Founded in 2015, VT Markets is a multi-asset online CFD broker offering access to a diverse portfolio that includes forex pairs, commodities, indices, stocks, ETFs, cryptocurrencies, and bonds. My research indicates that VT Markets operates under three entities: two of them are regulated by ASIC and FSCA, while the third entity remains unregulated.
VT Markets facilitates trading through MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 and also offers the VT Markets App for trading on the go. One of the key strengths of VT Markets is its wide range of tradable instruments. Traders have access to various asset classes, ensuring there are always fresh and intriguing ideas to explore, along with low fees for most of the instruments I examined.
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VT Markets has a low minimum deposit of $100 and offers low fees with the spread-based account, which is typically favored by beginner traders. Advanced traders will benefit from the wide range of tradable instruments, solid research support, and free VPS.
I performed our tests with a Standard Account, using the MT5 desktop platform and MT5 mobile platform, opened with VT Markets (Pty) Ltd, regulated by FSCA. Some features and services may vary depending on where you reside.
☑️ Regulations | FSCA (South Africa), ASIC (Australia), SVG FSA (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) |
🗺 Supported Languages | English, French, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese |
💰 Products | Currencies, Stocks, ETFs, Crypto, Bonds, Indices, Commodities, Futures |
💵 Min Deposit | $100 |
💹 Max Leverage | 1:500 (FSCA), 1:30 (ASIC), 1:500 (SVG FSA) |
🖥 Trading Desk Type | ECN, STP, No dealing desk |
📊 Trading Platforms | MT5 |
💳 Deposit Options | Wire Transfer, Cryptocurrencies, Neteller, FasaPay, Skrill, Credit Card, PerfectMoney |
💳 Withdrawal Options | Wire Transfer, Cryptocurrencies, Neteller, FasaPay, Skrill, Credit Card, PerfectMoney |
🤴 Demo Account | Yes |
🗓 Foundation Year | 2016 |
🌎 Headquarters Country | South Africa |
Founded in 2015, VT Markets has been in business for more than 8 years. The broker operates under three entities. Two entities are regulated by Tier-1 and Tier-2 regulators, while the third one is unregulated. VT Markets ensures that all clients’ funds are held in segregated accounts and provides negative balance protection.
VT Markets operates under three entities:
Each regulator has its own requirements for brokers, which may differ substantially. Such requirements include leverage levels and specific protections offered to investors, such as negative balance protection, segregated accounts, and investor compensation funds. Traders must understand the differences between regulations to evaluate whether the broker suits their needs.
VT Markets operates under three entities: VT Markets Pty Ltd (regulated by ASIC, a Tier-1 regulator), VT Markets (Pty) Ltd (regulated by FSCA, a Tier-2 regulator), and VT Markets LLC (registered in St. Vincent & the Grenadines). The entities hold clients’ funds in segregated accounts to ensure that clients’ money is not used for the broker’s own business purposes. The use of segregated accounts boosts the safety of clients’ funds in case the broker encounters financial problems. I have summarized key aspects of the broker’s entities in terms of regulation and safety in the table below:
Entity Features | VT Global Pty Ltd | VT Markets (Pty) Ltd | VT Markets LLC |
Country/Region | Australia | South Africa | St. Vincent & the Grenadines |
Regulation | ASIC | FSCA | Unregulated |
Tier Level | Tier-1 | Tier-2 | – |
Segregated Funds | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Negative Balance Protection | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Compensation Scheme | Indemnity insurance | Indemnity insurance | Indemnity insurance |
Max. Leverage | 1:30 | 1:500 | 1:500 |
VT Markets has two entities that are regulated by Tier-1 and Tier-2 regulators. In addition, the broker has an entity that is registered in St. Vincent & the Grenadines. The entities provide negative balance protection and maintain separated funds from the firm. The segregation of clients’ funds ensures that the broker cannot use them for its own purposes. Moreover, with negative balance protection, clients cannot lose more money than they have in their accounts. The broker also has indemnity insurance, which is an additional step to boost the safety of clients’ funds.
In my tests for the Trust category, I also cover factors relating to stability and transparency. Here, I focused on how long the broker has been in business, the size of the company, and the transparency in terms of information being readily available.
With more than 8 years in business, VT Markets has grown into a company with several hundred employees and offices in Australia, South Africa, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and Taipei.My research showed that VT Markets is not publicly traded and does not have a bank parent, which is common for a broker. Clients can find the important legal documents in the dedicated section of the website, provided for each entity of the broker. These documents include Best Execution Policy, Client Agreement, Conflicts of Interest Policy, Key Facts Summary, Privacy Policy, and Risk Disclosure Notice. VT Markets’ clients can also read more about the broker’s regulations in the separate section of the website.
Traders can additionally check details about commissions & spreads, account types, and deposit & withdrawal policy.
In summary, my research indicated that VT Markets can be regarded as having a reasonable level of trust and stability due to the following factors:
My tests indicated that VT Markets’ trading fees for the Standard Account were mostly lower than the industry average, with competitive spreads and no commissions. Additionally, the broker stands out for not imposing inactivity or any other non-trading fees.
For this review, I tested the VT Markets Standard Account, in which the broker applies spreads and swap/rollover fees, but does not charge any commissions. Spreads are variable and depend on the liquidity situation for each instrument at a certain point in time.
I tested the spread on the Standard Account during the London open at 8 a.m. UK time and shortly after the US open at 2.45 p.m. UK time. These are the most actively traded hours.
I summarized my findings in the table below:
Instrument | Live spread AM | Live spread PM |
EURUSD | 1.4 | 1.5 |
GBPJPY | 2.2 | 1.7 |
Gold (XAUUSD) | 21 | 19 |
WTI Oil | 0.037 | 0.045 |
DAX | 0.6 | 0.6 |
Dow Jones | 1.4 | 1.1 |
Apple | n/a | 0.15 |
Tesla | n/a | 0.24 |
Bitcoin | 12.01 | 12.01 |
My tests indicated that VT Markets offered low spreads for GBP/JPY, Gold, Apple, Tesla, DAX, Dow Jones, and Bitcoin. The spreads for EUR/USD and WTI oil were moderate, compared to the industry average.
Instrument | Swap Long | Swap Short |
EUR/USD | -7.8 | 3.12 |
GBP/JPY | 18.93 | -33.85 |
My research showed that swap fees for EUR/USD were moderate, while the swap fees for GBP/JPY were higher when compared with the industry average.
VT Markets does not impose inactivity fees, meaning that accounts can lie dormant for a period longer than 6 months without incurring any extra charges. The broker also refrains from charging any other non-trading fees.
VT Markets provides attractive spreads for GBP/JPY, Gold, DAX, Dow Jones, Bitcoin, Apple, and Tesla. The spreads for EUR/USD and WTI oil were mostly in line with the industry average. In general, VT Markets has attractive trading fees at its Standard Account. On top of that, the broker also doesn’t charge any non-trading fees.
VT Markets offers two of the most renowned trading platforms in the world – MetaTrader 5 (MT5) and its predecessor MetaTrader 4 (MT4), catering to both novice and experienced traders. The broker also provides a user-friendly VT Markets Mobile App for trading on the go.
MetaTrader platforms are often used by brokers as they provide a wide range of technical analysis tools and support algorithmic trading. Many traders have already used either MetaTrader 4 or MetaTrader 5, so they don’t have to spend time learning the features of the platform.
In this review, I tested the MetaTrader 5 platform, analyzing charts, indicators, drawing tools, orders, and the general ease of use of the platform.
MT5 is an advanced trading platform that could be tailored to traders’ needs. Its 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 have no problems with MT5, while beginners may need to spend some time learning the fundamental features of the platform.
For beginner traders, it’s beneficial to familiarize yourselves with various chart options, indicators, drawing tools, and order types. You may need to learn how to create watchlists and manage your trading positions. Despite the initial time and effort required, traders who invest in this learning, ultimately gain a powerful tool that helps achieve better trading results.
While the general look of the MetaTrader 5 platform may seem a bit outdated, I find the platform fairly intuitive and easy to learn. However, for novice traders who have never had experience with this platform, it may initially appear overwhelming. VT Markets provides the standard MT5 offering, so those who have previously used the platform with other brokers will be ready to trade in a couple of minutes.
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 indicators, and custom indicators help to design the chart you need.
Available timeframes range from 1 minute to 1 month, providing traders with an opportunity to observe short-term developments, as well as significant multi-month trends.
MT5 also supports:
These tools are commonly used for decision-making in trading, so their inclusion is a must for any reputable trading platform.
Each chart can be displayed as a bar, a candlestick, or a line. Candlesticks are generally the most popular among traders as they suggest plenty of various patterns that are used for making trading decisions. That said, other chart types also have their advocates.
MT5 charts are accessible even to novice traders. Nevertheless, they also offer enough options for experts.
Like most traders, I have my favorite indicators and drawing tools, which include RSI, moving averages, and channels. I use candlestick charts to benefit from the analysis of candlestick patterns. I find it easy to use and combine various indicators in MT5.
MT5 offers all main order types including:
Different expiration types are available for all pending orders, including GTC (good-till-cancel), Today, Specified, and Specified Day.
Personally, I strongly prefer limit orders and use them for both entry and exit points. These orders are highly effective in risk management, particularly during significant market movements when market orders can result in prices that deviate greatly from your expectations.
In this review, I have tested the VT Markets MetaTrader 5 Mobile App for Android.
The MT5 mobile app for Android is quite user-friendly. It provides charts, quotes, account balance info, an economic calendar, news, and other tools designed to help traders make informed decisions. As expected, traders have access to the standard features of the MT5 mobile app. If you’ve previously worked with the MT5 app, you’ll be able to begin trading in a short period of time.
MT5 mobile app offers:
This selection of options is sufficient for mobile-based trading. I prefer using mobile app when I don’t have access to the desktop platform, but need to monitor the market and open positions. While the app is helpful in certain circumstances, it is not as efficient as the desktop platform, which remains the primary solution for traders who require fast and active trading capabilities.
The MT5 mobile app allows you to place market orders, limit orders, and stop orders. However, trailing stops are not available on mobile trading terminals.
VT Markets offers a free VPS service for the MT4 platform. The broker covers the cost of the VPS hosting for clients who trade a minimum of 10 standard FX lots round turn per month.
My research showed that VT Markets offers a diverse range of trading opportunities. In most categories, the number of tradable instruments exceeds the industry average. The broker presents an impressive selection of commodities, stocks, indices, and cryptocurrencies. Additionally, the inclusion of bonds offers traders a unique opportunity for diversification.
VT Markets offers 57 forex pairs, 21 commodities, 800+ stocks and ETFs, 26 indices, 47 cryptocurrencies, and 7 bonds. The number of available forex pairs is moderate, while the number of other instruments is high.
CFDs (Contracts for Differences) are financial instruments that allow traders to bet on asset prices without actually holding the respective assets. The key advantage of CFDs is the access to significant leverage, which is typically not available when trading other instruments. Hence, CFDs are very popular in short-term trading.
Forex | Shares |
EUR/USD | GBP/USD | USD/CAD | Apple| Tesla | BNP Paribas |
Indices | Cryptocurrencies |
Dow Jones | DAX | FTSE 100 | Bitcoin | Ethereum | Fetch.AI |
Commodities | ETFs |
Gold| WTI Oil| Natural Gas | SPY| FAS| FAZ |
VT Markets provides access to forex pairs, indices, commodities, stocks, ETFs, cryptocurrencies, and bonds. While the forex selection aligns with industry standards, the broker shines in offering an extensive range of other assets. In my opinion, the offering is extremely broad, so traders will always find good trading opportunities for themselves. What sets VT Markets apart is its bond offering, a rarely featured asset in traders’ portfolios, yet an attractive option for those seeking diversification.
VT Markets offers customer support through online chat, email, and phone. My tests showed that the customer support team responded quickly and provided professional answers.
VT Markets customer support is available 24/7 via online chat, email, and phone. The support is offered in six languages, including English, French, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Thai.
During my tests, I posed various questions to the customer support team through the online chat. I inquired about the types of accounts the broker offers, the leverage, the inactivity fee, and the VPS service. The customer support was helpful and quickly answered my questions.
Traders should note that the broker’s online chat also has a bot designed to answer the most common questions. In addition, clients can use the help center, which contains answers to frequently asked questions.
VT Markets clients can deposit and withdraw funds via credit cards, bank wire, e-wallets, and crypto. The majority of deposit methods are processed instantly, while withdrawals may take a few days to complete.
Deposit Method | Base Currencies | Fees | Processing Time |
Visa/Mastercard | USD, AUD, GBP, EUR, CAD, JPY | No | Instant |
Bank Transfer | USD, AUD, GBP, EUR, CAD, JPY | No | 2-5 business days |
Neteller | USD, AUD, GBP, EUR, CAD, JPY | No | Instant |
Skrill | USD, AUD, GBP, EUR, CAD, JPY | No | Instant |
Fasapay | USD | No | Instant |
Perfect Money | USD, EUR | No | Instant |
Crypto | BTC, USDT | No | 1 hour |
VT Markets clients can choose between credit cards, bank transfer, e-wallets, and crypto for their transactions. These methods can be used free of charge. As is typical, the bank transfer is the slowest deposit method.
Withdrawal Method | Base Currencies | Fees | Processing Time |
Visa/Mastercard | USD, AUD, GBP, EUR, CAD, JPY | No (for sums above 100 base currency) | 3-7 business days |
Bank Transfer | USD, AUD, GBP, EUR, CAD, JPY | No (for one withdrawal each month) | 3-7 business days |
Neteller | USD, AUD, GBP, EUR, CAD, JPY | 2% | 1-3 business days |
Skrill | USD, AUD, GBP, EUR, CAD, JPY | 1% | 1-3 business days |
Fasapay | USD | 0.5% | 1-3 business days |
Perfect Money | USD, EUR | Not specified | 1-3 business days |
Crypto | BTC, USDT | Not specified | 1-3 business days |
VT Markets clients should note that the broker charges a fee of 20 base currency for withdrawals via credit cards and bank transfers that do not exceed 100 base currency. Fees apply to e-wallet withdrawals as well. However, VT Markets does not charge additional handling fees during the withdrawal process.
VT Markets offers two account types: a spread-based Standard STP Account and a commissions-based RAW ECN Account. Islamic Account options are available for both types of broker’s accounts. A minimum deposit requirement of just $100 makes VT Markets an accessible broker for many traders.
VT Markets clients can choose between a spread-based Standard STP Account and a commission-based RAW ECN Account. In the spread-based account, traders pay spreads as well as swap/rollover fees, while in the commission-based account, they enjoy tighter spreads but must also pay a fixed commission ($6 per standard lot, per round). Swap-free Islamic Account options are available for both spread-based and commission-based accounts.
Choosing an account that aligns with your trading needs is crucial. Typically, the traders should consider factors such as base currency options, contract size, commissions, fees, the number of pending orders/positions, and the minimum deposit size.
Feature | Standard STP Account | RAW ECN Account |
Commission (excluding equities) |
No | $6 (per round turn) |
Spread | Variable | From 0.0 |
Minimum Deposit | $100 | $100 |
Leverage | 1:500 | 1:500 |
Islamic Account | Yes | Yes |
Demo Account | Yes | Yes |
VT Markets’ clients can choose between the spread-based Standard STP Account and the commission-based RAW ECN Account. In these accounts, traders have access to leverage of up to 1:500. With a minimum deposit of just $100, both accounts are easily accessible for beginners. Importantly, an Islamic Account option is available for both types of accounts. Accounts can be opened with 5 base currencies, including AUD, USD, GBP, EUR, and CAD.
CFD leverage allows traders to hold a position without paying the full value. Instead, you pay a deposit, which is called margin, while borrowing the rest.
In the VT Markets’ case, traders have access to leverage of up to 1:500. This is a high level of leverage, so traders should be careful and use appropriate risk management techniques.
To open an account with VT Markets, follow these steps:
In my case, the opening of the account took less than five minutes, and I quickly got to the client portal. I experienced no problems during this procedure.
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 psychological factors: traders often find themselves under pressure when real money is at stake.
While it’s a good idea to use the demo account for practicing and learning the trading platform, I would advise not to spend too much time on the demo.
VT Markets offers a variety of research tools catering to both beginner and advanced traders. Some of these tools are accessible exclusively through the client portal, while others are available directly on the broker’s website.
VT Markets offers the ProTrader tools suite, accessible through the client portal for traders who open a live account with the broker. These tools include Market Buzz, Featured Ideas, Economic Calendar, Analyst Views, and the Acuity Signal Centre. Traders will find additional news feeds and trading ideas, always a useful feature.
VT Markets also provides Alpha Generation indicators for MetaTrader. Offered in partnership with Trading Central, they are available to existing clients with a minimum balance of $500. I find the Adaptive Divergence Convergence (ADC) tool especially interesting, as it adapts its lengths based to the market conditions to avoid excessive signals.
On its website, VT Markets presents the Daily Market Analysis, which contains a thorough discussion of the technicals and fundamentals of various instruments, along with key economic data. As expected, an economic calendar is also provided on the broker’s website.
Traders should note that the use of special third-party tools like Acuity Signal Centre, exclusive to clients with a live account, aligns with modern trends. As such, do not expect too much from the website-based research offering. In my opinion, VT Markets provides sufficient research tools for its clients.
VT Markets has curated a variety of educational materials including articles, an MT4 guide, and a Trading Central tools guide. While the information is valuable, its presentation lacks structure, potentially making it less user-friendly.
On its website, VT Markets presents a collection of educational articles that cover a wide range of topics, from forex currency correlations to CFD trading strategies.
These materials could appeal to both novice and seasoned traders. However, the content may be challenging to digest due to its unstructured presentation – the articles vary in topics without clear organization, and what are labeled as “guides” often turn out to be extensive articles rather than user-friendly instructions.
This issue extends to the MT4 guide and the Trading Central Tools Guide, as well, where the quality content is present but hindered by its complex format.
VT Markets operates under three entities: VT Global Pty Ltd, regulated by ASIC (a Tier-1 regulator), VT Markets (Pty) Ltd, regulated by FSCA (a Tier-2 regulator), and VT Markets LLC, an unregulated entity registered in St. Vincent & the Grenadines. These entities provide negative balance protection and hold clients’ funds in segregated accounts for added safety.
VT Markets offers a wide range of tradable instruments, including forex pairs, stocks, ETFs, indices, commodities, cryptocurrencies, and bonds. Clients can access MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 platforms, along with the in-house VT Markets App. The broker’s clients will benefit from low trading fees and third-party research tools, available for traders with a live account at VT Markets.
Traders can choose between a spread-based account and a commissions-based account, and an Islamic Account option is available for both types. VT Markets offers various deposit and withdrawal methods, available in several currencies. My tests showed that the fees at the Standard STP Account were lower than the industry average for most instruments I measured, highlighting a potential advantage for cost-conscious traders.
Headquarters Country | South Africa |
Foundation Year | 2016 |
Regulations | FSCA (South Africa), ASIC (Australia), SVG FSA (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) |
Publicly Traded | No |
Number Of Employees | 150 |
Trading Desk Type | ECN, STP, No dealing desk |
Trading Platforms | MT5 |
Restricted Countries | North Korea, United States, Singapore |
Supported Languages | English, French, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese |
Min Deposit | $100 |
Max Leverage | 1:500 (FSCA), 1:30 (ASIC), 1:500 (SVG FSA) |
Deposit Options | Wire Transfer, Cryptocurrencies, Neteller, FasaPay, Skrill, Credit Card, PerfectMoney |
Withdrawal Options | Wire Transfer, Cryptocurrencies, Neteller, FasaPay, Skrill, Credit Card, PerfectMoney |
Time to Withdrawal | 3 |
Time to Open an Account | 5 |
Crypto | Ethereum, Bitcoin, NIL |
Products | Currencies, Stocks, ETFs, Crypto, Bonds, Indices, Commodities, Futures |
Demo Account | Yes |
OCO Orders | Yes |
Offers Hedging | Yes |
Automated Trading | Yes |
API Trading | No |
Guaranteed Stop Loss | Yes |
Guaranteed Limit Orders | Yes |
Guaranteed Fills / Liquidity | Yes |
Economic calendar | Yes |
Trading From Chart | Yes |
One-Click Trading | Yes |
Expert Advisor | Yes |
Social Trading | Yes |
Autochartist | No |
Trading Signals | Yes |
Platform Languages | Turkish, Korean, Hebrew, English, Danish, Russian, French, Indonesian, Dutch, Portuguese, Latvian, Thai, Slovak, Polish, Czech, Arabic, Estonian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Italian, Slovenian, Spanish, Chinese, Croatian, Lithuanian, Farsi, Japanese, Swedish, Greek, Serbian, Vietnamese, Malaysian, German, Romanian |
24 Hours Support | Yes |
Support During Weekends | Yes |
Live Chat | Yes |
Daily Market Commentary | Yes |
News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes |
Webinars | No |
Deposit Fee | No |
Withdrawal Fee | No |
Inactivity Fee | No |
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.
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