Kenyan traders will face some challenges when choosing a forex broker. There are some brokers that will not accept Kenyans, and many do not accept local payments. Furthermore, not all accept Kenyan Shillings as a base currency, but there are some. To make the decision easier for our Kenyan clients, I have tested several and picked the best from our 250-point proprietary rating system for brokers.
I looked for brokers that are easy to operate with for Kenyans, but this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t expect some great features, such as professional platforms, strong research, and the ability to trade a diverse range of global assets.
*AvaTrade doesn’t allow CFD trading in Spain; only Futures are available.
Our team of experts has identified each broker’s strengths and weaknesses using FXEmpire’s proprietary methodology.
Now, let’s explore the selected brokers.
Exness is a forex and CFD giant that has been in operation since 2008. Exness is not only regulated in Kenya, but also by other top-tier regulators like the FCA in the UK and CySEC. Exness allows the trading of cryptocurrencies, stocks, commodities, indices, and forex pairs. There are both Standard and Professional accounts available for traders to use.
Regional Features:
Exness offers forex, commodities, stocks, indices, and crypto markets, allowing traders to invest globally. The fees are small, and this can add up to savings over the longer-term. The Exness Terminal is a platform that has strong features, but if you are so inclined, Exness also offers MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5.
Bank cards, bank wires, and M-Pesa are all accepted by Exness, allowing Kenyans to easily deposit or withdraw. The Professional account offers free access to VPS hosting, and trading signals from Trading Central are available in the personal area of your account.
In live testing, the fees for Exness were small in the Standard account, with the spreads in the EUR/USD pair ranging between 0.8 and 1.0 pips, with the GBP/JPY pair offering spreads of 2.0 pips on average. Low spreads can also be found in some stocks, with Apple averaging 9 cents, while the market for Tesla averages 11 cents.
Australian broker FP Markets was established in 2005, operates globally, and is regulated by several of the top-tier regulators around the world. This includes ASIC and CySEC. There are over 970 financial instruments for trading, with a diverse range of asset classes represented.
Regional Features:
FP Markets offers a large list of tradable assets, with over 680 stocks from around the world being a highlight. VPS hosting is also offered by FP Markets, allowing a trader to run automated strategies without interruption. Copy trading is available as well, via Signal Start and FP Markets Copy Trading. This allows professionals to offer their signals within the ecosystem.
There is the “Traders Toolbox” for MT4 that some will like, including 12 distinct tools for trading analysis and comprehension. This includes Correlation Trader, Sentiment Trader, and Excel RTD. The broker also offers Autochartist for those looking to find candlestick patterns quickly.
In live testing, I found all the spreads to be reasonable, if not really good. The EUR/USD pair bounced around between 1.0 pips and 1.2 pips. The GBP/JPY pair saw spreads between 1.5 and 1.9 pips.
AvaTrade has been a major player in this world since its inception in 2006. AvaTrade is regulated and authorized by several major regulators, including the FSA in Japan, CySEC, ASIC, and others. AvaTrade has over 1,250 markets, including forex, bonds, indices, stocks, ETFs, options, commodities, and cryptocurrencies.
Regional Features:
The fees at AvaTrade for forex and commodities are generally lower than the industry average for forex and commodities. The EUR/USD pair averages 0.9 pips, and oil averages just 3 cents. However, the spreads for indices like the Dow Jones 30 are 4 pips, and Tesla is $1.89, larger than the industry average.
AvaTrade offers several trading platforms, including MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, AvaOptions, AvaSocial for social trading, AvaTrade Web platform, and the AvaTradeGO mobile app. There are several asset classes, including forex, bonds, commodities, indices, stocks, futures, and options. There is also AvaProtect risk management, which allows traders to buy protection against losses.
The forex and CFD analysts and editors at FXEmpire bring together seasoned trading professionals and experienced financial journalists. Many of our experts have been featured in leading publications such as Investopedia and Forbes, and all of them combine strong industry credentials with hands-on trading experience.
Dan Blystone began his career in the trading industry in 1998 on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Later, Dan gained insight into the forex industry during his time as a Series 3 licensed futures and forex broker. He also traded at a couple of different prop trading firms in Chicago. Dan is well-equipped to recommend the best forex brokers due to his extensive experience and understanding of the brokerage industry.
Jitan Solanki is a professional trader, market analyst, and educator. He day trades major currency and index markets and focuses on swing trading US equities and commodities. A qualified Market Technician, Jitan also works with trader education and brokerage companies on various projects. These include market analysis, live trading events, and broker reviews. As an experienced trader and educator, Jitan brings all his qualities in action when reviewing and recommending brokers.
Having been a retail trader since 2013, Plamen has gained an in-depth understanding of the challenges that novice traders face today. His expertise is swing trading and day trading with a heavy emphasis on psychological and fundamental analysis. Plamen’s favourite trading instruments include FX majors and gold. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics and International Relations. Plamen's broad experience has equipped him with the expertise to recommend the best forex brokers.
In more than 15 years of trading in the financial markets, Vladimir dealt with a wide range of brokers and financial instruments. His career as a day-trader at a proprietary trading firm goes back to 2007. Later, Vladimir turned to longer time frames and became an independent trader and analyst managing his own portfolio. Using his experience, he helps traders find the best broker in his reviews.
Christopher Lewis is an experienced trader and technical analyst specializing on currencies, indices, and commodities. He also has been working as a proprietary trader for institutional accounts. Chris has been an FXEmpire analyst since the site's early days and shares his trading insights on his own blog, The Trader Guy. His sharp, practical understanding of the trading industry means he knows forex and CFD brokers inside-out, so you can trust his guidance on how they work and which one to choose.
As a Senior Content Editor at FXEmpire, Ola has revised and fact-checked over 200 broker reviews and guides. Her profound understanding of financial markets has been crucial in developing the proprietary rating system.
At FXEmpire, we strive to provide unbiased, thorough and accurate broker reviews by industry experts to help our users make smarter financial decisions.