FAQs

How do I open an account?

You can apply for an account online using the pop-up account application right now, or we can email you the Client Application Form to fill in at your convenience. In either case, you must send us the original signed form through the mail (along with the additional documentation requested on form).

We will then validate your application and ActivoTrade will contact you when your account is opened. This normally takes two working days from when we receive your application. To speed up the process, you can also send us a copy of your application via fax. We will then process your application while waiting for your original signed copies to arrive by mail.

We will notify you by email as soon as your account is open.

How do I trade the products offered by ActivoTrade?

All products offered by ActivoTrade can be traded together through our combined trading platform: ActivoTrader, ActivoWebTrader and ActivoMobileTrader. In addition to live trading and direct access to your account, ActivoTrade offers a vast array of trading information such as real-time quotes, charts and analysis from our third party analysts to help you make successful trading decisions.

What is the minimum account size?

The minimum initial deposit when opening an account is 5,000 EUR or USD equivalent.

You can select Euro, US Dollar, Swiss Franc and Sterling Pound as the base currency of your account and all transactions will be converted back to the base currency of your account.

How secure is trading through ActivoTrade?

ActivoTrader authentication relies on an a RSA 1024-bit key generated and stored on the client workstation and data traffic between ActivoTrader and the bank is encrypted using a RC4 128-bit session key.

ActivoTrader provides a highly secure trading environment using state-of-the-art encryption for communications.

What assets and products can I negotiate through ActivoTrader?

Active Trade platform provides the chance to invest in various assets, from one single account, using four financial products. The assets’ main characteristics are:

• Corporate shares - all companies (Microsoft, Telefonica, Toyota ...) listed on stock markets in the world (Nasdaq, NYSE, Frankfurt Exchange, SIBE, Tokyo ...). Over 23 stock exchange that lets you invest 24 hours per day;
• Indexes - Major stock indexes worldwide (over 15) including Ibex-35, Nasdaq 100, S & P 500, Dow 30 and Nikkei 225;
• Currencies – more than 25 currencies, from the most important (USD, EUR, JPY ...) to the emerging countries (ZAR, RUB TRY ...). You can operate with high flexibility thanks to the chance to invest in over 145 currency pairs (EURUSD, EURCHF ...);
• Gold and silver quoted in five currencies (USD, JPY, EUR, AUD and HKD), without having to own them physically;
• ETFs -  almost 850 investment funds, both ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) and ETCs (Exchange Traded Commodities). ETFs are indexed to rates of different asset (equity indices, commodities, bonds ...), While ETCs allow investors to have a direct exposure to commodities (gold, silver, oil, copper .. .). These funds are more liquid and secure compared to traditional investment funds, as they are listed on stock markets and therefore are subject to strict oversight and liquidity requirements;
• Coomodities - whole range of commodities like energy (oil, gas, carbon emissions ...), metals (copper, platinum, aluminum ...) and agriculture products (cotton, sugar, soybean...);
• Bonds - debt issued by the most solvent governments (USA, Germany, Japan ..) as well as large corporations. The bond offering is made according to the maturity period (Treasury bills to 15 years) and the associated risks to the issuer (Top Grade-low risk, High Yield-high risk);
• Interest rate - main comparative interest rates (Euribor, U.S. Federal Funds ...), with different maturities (3-month Euribor, the U.S. federal-funds 30 days ...).

Through ActivoTrade platforms you can operate with four products that allow you to invest in the assets described above, each with different scope and characteristics:

• Stocks. You can trade company shares and ETFs traded on stock markets. However, with shares you cannot gain from market falls and are exposed to exchange rate risk.
• Futures. This product allows you trade Gold, Silver, Commodities, Bonds and Interest Rates. ActivoTrade offers more than 450 futures contracts on a long variety of assets traded in over 15 futures markets (NYMEX, Chicago Board of Trade, Liffe ...).
   

What security do I have investing through ActivoTrader?

ActivoTrade is a fully regulated brokerage house, member of the FOGAIN (Investors Compensation Scheme for clients of Spanish investment firms). On 11 October 2008 was extended the limit of compensation for investors up to 100,000 euros. Ministry of Finance (BOE n. 246, 11/10/2008)

The guaranteed amounts which are mentioned in the Article 7.1 of R. D. 2606/1996 of 20 December, the Deposit Guarantee Fund of Credit Institutions and Article 6.1 of R. D.948/2001, of 3 August, on the compensation scheme for investors, are fixed in 100,000 euros in the Investment Guarantee Fund

Additionally, ActivoTrade Valores works with Saxo Bank. Saxo Bank is a European bank and is fully accredited member of the Danish Guarantee Fund for Depositors and Investors, an institution founded by the Danish Parliament. Saxo Bank joined the PCA on 7 October 2008 and therefore all client funds are fully protected, ie, the limitations under ordinary Guarantee Fund shall apply during the period of 2 years agreement and all client funds and other creditors, will be protected regardless of their value. The additional security will not take effect until 30 September 2010, but could be extended, if necessary, to ensure financial stability.

 

What service will I receive as a client of ActivoTrade?

Even though most trading is done online, we take pride in the level of personal service that we offer our clients. As a new client, you are assigned an Account Executive when you first open an account to help you to get trading as quickly as possible.

Your Account Executive will act as your primary contact person with the bank and can be contacted through the online chat facilities available through ActivoTrader or by telephone or email.

What if I have problems with accesing ActivoTrader?

Notes for users sitting behind a firewall or proxy server

• If clients access ActivoTrader from their place of work, it is highly likely that this will be done through a firewall and/or a proxy server, even some private users now use such devices. In order for ActivoTrader to communicate securely with our server(s), through a firewall and/or a proxy server, clients need to have a special "port" opened. Please ask a systems administrator to open "Port 1001" for access to the server "mitssimul.iitech.dk" (ip address 193.178.175.38). This port is used for encrypted communication with the trading server.
• This must be done before downloading the demo!. Technical personnel, please refer to the Technical documentation, where detailed descriptions for different scenarios is available.

Problems with download

• The advantage of ActivoTrade’s "standard" installation is that it only downloads files that are actually required on the target computer, and therefore the download can be considerably faster (especially on slow lines), compared to the alternative installation.
• The "standard" installation may however have problems:
  •    Proxy servers that requires authentication.
  •    Proxy servers with faulty file caching implementations.