BDSwiss Review 2023

Trust

BDSwiss Regulations

BDSwiss operates under three entities:

• BDS Markets is regulated by the Financial Services Commission (Mauritius). We rate FSC as a Tier-3 regulator.
• BDS Ltd is regulated by the Financial Services Authority (Seychelles). We rate FSA as a Tier-3 regulator.
• BDSwiss Markets SA Pty Ltd is regulated by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (South Africa). We rate FSCA as a Tier-2 regulator.

Why is It Important to Know Where Your Broker Subsidiary Is Regulated?

Each regulator has its requirements for brokers, which may differ materially. Such requirements include leverage levels and specific protections offered to investors, including negative balance protection, segregated accounts, and investor compensation funds. Traders must understand the differences between regulations to evaluate whether the broker suits their needs.

With BDSwiss, traders can open an account with BDS Markets regulated by FSC (Mauritius),  BDS Ltd regulated by FSA (Seychelles), and BDSwiss Markets SA Pty Ltd regulated by the FSCA (South Africa).

The broker provides a negative balance protection policy, which ensures that clients cannot lose more money than they deposited in their accounts.

Moreover, clients’ funds are held in segregated accounts, which boosts their safety in case the broker has financial problems.

We have summarized key aspects of the broker’s protection and safety conditions in the table below:

Is BDSwiss Safe to Trade With?

BDSwiss operates under three entities – BDS Markets regulated by FSC (Mauritius), which is a Tier-3 regulator, BDS Ltd regulated by FSA (Seychelles), which is a Tier-3 regulator, and BDSwiss Markets SA Pty Ltd regulated by the FSCA (South Africa), which is a Tier-2 regulator.

Tier-2 regulators have stricter leverage rules, setting lower maximum ratios to protect traders from excessive risk. Tier-3 regulators in less developed markets might have more lenient leverage requirements, aiming to balance market growth with risk control. Also, traders should not expect to see compensation schemes, which Tier-1 regulators usually provide.

Both BDSwiss entities guarantee negative balance protection and hold clients’ funds in segregated accounts. Negative balance protection ensures that clients will not lose more money than they have in their accounts. Segregation of clients’ funds from the firm’s funds guarantees that the broker cannot use them for its own needs.

Stability and Transparency

In our tests for the Trust category, we also cover factors related to stability and transparency. Here, we focused on the broker’s duration in the market, the company’s size, and the accessibility of information for transparency purposes.

BDSwiss has been in business for 11 years. The company is not publicly traded and has no bank parent, which is usual for brokers.

From our examination, BDSwiss performed well for fee structure transparency, regulation protection transparency, and general transparency.

Traders can find legal documents in the dedicated section of the website. The documents include General Risk Disclosure, PAMM Account Agreement, VPS Services Terms & Conditions, SPOA Terms and Conditions, Complaints Handling Procedure, Conflicts of Interest Policy, and AML/KYC Policy.

The broker also provides a detailed Help & Support Center which contains answers to frequently asked questions on Accounts, Deposits & Withdrawals, Trading, Troubleshooting, and VPS.

Traders can also learn about fees and charges that are applied by the broker. In addition to the FAQ, there is a separate page that contains details on all deposit and withdrawal options.

In summary, our findings indicate that BDSwiss can be regarded as having a decent level of trust and stability due to the following factors:

• BDSwiss is regulated by one Tier-2 and two Tier-3 regulators.
• The broker has been in business for 11 years.
• The company provides easy access to important information on its website.

Fees

BDSwiss Trading Fees

For this review, we tested the BDSwiss Classic Account, where the broker charges spreads and swap/rollover fees. Spreads are variable and depend on the liquidity situation in each instrument at a certain point in time.

BDSwiss Spreads

We tested the spread on the BDSwiss Classic Account during the London open at 8:00 a.m. GMT and just after the US open at 2:45 p.m. GMT. These are the most actively traded times.

BDSwiss offers low spreads for Gold, DAX, and Apple. The spreads for GBP/JPY, WTI Oil, and BTC were medium, while the spreads for EUR/USD and Tesla were high.

Swap Fees

Our tests indicated that swap fees were fairly high.

Are BDSwiss Trading Fees Good?

BDSwiss received a below-average score in the Fees category in our rating. While the broker offers attractive spreads for Gold, DAX, and Apple, the spreads for EUR/USD and Tesla were high.

Non-Trading Fees

The broker has an Inactive and Dormant Account Policy. An account is labeled Inactive if the client did not place a trade, open or close positions, or make a deposit for a period of at least 90 consecutive days. Such an account will be subject to a monthly charge of 30 Euro or base trading account currency equivalent until the trading account balance is zeroed.

Platforms and Tools

BDSwiss Desktop and Web Platforms

In this review, we tested the MetaTrader 5 platform analyzing charts, indicators, drawing tools, orders, and the general ease of use of the platform.

General Ease of Use

MT5 is an advanced trading platform that could be tailored to traders’ needs. The interface is rather intuitive, although some traders may want to search for tutorials to take a deep dive into MT5’s capabilities. In general, advanced traders would manage easily with MT5, while beginners have to spend some time learning the basics of the platform.

For instance, novice traders should go through various chart options, indicators, drawing tools, and orders. Also, they have to learn how to create their watchlists and manage their trading positions. Despite exploring MT5 requires some time and effort, traders who invest in learning ultimately, get a powerful tool that helps achieve better trading results.

Charts

MT5 offers 97 indicators and 21 timeframes, which is more than enough to customize your charts and adjust them to your needs.

Trend indicators, oscillators, volumes, Bill Williams, and custom indicators help to design the chart you need.

Available timeframes range from 1 minute to 1 month so they provide the trader with an opportunity to take a look at short-term developments and significant multi-month trends.

MT5 also supports objects:

• lines
• channels
• Gann tools
• Fibonacci tools
• Elliott tools
• shapes

Many traders use these popular tools to make decisions, so their presence is a must for any reputable trading platform.

Each chart could be displayed as a bar, a candlestick, and a line. Candlesticks are generally the most popular among traders as they suggest an abundance of various patterns that are used to make trading decisions. Although, other types of charts also have their fans.

MT5 charts are easy to configure even for novice traders but they also offer enough options for expert traders.

Orders

MT5 offers all main order types including

• Market order. This order is used to buy or sell the instrument at the current market price. It is used when the trader needs to establish a position in the fastest possible way. The main downside of the market order is the necessity to pay a spread, which is a difference between the bid price and the ask price.
• Limit orders. This order is used to buy or sell the instrument at a pre-set price or better. A limit order is used when the trader wants to get a specific entry point and is unwilling to pay the current market prices.
• Stop-loss orders. Stop-loss orders are used to get you out of the position when the price is moving in the wrong way. The order is triggered when the price reaches a specified point.
• Stop limit orders. This is a stop-loss order which puts a limit order instead of a market order when it is triggered. This is a dangerous way to get out of the position and it should be used only by experienced traders.
• Trailing stop orders. This order allows you to set a stop order that will move if your open position trends in the right direction. This order is used to protect your profits in case the market direction reverses.

Different expiration types are available for all pending orders, including GTC (good-till-cancel), Today, Specified, and Specified Day.

MT5 Mobile App

In this review, we have tested the BDSwiss Mobile App for Android.

General Ease of Use

The MT5 mobile app for Android is rather easy to use. It provides charts, quotes, account balance info, economic calendar, news, and other tools giving traders an opportunity to make informed trading decisions.

Charts

MT5 mobile app offers:

• 30 technical indicators
• 24 drawing tools
• 9 timeframes
• 3 chart types

This selection of options is sufficient for mobile-based trading. Typically, the mobile app is used when the trader does not have access to the desktop platform but needs to monitor the market and open positions. While the app is helpful in certain circumstances, it cannot beat the speed of work that could be achieved using the desktop platform, which is the primary solution for active trading.

Orders

In an MT5 mobile app, you can set market orders, limit orders, and stop orders. Trailing stops are not available on mobile trading terminals.

Tradable Instruments

BDSwiss provides access to 51 forex pairs, 6 commodities, 900+ stocks, 80+ ETFs, 11 indices, and 26 cryptocurrencies. Traders should note that the high number of stocks and ETFs is available on a separate StockPlus Account, while the other accounts provide access to a lower number of stocks.

What are CFDs?

CFDs (Contracts for Differences) are financial instruments that allow traders to bet on securities without owning the underlying securities. The key advantage of CFDs is the access to significant leverage, which is typically not available when trading other instruments. In this light, CFDs are very popular in short-term trading.

What Can You Trade with BDSwiss?

• 51 forex pairs. The list includes popular instruments like EUR/USD, GBP/USD, and GBP/JPY.
• 6 commodities. Traders have access to WTI oil, Brent oil, XAG/USD, XAU/USD, XAU/EUR, and XPT/USD.
• 900+ stocks and 80+ ETFs on the StockPlus Account. The list includes popular names like Apple, Tesla, and Intel.
• 11 indices. Traders have access to the world’s main indices like S&P 500, DAX, and Dow Jones.
• 26 cryptocurrencies. Popular cryptos like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin, as well as smaller names like GALA and IOTA are available.

BDSwiss offers forex pairs, commodities, indices, stocks, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies. The number of available forex pairs and commodities is medium while there are lots of available cryptocurrencies. Traders have access to crypto pairs with USD, EUR, and GBP.

In addition, BDSwiss offers a StockPlus Account, which provides access to 900+ stocks and 80+ ETFs.

Customer Support

BDSwiss Customer Support Test

We have contacted BDSwiss customer support several times through online chat asking about the details of the StockPlus Account and the account types in general, as well as about deposit and withdrawal methods. The answers were quick and professional. Notable, traders can contact the broker’s team in German, English, Italian, Spanish, French, Greek, and Portuguese.

Deposit and Withdrawal

BDSwiss Deposits

BDSwiss provides a high number of deposit options including credit cards, bank transfers, and e-wallets, which are available in multiple currencies. The broker does not charge deposit fees.

BDSwiss Withdrawals

BDSwiss provides a high number of withdrawal options. While the broker processes withdrawals within 24 hours, the time required for funds to reach the account depends on the chosen withdrawal method.

Account Types and Terms

Why is Choosing the Right Account Type Important?

The account you choose must suit your needs. Typically, the trader should focus on base currency options, contract size, commission, fees, the number of pending orders/positions, and the minimum deposit size.

What Account Types does BDSwiss Offer?

BDSwiss offers four account types: Cent Account, Classic Account, VIP Account, and Raw Account. Traders who are only interested in stocks may choose a separate StockPlus Account, which provides access to 900+ stocks and 80+ ETFs with a leverage of up to 1:5.

Traders should note that the number of instruments in the Cent account is limited. Such accounts can be seen as a way to test strategies in real trading.

The Classic Account, VIP Account, and Raw Account have a 0.15% commission on shares, but there are no commissions for forex pairs in all the accounts. Traders should also note that the Classic Account charges a commission of $2 per lot on indices.

What is CFD leverage?

CFD Leverage allows you to avoid paying the full value of the position. Instead, you pay a deposit, which is called margin, while the remaining funds are borrowed.

In the BDSwiss case, traders have access to leverage of up to 1:500. This is a high level of leverage, so traders should use appropriate risk management techniques.

BDSwiss Account Opening Process

The account opening process at BDSwiss is simple and takes less than one minute.

To open an account with BDSwiss:

1. Go to the registration page and provide basic details, including your name, country of residence, phone, date of birth, and email.
2. Choose the trading platform for your default trading account and set a password.
3. Confirm your email.
4. Submit additional personal details.
5. Fill in your economic profile by answering questions on yearly income, total net worth, source of your funds, and others.
6. Go through an appropriateness test and answer questions on trading.
7. Submit documents for proof of identity and proof of residence.

What is a demo account?

A demo account is an account that allows you to test the broker’s services and your trading skills without risking your money.

Please note that your trading experience will differ when you use a demo account compared to a real-money account due to human psychology, as traders find themselves under pressure when real money is at stake.

It’s a good idea to use the demo account for practicing and learning the trading platform, but do not spend too much time on the demo.

In the BDSwiss case, traders can try demo accounts for the Classic, VIP, and Raw accounts.

Research

BDSwiss provides research support via its Research & Analysis tab on its website. Traders have access to Daily Market Analysis, Technical Analysis, Daily Videos, Weekly Outlook, Market Insights, and Special Reports. Technical Analysis and video sections that lead to the company’s YouTube channel are updated regularly. However, the other pages have had no new content for a few months.

BDSwiss also provides access to live webinars in four languages (English, Spanish, German, and Portuguese), an economic calendar, that highlights the market-moving economic reports, as well as Live Forex Heat Map and Forex calculator that keeps traders informed staying on the broker’s website.

In addition, BDSwiss has a VPS Service which boosts speed and is especially important for those using automated strategies. The Basic plan costs 30 euros per month, while the Pro plan goes for 70 euros per month.

For traders who opened VIP and Raw accounts, BDSwiss analysts provide real-time trading alerts via Telegram. Those traders also have access to the Trends Analysis tool, which is exclusively built into the broker’s WebTrader platform. The tool was developed in partnership with AutoChartist exclusively for BDSwiss traders.

The broker also provides access to the popular third-party tools Trading Central and Autochartist. Trading Central is a very popular tool among traders which consists of technical insights, projections, and analyst views on various instruments. Autochartist is a market-scanner plugin that monitors 250+ CFDs and alerts traders on high-probability trading opportunities.

Education

BDSwiss’ educational support is provided via the Trading Academy. Traders have access to Forex Basics Lessons and Forex Glossary where fundamental topics and terms like CFDs, forex market hours, and order types are explained. More experienced traders can enhance their knowledge with the help of two e-books: “Psychology of Trading” and “Technical Indicators Defined and Explained”.

BDSwiss has also released a number of educational videos covering various topics like “Applying Fibonacci Extensions” and “Risk & Portfolio Management Basics”.

The Bottom Line

Founded in 2012, BDSwiss has been in business for 11 years. The broker operates via BDS Markets (FSC Mauritius, a Tier 3 regulator),  BDS Ltd (FSA Seychelles, a Tier 3 regulator), and BDSwiss Markets SA Pty Ltd (FSCA South Africa, a Tier-2 regulator).

BDSwiss provides access to forex pairs, commodities, indices, stocks, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies with a minimum deposit of $10.

The broker offers a high number of deposit and withdrawal options that are available in multiple base currencies. Traders can use MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, BDSwiss Mobile App, and BDSwiss WebTrader platforms available on the web, desktop, and mobile.

While BDSwiss provides access to popular stocks in 3 account types, including Standard, VIP, and Raw accounts, it has developed a separate StockPlus account where it offers 900+ shares and 80+ ETFs.

Beginner traders will benefit from the low minimum deposit and solid educational and research support. Advanced traders have access to a wide range of research tools and trading signals, as well as to the VPS offering.

FAQ