ActivTrades Crypto Review 2027: Fees, Coins and Regulation

The firm was started by Alex Pusco, who still owns and leads it. It began as a currency broker for private clients and later added CFDs on indices, commodities, shares and exchange-traded funds.

Its growth has been steady and unspectacular. The firm does not chase volume with promotions, and it has a reputation among European traders for stable platforms and courteous service.

About 15 crypto CFDs are available:

• Bitcoin, ether and litecoin
• Solana, cardano, polkadot, chainlink and dogecoin
• A small number of other major coins

As with every CFD provider, you speculate on the price and do not own or receive coins.

A point here is one unit of the quoted price, so a 55-point spread on bitcoin is about $55 per coin. A trade of 0.1 BTC therefore costs about $5.50 to enter. That is mid-table: better than the widest brokers in our list, some distance behind the cheapest.

An account left without trading for a year becomes subject to a monthly inactivity charge. Closing or emptying an unused account avoids it.

The feature the firm is best known for is supplementary insurance on client funds. In addition to the statutory compensation scheme of the relevant country, it holds a policy arranged through the Lloyd's of London market that covers eligible client balances up to a stated limit per client, quoted at one million dollars, in the event of the firm's insolvency.

Two cautions apply. Insurance of this kind covers the failure of the broker, not trading losses. And the precise terms, exclusions and entities covered are set out in the policy summary on the firm's website, which you should read instead of relying on the headline.

Although the firm's roots are in London, its UK retail clients cannot trade crypto CFDs because of the FCA's ban. Professional clients can. Retail clients may still use the UK entity for currencies, indices and other markets.

The broker does not open accounts for residents of the United States.

European retail clients are limited to 1:2 on crypto. Clients of the Bahamas and Mauritius entities can use up to 1:20. The offshore figure is moderate by industry standards.

The firm's own platform is a browser and mobile application with a clean layout. Notable features include:

• Progressive trailing stops, which tighten as a trade moves into profit
• Hedging, allowing long and short positions in the same market
• Integrated market sentiment and a simple, clear order ticket

It is easy to learn and well suited to manual trading.

MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 are supported with a set of proprietary add-ons, including SmartOrder for faster order handling and SmartTemplate indicators. TradingView has been added for chart-based trading.

Automated strategies run on MetaTrader. The broker allows expert advisors and hedging.

All retail clients are protected against negative balances. The firm introduced this policy years before it became mandatory in Europe, and it applies across its entities.

Orders are executed without a dealing desk according to the firm, and it publishes average execution speeds. Most orders are filled at the requested price in normal conditions. Crypto can still gap.

A client buys 0.2 BTC at a 55-point spread and pays about $11. The position is held for three nights with financing of, say, $4 a night. Total cost: about $23. If bitcoin has risen 3% in that time, the gain on a $14,000 position is $420. If it has fallen 3%, the loss is the same amount plus the costs. With 1:2 leverage the margin tied up was $7,000, so the swing is 6% of the capital committed.

Deposits can be made by bank transfer, card and several e-wallets. Bank transfers are free; some card deposits carry a small percentage fee depending on the entity. Withdrawals are generally processed the same day if requested before the cut-off.

Crypto CFDs can be traded through the week and at weekends, with scheduled breaks. Target spreads apply to the main sessions.

Regular webinars, one-to-one training sessions and platform tutorials are available. The one-to-one option is unusual and helpful for beginners who prefer to ask questions directly.

Daily analysis is published by in-house analysts whose comments often appear in financial media. It covers major markets with crypto included when it is moving.

Support runs around the clock on trading days in more than a dozen languages, by chat, phone and email. Service quality is consistently praised in user reviews.

A free demo is available on every platform and is the easiest way to compare the proprietary platform with MetaTrader.

Daily confirmations and periodic statements are emailed automatically and can be downloaded from the personal area. The firm does not calculate tax.

A normal trailing stop follows the price at a fixed distance. On a market as jumpy as bitcoin, a distance wide enough to survive noise gives back a lot of profit, and a narrow one is hit too soon. The progressive version starts wide and narrows in steps as the trade gains, so a position has room early and is protected more tightly later. It does not predict anything; it simply automates a rule many discretionary traders apply by hand.

British residents join the London company. Residents of the European Union are served through Portugal. Brazilians have a locally authorised firm. Most other international clients are placed with the Bahamas or Mauritius company, where crypto leverage is higher. The insurance cover and compensation arrangements are not identical across these entities, which is another reason to read the documents for the one named in your application.

Some clients who own coins elsewhere use a short CFD to offset a temporary fall without selling. It can work for a few days. Financing costs and the 50% margin requirement make it an expensive hedge over longer periods.

Its bitcoin spread is lower than FxPro's or AvaTrade's tested figures and higher than Pepperstone's. Its crypto list is shorter than all three. The insurance policy and the proprietary platform are the features that set it apart.

It suits you if you:

• Want a long-established broker with FCA roots and extra insurance.
• Prefer a simple proprietary platform with smart stop features.
• Trade a few major crypto CFDs alongside other markets.

It is less suitable if you want a long altcoin list, the lowest spreads, or crypto as a UK retail client.