An all-in-one trading platform offers brokerage services and a range of trading options. cTrader is also popular among individual traders who enjoy using the system’s host of customisable tools, aside from retail brokers. Spotware Systems, the original developers, has released the platform as a separate product for use in retail forex brokers, hedge funds and investment banks. It is now available via open API through third-party licensed providers.
The inception of the software
It is a financial operating system for investment banks, brokerage firms, hedge funds, retail forex brokers and individual traders. Spotware Systems Ltd. developed the software, which has been providing professional solutions in the financial market since 2010. Spotware is based in London and provides services to more than 100 clients in over 30 countries worldwide.
Features of the platform
The platform offers traders access to various instruments, including stocks, futures (including commodity futures), forex pairs and indices. It also has built-in risk management tools such as conditional orders; uses range from high-frequency trading to discretionary strategy providers or automated trading bots and algo trading developers using cAlgo.
It is ideal for a wide range of trading goals, such as commitment-free investing. It is a good fit if you want to trade without setting aside large sums of capital but want the flexibility of being able to adjust your position sizes quickly and efficiently as market conditions change. The broker provides access to Leverage/Profit on Margin (LOM) up to 1:1000 (100x) in forex trading and up to 10:1 LOM in CFDs on indices, commodities and stocks.
It also provides additional tools such as ‘broadcast and earns’ – a feature that allows brokers with experience in discretionary trading styles (such as discretionary micro/macro traders) to broadcast their trading ideas via social media channels like Twitter. They earn a commission every time someone follows them through their link back into the platform itself.
Opportunities for brokerage firms
cTrader provides opportunities for brokerage firms to serve their clients’ needs better. A single interface through which traders can access multiple markets and trading platforms allows brokers to offer more flexible trading solutions.
For example, a trader who wants to trade stocks on one platform could also access forex orders on another by quickly switching between them. This is particularly beneficial when each market has different trading hours or local holidays affect specific markets at certain times of the year.
By combining all of their available resources into a single interface, brokers have greater control over the services they provide. They can tailor the experience for each client by offering them what they want from an individualised perspective rather than an institutional one.
Upgrades since its launch in April 2011
The following is a list of new features:
- New clients (including Metatrader 4)
- New trading options for clients to use with their broker accounts (such as non-deliverable forward contracts, or NDFs)
- Scalping is allowed with extremely low spreads
- More advanced trading tools (including stop-loss orders and trailing stops)
- Additional platforms such as web, android and apple are available for traders to use with their accounts
- New languages supported by the platform (such as Chinese and Arabic)
Conclusion
The new features include direct market access (DMA) and lower latency, especially for high-frequency traders. With the latest features, cTrader also comes with more than 500 indicators and 1,000 different trading tools that can be used to create customised charts, widgets and layouts. The interface is available in numerous languages. Some brokers have described the platform as a “dream” platform because of its
extensive range of features and multiple functionalities.
