Pros & cons of Flow Bank

Flow Bank Fact sheet

When considering a broker, the most important aspect every professional trader is looking into is the number of licenses that the broker holds and who is regulating them. Flow Bank is authorized and regulated by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA),wich is known to be a top-tier regulator. However, it’s worth mentioning that the broker is not regulated by any other regulatory body. 

Policies that Flow Bank follows

In accordance with regulations of the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA), Flow Bank provides negative balance protection, keeps clients’ funds in segregated accounts, and is a part of clients’ compensation scheme. 

Because CFD trading is a leveraged activity, traders can increase their purchasing power using borrowed funds from the broker. Due to this, traders run the risk of losing more money than what they had in their accounts to start with. To prevent this from happening, Flow Bank provides negative balance protection using Stop Out Levels. 

To increase the security of traders’ funds, deposits are placed in segregated bank accounts. What this does is, if Flow Bank is liquidated and goes out of business, traders can still get their money back.

The number of assets offered by this broker is truly huge. In addition, traders can access various asset classes. There are shares as CFDs and physical shares as well. The difference between the two asset classes is that purchasing physical shares gives traders ownership stakes in companies, and buying stock CFDs is just for speculating on asset prices short term. We’ll discuss this in more detail below. 

Forex trading on Flow Bank

Flow Bank offers access to 51 currency pairs including majors (EUR/USD, USD/JPY, GBP/USD, CAD/USD, etc.), minors (Canadian Dollar vs Swiss Franc, Australian Dollar vs Canadian Dollar, etc.), and exotics such as Euro vs Turkish Lira, Euro vs Polish Zloty, etc. 

The maximum available leverage is different for each currency. Most major pairs have up to 200:1 leverage. Most minors enable traders to use up to 100:1 leverage and exotic pairs have a maximum of 50:1 leverage. While many other brokers offer higher leverage, the numbers offered by this broker are not bad. Keep in mind that trading using too high leverage is dangerous and most novice traders blow up accounts due to opening oversized positions. 

Trading fees depend on the account type you pick. The EUR/USD pair is the most liquid and has the tightest spreads. The minimum spread on EUR/USD using the Platinum account type is 0.5 pips. On Classic accounts, spreads start from 1.1 pips. 

Physical and CFD Stock trading on Flow Bank

Flow Bank is one of the few brokers that offer both real and CFD stocks. As already mentioned, these are quite different instruments, and depending on your goals, you can choose to trade short-term with CFDs or invest in companies for the long-term through real stocks. Physical assets are great for investing long-term. 

Flow Bank offers more than 4600 company stocks as CFDs. You can go long or short and benefit from price going in any direction. Trading fees on the Classic account start from 0.1%. On US CFD stocks, fees start from 2 cents per share. Traders can access companies from Switzerland, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, the UK, the US, Finland, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Austria. Available leverage and spreads change depending on the market conditions. 

When investing in physical stocks, keep in mind that you can only invest in one direction and investors don’t make money in falling markets. Investors wait for markets to fall, buy cheap, and sell high.

On the Classic account, physical stock trading fees start from 0.15%. Traders can access various exchanges, including the NASDAQ, NYSE, BATS, EURONEXT, XETRA, FWB, LSE, LSEIOB, LSEAIM, BX Swiss, and SIX. It should be noted that American exchanges such as NYSE and NASDAQ are the most liquid, and therefore, most traders prefer investing in companies listed in these exchanges.

Crypto trading on Flow Bank

Flow Bank enables traders to invest in crypto or speculate on the asset prices by offering various crypto asset classes:

• Crypto FX
• Crypto ETPs
• Crypto ETFs & Closed-end funds
• Crypto Tracker Certificates
• Crypto ETNs

There are 29 Crypto FX pairs for speculating on the market. Maximum available leverage is 10:1. Trading fees start from 0.3%. 

Traders can find popular Crypto FX pairs on Flow Bank’s platforms:

• Bitcoin / US Dollar
• Ethereum / US Dollar
• Bitcoin Cash / US Dollar
• Litecoin / US Dollar
• Eos/US Dollar
• Stellar / US Dollar
• Neo / US Dollar
• Dogecoin /US Dollar
• UniSwap/US Dollar
• ChainLink /US Dollar

Indices trading on Flow Bank

Flow Bank offers access to trading 14 popular indices. Indices are double-purpose instruments, as they can be traded as CFDs and are also used as indicators of economic conditions. For instance, the S&P 500 index, also known as the US 500, measures the performance of the top 500 publicly traded US companies. Many stocks listed in the US exchanges follow the performance of the index, and traders use the indices to measure the strength of certain economies and industries. 

Flow Bank offers both: indices and index futures. Leverage varies depending on the index type from 200:1 to 50:1. Spreads start from 0.9 pips. 

Traders can find the following popular indices with this broker: 

• Switzerland20
• Germany 40
• UK100
• EU Stocks
• France 40
• Netherlands
• Spain 35
• Wall Street
• US 500
• US Tech 100
• Russ 2K
• Australia 200
• Hong Kong 50
• Japan 225

Commodity CFD trading on Flow Bank

Commodities are asset types that are raw materials. Companies grow them using farming or mine them. Commodities that are mined are referred to as hard commodities and commodities that are farmed are called soft commodities. 

Flow Bank offers both hard and soft commodities as CFDs, including metals and energies on the hard side, while traders also have access to trading futures on soft commodities such as US Coffee Arabica, World Sugar, Cotton No.2, Orange juice, Wheat, US Cocoa, etc. 

There are only 4 spot commodities available. Including: 

• Spot Gold
• Spot Silver
• Spot Brent Crude
• Spot US Crude

Spreads start from 0.02 pips and leverage varies depending on the commodity from 100:1 to 50:1. 

Every trader is different. There are traders that prefer low spreads and agree to pay higher commissions and vice versa. This preference comes from different trading styles. Some place trading orders more frequently, like intraday traders, while others, such as position traders and swing traders are more calculative in their trading planning phase and place fewer orders. To meet the needs of various traders, Flow Bank offers 2 different retail live trading accounts. Let’s discuss them in detail to see which one is best for you. 

Pros & cons of Flow Bank account types

Flow Bank Demo Account

Demo accounts are very useful for two major purposes: learning how to trade and developing a trading strategy. Novice traders need to get familiar with how markets move and how to use indicators and trading platforms. Flow bank provides free-of-charge Demo accounts. A Demo account enables traders to experience markets by trading using virtual money on a real-time simulation of the market, and therefore, there’s no risk of losing actual funds as you learn or test ideas. 

Flow Bank Platinum Account

The Platinum account offered by Flow Bank provides the best trading conditions among the other account types, however, in order to open this account, traders need to make a minimum initial deposit of 100,000 CHF. Spreads on EUR/USD pair start from as low as 0.5 pips. The 0.5 pip markup is a trading fee charged for opening positions. When trading live, spreads can be much larger, especially in low liquidity situations. It must be noted that to save on spreads, professional traders trade major currency pairs and US stocks, as these assets are the most liquid. 

Flow Bank Classic Account

Classic account opening is much easier as there are no minimum initial deposit requirements. You can start trading from as low as 1 USD, however, this amount will not be enough to make sensible trades. Both the Platinum and Classic accounts' maximum available leverage is 200:1 and the leverage varies based on the asset class you are trading. Trading fees on the Classic account are larger than those on the Platinum accounts, with spreads on EUR/USD starting from as low as 1.1 pips. 

Getting started on Flow Bank – Main steps

In case you have decided to open a live trading account with Flow Bank, we’ll guide you through the entire process. The registration and account opening process are easy due to the user-friendly web page provided by the broker. The whole process is fully digital and fast. However, keep in mind that the broker doesn’t provide financial services to residents of several countries, including the United States, Belgium, Canada, etc. 

Step 1: Create your profile and open an account

The first step is to open the broker’s website and press the “Open an account” button. You will then be transferred to a registration page. By filling out the form, you will be able to start the account opening process. The process requires you to simply provide some personal information about yourself. 

Step 2: Time to verify your account

After your profile is registered and you provide the broker with all the needed information, it’s time to verify your identity and residency. For proof of residence, you can use your utility bills, bank statements, etc. For proof of identity, you can use a valid form of government-issued ids such as your passport, ID card, or driving license. You can provide scanned copies of your documents or take digital photos straight from your smartphone. However, before you send digital photos, make sure the photos are good quality and there are no shadows or light reflections and the information is clearly visible. The verification process is essential as a verified account will enable you to deposit and withdraw funds without barriers. 

Step 3: Make your deposit and start trading

The last step is to make a deposit and start trading. There are various funding options available, and you can use a credit/debit card or bank transfer. Keep in mind that card options are instant when depositing funds, while bank transfers can take up to 3 business days to clear. Withdrawals need more time as withdrawal requests need to be first processed by the broker which takes up to 2 business days, and fund transfers going back to your bank account will take additional time. 

Trading fees of Flow Bank are reasonable and there are no inactivity fees, which is great. There are no fees on deposits and withdrawals and spreads on EUR/USD on Platinum accounts start from 0.5 pips. To better understand the trading fees of Flow Bank, let’s compare them to what other brokers are offering. For the comparison, we picked the Classic account trading fees as the Classic account doesn't have any barriers in terms of deposit requirements. 

Comparing Flow Bank fees with other brokers

Flow Bank fees compared to Interactive Brokers fees

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

Flow Bank fees compared to eToro fees

Flow Bank fees compared to IG fees

Flow Bank fees compared to XM fees

Flow Bank fees compared to AvaTrade fees

Flow Bank fees compared to Capital.com fees

Flow Bank offers access to MetaTrader 4 (MT4), MetaTrader 5 (MT5), and FlowBank Pro to its clients. These platforms are suitable for installation on personal computers. In addition, there are online terminals and mobile trading apps available. 

The MetaTrader platforms are reliable and widely used by traders of all levels, and most decent CFD and multi-asset brokers offer MetaTrader software to their clients. MT4 and MT5 are very similar in terms of how they look, however, there are some differences in what they allow you to trade. MT5 is a bit more complex and offers more indicators and timeframes. MT5 was built for trading various asset classes, while MT4 is mainly developed for trading currencies. Both platforms were designed long ago and have stood the test of time well. MT4 was released in 2005 and MT5 in 2010. Since their release, the platforms have not been modified much and the simplicity in design brings its benefits. MetaTrader platforms can run on even old computers or low-budget ones, and they do their job very reliably. MetaTrader software also supports automated trading in the form of Expert Advisors (EAs). Traders can download indicators and trading algorithms from the Meta Market.

FlowBank Pro has a more modern design and supports multi-asset class trading. The platform can be installed on personal computers, used directly online in your browser of choice, and a mobile version is also available. 

Traders can use FlowBank App to keep track of financial markets. The mobile app can also work as insurance in emergency situations as it allows you to place orders or edit your open positions. The FlowBank App provides various real-time market graphs. Access to your account history, orders, balances, and positions is available from anywhere in the world, using the mobile app.

Access to research tools and education is critical for the development of beginner traders. Flow Bank provides both tools for analysis and educational material for beginner traders. The tools are accessible under the Markets tab from the broker’s main web page.

Available research tools include:

• Market Insights
• LiveWire
• Client Positioning
• Flow TV
• Popular themes
• Technical Analysis

Educational material includes:

• Learning Blog
• App tutorials
• Information about planned and ongoing events

However, it’s worth mentioning that most other brokers provide similar tools and educational material.

Well-organized customer support is critical when dealing with money. Flow Bank understands this very well and provides great customer support. The web page is available in English, French, and German and the customer service is accessible in multiple languages. The customer support agents are highly professional and very friendly. Live assistance is available 24 hours a day, 6 days a week. Flow Bank’s client service team is located exclusively in Switzerland and can be contacted using live chat, email, or phone. Overall, the broker provides great customer service. 

To sum everything up, Flow Bank is one of the few brokers that offer such a large variety of asset types. Traders have access to more than 19698 assets including Forex, commodities, indices, cryptocurrencies, shares as CFDs, and physical shares. There are no minimum deposit requirements for opening the Classic account, however, in order to open the Platinum account, at least 100,000 CHF is required. The broker is authorized and regulated by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) and therefore can be trusted. The available trading platforms are MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and FlowBank Pro. Maximum available leverage is 200:1 and trading fees are reasonable. Spreads on the EUR/USD pair start from as low as 0.5 pips on the Platinum account, while spreads from as low as 1.1 pips on the Classic account. Customer support provided by the broker is multilingual and highly professional, but the research tools and educational material is just average when compared to other brokers.