Aetos Forex broker review - Heavily-regulated broker with high spreads

aetoscg.com
nika
Written by:
Av
konstantinrabin
Calendar
Written on:
10 April 2023
Date
Last edit:
20 February 2024
Our rating:
6.32

6.32

Aetos Forex broker review - Heavily-regulated broker with high spreads

aetoscg.com
nika
Written by:
Calendar
Written on:
10 April 2023
Date
Last edit:
20 February 2024
Our rating
6.32

6.32

Trading margin FX and CFDs carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for all investors. You don’t have the ownership of the assets that underly the derivatives and may lose more than your initial investment. Please ensure that you read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Terms and Conditions which can be obtained on this website, and fully understand the risks involved before deciding to acquire any of the financial products listed on this website.
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Main summary

Aetos capital group was established in 2007 and consists of several brokers under the same brand name, regulated by various regulators worldwide. Aetos AU is regulated by the Australian authority, while Aetos UK is regulated in the UK, and Aetos Markets is under Vanuatu’s jurisdiction. The terms of leverage and other important trading aspects are different per jurisdiction, as different regulators offer different restrictions. The broker offers trading services to a diverse audience of international traders, with average spreads and commissions. Throughout its years of existence, the broker got some awards like the most trusted Forex broker in Asia, best MT4 broker, and several more. With so many reputable regulators, Aetos seems like a legit broker that focuses on offering fair and well-designed trading services to its clients worldwide. 

We look at how reliable and cheap Aetos is for trading below. 

Here are the 9 pros and cons:

  • Ability to withdraw with $0 fees
  • Offers access to MetaTrader 4
  • Fast and digital account opening/verification
  • Heavily regulated by the FCA, ASIC, and VFSC
  • There are no minimum initial deposit requirements, traders can start accounts from 1 USD
  • Excellent support, including multilingual live chat
  • Does not offer negative balance protection
  • Very low leverage of 1:30 for retail clients
  • Charges inactivity fee

Aetos Fact sheet

Main features
Regulations Australia, UK, Vanuatu
Fees on deposits 0 USD
Fees on withdrawal 0 USD
Inactivity fees 10 USD every month after 3 months of dormancy
Minimum deposit 50 USD
Minimum account activation 50 USD
Number of available assets 76
Leverage up to 1:400
Available trading markets CFDs on Stocks, Commodities, Cryptocurrencies, Energies, Forex, Futures, Indices, Metals
Account currencies USD
Demo account Yes
Live account types General, Advanced
Islamic account Yes
Security
Negative balance protection -
Part of compensation fund Yes
Keeps funds on segregated bank account Yes
Assets
Forex 31
Shares 0
Cryptocurrencies 11
Indices 8
Commodities 5
Total 76
Fees & spread
Forex From 1.8 pips1.2 pips on advanced account
Shares N/A
Cryptocurrencies From 10 pips
Indices From 1 pip
Commodities From 3 pips
Software
Platforms MetaTrader 4
Mobile trading support Yes
Mac device support Yes
Commodities Yes
Payment systems
Payment methods Bank TransferOther methods are not exactly described
Minimum deposit Bank Transfer
Minimum withdrawal Bank Transfer
Withdrawal processing time Instant
Time to open an account -
Show all

Safety & Security of Aetos

Aetos is a regulated broker that is overseen by several jurisdictions. The exact list of regulators is as follows:

  • Australian Securities and Exchange Commission (ASIC) - Australia
  • Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) - UK
  • Vanuatu Financial Services Commission (VFSC) - Vanuatu

FCA and ASIC are among the strictest regulators in the world, leaving almost no room for unfair practices and fraud. With this said, Aetos is also a part of an investor compensation fund to compensate its investors in case of broker insolvency. The broker uses segregated accounts to differentiate its own capital from client funds. This makes client money untouchable by the broker, which is a standard practice among regulated brokers. Unfortunately, there is no negative balance protection which means if a trader loses more than their funds on the balance they will be liable to the broker for the lost funds. Traders will have to trade carefully because of this, as leveraged trading is risky.

Aetos.png

Account types available for traders on Aetos

There are two account types, General and Advanced, offered by Aetos to its clients. There are slight but important differences between these two accounts, which is important for clients to know. For general accounts, typical spreads for EUR/USD start from 1.8 pips, which is relatively expensive when compared to the industry average of 1 pip. Margin requirements on the General account for precious metals are 2% and for Forex 0.25%. Leverage is lower on a General account as it is capped at 1:30, and the initial deposit starts from 50 USD. The minimum lot size for both accounts is 0.01 which makes it possible to trade in a micro account environment. With 1:400 leverage for an Advanced account and 0.01 minimum lot size, it is possible to control considerably higher trade positions with a very small budget. 

Pros & cons of Aetos account types

ProsCons
The minimum deposit required is low at $50None of the accounts offer 0 spread possibilities for scalpers
Enables traders to use Demo and Islamic account typesLeverage is low for a general account at 1:30 and spreads are high
The minimum lot is low from 0.01 

Fees & commissions review of Aetos

Comparing Aetos fees with other brokers

Aetos fees compared to Interactive Brokers fees

Type of FeeAetosInteractive Brokers
EUR/USD SpreadFrom 1.8 pipsFrom 0.6 pips
Fees on Deposits0 USD1%
Inactivity fee10 USD every month after 3 months of dormancyNo*

*Inactivity fee was eliminated by IB in 2021, it used to be $20/m

Aetos fees compared to CM Trading fees

Type of FeeAetosCM Trading
EUR/USD SpreadFrom 1.8 pipsFrom 0.9 pips
Fees on Deposits0 USDNo
Inactivity fee10 USD every month after 3 months of dormancyYes, 15 EUR/USD per month after 60 days of inactivity

Aetos fees compared to plus500 fees

Type of FeeAetosplus500
EUR/USD SpreadFrom 1.8 pipsVariable
Fees on Deposits0 USDNo
Inactivity fee10 USD every month after 3 months of dormancyYes, 10 USD per month after 3 months of inactivity

Aetos fees compared to XM fees

Type of FeeAetosXM
EUR/USD SpreadFrom 1.8 pipsFrom 0.6 pips
Fees on Deposits0 USDNo
Inactivity fee10 USD every month after 3 months of dormancyYes, 15 USD after 12 months, +5 USD/m

Aetos fees compared to AvaTrade fees

Type of FeeAetosAvaTrade
EUR/USD SpreadFrom 1.8 pipsFrom 0.9 pips
Fees on Deposits0 USDNo
Inactivity fee10 USD every month after 3 months of dormancyYes, 50 USD after 3 months, 100 USD administration fee after a year

Aetos fees compared to Capital.com fees

Type of FeeAetosCapital.com
EUR/USD SpreadFrom 1.8 pipsFrom 0.9 pips
Fees on Deposits0 USDNo
Inactivity fee10 USD every month after 3 months of dormancyYes, 50 USD after 3 months, 100 USD administration fee after a year

Trading platforms and mobile trading reviewed at Aetos

The one and only trading platform offered by Aetos is MetaTrader 4 (MT4) which is among the most popular trading software worldwide. In addition to its advanced capabilities like inbuilt indicators, Expert Advisors (EAs), and custom indicators, the broker offers various downloadable plugins and tools to help traders increase their decision accuracy. Aetos also has a proprietary trading app that can be downloaded on both Android and iOS to trade on the go. This app is a summarized and compact version of the Aetos website and offers trading possibilities, but compared to the MT4 mobile app, it is still limited in chart analysis capabilities. The MT4 mobile app has inbuilt indicators and drawing tools to analyze charts technically, which gives it a huge advantage over many other apps. 

Education and research tools offered by Aetos

There are no educational resources available on the Aetos website, but plenty of research tools and MT4 plugins that help make sense of financial markets. The tools include:

  • Autochartist
  • Economic calendar
  • Market News - daily market analysis by Aetos experts
  • PAMM and MAM trading, Aetos offers both as a type of investor-funded accounts where traders trade on behalf of investors
  • Virtual Private Server or VPS - VPS helps automate the trading process by providing cloud servers where trading bots can be deployed and traded 24 hours without interruptions
  • Copy trading - Aetos offer the ability to copy experienced traders’ positions and increase success chances

All these tools and services are targeted at accumulating a client base that consists of both investors and traders. 

Customer support of Aetos

Both the website and live chat are multilingual, making it possible to contact the broker easily. Live chat is the fastest and most comfortable way to communicate with the broker and offers quick solutions to many issues that can arise during the trading process. Other support options are also available including email, a phone number, and an online form for sending a message. Aetos has excellent support as all support forms are available in 5 languages. 

Conclusion

Aetos is a heavily-regulated international Forex and derivatives broker offering average trading terms with high spreads and competitive fees. The broker is regulated by several jurisdictions, making it a legit and reliable broker that can be trusted. Additionally, the broker offers almost all safety measures and excellent multilingual support. There is no negative balance protection, though, making it possible to lose more than the account balance. Traders can choose between 70+ different trading instruments on the MT4 trading platform. For mobile trading, it is possible to use Aetos's own app or MT4 mobile app for all mobile devices. There is a 10 USD inactivity fee per month if the trader does not open a position for 3 consecutive months. In the end, Aetos is a reliable Forex broker that is heavily regulated and offers moderate amounts of instruments for average spreads and fees. The broker is not recommended for scalpers, but day traders and swing traders may find its reliability attractive. 

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FAQs about Aetos

Is Aetos a good broker?

Aetos is a legit broker regulated by three highly reputable regulators. There is no negative balance protection and spreads are relatively high. The answer depends on the trader’s preferences. While the broker is not for scalpers, other traders may find it very trustworthy and safe to trade with. 

Can I withdraw money within 24 hours?

It is possible to withdraw money within 24 hours when QR code and e-wallet payment methods are used. For wire transfers, it will take around 3-5 business days. 

What else can I trade on the Aetos MT4 platform?

Aetos offers futures for various assets together with the abovementioned asset classes. 14 futures on metals, energies, indices, and shares can be traded with competitive fees.