XTB is an online broker dedicated trading Forex, Crypto & CFD markets. XTB prides itself on offering a personal approach, comprehensive educational materials, and an award-winning platform. The company aims to create a long-term relationship with clients, giving them the necessary tools to successfully trade.
Keep in mind that XTB operates in 17 different countries/regions and also has a separate international version. Each of these has slight differences in spreads, leverage, account types, funding methods, and other intricacies. Unless specified, all of the following information is based on International Accounts.
XTB Regulations
While most brokers are only regulated by one, possibly two, organizations, XTB is regulated by a long list. XTB has offices in over 10 countries around the world, including France, Spain, Germany, Poland, the UK, and Belize.
With its reach in so many different countries, it should come as no surprise that XTB is regulated by numerous supervision authorities from around the world, including CySec, KNF, FCA, and IFSC. With so much international regulation, you can trust that XTB is held to a high standard, particularly in terms of protection of client funds.
XTB International Limited (XTB) is regulated and authorized by IFSC (International Financial Services Commission) in Belize under IFSC License No: IFSC/60/413/TS/17. XTB is registered in Belize with Registered Number 153,939. The company’s address is 35 Barrack Road, 3rd Floor, Belize City, Belize, C.A.
XTB is one XTB Group’s trademarks. The XTB Group also includes X-Trade Brokers DM SA, XTB Limited, and XTB Sucursal. Other international organizations authorize and regulate these other entities. Komisja Nadzoru Finansowego (KNF) in Poland authorizes and regulates X-Trade Brokers DM SA (KRS 0000217580, REGON 015803782, NIP 52 7-24-43-955).
The Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom authorizes and regulates XTB Limited (FRN 522157). The Comision Nacional del Mercado de Valores in Spain authorizes and regulates XTB Sucursal.
XTB Ltd’s (XTB UK) registered trading office is located at Level 34, One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, E14 5AA, London, United Kingdom. X-Trade Brokers DM SA’s registered address is ul. Ogrodowa 58, 00-876 Warszawa, Polska. XTB Sucursal’s registered address is C/ Pedro Teixeira 8, 6ª Planta, 28020, Madrid.
History of XTB
XTB has a rich history that reaches back to 2002. In 2002, X-Trade was incorporated. With its location in Warsaw, it was, at the time, the very first foreign exchange brokerage house in Poland offering leverage. In 2004, X-Trade merged and became XTB as a way to comply with the updated regulations for the Polish market.
By 2005, XTB was authorized by the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF) for offering brokerage services across all types of financial products. In 2005, XTB earned the honor of “Best Broker in Europe” from the Money Markets Journal.
In 2006, XTB became part of the Polish National Clearing House and the Warsaw Stock Exchange. In 2007, it opened its first foreign branch, which was located in the Czech Republic. It followed this achievement by also opening offices in Romania, Slovakia, Germany, and Spain in 2008.
X-Trade Brokers rebranded to become XTB Online Trading in 2009. In 2010, XTB opened up new branches in Portugal, France, Italy, and Hungary. These branches included cross-border licensing in Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden, Bulgaria, Greece, and Belgium. The year 2010 also saw XTB establish subsidiaries in Turkey and the United Kingdom.
In 2016, XTB signed a deal with Mads Mikkelsen, the award-winning Hollywood actor, to become a brand ambassador. In 2016, XTB was successfully listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The first day that it was a publicly traded company, the shares rose over 4%.
XTB Account Types
XTB has multiple account types, including a demo account which is super easy to signup for and will allow you to test out the platform with either MetaTrader 4 or the web-based Xstation.
- Demo Accounts – There is a Demo Account from XTB that lets you test out the platform without any commitment.
- Standard Accounts – This account has access to over 1,500 instruments, including forex, commodities, crypto, indices, stock CFDs, and ETF CFDs. This account type has market execution, leverage of up to 1:200, a minimum spread of 0.35, and a minimum order of 0.1. There is negative balance protection and automated trading. Both account setup and management are free for this account type. You can use MT4 or xStation with this type of account.
- Pro Accounts – have identical access to assets, with a minimum spread of 0.28 and maximum leverage of 1:200. There is free account set up without any management fees, and the minimum order size is 0.1 lot. This account type also works with both xStation and MT4.
- Islamic Accounts – are similar to Standard Accounts. The only differences are that they do not offer cryptocurrency trading and are swap-free.
Only the Standard and Pro Accounts are available to clients in the UK. Both of these types of accounts for UK clients use floating spreads, with Pro Accounts also featuring market execution. This involves paying a small commission in order to reach market levels. A UK Standard Account spreads float with a minimum of 0.9 pips, while Pro Accounts have a minimum spread of 0 pips, which are also floating.
XTB Spreads & Pips
With XTB, traders are able to enjoy spreads as high as 200:1 or as tight at 0.3 pips. To round it out, clients enjoy market level execution. For full transparency at all times, XTB includes the pip value, swaps, and spread on your deal ticket; this way, there are never any surprises. XTB also uses advanced trading technology that prevents requotes so you can trust that the trade will enjoy smooth execution.
Each instrument type has its own specific trading terms. If you visit the Market Analysis section of the XTB website, you can go to the Price Tables. Here, you will find the current price for each instrument, including figures for bid, ask, spread, and percent change.
Click on “Instrument Specification” below each chart to see the information for all instruments within a category, as this main page only displays around 10 to 15 of each instrument type due to space limitations.
XTB Deposits
To deposit funds into your XTB account and begin trading, simply log in and head to “Deposits.” From there, you just choose your trading account as well as the payment method. XTB offers many methods of depositing funds, some of which have additional charges and many of which are free.
Keep in mind that if you deposit funds into XTB in a currency that is not that of your bank funds, XTB will not pay for the exchange rates. There are also some variations in accepted deposit methods based on location.
Bank transfers are free and accepted in USD. In some cases, your bank may charge a transfer fee, although XTB will not charge you any additional fees. Bank transfers that you make to XTB must come from banks that are registered in your full name, with the name matching that of the XTB account. If this is not the case, you risk wasting time as the funds will return to the original bank account.
Deposits can also be made via credit cards, including Visa, MasterCard, and Maestro. These deposits can be made in USD; XTB does not assess any additional fee for this transaction.
Finally, you can use one of several e-wallets to deposit funds into XTB. Paysafe, which used to be known as Skrill, comes with a fee equal to 2% of the amount deposited. SafetyPay comes with a 1.5% fee.
Deposit and withdrawal methods vary by region and country for XTB clients. In the UK, for example, you can also make a deposit via PayPal or Neteller, but SafetyPay is not an option. Deposits for UK accounts can be in USD, GBP, or EUR.
Minimum Deposit
The initial deposit into an XTB account must be at least £250, $250, or €250. After this initial deposit, there is no minimum size for subsequent deposits.
XTB Withdrawals
Withdrawing funds from your XTB account is just as straightforward as making a deposit. Visit your Client Office after logging in and choose the account you want to withdraw from. Next, choose the amount you want to withdraw.
Keep in mind that if your account that you want to withdraw the funds from is not in the same currency as your trading account, Pekao will convert the amount at its rate, either at the time the bank receives the payment or at the time of request. As is the case with deposits, you can only make a withdrawal to a bank account bearing your exact, matching name.
When making withdrawals, XTB processes the payments with the SHA model, covering the full cost that the Sending Bank charges. Your bank may charge you an additional fee. If you choose to withdraw less than $100, this will come with an extra $30 commission.
XTB Fees
Commissions vary slightly by account type. There is no commission on Standard Accounts for crypto, forex, indices, or commodities, with commissions on other types starting at 0.8% per lot. These are also the commissions (when applicable) for Islamic Accounts.
For Pro Accounts, the commissions on forex, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies start at $4 per lot. Commissions for stock CFDs and ETF CFDs start at 0.08% per lot.
XTB Service Levels
In addition to account types, XTB offers different service levels. These levels let the broker accommodate the needs of each client, regardless of their experience level or expertise.
Base service levels do not have a minimum volume in lots or a minimum deposit. This service level also provides clients with access to the Premium Educational Materials. The education system was created by XTB specialists and it includes materials for all skill levels to guide you through your trading journey.
Plus service levels have a minimum volume of 10 lots and a minimum deposit of 100 EUR. In addition to providing access to Premium Educational Materials, this service level provides access to Premium Research Materials, Premium Email and Push Notifications, and a priority pass to events, such as Trading Clubs.
The Premium Research Materials come from the XTB award-winning analyst team. They are designed to help you stay up-to-date with the latest market movements and provide expert guidance to support your strategies.
XTB Trading Platforms
The Online Personal Wealth Awards named the XTB platform the “Best Trading Platform 2016.” The platform provides clients with live market commentary as well as an economic calendar. There is an ultra-fast execution speed and access to advanced chart trading tools. You can use XTB on any device, including your desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
There are two platform choices with XTB: xStation 5 and MetaTrader4.
xStation
xStation 5 is the award-winning platform from XTB. It’s simple to use and has superior execution speeds. This platform includes a trading calculator, advanced chart trading, trader statistics, advanced technical analysis, bulk order closing, Trader’s Talk, market sentiment, top movers, and equity screener.
xStation 5 is available for desktop devices, tablets, mobiles, and even smartwatches. The desktop version is fully functional and is the fastest version of the platform. The tablet application maximizes the tablet device version’s interface and delivers full trade management along with powerful tools.
Like the desktop version, it offers bulk order closing, complete trade management, and interactive charts that include technical indicators.
How Do You Trade with XTB?
The specific steps to trading with XTB will depend on the platform you use. With MetaTrader 4, you can open a trade by using the Market Watch window found along the platform’s left-hand side. Alternately, you can press the F9 button on your keyboard or go to the “tools” tab by the platform’s top menu. After this initial step, just fill in the relevant information for your trade and submit the information.
There are also three methods of placing a trade using xStation, all of which are simple and intuitive. You can do so via the Market Watch window, which opens when you click on the name of a market.
This window features a built-in calculator so you can view things such as commission, pip value, spread in pips and its monetary value, and daily swap points. You can also trade via the chart; specifically, look for the top left-hand corner where you will see buy and sell buttons plus the ability to modify the quantity.
Bottom Line
XTB is an international online broker with 14 years of experience. The broker now operates offices in 10 countries worldwide and offers clients access to thousands of instruments to trade. XTB has gained an excellent reputation for it’s high quality platform, fast order executions & transparency. Add in the fact it is a highly regulated and publicly traded company, you can trade with them with confidence.
There are multiple account types, including a swap-free Islamic account, and various service levels to accommodate the needs of various traders. XTB has its own trading platform, xStation, or works with MetaTrader 4 for those who prefer something familiar. xStation itself is a very well built piece of software which you can use on web, mobile or with the desktop downloadable app.
