XTB Broker Review

Is XTB Safe?

With regulation from some of the world’s top regulators and a listing on the Warsaw stock exchange, XTB has a high trust rating. 

Regulation: Founded in 2002 in Poland, XTB Group is an umbrella group for many subsidiaries regulated by different national authorities across the globe. Residents of the UK will be onboarded through its British-based entity regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, one of the world’s best regulators. XTB is also a publicly listed company that adheres to strict capital requirements and is subject to external audits, adding another layer of security. 

Safety Features: XTB  ensures that all client funds are held in segregated accounts at tier-1 banks.  It also offers negative balance protection to all clients, so traders can never lose more than they have in their trading accounts. 

XTB also participates in an investor protection scheme, and residents of EEA countries such as the UK receive investor protection up to 85,000 GBP.  

We confirmed the licence on FCA’s register. See the licence below:

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XTB’s Financial Instruments

We were impressed that XTB offers a much wider range of tradable instruments than other similar brokers.  

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• Forex: XTB has 57 currency pairs available for trading, around the industry average. These include majors (EUR/USD, GBP/USD, and USD/JPY), minors (NZD/CAD, EUR/JPY, and USD/ZAR), and exotics. 
• Share CFDs: XTB offers 1892 share CFDs, which is a broader range than is seen at other brokers.  The selection available includes some of the major US, UK, and European Exchanges. Note that XTB charges a commission of 0.08% on share CFDs. 
• Indices: There are 35 indices available for trading at XTB, which is a much larger range than is usually seen at other brokers. The most popular indices combine the shares of some of the largest and globally acknowledged companies in Germany, China, and the US. 
• Commodities: XTB offers trading on 26 commodities, a much broader range than is commonly available at other brokers.  Most other brokers offer between 5 and 10 commodities.  Commodities include metals such as gold and silver, energies such as oil, and softs such as sugar, cocoa, and cotton. 
• ETFs: XTB offers trading on 150 ETFs, much more than is typically available at other brokers.
• Share Investment: In July 2023, XTB launched a fully-fledged stockbroking service for UK residents. Unlike CFD trading, investing in shares involves purchasing and owning company shares. XTB offers 3000+ European and US shares with a minimum investment of 10 EUR and no commission on the first 100,000 EUR in monthly turnover.

Overall, the range and depth of tradable instruments available at XTB are more extensive than that of other brokers and should satisfy most traders. 

XTB’s Accounts and Trading Fees

Although XTB only offers one live account, its trading fees are significantly lower than average.

Trading Fees: XTB’s account has no minimum deposit requirement, making it accessible to all traders. Its trading fees start at 0.35 pips (EUR/USD), and average at around 0.7 pips, which is extremely low for the industry, and no commissions are charged. Most other brokers have an average spread of 1 pip (EUR/USD) on their commission-free accounts. 

See below for account details:

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Account Details:

XTB’s account is a market-execution account with no minimum deposit requirement or commission and spreads average at 0.7 pips (EUR/USD), which is low for the industry. Leverage is limited to 30:1 on major Forex pairs, and the minimum trading order size is 0.01 lots.  

Following a decision to move away from MT4, XTB now only provides its own xStation 5 trading platform, but it has many of the same features offered on MT4.

Mobile Trading Apps

XTB only offers support for xStation5, but it offers an excellent mobile trading experience.  

Following a move away from MT4 (customer service was unable to give us details on why this is the case), XTB has focused its efforts on developing its proprietary xStation5 platform. Winning Best Mobile App for Investing 2019 & 2020 (Rankia Awards), XTB has successfully built an intuitive, powerful, and fast trading platform.  

A mobile version of the xStation5 application is available, which seamlessly connects to the application’s desktop version and is available on Android and iOS mobile devices and tablets. The mobile app is well-designed, has excellent search functionality, and allows traders to work from anywhere, close and modify existing orders, and calculate profit/loss in real time.

xStation 5 offers many of the same advanced trading features found in MetaTrader 4, but the xStation5 platform adds the XTB touch. It introduces XTB sentiment data directly into the platform, so traders can view the percentage of clients trading long or short and on which instruments. It also offers powerful charting tools, one-click trading, stop-loss functionality, multiple order types, price alerts, and real-time performance statistics so you can evaluate your trading moves and identify areas for improvement:

Traders can also access market news, educational materials, and the economic calendar from within the app, which is very convenient:

Overall, XTB’s mobile trading app provides an excellent trading experience.

Trading Platforms

With only XTB’s in-house platform, xStation5, available, XTB offers fewer trading platforms than other brokers. Most other brokers offer third-party platforms such as MT4, MT5, and cTrader.

Many other brokers offer support for third-party platforms such as Metatrader 4 and Metatrader 5, which is an advantage for forex traders who want to take their own customised versions of the platform with them should they choose to migrate to another broker.  

XTB offers automated trading through open API, but this is a more technical undertaking than using Expert Advisors on MT4 and MT5. 

Like the mobile app, traders have access to powerful charting tools and indicators, can receive price alerts, and it has excellent stop-loss functionality:

Another useful feature of the platform is the economic calendar, which highlights the key economic events which can be filtered by country and impact:

Overall, while XTB’s platform support is limited, xStation5 has won many awards, offers some great features, and is beginner-friendly.  

Platform Comparison:

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Broker

Platform Choice

Copy Trading

Platforms

XTB

4/ 5

Yes

xStation5

eToro

4/ 5

Yes

etoro

XM

4.5/ 5

No

MT4

MT5

Deposit and Withdrawal Fees

XTB provides a limited range of funding options compared to other big brokers, and it charges fees on some deposit and withdrawal methods.  

A well-regulated broker, XTB does not process payments to third parties. All withdrawal requests from a trading account must go to a bank account or a source in the trader’s name.

Trading Account Currencies: XTB only allows trading accounts to be denominated in USD, EUR, GBP, and HUF, which is limiting for traders, but an advantage for UK residents, who will likely have bank accounts denominated in GBP. British traders will therefore be able to avoid paying conversion fees unless trading on instruments with other base currencies, such as the EUR/USD.  

Deposits and Withdrawals: There are several ways to deposit funds into your trading account, and some of these methods may incur additional charges.  All deposits except for bank transfers are instant; you will see this reflected in your account balance immediately.  Bank transfers from the UK/EU are normally added to your account within one working day.  

The standard processing time for withdrawal requests is the same day if submitted before 1 pm, and withdrawals of less than 100 USD will be charged an additional commission of 20 USD.

See below for more details on payment methods:

• Bank Transfers: No fees are charged, but your bank may charge you a transfer fee.  A fee of 20 USD is charged for withdrawals below 100 USD.  
• Credit Cards/Debit Cards: Deposits are free, but you cannot withdraw funds via credit or debit card.
• Skrill: A fee of 2% is charged on your deposit amount; withdrawals are free.  

How do you withdraw money from XTB?

• Log in to the xStation5 trading platform.
• On the bottom right-hand side of the platform, click ‘Deposit and withdraw funds.’
• Enter your bank account details and the amount you wish to withdraw.
• Click ‘Initiate the withdrawal.’

Overall, XTB provides a limited number of funding methods and charges fees for some deposit and withdrawal methods.  

Opening an Account at XTB

The account opening process at XTB is user-friendly, and accounts are ready for trading within one day.

All UK residents are eligible to open an account at XTB.  While there are no minimum deposit requirements to open an individual account, corporate accounts require a 15,000 EUR minimum deposit.  See below for account-opening details:

1. New traders will have to click on the “Create an Account” button at the top of the page, where they will be directed to register an account.    
2. XTB’s intake form requires clients to fill in their personal details (including name, country of residence, email address, and birth date). 
3. Next, traders need to select their preferred account base currency.
4. Once this step is complete, clients must fill out a questionnaire that helps XTB assess the trader’s investment knowledge, experience, and expertise to determine the suitability and relevance of the offered services. While most brokers don’t include this step in the account-opening process, it is a responsible move in an industry that is often accused of an irresponsible approach to consumer protection.  
5. XTB requires at least two documents to accept you as an individual client:
   1. Proof of Identification – XTB accepts all government-issued identification documents such as Passports, national ID cards, driving licenses, or other government-issued ID. 
   2. Proof of Address – Proof of residence/address document must be issued in the name of the XTB’s account holder within the last three months. It must contain a trader’s full name, current residential address, issue date, and issuing authority. 
6. After the application is approved, traders can log in and fund their accounts.
7. We advise that you read XTB’s risk disclosure, customer agreement, and terms of business before you start trading. 

Trading Tools

XTB offers a limited number of online trading tools compared to other brokers, and these are only available from within the xStation5 platform.

Most other large brokers offer various technical analysis tools, such as Autochartist and Trading Central, and copy trading tools and VPS services.  XTB only provides a few tools through its xStation5 platform:

• Market Sentiment: The Market Sentiment feature shows the percentage of long and short positions among XTB’s clients for each financial asset.
• Heat Map: The Heat Map shows the number of people who have gained or lost money.
• Stocks Scanner: The Stocks Scanner is a tool that uses 15 factors to filter stocks you may want to trade, including market capitalization, P/E, beta, and debt-to-equity ratio.

Overall, the number of trading tools available at XTB is underwhelming compared to what is offered by other brokers.

Trading Tools:

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Broker

Autochartist

Trading Central

Trading View

XTB

No

No

No

eToro

No

No

No

XM

No

No

No

XTB For Beginners

XTB has some of the best training materials available for beginners. It has various courses, and the material is clear, concise, and well-structured. One-to-one mentoring, dedicated account management, webinars, and 24/5 customer service present XTB traders with a fluid onboarding experience. 

Educational Material

The educational materials available at XTB are  limited, but is of high quality and is easy to find.

Library: XTB’s library is comprehensive and comprises short articles covering Platform and Account tutorials in addition to trading-related subjects such as Fundamental Analysis, Technical Analysis, and Trader Questions.   

Webinars: XTB offers frequent webinars with live market analysis, demonstrated on XTB’s trading platform xStation 5, followed by a live discussion, where traders get to chat with XTB’s market analysts and account managers.

Demo Account: XTB also offers a demo account with virtual funds, but unfortunately, the demo expires after 30 days. Demo accounts are a great way to practice trading in a risk-free environment, allowing traders to familiarise themselves with XTB’s platform.

Education Comparison:

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Broker

Beginner Course

Advanced Course

XTB

Yes

Yes

eToro

No

No

XM

Yes

Yes

Analytical Material

XTB’s market analysis materials are comprehensive and provide actionable trading ideas. 

XTB provides frequent market commentary and trading ideas in its Market News section. Most market news is available to all visitors and provides actionable trading information. However, some of the premium education and market analysis materials are only available to live account holders.

Traders receive multiple updates throughout the trading day, consisting of brief fundamental summaries, technical trading alerts, and the Trade of the Day. Some content is text-only, and the rest includes charts and trading ideas.

XTB also offers an economic calendar, a comprehensive log of all scheduled macroeconomic releases, including a potential impact rating, and detailed historical data to help traders predict the results on corresponding markets.

Customer Support

XTB operates a 24/5 customer support desk, with contact available via email, live chat, WhatsApp, and phone support. As mentioned, XTB also operates an open-door policy so customers can visit any of their offices.  Notably, XTB has 20 local branches.

Customer support is offered in English, Spanish, Arabic, French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, German, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Romanian, and Hungarian. 

Overall, we found the live chat support responsive, polite, and able to answer most of our questions. 

Safety and Industry Recognition

Regulation: XTB is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the United Kingdom, the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), the Belize International Financial Services Commission, the Komisja Nadzoru Finansowego (KNF) in Poland, and the Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores in Spain.  In addition, XTB is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange and is required to regularly disclose its financials. See below for a list of XTB-registered companies:

• XTB Limited is authorised and regulated by the FCA, license 522157, since 2011.
• XTB Europe has been regulated by CySEC, license 169/12 since 2012.
• XTB International is regulated by the Belize International Financial Services Commission (license IFSC/60/413/TS/17).
• X-Trade Brokers DM SA is authorised by the Polish Securities and Exchange Commission under license number DDM-M-4021-57-1/2005.
• XTB Spain is regulated by the Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores under license number 40.

Awards

XTB has won many industry awards, including:

• Best Forex Broker 2022, Best Analyst & Best Educational Campaign of the Year (FX Cuff)
• Best NDD Forex Broker 2021 (Online Personal Wealth Awards)
• Best Mobile App for Investing 2019 & 2020 (Rankia Awards)
• Best Brokerage House in Europe 2019 (Global Banking & Finance Review)
• Best CFD broker, including Highest Rated FX & CFD Broker 2018 (Wealth and Finance Awards)

Overall, considering its long history of responsible behaviour, strong international regulation, and strict internal processes, XTB is a safe 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, which includes a detailed breakdown of the XTB offering. Central to that process is the evaluation of the broker’s reliability, the broker, the platform offering of the broker, and the trading conditions offered to clients, summarised in this review. Each one of these is graded, and an overall score is calculated and assigned to the broker.

XTB Risk Statement

Trading Forex is risky, and each broker must detail how risky the trading of Forex CFDs is to clients. XTB would like you to know that: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 82% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Overview

A well-regulated broker, XTB offers trading on a wider range of assets than other brokers, including Forex, share CFDs, ETFs, commodities, and indices.   XTB offers only one live account type but lower than average trading costs and only offers trading on its proprietary platform, xStation5, which provides a great range of innovative trading tools.