XTB Broker Review

XTB is a leading European brokerage firm and one of the world’s largest stock exchange-listed Forex & CFD brokers. The firm is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. It is based in Poland but has offices in more than 13 countries, such as the UK, France, Germany, and Chile; however, its international headquarters is in Belize. The broker provides retail traders with access to hundreds of global markets across different asset classes, including Forex, indices, commodities, stock CFDs, ETFs, cryptocurrency, and more.

In this broker review, we will pay attention to the critical aspects of XTB, which you may consider before deciding whether to trade with this online brokerage.

Key Pros and Cons

First, let us briefly look at XTB’s strengths and weaknesses.

Company Information

The broker has also bagged several industry awards, including the Best Customer Services 2021 (Forexbrokers.com), Best Polish Forex Broker 2019 (Invest Cuffs), Best Forex Broker for Low Costs 2021 (Investopedia 2021), Best NDD Forex Broker 2021 (Online Personal Wealth Awards), Best Mobile App for Investing 2019 (Rankia Awards), Best Mobile App for Investing 2020 (Rankia awards), and Best Execution Broker 2019 (Technical Analysis Exhibition).

XTB Group is comprised of the following corporate entities with their respective regulated offices:

• XTB International Limited (XTB), regulated by the IFSC: office address: 35 Barrack Road, 3rd Floor, Belize City, Belize, C.A
• XTB Limited, regulated by the FCA: office address: London, United Kingdom
• XTB Limited, regulated by the CYSEC: office address: Europe
• X-Trade Brokers DM SA, regulated by the KNF: office address: Poland
• XTB Sucursal, regulated by the Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores: office address: Spain.

Note that XTB does not offer its services to residents of certain regions, such as the United States.

Why Trade with XTB?

Now, let us briefly list the key features that we like about XTB.

Regulation

XTB Group of companies is authorized and regulated in various jurisdictions:

In the United Kingdom, XTB operates as XTB Limited, which is authorized and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), with the registration number: FRN 522157.

Clients in the EU region are on-boarded in the Cyprus-based XTB Limited, which is authorized and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission, with CIF Licence number 169/12.

XTB’s international operations are also handled by XTB International Limited, which is authorized and regulated by the International Financial Services Commission (IFSC) in Belize with License No.: 000302/46. However, this regulation by IFSC is not as solid as ASIC.

Additionally, XTB is also a trading name for the XTB Group, which includes the following entities:

• X-Trade Brokers DM SA: authorised and regulated by the Komisja Nadzoru Finansowego (KNF) in Poland
• XTB Sucursal: authorised and regulated by the Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores in Spain

A breakdown of the various regulatory regimes is presented below.

The XTB Group has a global footprint and is regulated by the world’s leading supervisory authorities, including the FCA and CySEC, to give you peace of mind that you are trading with a broker you can trust. The fact that the broker is regulated in various jurisdictions provides it with a fairly solid regulation status, as the FCA and CySEC are strict tier-1 regulatory authorities.

However, since it is not regulated by the CFTC, XTB cannot provide its services to citizens or residents of the United States.

KYC Procedure for Account Creation and Depositing

Creating an account with XTB is straightforward and can be completed in less than 5 minutes. However, it may take up to 24 hours to get your trading account verified. Generally, the entire account creation process complies with the industry-standard procedure and follows these steps:

1. Creating your secure login: Enter a valid email and choose a password
2. Completing the application form with your details: Fill in your names, date of birth, city of residence, address, postcode, and phone number
3. Choosing your trading account: You choose your preferred trading platform and account type (Standard or Pro Account)
4. Checking your suitability status: You will be required to disclose information about your employment status and sources of income, as well as your trading experience. If you are approved based on your answers, you can proceed to the next step of the process, but if any of your answers do not match the broker’s internal requirements, your application will be rejected;
5. Confirming your agreement to the terms: You need to tick the box at the bottom of the account registration form to indicate that you agree to XTB’s Terms and Conditions
6. Verifying your documents: You provide your proof of ID (Passport, national ID card, or Driver’s License) and proof of residency (utility bill or bank account statement that is less than three months) for XTB to verify your account.

While the account creation is swift (can be completed within a few minutes), it may take up to 24 hours to verify your trading account. When your account is verified, you will have to fund it using any of the available payment methods before you can start trading.

Account Types

The broker offers two main live account types: Standard Account and Pro Account. All account options are denominated in multiple currencies. Each account has its unique trading conditions and provides traders with a dynamic trading environment along with the best pricing schedule. Traders can choose the account that best suits their individual needs and trading style.

Let’s now take a look at each of the available trading account options:

Islamic Account (Swap-Free)

The Islamic account option is available on the Standard and Pro accounts. This live trading account type does not incur swaps or interests on overnight positions, making it suitable for traders who cannot receive or pay swaps due to religious beliefs. While this account type does not incur any swaps or interest charges on overnight positions, the account holder could be charged an administration fee on trading positions.

Demo Account

The broker provides traders with a demo account option that is beneficial for beginners and experienced traders alike. It allows amateur traders to familiarize themselves with the broker’s platform before committing real funds on the live accounts. On the other hand, experienced traders can also use the demo account to test their trading strategies in a risk-free environment before implementing them on the live account options. The demo account always comes preloaded with virtual funds for practice purposes.

Trading fees and other costs

Every trader should always consider a broker’s trading fees and other costs before deciding whether to trade with it or not. As a CFD and forex broker, XTB offers two types of trading fees, namely:

• Trading costs – spreads, commissions, and overnight financing rates;
• Non-trading costs – account management fees, deposit and withdrawal fees, non-activity fees.

Let us take a quick look at the trading fees that are available at XTB.

Spreads

Spreads are the difference between an instrument’s quoted bid and ask prices. At XTB, traders enjoy low spreads across all the available live trading account options as follows:

• Standard Account — Spreads start from 0.5 pips with no commissions
• Pro-Account — Tight spreads (starting from 0.1 pips) + a commission of $7.0 per round turn.

Let us take a look at the average spreads offered on the two account types:

From the above, we can see a mark-up spread of 0.7 pips to the average spread on XTB’s Standard Account to cover the costs of trading the EUR/USD pair.

Now, let us compare the trading costs for the two account types. For this, we will use a 1 Lot trade on EUR/USD (one pip movement equals $10) and assume that the trade is opened and closed at the same price. Using the average spreads, the trading costs for the three accounts will be:

Standard Account

• Spread – 0.8 pip
• TOTAL COST – 0.8 x $10 = $8.00 per side and $16.00 per round turn

Pro Account

• Spread – 0.1 pips
• Spread cost – 0.1 x $10 = $1.00 per side and $2.00 per round turn
• Commission – $3.50 per side or $7.0 per round turn
• TOTAL COST – $2.00 + $7.00 = $9.00 per round turn

So, the Pro Account offers cheaper trading costs than the Standard Account; little wonder, it is offered to high-volume traders.

Finally, let us compare XTB Standard Account average spreads with what other major brokerages offer on the three most actively traded Forex pairs.

From the table above, we can deduce that the spreads offered by the XTB Standard STP Account are similar to those offered by the big names in the industry, such as IG Markets, IC Markets, and Fusion Markets.

Commissions

Commissions are one of the most common trading fees in the financial market; they are the small transaction fees charged by brokers. XTB clients are charged a commission fee of $3.5 per lot per side ($7 round trip) on the Pro account. XTB does not charge any commissions on the Standard account, as the spreads are already marked up to cover trading costs.

Considering the commission fee on the Pro account, it means that:

• for a 1 Standard Lot trade (100,000 units), you will pay a $7.0 commission to open and close the position;
• for a 1 Mini Lot trade (10,000 units), you will pay a $0.7 commission to open and close the position;
• for a 1 Micro Lot trade (1,000 units), you will pay a $0.07 commission to open and close the position.

While a commission fee of $7 per round trip is similar to the commission fees of their major competitors, it is not the lowest commission fee that is obtainable in the industry. For instance, an equivalent trade on the Zero Spread Account with Fusion Markets will incur a $4.50 commission per round turn, which is, at present, among the most competitive offers within the industry.

Financing charges

These include the swap charges, which XTB’s financial institutional partners calculate the daily released rates using risk-management analysis. Each currency pair has its forex swap charge, and the interest is paid on currency sold and received on currency bought.

Deposit fees

XTB will not charge any deposit fees, just like most online brokerage firms. This is standard practice for brokers.

Withdrawal fees

XTB does not charge any withdrawal fees on all payment options available. However, payments to and from overseas banking institutions may attract intermediary transfer fees from either party. Such fees are not within the control of XTB.

Inactivity fees

After 12 months of inactivity, an inactivity fee of $10 per month will be charged to the trader’s account.

Overall on Fees

XTB offers low spreads for the Pro account option, but the Standard account has marked-up spreads — which are still competitive when compared with other brokers. The commission fees are competitive, and there are no additional fees on top of overnight financing charges. The absence of non-trading costs is largely beneficial for traders.

Overall, XTB’s commission fee of $7 per round trip is higher than that of some major competitors, such as Fusion Markets.

Desktop Trading Platforms

XTB provides traders with the xStation 5 trading platform. It is an innovative trading platform that was developed by the broker to deliver a conducive trading environment for new and advanced traders, with easy-to-use interfaces and advanced charting tools. The xStation has an intuitive and fully customizable user interface, allowing traders to tweak it to suit their trading preferences. The platform offers superior execution speeds and features many trading tools, such as trader’s calculator, performance statistics, sentiment analysis, and the most popular technical indicators, including Fibonacci, MACD, Moving Averages, RSI, Bollinger Bands, and many more.

Traders can take advantage of the platform’s advanced charting options to perform better analysis and place market orders, stop losses, take profits, and pending orders directly on the charts. The one-click dealing system incorporated into the platform can provide traders with a more convenient and efficient way to trade. The platform also features a live performance statistics function that allows users to analyze their performance to see what markets they perform well in by analyzing the win/loss ratio of their short and long trades. Whether you are a new or experienced trader, this easy-to-use platform is designed to deliver results. With total trade transparency, real-time market commentary, live performance statistics, and the most comprehensive charting package around, xStation was easily voted ‘Best Trading Platform 2016’ by Online Personal Wealth Awards.

Other essential built-in tools in the xStation 5 trading platform include the Free Trader Talk which provides a live audio feed into the platform to give traders the latest market news and analysis in real-time. This can help traders take advantage of potential trading opportunities or avoid specific markets. Another essential tool of the platform is the Sentiment Analysis tool, which displays how many XTB traders are short (selling) and how many traders are long (buying). The platform also features a Stock Screener, a Heatmap, and Top Movers. Using the advanced screener, you can filter stocks to find suitable opportunities while the top movers let you see all of the major market moves and volatility all in one place via a heatmap and top movers tab.

The xStation 5 trading platform has always been available as a web-trading platform (WebTrader) that can be opened directly from modern web browsers, such as Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge, without the need to first download and install an application. The broker has also released the installable desktop version for Mac and Windows computers. The xStation 5 platform is also available as a mobile app that is compatible with Android and iOS devices, allowing traders to get access to their trading accounts even while on the go.

Mobile Trading Platforms

The broker provides traders the XTB mobile app; it is a proprietary mobile trading platform that allows traders to buy and sell various financial assets from the convenience of their mobile handheld devices. The mobile platform offers access to the globe’s financial markets from your mobile devices and allows traders to choose from over 1,500 CFD markets, including FX, cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc.), indices, commodities, stocks, and ETFs from around the world. Interestingly, when you trade with the mobile versions of the xStation 5 trading platform, you don’t lose any analysis features since the mobile app offers the same features and functionalities as the desktop platforms. The platform is replete with a suite of advanced trading tools, such as technical indicators, order management, custom watchlists, trading signals, alerts, news calendars, and more. It is available for Android and iOS devices and can be downloaded from the respective app stores.

Trading Instruments

XTB offers over 2,100 financial instruments across different asset classes, such as Forex, indices, commodities, stock CFDs, ETFs, cryptocurrency, and more. Their range of available financial assets compares fairly to other big brokers, such as Fusion Markets and IC Markets.

Let us now take a closer look at the product list.

Forex

At XTB, traders are allowed to trade over 57 forex currency pairs. The broker provides traders with institutional-level trading through its deep FX liquidity pools with inter-bank market access.

They currently offer major, minor and exotic FX currency pairs with spreads starting from just 0.1 pips and micro-lot trading available. Forex trading is available 24 hours a day, 5 days a week on the desktop, web, and mobile versions of the xStation 5 trading platform. Leverage of up to 1:500 is available to professional and international retail clients; however, EU retail traders can only use a maximum of 1:30 leverage.

Indices

XTB offers over 20 indices from across the world’s equity markets, including the US, German, and Chinese stock markets, through the xStation 5 trading platform. The prices of all XTB indices are based on the underlying price at the index’s corresponding stock market.

At XTB, all trading styles are welcome, including scalping, hedging, swing trading, and position trading, and you can use any Expert Advisor (EA) that suits your trading style. Clients can trade indices with competitive trading conditions, such as zero commissions, transparent prices, leverage of up to 1:500 (not more than 1:30 for EU retail traders), and ultra-sharp spreads. Spreads are very competitive, and traders can trade long or short. There are no overnight costs if you keep a position open until the next day.

Commodities

XTB allows traders to trade popular commodities, including gold, silver, and oil, with competitive spreads and no overnight costs. You can trade over 23 commodities with leverage of up to 1:500 (1:30 for EU retail traders) and tight spreads. Commodity trading is available on the desktop, web, and mobile versions of the xStation 5 trading platform. Transparent rollovers are visible directly on the chart for commodities traders.

Stock CFDs

Traders who are looking to profit from some of the world’s most popular stocks can consider trading stock CFDs with XTB. The broker offers CFDs trading on more than 2100 stocks, including the most popular U.S. tech stocks, such as Apple and Facebook. XTB offers low commission fees from 0.08%, and you can trade long or short. When you trade shares using CFDs, you will be dealing at the real market price but won’t have to own the stocks.

The broker offers leverage of up to 1:10 and competitive spreads. Stock CFD trading is done via the xStation trading platform, which offers ultra-fast trade execution.

ETFs

XTB allows traders to benefit from the ETFs markets by offering multiple ETFs for trading on the desktop, web, and mobile versions of its xStation 5 platform. The broker offers over 60 Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) for trading, with a commission of just 0.08%, no requites, and ultra-fast execution. XTB offers negative balance protection on ETFs, allowing traders to build diversified investment portfolios on its platform. Traders can get leverage of up to 1:10 for ETFs trading.

Cryptocurrency

XTB allows you to gain exposure to the cryptocurrency market through cryptocurrency CFDs. The crypto broker offers over 10 Crypto CFDs, including Bitcoin , Ethereum, Stellar, Dogecoin, and more. With crypto CFDs, you can speculate on the price of cryptocurrencies without taking ownership of the underlying crypto assets. Cryptocurrency CFD trading is available on all the xStation trading platforms (desktop, web, and mobile apps), and you can trade 24/7, with low costs and spreads starting from 0.22%. Other perks for trading cryptocurrency on XTB include a Safe and transparent account, IFSC supervision, and safe and quick deposits and withdrawals.

Trade Execution

XTB is not a market maker and has no dealing desk. The European entity, XTB Ltd, is a matched-principle broker and sends all trades automatically to their parent company X-Trade Brokers DM, which is their liquidity provider, and trades are executed automatically without any manual intervention from any dealing desk. The no dealing desk intervention allows for ultra-fast trade execution speeds.

So, with XTB, you will benefit from super-fast trade execution and low spreads with no dealing desk intervention. Your Buy/Sell Orders are executed at the best available market prices after the order is triggered. The trade can be filled at exactly the same level, slightly better or a slightly worse price. Normally, differences are very minimal. Limit Orders and Take Profits are executed at the set price or better, while the Stop Loss (SL) Orders are executed at the first available price after the set price is reached. In some cases, SL may be executed at a price that is slightly worse than the price at the order.

Deposits

XTB supports different deposit methods to enable you to easily fund your account and trade. The broker does not charge any deposit fees, and it allows you to open accounts and deposit funds in multiple base currencies.

You can deposit funds to your account via several payment methods, including bank transfers, credit and debit cards, Paypal, and Paysafe. Interestingly, you can deposit funds on the xStation platform or via your Client Office on the broker’s website. XTB does not determine the amount of the minimum initial deposit, so you can open a real account and start trading with any amount from $1.00.

If you choose to fund your account via bank transfer, you will be provided with the necessary bank details. You will also need to provide the broker’s support team with your trading account number so that your deposits can be credited to your XTB account.

While many of the deposit methods offer instant funding, with the funds reflecting on your XTB account in seconds, bank transfers can take a slightly longer time (some days) to process and may not show immediately. For this reason, if you need to add funds via a bank transfer to maintain the margin relating to open trade, it is recommended that you contact the support team first.

XTB does not accept third-party payments, so all funds deposited into your trading account must be under the same name as your XTB trading account. Payment from joint bank accounts or credit cards is accepted if the trading account holder is one of the beneficiaries.

The online payment methods allowed by this broker include:

Currently, there are no deposit bonuses available with this brokerage.

Withdrawal Methods

Clients can withdraw funds online by logging into the secure XTB client portal and selecting the withdraw tab from the menu. All withdrawal requests are processed via the payment method that was used to make a deposit. For instance, Debit/Credit Card withdrawal can only be used for accounts that made deposits using a Debit/Credit Card.

XTB does not charge any internal fees for deposits or withdrawals. However, international bank transfers may attract intermediary transfer fees from either party, and such fees are independent of XTB.

Due to AML / CTF laws, XTB cannot deposit funds to third parties. As a result, all money withdrawn from your account must go to a bank account in the same name as your XTB trading account.

Customer Support Contacts

XTB has a knowledgeable client support team that is very polite and highly responsive to clients’ problems. The support team is available 24 hours a day, 5 days a week — from Mondays to Fridays. You can contact the broker’s support team through any of the following channels:

1. Live Chat: This channel allows you to chat directly with the broker’s support team live. The live chat function is available as a “Chat” icon at the lower-right corner of the website. When you click on the icon, you will be required to input your name and email address. Next, type your message in the bigger box and send it. A customer service agent will reply in no time.

2. Telephone contact: The broker’s support team are also available through the telephone; they can be reached through the following contact channels:

   Account Opening: +44 2036953085
   Office: +44 2036953085
   Poland: +44 2036953086
   Marketing: +44 2036953087

   When we contacted the broker’s support team via telephone, we got a response within a few minutes. The response from the customer support team was polite and offered all the information we were looking for.

3. Email Contact: the support team can also be reached through the provided email address: uksales@xtb.com and sales_int@xtb.com

   In addition to the above contact channels, you can find answers to common questions from the broker’s Help page

4. Help page: This page contains a comprehensive list of Frequently Asked Questions. They answer some of the clients’ most common questions, such as how to open an account, account types, deposits, and withdrawals. The Help section is located at the top menu of the broker’s website.

Research and Educational Materials

To help traders learn about the financial markets, XTB makes a range of learning resources available on their website. The broker’s extensive library of educational materials contains videos, webinars, and courses suitable for beginners and experienced investors. Other available educational resources include learning courses, trading platform manuals, video tutorials, daily market updates, and more. Here is what you will find:

• A rich education section containing various market analyses and educational content
• The XTB Trading Academy: This is a dedicated education area that contains a vast array of educational content, which can help you become a better trader. Some of the content includes video tutorials, trading courses, articles, and much more. You can choose a topic covering various subjects to improve your knowledge and skills at every stage of your trading journey. There are over 150 lessons available, covering a range of investment topics like technical analysis, fundamental analysis, and trading strategies. These lessons are available in 12+ languages.
• Various articles on a wide range of subjects, including trading platform tutorials, introduction to markets, technical analysis, fundamental analysis, risk management, trading psychology, and more.
• Live Webinars: XTB hosts regular webinars and seminars where you can put your questions across to market experts. They cover everything from spotting trade opportunities to using trading platforms.
• Ebooks on various trading topics
• A news section that is updated regularly to keep traders up to date with the latest events that take place in the financial markets.

Security and Money Guarantees

At bestbrokers.com, we are committed to ensuring that traders trade with only regulated online brokers, and XTB is one of such. Our key findings include:

• Over two decades of business history and growth
• Top-tier FCA and CySEC regulation
• Award-winning brokerage

The FCA has strict regulatory requirements, known as the client money and client assets rules, which govern what brokers can do and how they must do it. This helps to reduce the risk of fraudulent behavior by the brokerage. FCA regulation means that UK traders are covered under the financial services compensation scheme (FSCS) to the tune of £85,000 in the event of the broker’s insolvency.

Similarly, CySEC regulation means that EU retail traders are covered under the investor compensation fund (ICF) to the tune of €20,000 in the event of the broker’s insolvency.

Conclusion

Putting it all together, XTB provides trading service in Forex, Gold & silver, CFD, Oil, Indexes, Agriculture, Soft commodities, Metals and Energies. Our team of experts at BestBrokers.com can say that XTB offers some of the best trading conditions among peers, and our reasons for that assertion are as follows:

• High liquidity
• Flexible leverage of up to 1:500
• Innovative trading technology
• Lightning-fast execution via the xStation 5 desktop, web, and mobile trading platforms
• Award-winning customer service
• Free education to sharpen your skills
• Fully licensed and regulated since 2002

E. Ifeanyi