ActivTrades
ActivTrades is a UK-headquartered online brokerage offering foreign exchange, contracts for difference, spread betting and electronic trading platforms.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
ActivTrades is a privately held online brokerage and financial-services brand headquartered in London. It provides electronic access to foreign exchange, contracts for difference (CFDs), spread betting and other leveraged trading products for retail and institutional clients. Its offering has expanded from an original stockbroking and foreign-exchange focus into a multi-asset trading service covering instruments linked to indices, commodities, equities, cryptocurrencies and other markets, subject to the rules and product availability of the relevant jurisdiction. The business was established by Alex Pusco in Switzerland in 2001 and moved its main base to London in 2005. Its international expansion has included European markets, particularly Italy and Germany, as well as Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, South America and Southeast Asia. ActivTrades has operated or reported branches in Milan, Sofia and the Bahamas. The Milan office was opened in 2011, while the Sofia office opened in 2012 and became an important location for programming and technical development. The company has described itself as employing more than 200 people and supporting customers in more than 14 languages, although staffing and geographic figures may change over time. Technology is central to the brand. ActivTrades has offered MetaTrader 4 since 2007 and MetaTrader 5 since 2012, alongside its proprietary ActivTrader web and mobile platform. Customers have also been able to access trading through TradingView and mobile versions of MetaTrader products, depending on their region and account type. The company has supplemented its platform offer with Smart Tools add-ins, swap-free accounts and, historically, a prepaid Mastercard product. ActivTrades markets itself around platform choice, execution access, client-risk protections and multilingual service. It implemented a negative-balance-protection policy in 2013 and arranged additional insurance protection above the UK Financial Services Compensation Scheme threshold, with underwriting involving QBE Underwriting and participating Lloyd's syndicates according to the referenced historical material. These protections do not eliminate the risks of leveraged trading, and the exact safeguards, leverage limits and eligible products vary by regulatory entity. The brand is authorized by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority and has been associated with Italian regulatory supervision through CONSOB. Its history also includes a 2011 UK regulatory fine concerning the segregation of customer funds. ActivTrades later emphasized stronger protection arrangements and risk controls. In response to the 2015 Swiss-franc market shock, it said that it had raised margin requirements in advance and maintained balance-protection measures. In 2017 it introduced cryptocurrency CFDs, initially linked to Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ethereum, and added Ripple exposure in early 2018. ActivTrades remains an active online-trading brand, but current ownership, executive structure, exact workforce and the full jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction product catalogue are not established by the supplied reference material.
History
Alex Pusco established ActivTrades as a stockbrokerage in Switzerland in 2001. The business later relocated its main base to London in 2005, where it developed into an online foreign-exchange and CFD brokerage. Its early growth reflected the wider movement of retail trading from traditional dealing channels toward electronic platforms and internet-based execution. ActivTrades added MetaTrader 4 in 2007 and broadened its product range in 2008 with CFDs linked to indices and commodities. The company subsequently developed an international footprint, serving clients in the United Kingdom, continental Europe, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, South America and Southeast Asia. Italy became an important market, leading to the opening of a Milan office in 2011. A larger Sofia branch opened in Bulgaria in 2012 and became associated with programming and technical development. The company also maintained a branch in the Bahamas according to the referenced material. In March 2012, ActivTrades added MetaTrader 5 and introduced financial spread betting for UK customers. It became involved with the World of Trade Conference and was recognized in the 2013 World of Trading Awards as a leading forex broker in the MetaTrader category. During 2013, the company introduced negative-balance protection and arranged separate insurance protection above the FSCS level. It also launched Smart Tools, a set of platform add-ins intended to extend the functionality available to traders. The company continued to build products around its own technology. It launched a prepaid Mastercard in 2015 and introduced ActivTrader, its proprietary trading platform, in 2016. In 2017, it increased its additional client insurance protection to £1 million. Later that year, ActivTrades added cryptocurrency CFDs for Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ethereum, with leverage capped at 1:5 in the reported product announcement. Ripple exposure followed in January 2018. Risk management became particularly visible during the Swiss-franc market shock in 2015. ActivTrades stated that it had increased margin requirements ahead of the event and that its balance-protection arrangements helped limit adverse effects for clients. The firm has also faced regulatory scrutiny: the supplied historical account records an £85,750 fine in 2011 related to failure to segregate customer funds. ActivTrades is described as authorized by the UK Financial Conduct Authority and associated with CONSOB supervision in Italy. Its present business remains centered on online multi-asset trading through ActivTrader, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and TradingView, while the precise products and protections depend on the client's jurisdiction.
- 2018
Ripple added to cryptocurrency offering
[1]ActivTrades expands its cryptocurrency CFD range with Ripple.
- 2017
Insurance protection increased
[1]Additional client insurance protection is increased to £1 million according to the referenced account.
- 2017
Cryptocurrency CFDs introduced
[1]The brokerage adds Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ethereum CFDs, with reported maximum leverage of 1:5.
- 2016
ActivTrader launched
[1]The broker launches its own web and mobile trading platform.
- 2015
Prepaid Mastercard launched
[1]ActivTrades introduces a proprietary prepaid Mastercard product.
- 2013
Risk protections and Smart Tools launched
[1]The company introduces negative-balance protection, additional insurance arrangements and Smart Tools platform add-ins.
- 2012
MetaTrader 5 and UK spread betting introduced
[1]ActivTrades adds MetaTrader 5 and expands its UK portfolio with financial spread betting.
- 2011
Milan branch opens
[1]The company opens a Milan office to support its Italian customer base.
- 2008
Index and commodity CFDs added
[1]ActivTrades broadens beyond forex by offering CFDs linked to indices and commodities.
- 2007
MetaTrader 4 added
[1]The broker expands its electronic-trading platform range by offering MetaTrader 4.
Products and positioning
International, technology-led online brokerage for leveraged multi-asset trading
Foreign exchange · 2001
Forex trading
Foreign exchange is one of ActivTrades' foundational services. Customers use the broker's electronic platforms to trade currency pairs, with available instruments, spreads, leverage, execution terms and eligibility determined by the applicable regulatory entity and account classification.
Derivatives · 2008
Contracts for difference
ActivTrades offers CFDs that provide leveraged exposure to price movements without requiring direct ownership of the underlying asset. The reported range includes indices, commodities, equities, cryptocurrencies and other financial instruments. CFDs carry substantial risk, and product availability and leverage restrictions vary by jurisdiction.
Leveraged trading · 2012
Spread betting
Financial spread betting was added for UK-based clients in 2012. It allows eligible customers to speculate on market movements through a tax- and regulatory-specific UK product structure. Availability, tax treatment and risks depend on the customer's location and circumstances.
Trading platform · 2016
ActivTrader
ActivTrader is ActivTrades' proprietary web and mobile trading platform, launched in 2016. It is designed to provide access to the broker's available instruments through a platform controlled by the brand, complementing third-party platforms such as MetaTrader.
Trading platforms · 2007
MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5
ActivTrades has offered MetaTrader 4 since 2007 and MetaTrader 5 since 2012. The platforms support desktop and mobile access and provide customers with established tools for charting, analysis and order execution, subject to the instruments and features enabled for each region.
Digital-asset derivatives · 2017
Cryptocurrency CFDs
The broker introduced CFDs linked to Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ethereum in December 2017 and added Ripple in January 2018. The initial reported offering used maximum leverage of 1:5. Current availability and terms are jurisdiction-dependent and should not be inferred from the historical launch terms.
Controversies
Marketing campaigns
- 2012World of Trade Conference sponsorship
Europe · Germany
ActivTrades became a regular sponsor of the World of Trade Conference and supported the event over several years as part of its engagement with the trading community.
Outcome. The supplied material does not quantify commercial results, but the sponsorship supported the brand's visibility among trading professionals and retail traders.
Brand decisions
2017
Entered cryptocurrency CFD tradingProduct launchBackground
Growing derivatives-market liquidity and rising interest in Bitcoin and other digital assets created demand for broker-provided cryptocurrency exposure.
Action taken
ActivTrades launched CFDs linked to Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ethereum, initially reporting a maximum leverage of 1:5.
Aftermath
Ripple was added in January 2018, extending the broker's digital-asset product range.
2015
Raised margin requirements during the Swiss-franc shockStrategyBackground
The Swiss National Bank's 2015 decision involving the franc produced extreme volatility and rapid market moves across foreign-exchange markets.
Action taken
ActivTrades stated that it increased margin requirements in advance and relied on its balance-protection arrangements to reduce the impact of the volatility on clients.
Aftermath
The company presented the episode as evidence of a more conservative risk-management approach; the supplied material does not provide independently verified financial outcomes.
2013
Adopted negative-balance protection and additional insuranceStrategyBackground
Leveraged trading can expose clients and brokers to losses during abrupt market movements, making balance protection and compensation arrangements important elements of brokerage positioning.
Action taken
ActivTrades implemented a negative-balance-protection policy and arranged separate insurance protection above the FSCS threshold, with historical underwriting attributed to QBE Underwriting and participating Lloyd's syndicates.
Aftermath
The measures became part of the brand's client-protection messaging and were later cited in connection with its response to severe market volatility.
Recent events
- 2018
ActivTrades adds Ripple cryptocurrency exposure[1]
Product launch
ActivTrades expanded its cryptocurrency CFD range by adding Ripple exposure.
- 2017
ActivTrades expands excess client insurance protection[1]
Regulation
The broker increased its additional client insurance protection to £1 million above the applicable FSCS threshold, according to the referenced account.
- 2017
ActivTrades launches cryptocurrency CFDs[1]
Product launch · Product generation
The company introduced CFD trading linked to Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ethereum with maximum leverage of 1:5 in the reported offering.
- 2016
ActivTrades launches its proprietary ActivTrader platform[1]
Product launch
The company launched ActivTrader as its own web and mobile trading platform alongside its MetaTrader offering.
- 2013
ActivTrades introduces negative-balance protection and Smart Tools[1]
Product launch
ActivTrades implemented a negative-balance-protection policy and later launched Smart Tools add-ins for its trading platforms.
- 2012
ActivTrades adds MetaTrader 5 and UK spread betting[1]
Product launch
The broker introduced MetaTrader 5 and added financial spread betting for UK-based clients.
- 2011
ActivTrades expands its Italian presence with a Milan office[1]
Other
The company opened a Milan branch to support customers in Italy and strengthen its presence in that market.
Sources2 sources
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