Accepts Australian Clients. Average spread EUR/USD 1.00 pips on trading account with lowest minimum deposit. Max leverage 30:1. Islamic account available. Only eToro proprietary trading platform supported. eToro is regulated by CySEC, FCA, and ASIC.
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Summary
Founded in 2007, eToro is an ASIC, FCA, and CySEC-regulated CFD broker offering multi-instrument trading on Forex, stocks, commodities, cryptocurrencies, ETFs, and indices. Having created the first social trading system, it remains the largest social trading broker in the market. Its unique bespoke web trader platform offers full support for eToro’s CopyTrader, and CopyPortfolios, social trading systems at the core of eToro’s offerings.
eToro offers a single commission-free live account with a minimum deposit requirement of 50 USD and spreads starting at 1.0 pips on the EUR/USD, which is wider than other well-regulated market makers. Unlike other brokers, eToro also charges high withdrawal and currency conversion fees, affecting the profitability of trading.
Lastly, eToro provides a relatively limited selection of educational and market analysis compared to other large international brokers and only offers support for its proprietary platform. Furthermore, its trader community is often let down by non-responsive customer support.
Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Israel, eToro is an international CFD broker with over 13 million clients worldwide. It is regulated by many top-tier authorities, including the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) UK, and the Financial Services Authority (FSA) Seychelles. See below for details:
eToro (Europe) Ltd., etoro’s European subsidiary, is a Financial Services Company authorised and regulated by the Cyprus Securities Exchange Commission (CySEC) under licence number: 109/10.
eToro (UK) Ltd, a Financial Services Company authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under the license FRN 583263.
eToro AUS Capital Pty Ltd. is authorised by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) to provide financial services in Australia under AFSL 491139.
eToro (Seychelles) Ltd. is licenced by the Financial Services Authority Seychelles (“FSAS”) to offer broker-dealer services under the Securities Act 2007 License #SD076.
Australians will be trading under the subsidiary, eToro AUS Capital Pty Ltd, which is authorised by ASIC. Considered one of the best regulators in the world, ASIC mandates that all client funds are held in segregated accounts, separate from the company’s operational funds, and are afforded automatic negative protection. Furthermore, in order to protect traders, ASIC restricts leverage to 30:1 and bans all bonuses and promotions. In addition to complying with ASIC’s rules, eToro has purchased an insurance policy from Lloyd’s of London, which covers up to 1 million EUR, GBP, or AUD.
While eToro complies with all the rules set out by the regulators, in 2013 it was fined 50,000 EUR by CySEC for operational flaws. CySEC did not reveal the details of these operational weaknesses, and eToro has since taken steps to rectify the issues. All the necessary documents are published on its website, and it is regularly evaluated by external auditors.
eToro has collected multiple awards for its innovative platform and has received worldwide recognition as a financial technology industry leader.
Overall, because of eToro’s strong commitment to regulation and regulatory processes that are designed to protect client funds and legal operations on the platform, we consider eToro a safe broker with which to trade.
eToro’s fees are slightly higher than other market makers.
Fundamentally, eToro’s trading conditions are broadly similar to other market makers, with a single account type, no commissions, and relatively wide spreads. However, most other brokers offer a range of account options with lower spreads linked to higher minimum deposit requirements. For more details on eToro’s account, click here.
eToro’s account was assessed to compare the costs of those of other brokers. The costs were evaluated based on the trading fees on one lot (100 000 USD) on the EUR/USD, including the spreads:
Spread Cost Formula: Spread x Trade Size = Spread Charge in Secondary Currency (USD)
As per the table above, the cost of trading 1 lot is 10 USD, which is relatively high, considering that some market makers offer trading with fees of only 6 USD per lot. However, eToro’s minimum deposit requirement is lower than average, making it accessible to most traders.
Swap Fees
Positions that are held overnight incur a swap fee, relative to the value of the position. Swap fees are the interest charged to cover the cost of the leverage (money) borrowed from eToro. For example, clients will pay interest of 0.000057 USD per currency unit when holding a long position on one lot of EUR/USD overnight. One standard lot equals 100,000 units. Therefore, the interest paid for holding this position is 100,000 multiplied by 0.000057 USD, which equals 5.70 USD.
Compared to other market makers, eToro’s trading costs are slightly higher than average. However, it charges a reasonable minimum deposit of only 50 USD, making it a good choice for both beginner and experienced traders.
eToro’s Non-trading Fees
eToro’s non-trading fees are high compared to other Forex brokers.
eToro charges a 5 USD withdrawal fee regardless of the size of the withdrawal, and charges extremely high currency conversion fees for accounts in currencies other than the USD (of up to 50 pips per withdrawal and 50 pips per deposit). Click here for more information on withdrawal fees.
It also charges an inactivity fee of 10 USD per month after one year of inactivity, but simply logging into your account is considered an activity.
Compared to other brokers, these fees are extremely high.
Opening an Account at eToro
eToro’s account-opening process is seamless and hassle-free compared to other market makers.
All Australians are legible to open a trading account at eToro but will have to meet the minimum deposit requirement of 50 USD.
The account opening process is fully digital and fast – most traders will have an account open within one day.
How to open an account at eToro:
On the front page of the website, traders can click on a button marked “Join Now” or “Trade Now.”
Traders will be directed to a page that requires them to enter all their personal data.
Before submitting this information, traders are required to agree with all eToro’s Terms and Conditions, and privacy policy.
As part of the Know Your Customer (KYC) process, newly registered user is required to provide confirmation of residence (e.g. a valid utility bill dated within the last 6 months), as well as proof of identity such as a valid passport, or another form of officially issued photo ID.
Lastly, as a final step of the KYC process, eToro requires that all traders fill in a questionnaire to ascertain the client’s level of trading knowledge.
Once all documents have been received, a trading account will be ready within one day.
Compared to other brokers, eToro’s account opening process is fast, fully digital, and hassle-free.
eToro Account Types
eToro offers one account type that is suitable for both beginner and more experienced traders.
We define beginner traders as inexperienced traders who have never traded before, or who have been trading for less than a year. Beginners often do not want to risk trading large sums of money, and will generally not be able to trade full-time during the workweek.
eToro’s account is suited more to beginner than more experienced traders because of the reasonable minimum deposit requirements and trading costs. Furthermore, eToro’s innovative social trading platform is easy to use and provides a host of excellent copy trading tools, which are attractive to beginner traders. That said, other brokers offer a range of accounts for beginners with lower minimum deposits and sometimes allow trading in micro-lots. Furthermore, more experienced traders may prefer to pay a higher minimum deposit in exchange for tighter spreads, which is not available at eToro.
eToro offers a single live account and a demo account, although there are reward tiers available with higher minimum deposits via the eToro Club:
Standard Account: eToro offers a single live commission-free account with a minimum deposit requirement of 50 USD, spreads starting at 1.00 pip on the EUR/USD, and leverage of up to 30:1. eToro allows hedging and copy trading, but not scalping.
Professional Account: Retail clients can elect to become professional traders by successfully passing a test to determine their suitability. This allows clients to access higher leverage, but which is associated with higher risk trading. Be aware that professional clients waive certain ESMA protections such as the Investor Compensation Funds and recourse to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Demo Account: After opening an account with eToro, you will automatically receive the unlimited demo account loaded with 100,000 USD – it is highly recommended that you use this extensively until you are comfortable with the platform.
eToro Club and Tiers: Although there is only a single account type, with higher minimum deposits, traders gain access to the eToro Club – which operates a tier system: The higher the tier, the more rewards, and advantages you receive. These include free market analysis, access to the Trading Signals platform, free withdrawals, access to a dedicated Customer Success Agent, analyst consultations, and more. The minimum equity needed to access each tier is as follows:
Silver: 5,000 AUD
Gold: 10,000 AUD
Platinum: 25,000 AUD
Platinum+: 50,000 AUD
Diamond: 250,000 AUD
Islamic Account: eToro offers Islamic accounts for traders of the Muslim faith. Islamic accounts are subject to an increased spread on all Forex pairs. Furthermore, traders have to invest a minimum of 1,000 AUD to open an Islamic swap-free account. To set up an Islamic account, the trader needs to:
Sign up for a real account.
Complete the KYC process that includes submitting a copy of your passport or national ID and a recent proof of residential address.
Make a deposit to fund the account (of 1,000 USD).
Contact customer service to request that the account to be converted to an Islamic account. This process will take 1-2 business days.
eToro offers trading on multiple financial instruments, including commodities, stocks, indices, cryptocurrencies, and ETFs. With over 47 forex pairs, its asset choice is slightly limited compared to those offered by its competitors. For more detail on eToro’s assets, click here.
Overall, eToro’s trading costs are slightly higher than other similar brokers, but its minimum deposit requirements are reasonable.
eToro’s withdrawal fees are higher than other similar brokers, and while it does not charge a fee for deposits, its currency conversion fees are high.
A well-regulated broker, eToro ensures that all Anti-Money Laundering rules and regulations are followed, and as such, all non-profit withdrawals are returned to the deposit source. It is important to note that traders must withdraw up to 100% of the deposit to a credit or debit card. After this, funds may be withdrawn by another method, but it must be in the trader’s name. Furthermore, while no fees are charged for depositing money, a 5 USD fee is charged on all withdrawals, no matter the amount. See below for a list of payment methods:
Bank transfer: Available in USD, EUR, and GBP, deposits take 4 – 7 days to be processed but are free. There is no maximum deposit amount.
Credit card/Debit card: Available in a range of currencies, including USD, EUR, GBP, and AUD, deposits are instant and free. The maximum deposit allowed is 40,000 USD.
PayPal: Available in a range of currencies, including USD, EUR, GBP, EUR, and AUD, deposits are instant and free. The maximum deposit allowed is 10,000 USD.
Skrill: Available in USD, EUR, and GBP, deposits are instant and free. Maximum deposits are 10,000 USD.
Neteller: Available in USD, GBP, and EUR, deposits are instant and free. The maximum deposits allowed are 10,000 USD.
Rapid Transfer: Available in USD, GBP, and EUR, deposits are instant and free. The maximum deposit amount is 5,500 USD.
Although eToro does not charge fees for depositing money, it charges currency conversion fees for deposits in currencies other than USD. For example, if a trader deposits in EUR via bank transfer, a 50 pip fee will be applied (which is around 0.46% of the deposit amount). The same fee is also charged when withdrawing by AUD. See the website for more information on currency conversion charges.
Withdrawals are available via all the above-mentioned methods, but a 5 USD flat fee will be charged. In addition, traders cannot withdraw less than 30 USD from their trading accounts, and withdrawals take around 2 business days to be processed, which is longer than other similar brokers.
How to Deposit Funds with eToro by bank transfer:
Click on “Online banking” from the drop-down menu on the deposit page and enter the amount you wish to deposit. Click “Continue”, and you will be directed to a page with a list of banks available in your country.
Log into your e-bank account.
Enter the verification code provided by your bank.
Click “Submit.”
Please see the website for instructions on how to deposit via other methods.
How to Withdraw Funds from eToro:
Click on the Withdraw Funds tab.
Enter the amount to withdraw (in USD).
Complete the electronic withdrawal form as required.
Click “Submit.”
Note that traders can only withdraw money into accounts in their name.
Overall, while eToro charges no deposit fees, its withdrawal fees and currency conversion fees are extremely high. Furthermore, withdrawal times are slower than other similar brokers.
eToro’s Base Currencies
eToro only offers trading in USD, which is very limited compared to other similar brokers.
eToro only allows clients to open trading accounts denominated in USD. Furthermore, for accounts denominated in other currencies, eToro charges a currency conversion fee of 50 pips on deposit and 50 pips on withdrawal, which is extremely high.
Having accounts denominated only in USD is a disadvantage for Australians who will likely have bank accounts denominated in AUD. While this may not affect occasional traders, high volume traders (who trade more than 10 lots a month) should consider opening an account denominated in USD, because a conversion fee will be charged for every trade made on a USD quoted currency pair. This can be done by opening a multi-currency bank account at a digital bank.
Overall, having trading accounts denominated only in USD is a big disadvantage for traders especially considering the high currency conversion fees charged at eToro.
eToro’s Trading Platforms
eToro offers a limited selection of trading platforms, only offering support for its bespoke crowd trading platform. Most other brokers offer a number of trading platforms, including third-party platforms such as MT4. However, eToro’s crowd trading platform is user-friendly and well-designed, making it a good choice for beginner traders.
eToro Platform
eToro created the first social trading system and remains the largest social online trading broker in the market. It offers a wide variety of financial assets in which to trade and invest. With a clean and intuitive design and excellent functionality, the platform is available in over 20 languages. It is easy to search for various instruments, and traders have access to four order types, including market, limit, stop-loss, and trailing stop-loss orders. Additionally, traders can easily set price alerts and notifications, and traders can decide how they want to view their portfolio reports. Webtrader is available on both Android and iOS.
To aid traders who commonly trade the same pairs, eToro’s platform gives traders a customisable dashboard overview of different currency pairs.
Its unique bespoke web trader platform offers full support for eToro’s CopyTrader, and CopyPortfolios, social trading systems at the core of eToro’s offerings (click here to see more info on eToro’s trading tools). Other features of the platform include:
A Research Tab aggregates the cumulative knowledge of investors and experts from some of the world’s leading financial institutions.
Procharts, a professional-grade technical analysis tool that enables traders to compare charts from different financial instruments and/or different time frames.
Charting tools with 70 technical indicators.
eToro’s Watchlists
A serious downside of its platform is the lack of support for autotrading systems. Furthermore, unlike other brokers, eToro does not offer support for third-party platforms such as MT4. A benefit of offering third-party platforms is that traders who decide to migrate to another broker will already be familiar with said platforms. On the flip side, proprietary platforms such as the one offered by eToro are often more beginner-friendly and easy to use.
Overall, eToro offers one of the best social trading experiences in the world, but its offering would be enhanced by support for third-party platforms such as MT4.
eToro’s Mobile Trading Platform
eToro’s mobile trading platform is well-designed and easy to use.
Available on both Android and iOS, the mobile trading platform has the same functionality as the web platform. It offers the same research and trading capabilities, and traders can easily set price alerts and notifications.
eToro’s Trading Tools
eToro offers a limited selection of market analysis and sentiment tools, but it offers excellent copy trading tools.
Social and Copy Trading
CopyTrader
CopyTrader is eToro’s social trading feature. Traders can browse through the profiles of other eToro traders, checking their monthly and annual performance. eToro also applies a risk score to each trader in addition to other stats available for each profile. Users can then allocate a portion of their capital to copy other traders. Each user remains in full control of their trading and may exit positions at their discretion, however, traders cannot close part of their position, only the full amount.
CopyPortfolios
CopyPortfolios provides a similar service, but bundles together all tradable assets under one chosen market strategy to minimise long-term risk and create diversified investments. A popular investor tool, CopyPortfolios are built around eToro’s algorithms or by eToro external partners. Copied portfolios are professionally managed by eToro’s investment committee. Traders should note that the minimum investment amount for CopyPortfolios is 5,000 USD.
Clients should be aware that the quality of the investment advice coming from the eToro community varies and should be considered unreliable until it has been well vetted.
Overall, eToro offers an excellent selection of proprietary copy trading tools compared to other similar brokers but lacks support for tools that aid market analysis such as Trading Central and Autochartist.
eToro’s Financial Instruments
eToro’s financial instrument range is average compared to other similar brokers, but it excels in its cryptocurrency offering.
eToro offers a range of financial instruments for CFD trading (click here for more details on CFD trading), including Forex, ETFs, stocks, indices, and commodities. eToro generally offers a similar range of instruments to other brokers, but excels in its cryptocurrency offering:
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Financial Instrument
Number of Assets
Leverage
Commodities
31
10:1
Cryptocurrencies
96
2:1
Stock CFDs
2,000
5:1
Forex
60
30:1
Indices
13
20:1
Forex: eToro offers 47 currency pairs for trading, including majors (EUR/USD, GBP/USD, and USD/JPY) and minors (NZD/CAD, EUR/JPY, and USD/ZAR), but no exotics. While this is around average, many international brokers will offer 60+ pairs to trade including a range of exotic pairs. The leverage on Forex pairs is up to 30:1.
Stock CFDs: Avatrade offers 2,000 stock CFDs, which is around higher than average. The selection available includes some of the major US companies, including Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, and Google, among others. Leverage on share CFDs is up to 5:1.
Commodities: eToro offers 31 commodities, which is excellent, as most brokers offer trading on between 5 – 10 commodities. These include gold, silver, platinum, petroleum, oil and softs such as cocoa, wheat, sugar, and cotton. Maximum leverage on commodities is 10:1 with the exception of gold and non-major equity indices.
Indices: eToro offers trading on 13 stock indices, which is average compared to other similar brokers, and includes the likes of the UK 100, SPX 500, NSDQ 100, and the US DOLLAR. Leverage is up to 20:1 on indices.
Cryptocurrencies: With 96 crypto pairs available for trading, eToro offers a wider range than is available at most other brokers, including crypto/crypto pairs, as well as crypto/fiat pairs (USD, EUR, JPY, and more). Crypto assets include Ethereum, Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Ripple, among others. Leverage on cryptocurrency trading is up to 2:1. eToro also offers 24/7 support for crypto trading.
ETFs: eToro offers trading on 254 ETFs, which is a wider range than most other brokers, including the iShares JP Morgan and iShares NASDAQ 100. Leverage is up to 20:1 on ETFs.
Note that the margin closeout will be set at 50%, meaning that the Stop Loss setting on eToro will be limited to a maximum of 50% per trade.
Overall, eToro offers a wide range of financial instruments but really stands out for its cryptocurrencies, commodities, and ETFs.
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Fx Pairs
CFD Investments
60
Commodities
Cryptocurrencies
Forex
Indices
Stock CFDs
eToro’s Research and Market Analysis
eToro provides a limited selection of research and markets analysis materials compared to other similar brokerages.
eToro provides a newsfeed with relevant market movements that is updated daily by its team of in-house market analysts. Most other analytical content comes from the members of the eToro community. The news feed is a central component of eToro’s trading platform and is an unfiltered list of trading ideas and accompanying graphs. Be aware that this analysis is community-created content and should be viewed with deep skepticism.
One drawback is that there is a limited selection of fundamental data available on the platform.
Overall, eToro’s market analysis materials are poor compared to those of other large international brokerages.
eToro’s educational materials are limited in scope, providing only a demo account and some basic videos on investing.
Although eToro offers a unique social trading platform to help beginner traders get started, its educational materials are limited compared to other similar-sized market makers.
eToro hosts a short tutorial course title The Complete Guide to FinTech that teaches traders the basics of trading – especially trading on the eToro platform. It is more of an overview than an in-depth course, and much of the content covers asset classes other than Forex.
eToro also hosts a blog that is updated daily with various trading tips, though these mainly focus on eToro’s platform. Webinars are held infrequently and tend to be more focused on market conditions than the rest of the educational material.
Overall, the education section could be improved with a greater variety of materials in addition to providing sections for beginner and more experienced traders. Beginner traders would also benefit greatly from being able to attend webinars on CFD trading basics and risk management.
eToro’s customer support is available 24/5, but it is mostly unresponsive.
Available 24/5 eToro’s customer support is available in 21 languages. Since 2017, it has used a ticketing system for all client support requests. Be aware that there is no phone or chat support available, and the response times are known to be painfully long, often exceeding 48 hours and even up to 14 days. However, customers who deposit more than 5,000 USD will receive the services of a dedicated Customer Success Agent.
Overall, customer service is unresponsive, but eToro provides a comprehensive FAQ section.
Evaluation Method
We value transparency and openness in the way we review the partners. To bring transparency to the forefront, we have published our review process that includes a detailed breakdown of the eToro offering. Central to that process is the evaluation of the reliability of the CFD provider, the platform offering of the CFD provider, and the trading conditions offered to clients, which are summarised in this review. Each one of these is graded, and an overall score is calculated and assigned to the CFD provider.
Risk Statement
Trading Forex is risky, and each CFD provider is required to detail how risky the trading of Forex CFDs is to clients. eToro would like you to know that: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 67% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Conclusion
eToro has been widely recognised for its innovative approach to trading – especially for its pioneering work in the social trading sphere. However, it falls short when it comes to educational and market analysis materials; spreads are not competitive, and non-trading fees are much higher than other market makers. However, many traders are willing to overlook these flaws for the unique social trading experience offered at eToro.
Accepts Australian Clients. Average spread EUR/USD 1.00 pips on trading account with lowest minimum deposit. Max leverage 30:1. Islamic account available. Only eToro proprietary trading platform supported. eToro is regulated by CySEC, FCA, and ASIC.
Accepts Australian Clients. Average spread EUR/USD 1.00 pips on trading account with lowest minimum deposit. Max leverage 30:1. Islamic account available. Only eToro proprietary trading platform supported. eToro is regulated by CySEC, FCA, and ASIC.
eToro
Plus500
Pepperstone
