Established in 2007, eToro is a well-known Israeli FX broker that serves clients worldwide, offering low fees, a wide range of cryptocurrencies and a high-quality proprietary platform. It is also the world’s most popular social trading broker, allowing its clients to copy successful investors’ trades through its innovative CopyTrader system.
The company was founded by David Ring and brothers Yoni and Ronen Assia as RetailFX in Tel Aviv, Israel. Initially, it offered Forex and CFD trading, but in 2010 it launched the eToro social investment platform and the CopyTrader feature. Soon, the renamed broker gained huge popularity among retail traders for the exciting social trading opportunities it offered. It also entered the US market, giving clients the opportunity to trade more than 10 cryptocurrencies and use the famous CopyTrader feature.
Today, eToro is one of the most preferred social trading platforms in the world, with 12 million registered clients and an impeccable reputation for providing safe online trading and fast execution.
| General Information about eToro | |
|---|---|
| Min. Deposit | $50 or $100 based on country ($10 for the UK) |
| Supported Languages | Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Korean, Dutch, Russian, Swedish, Chinese (Mandarin) |
| Supported Currencies | EUR, GBP, USD |
| Website | https://www.etoro.com/ |
| Support Email | complianceCY@etoro.com |
| Headquarters Address | 24th floor, One Canada Square Canary Wharf London, E14 5AB United Kingdom |
Regulation
The financial and brokering services of eToro are provided by its several subsidiaries that operate under licences from different jurisdictions. In Europe, it is represented by eToro Europe Ltd., which is registered as a Cypriot Investment Firm (CIF). It holds a licence from the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC). For its customers based in the United Kingdom, the company operates through eToro UK Ltd., which is licensed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Both companies comply with the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID), the main piece of legislation in the European Union that provides harmonised control and regulation of investment services across all member states. In addition, eToro is licensed and regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) through its subsidiary eToro AUS Capital Pty Ltd.
In the United States, the broker is represented by eToro USA LLC, which is registered with FinCEN as a Money Services Business for its cryptocurrency trading platform. The broker does not accept registrations from clients in Canada (including the provinces of Ontario and Quebec), Japan, Brazil, Cuba, Turkey, Albania, Serbia, Syria, Iran and Sudan.
| Regulator | Licence |
|---|---|
| CySEC | 109/10 |
| FCA | 583263 |
| FRSA | 220073 |
| FinCEN | 31000204884179 |
| FINRA | 298361 |
| FSAS | SD076 |
| GFSC | 1333B |
| AMF | E2022-038 |
| MFSA | C97952 |
| SEC | 0001753042 |
| ASIC | 491139 |
Trading Instruments
Although a leading provider of social trading services, eToro is first and foremost an online Forex and CFD broker. As such, it offers contracts for difference (CFDs) on a wide range of underlying assets, including foreign currency (FX pairs), indices, shares, commodities, virtual assets, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).Forex
The catalog of trading instruments available at eToro is relatively small, especially compared with that of other brokers, who offer an average of about 80 forex pairs. Here, clients can trade 47 pairs in total, including most major ones – EUR/USD, USD/CAD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY, AUD/USD, USD/RUB, and more. Other popular FX pairs include EUR/GBP, EUR/CHF, GBP/JPY, CAD/JPY, EUR/NZD, CAD/CHF, EUR/SEK, and GBP/HUF.
Using the broker’s trading platform, traders can track the performance of each currency pair for up to five years. They can view useful information about price fluctuations in the form of a chart or detailed statistics. In addition, the platform features a social feed with posts related to the specific trading instrument or asset class.
Stocks
Clients who choose to use eToro’s services can invest in some of the largest and most successful companies in the world. The broker offers access to more than 1,500 shares, and traders can explore stocks by industry or exchange – they can browse all available companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the London Stock Exchange, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and more. The Industry filter divides the shares into several major groups, namely consumer goods, technology, financial companies, services, healthcare, utilities, industrial goods, and more.
Using stock CFDs (contracts for difference), traders can invest in industry giants and various conglomerates such as Apple, eBay, Coca-Cola, Alphabet (Google), Sony, American Express, Boeing, Berkeley Group Holdings, Kindred Group, Philip Morris International, and many others.
CFDs allow traders to trade company shares without having to own the underlying stock.
Indices
Indices are collections of companies’ shares, and each index includes the stock of at least 20 or 30 companies listed on a particular exchange. Index CFDs are preferred by many traders because they are easier to track than the individual shares of a single company. However, eToro does not offer an extensive list of index CFDs.
Traders can choose from fewer than 20 indices, including US30 (also known as the Dow Jones or DJ30), the FTSE China A50, which contains components from the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges, and the AUS200, a capitalization-weighted index of stocks traded on the Australian Securities Exchange. Other indices available on eToro include the GER30 (DAX), Nikkei 225, NASDAQ-100, and FTSE 100.
Commodities
Commodity CFDs are another alternative for traders who want to diversify their investment portfolios. Some commodities, in particular, are great for holding long-term positions that can last several weeks or even months. Traders who browse the commodities markets on eToro will find the most popular assets, namely contracts for difference (CFDs) in oil, gold, silver, natural gas, and more.
In addition to these traditionally traded products, the broker offers trading on copper, platinum, and palladium, which is currently the most valuable tradable metal in the world – even more expensive than gold. Alongside these hard commodities, eToro also provides access to soft agricultural commodities such as wheat, sugar, cocoa, and cotton.
Cryptocurrencies
The broker covers an impressive range of cryptocurrencies, but before opting for this intriguing market, traders should be aware that cryptocurrency trading may not be suitable for everyone. The prices of these digital currencies can fluctuate widely, making them risky for inexperienced investors. Moreover, cryptocurrency trading is not supervised or controlled by any legal framework in the European Union.
Unlike most FX and CFD brokers, eToro offers trading in a large number of cryptocurrencies. In addition to the popular Bitcoin (BTC) – the first and largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization – clients can speculate on the prices of Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Ethereum (ETH), Ethereum Classic (ETC), Ripple (XRP), Litecoin (LTC), Dash, NEO, EOS, and many more.
ETFs
ETFs, or exchange-traded funds, usually consist of dozens or even hundreds of assets, and they track the performance of market or bond indices. ETFs trade like stocks and offer low costs and excellent tax efficiency, making them attractive investments for traders. Anyone who registers with eToro can trade more than 140 ETFs from all over the world.
| Instrument | Spread |
|---|---|
| AUDUSD | AVG 1 pips |
| EURGBP | AVG 1.5 pips |
| EURUSD | AVG 1 pips |
| GBPUSD | AVG 2 pips |
| NZDUSD | AVG 2.5 pips |
| USDCAD | AVG 1.5 pips |
| USDCHF | AVG 1.5 pips |
| USDCNY | AVG 10 pips |
| USDJPY | AVG 1 pips |
Trading platforms
Platforms |
PC / MAC |
Smartphones |
Tablets |
|---|---|---|---|
| eToro |
| Trading Information | |
|---|---|
| Trading Platforms | eToro App, eToro CopyTrader, eToro Investing |
| Demo Account | |
| Hedging | |
| Scalping | |
| US Traders | |
| Arabic Traders | |
Unlike the vast majority of FX brokers, eToro does not offer the popular MetaTrader platforms and, instead, its clients trade using the eToro proprietary platform. It is user-friendly, intuitive and genuinely innovative, allowing users to copy successful traders or take advantage of ready-made investment strategies.
The broker’s proprietary trading platform can be opened directly in the browser of any computer or mobile device. Traders do not need to download or install any specific software. However, if they are trading from their phones or tablets, they should opt for the eToro mobile app, which is available free from the App Store and Google Play. The app supports multiple languages and is fully functional, retaining all features and instruments from the desktop version.
The eToro trading platform offers more than 2,000 financial instruments across several asset classes and, for most of them, it utilises contracts for difference (CFDs). For certain assets, such as stocks and crypto assets, however, it also gives clients direct access to the market by offering direct ownership of the underlying asset – eToro simply buys the assets and holds them in the client’s name.
The interface of the platform appears modern and easy to use, and it comes with various useful features for both novices and experienced traders. One of them is the Virtual Portfolio, which is effectively a demo account with a $100,000 virtual balance for practice. The platform also features Stop Loss and Take Profit, Price Alerts, One-Click Trading and Offline Trading, as well as excellent research and analysis tools such as the TipRanks Research Tab and the professional-grade ProCharts.
The main feature of the eToro platform is, of course, social trading and the opportunity to copy portfolios. In fact, eToro is considered the best platform for social trading – the broker has created a wonderful community of traders and every client has access to it. The News Feed works just like a social media platform, while less-experienced traders can try the Copy People feature – they can choose from the top investors on the platform, the most copied ones, those who are trending or those with a low or medium risk score.
Last but not least, eToro offers CopyPortfolios, a portfolio investment product that allows clients to customise their trading strategy and build it around a performance metric or a specific idea. The product offers thematic investments such as Food and Drinks, Cyber Tech Stocks, Drone Technology, etc.
Payment methods
Clients can make deposits in USD, EUR, GBP and AUD. However, the broker supports USD as the base currency, and all deposits are converted to USD (conversion fees apply). The minimum deposit to start trading is $50, although this varies between countries.
Deposits are instant and free of charge, and eToro accepts several payment methods on its platform. These include all major credit and debit cards – Visa, Mastercard, Maestro and Diners Club International – as well as popular digital wallets such as PayPal, Skrill and Neteller. Other e-wallets, such as UnionPay, can also be used.
Another option is to make a deposit using Rapid Transfer, a relatively fast online banking transaction, or simply via wire transfer. However, bank wires may take 4 to 7 business days to complete, which is why most eToro clients prefer e-wallets or credit cards. Another thing that should be taken into account is the maximum deposit amount – there is none when using a wire transfer, it is $40,000 when depositing via credit/debit card, and between $10,000 and $20,000 when the trader deposits through an e-wallet.
The same payment methods can be used for withdrawals. The minimum withdrawal amount is $30, and each time traders withdraw money from their account they will need to pay a fixed fee of $5. Processing times, however, vary significantly depending on the chosen payment method – 1-2 working days for e-wallets and online banking, or 3-8 days for withdrawals via wire transfer or credit/debit card.
| Brand | Minimum | Fees | Processing Time |
| Starts from $50 | No Fees | 1 business day | |
| Starts from $50 | No Fees | 1 business day | |
| Starts from $50 | No Fees | 1 business day | |
| Starts from $50 | No Fees | 1 business day | |
| Starts from $50 | No Fees | 1 business day | |
| Starts from $50 | No Fees | 1 business day | |
| Starts from $50 | No Fees | 1 business day | |
| Starts from $50 | No Fees | 1 business day | |
| Starts from $50 | No Fees | 1 business day | |
| Starts from $50 | No Fees | 1 business day | |
| Starts from $50 | No Fees | 1 business day |
| Brand | Minimum | Fees | Processing Time |
| $50 | $5 | 1-2 business days | |
| $50 | $5 | 1-2 business days | |
| $50 | $5 | 1-2 business days | |
| $50 | $5 | 1-2 business days | |
| $50 | $5 | 1-2 business days | |
| $50 | $5 | 1-2 business days | |
| $50 | $5 | 1-2 business days | |
| $50 | $5 | 1-2 business days | |
| $50 | $5 | 3-8 business days | |
| $50 | $5 | 1-2 business days | |
| $50 | $5 | 1-2 business days |
Account types
Focused solely on social trading, eToro does not offer a wide range of accounts. Instead, it provides two basic options: a Demo Account and a Live Account. Most traders should probably start with the Demo Account, which comes with a Virtual Portfolio and a virtual $100,000 balance that can be used for testing the trading platform and trying out the exciting social trading features.
Investors can sign up using their Google or Facebook account or register with their email. Once eToro clients learn the basics, they can proceed to the Live Account and the Real Portfolio, which requires a real-money deposit and a fully functional user account. Overall, traders can open and verify their account within one working day, so they can start trading almost immediately. The verification process includes providing the broker with proof of identity (a copy of a passport or national ID card) and proof of residency (a copy of recent utility bills or a bank statement).
Under EU regulation, traders can also open Professional Accounts at eToro. Professional clients must meet certain requirements, but they enjoy higher leverage for certain instruments – up to 1:30. Of course, higher leverage is always associated with higher risk.
| Market | Leverage |
|---|---|
| Metals CFDs | 1:20 (CySEC | Retail Account) |
| Commodities CFDs | 1:10 (CySEC | Retail Account) |
| Commodities CFDs | 1:100 (FSAS | Retail Account) |
| Crypto CFDs | 1:2 (CySEC | Retail Account) |
| Crypto CFDs | 1:5 (FSAS | Retail Account) |
| ETF CFDs | 1:5 (CySEC | Retail Account) |
| ETF CFDs | 1:10 (FSAS | Retail Account) |
| Forex CFDs | 1:400 (CySEC | Pro Account) |
| Forex CFDs | 1:30 (CySEC | Retail Account) |
| Forex CFDs | 1:400 (FSAS | Retail Account) |
| Indices CFDs | 1:20 (CySEC | Retail Account) |
| Indices CFDs | 1:100 (FSAS | Retail Account) |
| Stock CFDs | 1:5 (CySEC | Retail Account) |
| Stock CFDs | 1:10 (FSAS | Retail Account) |
Support
Since its launch more than a decade ago, eToro has expanded globally and now has more than 1 million active users. Consequently, the platform is available in multiple languages: English, German, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Dutch, Finnish, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Czech, Romanian, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, Thai, Malay and Vietnamese.
The broker does not offer a phone line. Clients can contact customer support by opening a ticket and describing their issue to the support agents. Such a system was popular in the 1990s and early 2000s, but nowadays most online brokers and other businesses prefer to offer users more convenient options, namely a phone line, live chat or email. Here, traders can use the live chat – email is not available.
Conclusion
Overall, eToro is a wonderful solution for less-experienced traders who are looking to educate themselves about the world of Forex, CFD or crypto trading. It is also an excellent platform for those who have little time to carry out their own research and who want to exploit the benefits of social trading. However, traders should know that copying someone else’s investment portfolio does not guarantee success – not at all. They should therefore be very careful when using the social trading aspect of the eToro platform.
Are you ready to trade?
eToro is a multi-asset platform that offers investing in stocks and cryptocurrencies as well as trading CFDs.
Please note that CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.
61% 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.
This communication is intended for information and educational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice or an investment recommendation. Past performance is not an indication of future results.
Copy Trading does not amount to investment advice. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk.
Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong.
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eToro USA LLC does not offer CFDs and makes no representation and assumes no liability as to the accuracy or completeness of the content of this publication, which has been prepared by our partner utilising publicly available non-entity-specific information about eToro.
