ActivTrades is a long-established British broker founded in 2001 and, on regulatory pedigree, one of the strongest names in our ranking. Its UK entity, ActivTrades PLC, is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority under firm reference 434413, and clients of that entity are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme up to £85,000 — a layer of protection few brokers can match. It also holds licences through the Securities Commission of The Bahamas and Portugal's CMVM. One correction worth making, because comparison sites still repeat it: ActivTrades is not CSSF-regulated — ActivTrades Europe S.A. was removed from the CSSF register on 18 October 2024, so any page describing it that way is out of date. None of these licences is a MAS licence, and a Singapore resident is not the client of a Singapore-licensed firm here. It suits traders who want pedigree and variety: alongside MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 it offers its own ActivTrader platform and TradingView, and its instrument list stretches beyond forex into shares, bonds and ETFs. 84% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. Our trading signals arrive with an exact entry, take-profit and stop-loss on every call, so you can execute them on any ActivTrades platform — just note that the free forex signals package is exclusive to Base Markets. The signals page compares the free and paid paths.
Regulation and safety
ActivTrades is supervised by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority — ActivTrades PLC, firm reference 434413 — alongside licences in The Bahamas (SCB) and Portugal (CMVM). It is not CSSF-regulated: ActivTrades Europe S.A. was removed from the CSSF register on 18 October 2024, and any comparison page still saying otherwise has not been updated.
It holds no MAS licence. Clients of the UK entity benefit from Financial Services Compensation Scheme protection up to £85,000, but which entity serves you depends on your country of residence, so check at registration which one will hold your account and what protections come with it. ActivTrades publishes that 84% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider — read that number before the marketing copy.
Accounts and costs
ActivTrades does not impose a high minimum deposit (in practice it starts from $0 for most countries), and spreads start from 0.5 pips on major pairs.
A notable advantage: there are no fees on deposits or withdrawals, which lowers the total cost of trading over time. Accounts are held in major currencies rather than SGD, so a Singapore funding transfer carries the usual FX conversion cost.
Platforms and instruments
ActivTrades stands out for offering its own ActivTrader platform alongside MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and TradingView, so you can pick whichever suits you for ease of use or professional depth.
Assets span forex, shares, indices, commodities, ETFs, bonds and crypto CFDs — a broader range than is usual among forex-focused brokers, and useful if you want exposure beyond gold and the majors.
Swap-free account
ActivTrades offers a swap-free account (no overnight interest), but it is available to clients in a limited list of countries — confirm your eligibility as a Singapore resident before registering.
If a swap-free account is a hard requirement and your country is not covered, Base Markets or XM may suit you better.
Using our signals with ActivTrades
Every signal we publish includes a precise entry, take-profit and stop-loss, so it can be executed on ActivTrader, MT4, MT5 or TradingView without modification — around the London open at 3:00 PM SGT or the New York session through the Singapore evening. If you already hold an ActivTrades account, you can subscribe to the signals through our Telegram bot.
Bear in mind the free-access route — a $400 deposit (roughly S$515) that stays yours to trade — runs only through Base Markets. Our free trading signals guide explains both options and their total cost.