PU Prime Review 2023

Trust

This section will cover how PU Prime is regulated and how this impacts you as a trader. We rate regulators on a scale of 1 to 3, with 1 reflecting the highest level of trust.

• PU Prime is the business name of Pacific Union (Seychelles) Limited which is authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority of Seychelles with License No. SD050. We rate Seychelles FSA as a Tier-3 regulator.
• PU Prime (PTY) Ltd is an authorized financial service provider regulated by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), registration number 2021/675469/07. We rate South Africa FSCA as a Tier-2 regulator.

Why is it important to know where your broker subsidiary (entity) is regulated?

Different regulators provide different levels of protection. The table below lists the protections and benefits offered by the Pacific Union (Seychelles) Limited entity of PU Prime.

Regulatory requirements are subject to change. We gathered the data listed above in August 2023.

• Segregated funds describe the practice of keeping client money separate from the broker’s operational accounts. PU Prime provides segregated funds.
• Negative balance protection means that it is not possible to lose more than your initial deposit. PU Prime provides negative balance protection.
• Compensation schemes are designed to protect clients in the event of a broker becoming insolvent. Top-tier regulators like the UK FCA or CySEC guarantee that client funds are insured up to a set amount via compensation funds. PU Prime does not provide a compensation scheme.
• Maximum leverage represents the most borrowed funds that can be used to increase the size of a client’s trading position. PU Prime offers leverage of 1:500 with a Standard account and 1:1000 with a Pro account.

Is PU Prime Safe to Trade With?

PU Prime is regulated by the Seychelles FSA, which provides minimal oversight. Although PU Prime has a second entity regulated by the South Africa FSCA, it appears that all clients are directed to the offshore entity. PU Prime claims that client funds are held in segregated accounts at AA-rated banks and that clients have negative balance protection. However, there is no compensation scheme in the event of PU Prime going bankrupt.

Stability and Transparency

In our tests for the Trust category, we also cover factors relating to stability and financial strength. Here, we focus on how long the broker has been in business, the company’s size, and its transparency.

PU Prime’s Seychelles entity is listed in the website’s footer, including its license number. There is no reference to the South African entity on the website.

Spreads and swap fees are clearly detailed in the Trading Costs section of the website. Prospective clients can review the Client Services Agreement on the Legal Documentation page. The About Us page covers brokerage services but provides little insight into the background of the company.

In summary, I judged that there is room for improvement in the category of trust in light of the following factors:

• The Seychelles entity is regulated offshore with minimal client protections.
• There is no mention of the South African entity on the PU Prime website.
• Limited background information on the company.

On the positive side:

• Fees are plainly outlined.
• Client funds are segregated.
• Clients cannot lose more than their initial deposit.

Fees

Trading Fees

I tested the spreads at PU Prime with a Standard account across different asset classes using the MetaTrader 5 platforms at 8:00 a.m. GMT and 4:00 p.m. GMT on 17 August 2023. I measured the spreads at two different times of day to allow for a greater perspective: 8:00 a.m GMT is the London open when there is high liquidity in the forex market and tighter spreads in currency pairs. 4:00 p.m. GMT is during the New York trading session.

Swap Fees

Swap fees (the cost of holding a position overnight) were average at PU Prime.

In the table below, you can see the Swap Long (the cost/credit of holding a buy position overnight) and the Swap Short (the cost/credit of maintaining a sell position overnight) for one full-sized contract. A full-sized contract is 100,000 units of the base currency (the first currency quoted in the pair). I recorded the data on 17 August 2023.

Non-Trading Fees

PU Prime does not charge any account maintenance fees or inactivity fees.

Are Fees at PU Prime Competitive?

The spreads I recorded in the Standard Account were mixed, but most competitive in CFDs on shares and commodities such as gold. Meanwhile, the ECN Account offers lower trading costs with spreads starting at 0.0 and commissions of $1 per side/lot.

Platforms and Tools

MetaTrader 5 Desktop

PU Prime offers MetaTrader 5 (MT5) for desktops, which includes advanced functions such as copy trading and automated trading. In the hands-on testing process, I used the MT5 platform.

MetaTrader 5 is available in 52 languages, from Arabic to Vietnamese. The platform provides popular features such as:

• Alerts. This feature updates traders when an instrument reaches a specific price level.
• Watchlists. Traders can create a list of their favorite instruments and follow live quotes in a market watch panel.
• One-Click Trading. This feature allows traders to execute orders with a single click and no secondary confirmation. This feature enables traders to operate faster and is especially useful for short-term traders.
• Trading from the Chart. MT5 also allows users the convenience of trading directly from the chart.

MetaTrader also delivers when it comes to the range of available order types. The platform offers the following order types:

• Market Order. Traders use market orders to buy or sell an instrument at the best current price.
• Limit Order. Traders use limit orders to buy or sell an instrument at a specified price or better.
• Stop Loss Order. Traders use stop-loss orders to buy or sell an instrument when its price reaches a specified level.
• Stop Limit Order. Traders can manage risk more precisely with stop limit orders, which combine the features of a stop-loss with those of a limit order.
• Trailing Stop Order. Traders use trailing stop-loss orders as a stop-loss order at a defined percentage or dollar amount away from an instrument’s current market price. This order type allows traders to secure profits when they are in a winning trade while not having to exit the position.

Charting features are robust. MetaTrader 5 offers:

• 38 Technical Indicators. These include classic trend indicators, volume indicators, and oscillators.
• 44 Analytical Objects. These include lines, channels, Gann, and Fibonacci tools.
• 21 Time Frames. Traders can choose from 21 time frames, from one minute to one month.
• 3 Chart Types. Traders can use Bar Charts, Japanese Candlestick Charts, and Line Charts.

MetaTrader is also popular due to its copy trading and automated trading features.

• Trading Signals. Signals in MetaTrader 5 allow users to copy other traders’ activity in real time.
• Automated Trading. MetaTrader 5 allows users to develop, test, and apply Expert Advisors (EAs). EAs are programs that monitor and trade markets using algorithms.

The MetaTrader 5 is one of the most feature-rich and popular trading platforms for the desktop. However, it may present a steep learning curve for beginners.

MetaTrader 5 WebTrader Platform

The MetaTrader 5 Web Platform (Web Trader) is a slightly stripped-down version of the desktop platform. It allows you to trade without any additional software, only an internet connection is required. The Web Platform allows users to trade directly from any browser and operating system.

Popular features include:

• One-click trading
• Trading from the chart
• Watchlists with real-time quotes
• Trade History
• Advanced charting with 30 indicators for technical analysis

Copy trading and automated trading are also only available on the MT5 desktop platform.

MetaTrader 5 Mobile App

PU Prime offers the MetaTrader 5 mobile app for mobile trading, which is available for Android and iOS. The app offers popular features such as alerts, 1-click trading, and trading from the chart.

The MetaTrader 5 mobile app also provides many order types, including pending and stop orders. However, trailing stop-loss orders are only available from the desktop. To change the language of the MT5 app, you must change the language for your entire phone. As with the desktop and web platforms, the interface is not highly intuitive, but the MT5 app offers an above-average range of features.

PU Prime App

The PU Prime app is intuitive and well-designed, enabling traders to easily open, close and manage positions while on the move. Customizable watchlists allow users to track their favorite instruments. Mobile traders can benefit from advanced charting with technical indicators, global news, price alerts, and trade signals. Account funding and customer support are also available via the app.

PU Social Copy Trading App

The PU Social app enables users to access the investment strategies of thousands of experienced traders. Their results can be replicated anytime using the auto-copy function.

Flexible copying parameters enable traders to manage risk according to their preferences. Traders can also sign up to be signal providers and earn commissions by sharing their trading strategies.

Tradable Instruments

CFDs (Contracts for Differences) are financial derivative products that allow traders to speculate in various markets without owning the underlying assets. I found the range of tradable instruments at PU Prime to be better than average. Here are the major categories of tradable assets available:

• 56 Currency Pairs. A currency pair combines two different currencies, with the value of one currency quoted against the other. For example, EUR/USD, which reflects the value of the euro measured in dollars.
• 20 Commodities. Commodities are raw products, such as gold and oil.
• 600+ Global Stock CFDs. PU Prime offers trading in stock CFDs from exchanges ranging from the US to UK and EUR stock exchanges. A stock is a security that represents partial ownership of a corporation.
• 52 ETF CFDs. Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are financial instruments that track an index or sector and trade like a stock on an exchange.
• 7 Bond CFDs. CFDs on fixed-income assets include the US Ten-Year Note and the German Bund.
• 26 Indices. Available instruments range from Japanese to UK stock indices. An index is a basket of trading instruments that are used to gauge a market sector, stocks within an exchange, or the economy of a country.
• 47 Cryptocurrency CFDs. Cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, are digital currencies that are secured by cryptography.

Note Card: Keep in mind that when trading CFDs, you are speculating on the price of an asset without actually taking ownership of the underlying asset.

In the tables below, you can see a selection highlighting the variety of CFD instruments available at PU Prime:

Customer Support

Customer Support Test

I tested PU Prime’s agents with dozens of questions, covering themes such as fees, regulations, platforms, and account types. Responses were generally fast: same day for email and within a minute or two via live chat or phone.

Via chat, a chatbot first tries to answer your inquiries but quickly passes you on to a live agent. I received good support when I was able to reach a human being. However, I was not able to reach an operator via live chat during the weekend.

Deposits & Withdrawals

In the tables below, I break down the fees and processing times for each deposit and withdrawal method.

Deposits

Withdrawals

Account Types and Terms

Account Application

To open an individual account at PU Prime, prospective clients must provide the following information:

• Country of residence
• Name
• Email
• Mobile number
• Nationality
• Place of birth
• Date of birth
• Identification type (National ID, Passport or Drivers Licence)
• Identification number
• Country of main residency
• Address
• Whether you are a US citizen/resident for tax purposes

Account Types Comparison

The table below compares the five available account types side by side. In my opinion, the Standard and Cent accounts are most suitable for beginners and casual traders, while the Prime, Pro, and ECN accounts cater more to advanced and professional traders.

Demo Accounts

PU Prime offers demo accounts for MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. Demo accounts are especially important for beginners as they allow them to practice their strategies and get comfortable with the trading platform without risking real money.

The demo account features live quotes and simulates live market conditions in assets such as forex and CFDs on commodities, indices, and stocks. Once users are up to speed on a demo account, they can easily switch to a live version.

Islamic Accounts

PU Prime offers swap-free trading through Standard, Prime, and Cent account types. These accounts can be converted into Islamic accounts, adhering to the principles of Sharia law.

Leverage

One of the reasons that traders are attracted to the forex and CFD markets is the high degree of available leverage. Leverage is the use of borrowed funds to increase the size of your trading positions beyond what would be possible using only the cash in your account.

The maximum leverage available at PU Prime is 1:1000 (with the Pro account type). This means that with an account of $1,000, you can control up to $1,000,000 worth of positions in the market. Leverage is often described as a ‘double-edged sword’ as it can hurt you as much as it helps you. Traders must remember that it can amplify both their profits and their losses.

Order Execution

PU Prime uses the straight-through transaction model (STP). Straight-through processing describes the method of routing orders straight through a broker’s servers to liquidity providers without any dealing desk intervention.

Supported Countries

PU Prime takes clients from the majority of countries globally. However, clients are not accepted from the United States, Singapore, and Australia.

Research

PU Prime prepares daily market analysis reports that help orient traders for the day, covering major fundamental themes and focusing on individual markets and technical price levels to watch. From my estimation, the regularly published reports are in-depth and insightful. Also, the broker’s team publishes the weekly outlook report which previews the major upcoming economic releases with a commentary on market expectations.

In addition to in-house research, PU Prime provides its clients with content from Autochartist – a powerful pattern recognition tool that simplifies technical analysis by identifying trading opportunities based on key support and resistance levels. Traders can access Autochartist for free within the client portal.

Education

Within the trading knowledge section, PU Prime provides a series of helpful articles covering the basics of trading – from how to identify trends to risk management and trading psychology. Articles are comprehensive and will help new traders build a foundation to work from.

The video tutorials section covers forex basics, chart types, technical and fundamental analysis. Practical topics like how to trade news releases and an explanation of key candlesticks are covered in easy-to-understand clips by PU Prime’s market analysts.

The PU Prime YouTube channel also has a selection of educational videos in a beginner-friendly animated format, including important trading basics – like lot sizes, the use of leverage, and the meaning of to go “long” and “short”.

The Bottom Line

As an offshore broker, PU Prime offers a fast and easy sign-up process and leverage as high as 1:1000 with the Pro Account type. Based in Seychelles, regulatory oversight is light, which led to a relatively low trust score in my review. PU Prime has a second entity regulated by the South Africa FSCA, but it appears to be inactive.

The variety of account types caters to a wide range of traders, and competitive spreads starting at 0.0 pips are available with the Prime and ECN account types. These low costs, combined with the powerful MetaTrader platform, make an attractive setup for active, experienced traders.

Tradable instruments are another area of strength at PU Prime, and I noted that clients can access a better-than-average variety of stocks, commodities, bonds, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies. PU Prime also distinguishes itself by offering a user-friendly mobile app and copy trading app – both developed in-house.

FAQ