ECN Account
ECN trading has become extremely popular in the retail forex world due to the transparency, execution speed and competitive pricing offers. With direct access to liquidity providers, automatic matching and execution of orders, it has become the most favored type of trading account for the vast majority of forex traders around the world.
What is ECN Trading?
ECN stands for ‘Electronic Communication Network’. This provides traders with direct access to other market participants via interbank trading prices. The system effectively publishes orders entered by market makers to third parties and individual traders.
Like much of the over-the-counter forex market today, an ECN is a highly sophisticated component of trading, since it connects traders to major liquidity providers such as banks, brokerages and other traders round the world, regardless of the size of the trades.
This eliminates the role of the traditional ‘middleman’, and as the integration of orders increases, so does the overall pool of orders in the network – which is great news for traders with an ECN account searching for the best pricing.
How does ECN Trading work?
Traders get access to different prices from a variety of market participants directly on their trading platforms. This means they are shown the best bid and ask prices available in the market, which gives an ECN Account holder greater depth in market pricing.
The highly automated process then uses the network to enable buyers and sellers to instantaneously find a counterparty. The matching and execution of orders takes place automatically, and so trader can always be sure that the broker they are using never trades against them.
An ECN Broker has no dealing desk involvement with their clients. They only match traders and never send their order flow to market makers.
For each transaction, no profit is made on spread difference. Instead traders are charged a small commission by the ECN broker.
The Advantages of an ECN Account:
- The best bid and ask prices available, since a variety of market participants are involved. Prices are consolidated instantaneously, resulting in seamless execution.
- Very low — if any — spreads during times of high market volatility, as the ECN provides deep liquidity from multiple providers.
- Full transparency, since the broker directly connects your orders to other market participants which limits price manipulation. All ECN brokers access the same feed and price history is readily available to all.
- NDD (No Dealing Desk) technology ensures that there are no re-quotes, which can negatively impact your trading performance. The trader deals directly with the interbank market without any interference from brokers.
- Trading can be facilitated outside normal market hours.
NewFXTM Invest now available with the ECN Account. Investors can follow your trading strategy, allowing you to potentially earn more. Read more about FXTM Invest.
Account Specifications
| Trading Platforms | MT4 / MT5 |
| Account Currency | USD / EUR / GBP / NGN 1 |
| FXTM Invest | MT4: New MT5: |
| Leverage / Margin req. | Floating from 1:2000 10 |
| Maximum deposit |  |
| Minimum deposit | $/€/£ 500, ₦80,0001 |
| Commission | $2 per lot9 |
| Order execution | Market Execution6 |
| Spread | From 0.13 |
| Margin Call | 80% |
| Stop Out | 50%2 |
| Swap-Free | MT4:  MT5: |
| Limit & Stop Levels | |
| Pricing | MT4: 5 decimals for FX (3 on JPY pairs), Spot Metals: 2 decimals for XAUUSD and 3 decimals for XAGUSD MT5: 5 decimals for FX (3 on JPY pairs), Spot Metals: 2 decimals for XAUUSD and 3 decimals for XAGUSD |
| Trading Instruments | MT4: Majors, Minors, Exotics4 — 48 Spot Metals — 3 Spot CFDs — 257,8, 13 |
| Minimum Volume in Lots per Trade | 0.01 |
| Micro Lot (0.01) | |
| Mini Lot (0.1) | |
| Standard Lot (1) | |
| Step Lot | 0.01 |
| Maximum Volume in Lots per Trade | 1008 |
| Maximum Number of Orders | Unlimited |
| Maximum Number of Pending Orders | 300 |
Notes:
1 NGN accounts are only available to clients in Nigeria.
2 Please bear in mind that the Company may at its sole discretion change, within the hour before the close of the trading session on every Friday, the Stop Out and Margin Call levels from 50% to 100% and from 80% to 130% respectively, for all ECN MT4/MT5 accounts. Moreover, kindly note that the Company may extend these amendments for as long as it deems necessary after the market opening, by providing the Client with prior written notice.
3 Spreads are floating and they may increase during specific periods of the day depending on the market conditions.
4 Exotic pairs are not available for swap-free accounts.
6 Please note that on all MT4 market execution accounts (ECN, ECN Zero and Pro), preset SL/TP levels are not permitted. If a client wishes to add SL/TP levels, the client can modify the existing position after the order is opened.
7 For Spot Indices and Spot Commodities on ECN MT4 Account the Maximum volume per trade is 5 lots; for Spot Indices the Maximum Volume of lots per trade is 50 lots on ECN Zero.
8 For Spot Indices and Spot Commodities on ECN MT4 Account: the maximum volume of all orders for Spot Indices is 15 lots and 50 lots for Spot Commodities.
9 Commission on ECN MT4 is taken only when a position is opened, at double the levels listed in the table above (accounting for both the opening and the closing of the position). For further details of the Commission charges for ECN MT4 account, please refer to the Commissions Page. For ECN MT5 Commission is fixed at $4 per lot, $2 are being charged when position is opened and $2 when position is closed.
10 Please note that margin requirements may vary between symbols and servers. For further information please refer to the Leverage and Margin Requirements section.
13 FXTM applies dividend adjustments on Stocks and Spot Indices when positions remain open at the close of the trading session, on the business day before the ex-dividend date. However, kindly note that the dividend adjustment takes place before the market opening of the ex-dividend date. If a client is holding buy positions his/her account will be credited with the fixed dividend amount. If a client is holding sell positions then the dividend amount will be debited from his/her account.
17 Please note that for clients who reside in Nigeria, there is a minimum deposit requirement of $/€/£100 or ₦40,000 for Standard accounts, $/€/£200 or ₦80,000 for ECN Zero accounts and $/€/£200 or ₦80,000 for ECN accounts. For clients who reside in South Africa, there is a minimum deposit requirement of $/€/£100 for Standard accounts, $/€/£200 for ECN Zero accounts and $/€/£500 for ECN accounts. For clients who reside in Tanzania, Ghana and Kenya, there is a minimum deposit requirement of $/€/£200 for ECN accounts.
