Z.com Trade review

On-line since: 2005
Country of origin: UK
Regulation: FCA
Payment options: bank transfer, bank cards, electronic payment systems
Minimum account size: $50
Minimum lot size: 0.01 lot
Leverage: up to 1:200
Spreads: floating and fixed

About the company:

Z.com Trade is a London subsidiary of the GMO CLICK Group.

The GMO CLICK Holdings was established in 2005 and currently it is one of the largest providers of online trading services around the world. The holding includes GMO CLICK Securities Inc., GMO-Z.com Forex HK Limited, GMO-Z.com Bullion HK Limited, FX PRIME from GMO Corporation, and GMO-Z.com Trade UK Limited. GMO CLICK Holdings Inc., the parent company, is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TYO: 7177) and headquartered in Japan.

GMO-Z.com Trade UK Limited, which provides online trading services under the Z.com Trade brand, was established in 2012 and offers trading currencies, indices, and commodities via the MT4 platform. It operates on the STP model and connects with global liquidity providers and top-level financial institutions.

Safety of funds

GMO-Z.com Trade UK Ltd., working under the brand name of Z.com Trade, is authorized and regulated by the FCA.

All British companies are required to comply with the strict rules and procedures established by the British financial controller. They must keep all clients money separately from the company's own funds, regularly report to the FCA, and have tangible assets of at least 730,000 euros to prove its financial stability.

What is also important for the safety of funds is the Financial Services Compensation Program (FSCS), which allows a trader to return up to £50,000 in case of the broker’s bankruptcy.

Trading conditions

The broker offers three types of accounts (Classic, ECN, ECN Pro), which apply the straight-through processing method along with the STP NDD execution.

The Classic account do not require any commissions. Spreads for the basic currency pairs start from 2 pips.

The ECN account is designed for experienced traders. The account provides direct access to the market, a wide range of instruments, and spreads from 0 pips.

The ECN Pro account is developed for professionals who trade in large volumes, with smaller expenses and personal service.

Initial deposit

The minimum deposit for opening a trading account in Z.com Trade is $50. This is considered below average in the industry, as some brokers require more than $200 or even $500. However, there are brokers with a minimum deposit of $1. You can read about the trading conditions of these companies in our rating.

To open the ECN Pro account, a trader have to deposit $10,000.

Spreads and commissions

Z.com Trade offers fixed spreads of 2 pips for EUR/USD, which is a relatively high value. However, clients can take advantage of interest-free trading, as the broker makes money on spreads.

Leverage

The maximum leverage is up to 1:200. This level of leverage is considered standard, although many other brokers offer higher leverage: up to 1:500 and even up to 1:1,000.

Trading platforms

Z.com Trade gives its clients access to the popular MetaTrader 4 (MT4) platform. It can be used on PCs and mobile devices.

MT4 is chosen by most experienced traders because it is equipped with advanced charting tools, more than 50 built-in indicators, a wide range of expert advisors (EAs) and an extensive testing environment. Moreover, MT4 features fully customizable interface and is available in more than 30 languages.

Z.com Trade is currently developing an internal trading platform called Z.com Trader.

Payment methods

Clients of Z.com Trade can make a deposit and withdraw funds using bank transfer, credit and debit cards, as well as electronic wallets: Boleto, Giropay, iDEAL, Moneta, POLi, Przelewy24, QIWI, Skrill, Sofort, Trustly, WebMoney, and YandexMoney.

You can open an account in one of the following currencies: USD, EUR, or GBP.

Advantages:

• regulated broker;
• STP execution.

Disadvantages:

• no micro-lots;
• no Islamic accounts.