Exante is a leading investment firm that prides itself on providing intuitive, efficient and easy-to-use services through its trading platforms. Based in the EU, the company is multi-licensed and offers direct market access to a wide range of financial instruments through its accounts. Established in 2011, it was founded by Anatoly Knyazev, GatisEglitis and Alexey Kirienko. In this review, we take a look and explore some of the common questions about Exante’s web platform.
What is Exante’s web platform?
Exante provides traders with two ways to get started with trading. The first is by downloading their trading platform (which can be done on both desktop and mobile), while the other allows traders to trade directly through their web browser. This makes it fast and convenient for users, as they can stay in touch with the financial markets anytime and anywhere, provided they have good internet access and an electronic device.
On the whole, Exante’s trading platform is intuitive and easy to use and is also equipped with powerful charts that allow traders to better visualise any financial data regarding their assets. With the web browser, there is no need to install a program to start trading, the only thing a trader needs to do is open up Exante’s terminal in their web browser. This can either be Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Opera, making the program incredibly flexible and versatile.
How to start using Exante’s web platform?
To gain access to Exante’s web platform, a trader must first register an account with the financial broker. This can be done through Exante’s website. Here, prospective traders will need to choose whether they wish to open an individual or corporate trading account. For an individual account, a trader will first have to provide their name, email, and mobile phone, whereas to open a corporate account, a trader will also have to provide their company name.
After registering, investors can gain access to Exante’s Client area as well as its demo account. Further steps will need to be taken to open a live account, such as verifying identity by uploading the required documents for either an individual or corporate account. For individual clients, documents include proof and identity and proof of residence, whereas, for corporate accounts, documents include proof of registration, incorporation documents, proof of active status and more. If a trader does not provide any documentation, they can only access Exante’s demo account.
Then, traders will need to add funds to their accounts to start trading. Again, much like with initial documentation, there is also a difference in the minimal initial funding depending on the account type you choose. For an individual account, the initial funding should be equal to or exceed 10,000 EUR/GBP, whereas, for corporate accounts, the minimal funding should be 50,000 EUR/GBP.
To access Exante’s web platform, investors need to navigate to the Client’s Area and click on Trading > Web platform. This will immediately pop up the trading account. Traders have the option to start trading from their account directly in a live environment that has direct market access or to practice some trading strategies in demo mode first. This can be done by toggling a switch at the top part of the screen.
What is the demo/live toggle switch for?
As stated above, the demo/live toggle switch is located at the top toolbar of Exante’s web trading platform. This indicates whether or not you are using the platform in live or demo mode. The great thing about the demo account is that it allows traders to test out the platform and trade with virtual currency, up to 1,000,000 EUR. This means that traders will be able to get used to the interface and features of the platform without facing any negative repercussions. Moreover, demo accounts can be used by traders to test their trading skills and strategies in a risk-free environment. Demo accounts at Exante are automatically provided to traders once they register an account with the broker.
Conversely, live trading accounts allow traders to perform real-time trades. This means traders will have the potential to generate profits, but they will also bear the burden of any losses incurred in a trade. But while demo accounts are technically risk-free, because it only allows for paper trading, traders will not be able to gain anything out of it, monetarily speaking.
Another thing to keep in mind is that while the demo account interface is almost identical to that of a live trading account, its market data – which is simulated – is still delayed by at least 30 minutes. This is not true for live accounts, where market data is provided to the trader in real time.
For traders who are worried they may run out of virtual funds in their demo account, Exante has that covered. The only thing you need to do is visit the Settings page in the Client’s Area and create a new sub-account with the default setting, meaning all trading history will be erased.
What can I do with the Exante web platform?
Exante’s web platform provides plenty of things traders can try for themselves. For instance, they can start the web platform from the Client’s Area or try it in guest mode. Traders can also personalise the web platform’s layout at their convenience, as it allows them to expand or minimise certain modules in a single click. This means if there is any irrelevant data that a trader does not need to see at the moment, they can hide it to make the platform appear less overwhelming, which makes it great for novice traders.
The web platform further lets traders visualise their financial data through the use of its charts, which can be customised to fit different time intervals. Traders further have the option of adding indicators or drawings, as well as choosing a chart style that suits them.
One unique aspect of Exante’s web platform is that it allows traders to create sharable links of their charts with friends and other traders, making for a more collaborative trading environment. The shareable link, which can be generated by copying a link right from the address bar, features not only the financial instrument being shared by also the timeframe as well.
If a friend does not have an Exante account, it is still possible to share charts with them. Instead, users will have to create a link to a demo chart. That said, while most things are almost identical, the quotes in the demo are delayed by at least 30 minutes.
Exante’s web platform allows further customisation through its settings. For instance, traders can click on the show options toggle to make options visible in the Instruments tab, because options are not included in the default view. This may take up to several minutes depending on your internet connection speed.
Traders can additionally change the layout of the web platform by toggling on the dark theme toggle. This defines the colour scheme of the web platform. This can be great for traders because dark themes reduce light emitted by device screens while still maintaining the minimum m colour contrast ratios required for information to be readable. It can offer some relief from eye strain, especially if a trader has to spend long hours looking at charts to time the financial markets.
