, and a free trading e-book.  These materials are in-depth and well-structured and cater to both beginner and experienced traders.  AvaTrade also offers a demo account for traders to practice their trading:

• Trading for beginners – The Trading for beginners section gives you all the information you need to tackle Forex and CFD instruments with confidence. In this section, traders can learn about many trading topics, including ‘What is Forex’, ‘What is a pip’, ‘What is Metatrader?’, ‘MACD trading strategies’, ‘How to read a Forex chart’, ‘Technical analysis’, and more.
• Video Education – AvaTrade’s video section is strong and covers many topics, including Advanced Trading Tools, Beginner Lessons, Forex Trading Strategies, etc. The section also cater to both beginners and more experienced traders. 
• Correct Trading Rules: These guides educate traders on how to trade efficiently and master the basics, and progress to more advanced trading techniques and strategies.
• Online Trading Strategies: This section covers various online trading strategies, including day trading, swing trading, and financial instruments.
• Order types: This section covers different market orders, pending orders, and conditional orders used on the financial markets.
• Technical Analysis Indicators and Strategies: CFD and forex traders mainly utilise technical analysis methods in analysing the price changes of their preferred assets. These articles help traders understand price action methods (candlestick types and candlestick patterns, trends, volatility, market cycles, etc.
• Economic Indicators: These articles outline the types of economic indicators and their importance during trading.
• Market Terms for Pros: These guides help traders understand all the relevant key terms, gain further knowledge from more professional sites, and participate in interesting trader-centric forums.
• Ebook – AvaTrade’s Ebook gives traders a good overview of basic Forex terminology and the different groups of currency pairs available. The Ebook also explains how to read a Forex quote and the advantages of Forex trading.

Customer support is available 24/5 for CFD trading, and 24/7 for cryptocurrency trading. In addition, help is available in various languages via email, live chat, and telephone.

For the purposes of the review, we tested the live chat service and email. Our email was answered within a couple of hours and the answer was relevant and to the point. We found the live chat agents were polite and responsive, and they were able to answer all our questions. After logging into the live chat we were connected to an agent who replied to our message within 30 seconds, as shown below:

Is AvaTrade Safe?

Yes. AvaTrade is an internationally, and well-regulated Forex CFD broker.

What is the AvaTrade minimum deposit?

Clients can open a live AvaTrade account with 100 USD

How do I fund my Avatrade account?

Clients can fund accounts using Skrill, Webmoney, Neteller, ETF, and credit cards. Payments will reflect in your trading account between 1-5 days depending on the deposit method.

How can I withdraw money from Avatrade?

Clients can only make withdrawals via payment methods used to fund your account, with the only exception made for clients who are withdrawing earnings and have already made a withdrawal via the original funding method. Withdrawals are typically processed and sent within 1 to 2 business days.

Does AvaTrade have a demo account?

The free AvaTrade demo account has 100,000 USD virtual funds. The account will expire after 21 days, but can be reopened by the support team.