ADSS Broker Review

Is ADSS Safe?

Yes, ADSS is a safe broker for British traders to trade with. It has good regulatory oversight, segregates client funds, and provides traders with negative balance protection.

Founded in 2011, ADSS is regulated by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) of the UAE. British traders will be onboarded through ADSS’s UK-based entity, Regulated by the FCA. FCA regulation ensures that ADSS segregates its client funds from company funds and provides all traders with negative balance protection. It is also insured by the Investor Compensation Fund up to a maximum of 85,000 EUR per trader should the company be liquidated. On this basis, we consider ADSS a safe broker for British clients to trade with. Click here for more details on ADSS’s regulatory oversight.

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Trading Fees

ADSS’s trading costs are average compared to other brokers.

Unlike other brokers that offer a range of account types with lower spreads linked to higher minimum deposits, ADSS only offers one commission-free account that employs instant execution. In addition, ADSS’s fee structure is transparent, and it publishes all trading fees. For more detail on ADSS’s trading account, click here.

ADSS’s account was assessed to compare the costs to other brokers. The costs were evaluated based on the trading fees on one lot (100 000 USD) on the EUR/USD, including the spreads:

Spread Cost Formula: Spread x Trade Size = Spread Charge in Secondary Currency (USD)

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ADSS’s fees are built into its spreads, so there are no extra costs, except for the interest fees charged on positions held overnight and various non-trading fees. 

As you can see from the table above, ADSS’s trading costs are built into the spreads, which are variable and fluctuate with trade volume and market volatility.

Swap Fees

The other main trading cost to consider is the overnight swap fee. It is determined by the overnight interest rate differential between the two currencies involved in the pair and whether the position is a buy ‘long’ or sell ‘short.’ ADSS publishes all the swap rates on its website. They can be calculated as follows:

Nights held x Tom-Next* rate x trade size

For example, the swap rate for holding a long position of EUR/USD overnight is 0.52 USD, and for holding a short position is 0.00 USD. In addition, traders should note that Daily Funding Charges do not apply to futures contracts in Indices, Commodity, Treasury, and Interest rates.

Overall, ADSS’s minimum deposit requirements and trading costs are reasonable. 

Non-Trading Fees

ADSS’s non-trading fees are average compared to other similar brokers.

Some of the most overlooked trading costs are the non-trading fees charged by brokers. These fees can significantly affect your profitability and so should be carefully scrutinised.

Unlike other brokers that charge fees for deposits and inactive accounts, ADSS does not generally charge non-trading fees. However, all Realised Profit or Loss will be automatically converted into the Account Currency at the time of the closing of a position. ADSS will apply a mark-up of 0.25% to any conversion.

Overall, these fees are average compared to other similar brokers.

Opening an Account at ADSS

The account-opening and verification process at ADSS is seamless, fully digital, and accounts are ready within 24 hours, which is about the industry average. 

All British traders are eligible to open a trading account at ADSS but will have to meet the minimum deposit requirement of 100 USD.

ADSS offers corporate and individual accounts. For the purposes of this review, we will outline the process for opening an individual account:

1. From the ADSS homepage, you will have to click on the ‘Create an Account’ tab, where you will be directed to register an account with a name, email address, telephone number, date of birth, and country of residence.  

2. You will also have to select your preferred platform (Orex or MT4), account (spread betting or CFD), and base currencies.

3. Traders will then have to detail their residency, create a password, and fill in their tax number.

4. Next, traders are required to fill in their financial details, employment status, and trading knowledge. Depending on the information you provide, ADSS may need to ask you further questions once you have completed the application form.

5. Traders will then have to verify their identity and residential address:

   1. Proof of Identification – ADSS accepts all government-issued identification documents such as Passport, national ID card, driving license, or other government-issued ID. 

   2. Proof of Address – Traders can upload a Bank/Credit Card Statement, Utility Bill or Statement, or a Rental Agreement. The proof of residence/address document must be issued in the account holder’s name within the last six months. It must contain a trader’s full name, current residential address, issue date, and issuing authority. 

6. Once all the documents have been uploaded, ADSS requires traders to digitally sign a declaration stating that they have read all the relevant documents.

Overall, ADSS’s account-opening process is fully digital and hassle-free, and accounts are ready for trading within 24 hours.

ADSS Trading Accounts

ADSS only offers one CFD account type suitable for both beginner and more experienced traders.

A market maker with two instant execution accounts, ADSS offers trading on multiple assets, including Forex, indices, commodities, oil, and metals. For more on ADSS’s trading assets, click here.  

One advantage of trading with ADSS is that it prioritises the protection of its traders’ data. The company has held the prestigious ISO/IEC 27001 cyber security management standard for the past seven years and uses a 128-bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL).

Full support is offered for the MT4 and OREX platforms, and ADSS allows hedging, scalping, copy trading, and Islamic swap-free accounts. Under FCA regulations, leverage is up to 30:1. 

ADSS offers one live CFD accounts and a demo account.  See below for more details:

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• Standard Account: ADSS offers a single live account with a minimum deposit requirement of 100 USD, spreads starting at 0.80 pips on the EUR/USD, and leverage of up to 30:1. ADSS allows all trading strategies, including hedging, scalping, and copy trading.
• Demo Account: Those afraid to risk real money on trading will be glad to learn that ADSS has introduced an unlimited MT4 demo account. Traders can test strategies and analyse data on all its instruments. Demo accounts do not expire and come preloaded with 100 000 USD in virtual funds. 

Deposits and Withdrawals

ADSS offers a limited range of payment methods, and while deposits are free, all withdrawals incur a fee. Additionally, its withdrawal processing times are long. 

A well-regulated broker, ADSS ensures that all Anti-Money Laundering rules and regulations are followed. 

ADSS offers a limited range of deposit and withdrawal methods, including bank wire transfers, credit cards, debit cards, and Skrill.  

Deposits for all payment methods are free, although clients will have to absorb the fees charged by their various banking institutions. Deposits by credit cards and debit cards, and Skrill are instant, but bank wire transfers are processed within 30 minutes.

There are no withdrawal fees, but traders can expect to wait for 2 to 5 working days for funds to reach you, subject, of course, to the processing and clearing of your bank/Skrill. Credit/Debit card withdrawals can take up to 10 business days. 

Deposits are processed between 08:30 and 17:30 GMT and withdrawals are processed between 08:30 and 13:00 GMT.  See below for more details:

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Other methods may be available, but these methods are not available to view (nor the fees involved) until you have opened a live account and logged in. This is unusual and not consumer-friendly, as most brokers publish all their deposit and withdrawal fees on their websites.

ADSS’s Base Currencies

ADSS only offers trading in three base currencies, which is very limited compared to similar brokers. 

ADSS only allows clients to open trading accounts denominated in USD, EUR, and GBP, which is limited compared to other brokers – most other brokers offer trading in 5 – 10 currencies. 

Having accounts denominated only in USD is a disadvantage for traders with bank accounts in other currencies. While this may not affect occasional traders, high-volume traders (who trade more than ten lots a month) should consider opening an account denominated in USD because a conversion fee will be charged for every trade made on a USD-quoted currency pair. This can be done by opening a multi-currency bank account at a digital bank.

Overall, having trading accounts denominated only in USD is a disadvantage for traders with trading accounts in other currencies. 

ADSS Trading Platforms

ADSS offers trading on the Metatrader 4 (MT4) and OREX  trading platforms, which is average compared to other similar brokers. 

Although MT4 is now showing its age, it is still considered one of the best CFD trading platforms globally. It is especially prized for its algorithmic trading abilities, allowing traders to install automated trading robots and indicators downloaded from the MetaTrader Market. Unlike MT4, the OREX trading platform is available for spread betting and CFD trading.

MT4 is also widely recognised for its trade execution speeds, charting tools, and customizability, and it is available in many languages. The benefit of using a third-party platform such as MT4 is that traders can use the same platform should they choose to migrate to another broker. However, proprietary platforms such as OREX are often easier to use and set up.

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Broker

Platform Choice

Copy Trading

Platforms

ADSS

4/ 5

Yes

MT4

AvaTrade

4.5/ 5

Yes

MT4

MT5

Avatrade Social

AvaOptions

HYCM

4.5/ 5

Yes

MT4

MT5

ADSS Metatrader 4 (MT4)

MT4 has great customisability, which means that the size and position of the tabs can be easily moved. Traders can also trade on a variety of CFDs, including Forex, commodities, and indices. Other features of MT4 include:

• Four types of order execution, including Market, Limit, Stop, and Trailing Stop orders.
• Superior charting tools in nine timeframes
• 30 technical indicators
• 23 analytical objects
• Algorithmic trading, which allows any trading strategy to be formalised and implemented as an Expert Advisor. 
• Backtesting capabilities
• Dedicated customer support

OREX Trading Platform

ADSS’s flagship OREX web platform has a greater product range compared to its MT4 platform offering and is simple, minimalistic, and generally easy to navigate. It is also easy to set up and has a range of charting tools, and a number of indicators.

ADSS’s Mobile Trading Platforms

ADSS offers both MT4 and the OREX trading platform on both Android and iOS, which is average compared to other brokers.

ADSS offers MT4 and OREX on mobile trading platforms, available for both Android and iOS. As with web trading platforms, traders can choose from multiple languages. Although there is limited functionality compared to the desktop version of the platform, with reduced timeframes and fewer charting options, traders will still have access to analytics with technical indicators, graphical objects, and a full set of trading orders.

ADSS Trading Tools

ADSS offers an extremely limited range of trading tools compared to other similar brokers.

ADSS offers a few additional trading tools, including an Economic Calendar and Autochartist. However, unlike many other brokers, it does not offer any VPS hosting services, copy trading platforms, or PAMM/MAM accounts. See below for more details on the various tools:

• Economic Calendar: ADSS offers an economic calendar highlighting various events that will impact market movements. An economic calendar is also available through MT4.
• Autochartist: Free for all ADSS clients, Autochartist is an award-winning automated technical analysis tool that plugs into MT4 and scans all available CFD markets for trading opportunities. Autochartist’s advanced pattern recognition engine identifies the strongest potential trading opportunities and predicts future price movements. Some of Autochartist’s key features are:
  • Chart pattern recognition
  • Fibonacci pattern recognition
  • Key level analysis
  • Pattern quality indication
  • It recognises trade set-ups based on support and resistance levels.

The market scanner provides statistically significant market movements and identifies important price levels that are catalysts for market movements.

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Broker

Autochartist

Trading Central

Trading View

ADSS

No

No

No

AvaTrade

No

Yes

No

HYCM

No

Yes

No

Overall, the tools on offer at ADSS are not as substantial as those offered by other brokers.

Financial Instruments

ADSS offers a broader range of tradable assets compared to its competitors.

ADSS offers trading on Forex, indices, shares, commodities, and bonds.

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• Forex pairs: ADSS offers 56 Forex pairs to trade, including majors, minors, and exotics such as USD/ZAR and ZAR/JPY. This is around the average offered by its closest competitors. 

• Commodities: ADSS offers trading on 10 commodities, including metals, energies, and agriculture, which is around the average offered by most other brokers. 

• Stock CFDs: ADSS’s stock CFD offering is excellent compared to most of its competitors, with 2600 stock CFDs available to trade, including popular US tech companies, European, German, UK stocks, and those listed on the NASDAQ, and NYSE, and more. 

• Indices: ADSS offers cash and futures contracts on over 16 international indices, including the UK100, S&P500, FTSE100, and the Nikkei. This is an average range of indices compared to other brokers. 

• Bonds: ADSS offers trading on 10 bonds, which is a broader range compared to most other brokers, including the Euribor, Bund, T Bond, and Eurodollar, among others.

Overall, ADSS provides a wide range of tradable assets, which should leave most professional traders satisfied. 

ADSS for Beginners

Overall, ADSS offers a limited range of educational materials for new traders. However, it provides a well-structured, frequently updated range of market analysis materials and access to Autochartist. Additionally, ADSS offers a free unlimited MT4 demo account, and customer service support is available during business hours for all client-related and technical queries. 

Educational Materials

ADSS’s educational materials are severely limited compared to other large international brokers. 

ADSS only offers a trading glossary and detailed FAQ section, which is very limited. Most other brokers offer a range of materials that cater to both beginners and more experienced traders.

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Broker

Beginner Course

Advanced Course

ADSS

No

No

AvaTrade

Yes

Yes

HYCM

Yes

No

Market Analysis Materials

ADSS’s market analysis is average compared to other similar brokers.

ADSS provides a daily, updated market analysis blog featuring all the latest market movements. It also provides daily technical analysis articles and fundamental analysis articles that take an in-depth look at the most popular tradable instruments. 

Additionally, ADSS has some basic features, such as an economic calendar and client sentiment data. 

Overall, ADSS’s market analysis section is good, but it could improve the materials by providing more comprehensive and multi-format content.

Customer Support

The company offers customer support in a range of languages, including English, Urdu, Hindi, Russian, Arabic, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai via email, phone, and live chat. This ensures that users from around the world can get their queries addressed smoothly. The customer service team is available during business hours, 5 days a week. For individuals who are comfortable finding their own answers, the FAQ section is especially helpful.

For the purposes of this review, we found the customer service was polite but unable to answer some of our questions. They also often only responded in 10 – 20 minutes, which is much longer than other brokers. 

Safety and Regulation

ADSS was founded in 2011 with the mission of creating a global financial services company delivering the highest quality products and services. It is headquartered in the UK and has an office in Abu Dhabi, and as such it maintains regulation from the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Securities And Commodities Authority (SCA) of the UAE. See below for more details:

• ADS Securities LLC (“ADSS”) is a limited liability company incorporated under United Arab Emirates law. The company is registered with the Department of Economic Development of Abu Dhabi (No. 1190047) and regulated by the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA).
• ADS Securities’ parent company is a major shareholder of ADS Securities London Limited, a company authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK, licence number 577453. ADS Securities London Ltd provides FX trading services across the euro zone under the FCA’s passporting programme.

British trader will be trading under the subsidiary, ADS Securities London Limited, authorised and regulated by the FCA. The FCA is widely held to be one of the strictest and most careful regulators in the world. As a result, ADSS can only offer a maximum leverage of up to 30:1 on Forex pairs and is banned from offering trading on crypto CFDs. ADSS is also required to be a member of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), covering customer losses up to 85,000 GBP in the event of broker bankruptcy. All British client funds are held in segregated accounts with top-tier banks and ADSS is subject to frequent audits of its finances and client operations. In addition, all British clients have negative balance protection, meaning they can never lose more money than is held in their trading account.

Overall, due to the fact that ADSS is regulated by more than one authority, including top-tier regulator, the FCA, that it segregates client funds, protects its traders’ data, and offers negative balance protection, we consider ADSS a safe forex broker to trade with. 

Evaluation Method

We value transparency and openness in the way we review the partners. To bring transparency to the forefront, we have published our review process that includes a detailed breakdown of the ADSS offering. Central to that process is the evaluation of the reliability of the broker, the platform offering of the broker, and the trading conditions offered to clients, which are summarised in this review. Each one of these is graded, and an overall score is calculated and assigned to the broker.

ADSS Risk Statement and Disclaimer

Trading Forex is risky, and each broker is required to detail how risky the trading of Forex CFDs is to clients. ADSS would like you to know that: Investing in CFDs involves a high degree of risk that you will lose your money due to the use of leverage, particularly in fast-moving markets, where a relatively small movement in the price can lead to a proportionately larger movement in the value of your investment. This can result in losses that exceed the funds in your account. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and you should seek independent advice if necessary.   

Overview

Overall, ADSS is a well-regulated broker with a wide range of financial instruments compared to other similar brokers. It offers one live account with a reasonable minimum deposit and low trading fees, making it accessible to both beginners and more experienced traders. ADSS offers support for both the MT4 trading platform and OREX, its own proprietary platform. One drawback is that ADSS offers virtually no educational materials, forcing traders to self-educate with third-party content. 

Editorial Team

 

Chris Cammack
Head of Content

Chris joined the company in 2019 after ten years experience in research, editorial and design for political and financial publications. His background has given him a deep knowledge of international financial markets and the geopolitics that affects them. Chris has a keen eye for editing and a voracious appetite for financial and political current affairs. He ensures that our content across all sites meets the standards of quality and transparency that our readers expect.

 

Alison Heyerdahl
Senior Financial Writer

Alison joined the team as a writer in 2021. She is the Senior Editor for FXScouts.  She has a medical degree with a focus on physiotherapy and a bachelor’s in psychology. However, her interest in forex trading and her love for writing led her to switch careers. She has a passion for Forex trading and over a decade of editorial experience researching Forex and the financial services industry, producing high-quality content. She hosts a weekly podcast, “Let’s Talk Forex,” alongside her colleague, Chris, and has produced over 100 Forex educational videos for the FXScouts YouTube channel. She also writes weekly technical analyses and has tested and reviewed over 100 Forex brokers.

 

Ida Hermansen
Financial Writer

Ida joined our team as a financial writer in 2023. She has a degree in Digital Marketing and a background in content writing and SEO. In addition to her marketing and writing skills, Ida also has an interest in cryptocurrencies and blockchain networks. Her interest in crypto trading led to a wider fascination with Forex technical analysis and price movement. She continues to develop her skills and knowledge in Forex trading and keeps a close eye on which Forex brokers offer the best trading environments for new traders.