ADSS Broker Review

Is ADSS Safe?

Yes, ADSS is a safe broker for South African traders to trade with. It has good regulatory oversight, segregates client funds, but does not provide its traders with negative balance protection. 

Founded in 2011, ADSS is regulated by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA). South African traders will be onboarded through the UAE-based entity, regulated by the SCA. SCA regulation ensures that ADSS segregates its client funds from company funds, but unfortunately, ADSS does not provide its traders with negative balance protection. This means that traders can lose more than their initial deposit. Click here for more details on ADSS’s regulatory oversight.

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Trading Fees

ADSS’s trading costs are higher than average.

ADSS offers account types with lower spreads linked to higher minimum deposits. All accounts are commission-free, but ADSS’s spreads are generally wider than other brokers (click here for more on ADSS’s accounts). Minimum deposits are higher than average across all the account types too, with the entry-level account requiring 500 USD to open. Most entry-level accounts at other similar brokers will have a 100 USD minimum deposit if they have any requirement at all. 

ADSS’s accounts were assessed to compare the costs to those of other brokers.  The costs were evaluated based on the trading fees on one lot (100 000 USD) on the EUR/USD, including the spread and commission. Unfortunately, ADSS is not transparent with regards to its spreads – neither the starting nor the average spreads are published on its site.

When making this calculation, we used one lot of EUR/USD as a benchmark as it is the most commonly traded currency pair and it usually has the tightest spread:

Trading Cost Formula: Spread x Trade Size + Commission = Total Cost in Secondary Currency (USD):

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As you can see from the table above, ADSS’s trading costs are built into the spreads, which are variable and fluctuate with trade volume and market volatility.

As you can see from the table above, the trading costs on ADSS’s Classic Account are high – most other good brokers have an average trading cost of 9 USD per lot of EUR/USD traded. It is difficult to tell what the costs on the Elite and Swap Free accounts are because they are not published.

Swap Fees

The other main trading cost to consider is the overnight swap fee. It is determined by the overnight interest rate differential between the two currencies involved in the pair and whether the position is a buy ‘long’ or sell ‘short’. Unfortunately, ADSS’s swap rates are not published on its website.  

For the most up-to-date Forex swap rates, please refer to the Market Watch panel in the MetaTrader 4 (MT4) platform.  Simply follow the steps outlined below:

1. Locate the product in the ‘Market Watch’ window. Right-click, and select ‘Symbols’.

2. Select the product to view from the list. Select ‘Specifications’.

3. Here you can view the Forex swap rates for both long and short positions.

Overall, ADSS’s minimum deposit requirements and ongoing trading costs are higher than other similar brokers, and neither the spreads nor swap rates are published on its site. 

Non-Trading Fees

ADSS’s non-trading fees are average compared to other similar brokers.

Some of the most overlooked trading costs are the non-trading fees that are charged by brokers.  These fees can significantly affect your profitability and so should be carefully scrutinised.

Unlike other brokers that charge fees for deposits, and on inactive accounts, ADSS does not generally charge any non-trading fees. However, a 15 USD fee is charged for withdrawals. 

Overall, these withdrawal fees are higher than other similar brokers.

Opening an Account at ADSS

The account-opening and verification process at ADSS is seamless, fully digital and accounts are ready within 24 hours, which is about the industry average. 

South African traders are eligible to open an account at ADSS, as long as they meet the following minimum deposit requirements:

• Classic Account: 500 USD
• Swap-Free Account: 500 USD
• Elite Account: 100 000 USD

ADSS offers corporate and individual accounts.  For the purposes of this review, we will outline the process for opening an individual account:

1. From the ADSS homepage, you will have to click on the ‘Create an Account’ tab where you will be directed to register an account with a name, email address, telephone number, date of birth, and country of residence.  

2. You will also have to select your preferred platform, account, and base currencies (although for South African traders there seems to be no choice – the only available platform is MT4, you can only select to open a Classic Account, and the only available base currency is USD).

3. Traders will have to then detail their residency, create a password, and fill in their tax number.

4. Next, traders are required to fill in their financial details, employment status, and trading knowledge.  Depending on the information you provide, ADSS may need to ask you further questions once you have completed the application form.

5. Traders will then have to verify their identity and residential address:

   1. Proof of Identification – ADSS accepts all government-issued identification documents such as Passport, national ID card, driving license, or other government-issued ID. 

   2. Proof of Address – Traders can upload a Bank/Credit Card Statement, Utility Bill or Statement, or a Rental Agreement. The proof of residence/address document must be issued in the name of the account holder within the last 6 months and must contain a trader’s full name, current residential address, issue date, and issuing authority. 

6. Once all the documents have been uploaded, ADSS requires traders to digitally sign a declaration stating that they have read all the relevant documents.

Overall, ADSS’s account-opening process is fully digital and hassle-free and accounts are ready for trading within 24 hours.

ADSS Trading Accounts

ADSS offers three account types and they have both high minimum deposits and high trading costs – making them unsuitable for beginner traders and unpalatable for experienced traders.

A market maker with two instant execution accounts, ADSS offers trading on multiple assets, including Forex, indices, cryptocurrencies, commodities, oil, and metals. For more on ADSS’s trading assets, click here.  

Trading conditions at ADSS are generally poor, with high minimum deposit requirements and high trading costs on all accounts. Spreads start at 1.60 pips (EUR/USD) on its entry-level account, which requires a minimum deposit of 500 USD. Not only is this spread wider than most other brokers’ entry-level accounts, but the minimum deposit is also higher. Most brokerages will offer an average spread of 1 pip (EUR/USD) and a minimum deposit of 100 USD or less on their entry-level accounts.

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It is difficult to find any advantages with ADSS’s accounts, either for experienced or beginner traders. As mentioned above, the entry-level account has both higher initial and ongoing costs than similar accounts at other brokers. In addition, ADSS’s Elite Account requests a very high minimum deposit and doesn’t deliver the lower ongoing trading costs that more experienced traders would be looking for.

One advantage of trading with ADSS is that it prioritises the protection of its traders’ data. The company has held the prestigious ISO/IEC 27001 cyber security management standard for the past seven years and uses a 128-bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL).

Full support is offered for the MT4 platform and ADSS allows hedging, scalping, copy trading, and Islamic swap-free accounts.  Under SCA regulations, leverage is up to 1.60. Lastly, accounts are only denominated USD. 

ADSS offers three live accounts and a demo account.  Spreads tighten, and traders have access to more benefits with increasing deposit amounts.  See below for more details:

Classic Account

ADSS Classic account has a minimum deposit of 500 USD, spreads start at 1.60 pips on the EUR/USD and no commissions are charged for Forex trading. As mentioned previously, these trading fees are significantly higher than other brokers.

Elite Account

The Elite Account requires a minimum deposit of 100 000 USD, putting it only within the reach of professional traders. However, spreads start at 1.1 pips on the EUR/USD, which is still wider than other brokers, especially considering the high minimum deposit requirements. However, traders have access to expert support 24/5.  

Swap-Free Account

Swap-Free accounts are available on FX and precious metals to traders who do not want to pay or receive overnight charges. Traders can open a Swap-free account with a minimum deposit of 500 USD, but in exchange for the swap-free privileges, traders will have a starting spread of 2.1 pips on the EUR/USD. 

Demo Account

Those afraid to risk real money on trading will be glad to learn that ADSS has introduced an unlimited MT4 demo account. Traders can test strategies and analyse data on all its instruments. Demo accounts do not expire and come preloaded with 100 000 USD in virtual funds. 

Deposits and Withdrawals

ADSS offers a limited range of payment methods, and while deposits are free, all withdrawals incur a fee.  Additionally, its withdrawal processing times are long.  

A well-regulated broker, ADSS ensures that all Anti-Money Laundering rules and regulations are followed. 

ADSS offers a limited range of deposit and withdrawal methods, including bank wire transfers, credit cards, debit cards, Skrill, Neteller, and Cashu transfers. Unfortunately, these 

Deposits for all payment methods are free, although clients will have to absorb the fees charged by their various banking institutions.  Deposits by credit cards and debit cards, Skrill, and Neteller are instant, but bank wire transfers are processed within 30 minutes.

All withdrawals incur a charge of 15 USD, which is relatively expensive. Additionally, expect 2 to 5 working days for funds to reach you, subject of course to the processing and clearing of your bank/Skrill and Neteller. Credit/Debit card withdrawals can take up to 10 business days. 

Deposits are processed between 08:30 and 17:30 GMT and withdrawals are processed between 08:30 and 13:00 GMT.  See below for more details:

Other methods may be available, but these methods are not available to view (nor the fees involved) until you have opened a live account and logged in. This is unusual and not consumer-friendly, as most brokers publish all their deposit and withdrawal fees on their websites.

ADSS’s Base Currencies

ADSS only offers trading in USD, which is very limited compared to other similar brokers. 

ADSS only allows clients to open trading accounts denominated in USD, which is extremely limited compared to other brokers – most other brokers offer trading in 5 – 10 currencies. 

Having accounts denominated only in USD is a disadvantage for South African residents who will likely have bank accounts denominated in ZAR. While this may not affect occasional traders, high volume traders (who trade more than 10 lots a month) should consider opening an account denominated in USD, because a conversion fee will be charged for every trade made on a USD quoted currency pair.  This can be done by opening a multi-currency bank account at a digital bank.

Overall, having trading accounts denominated only in USD is a disadvantage for traders who have trading accounts denominated in ZAR. 

ADSS Trading Platforms

ADSS only offers trading on the Metatrader 4 (MT4) platform, whereas other brokers offer multiple platforms, including MT5, cTrader, or a proprietary platform. 

Although MT4 is now showing its age, it is still considered one of the best CFD trading platforms in the world. It is especially prized for its algorithmic trading abilities, allowing traders to install automated trading robots and indicators downloaded from the MetaTrader Market.

MT4 is also widely recognised for its trade execution speeds, charting tools, and customisability and it is available in many languages. The benefit of using a third-party platform such as MT4 is that traders can use the same platform should they choose to migrate to another broker. That said, many brokers offer support for several trading platforms, including their own proprietary platforms, MT5, or cTrader.  MT5, the newer version of Metatrader, offers additional functionality and a more sophisticated programming language than MT4.  

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Broker

Platform Choice

Copy Trading

Platforms

ADSS

4/ 5

Yes

MT4

AvaTrade

4.5/ 5

Yes

MT4

MT5

Avatrade Social

AvaOptions

Pepperstone

5/ 5

Yes

MT4

MT5

cTrader

TradingView

ADSS Metatrader 4 (MT4)

MT4 has great customisability, which means that the size and position of the tabs can be easily moved. Traders can also trade on a variety of CFDs, including Forex, commodities, cryptocurrencies, and stock CFDs. Other features of MT4 include:

• Four types of order execution, including Market, Limit, Stop, and Trailing Stop orders.
• Superior charting tools in nine timeframes
• 30 technical indicators
• 23 analytical objects
• Algorithmic trading, which allows any trading strategy to be formalised and implemented as an Expert Advisor. 
• Backtesting capabilities
• Dedicated customer support

ADSS’s Mobile Trading Platforms

As ADSS only offers MT4, on mobile as well as desktop, the mobile trading experience is limited compared to other brokers.

ADSS offers MT4 on a mobile trading platform. It is available for both Android and iOS. As with the web trading platform, traders can choose from multiple languages. Although there is limited functionality compared to the desktop version of the platform, with reduced timeframes and fewer charting options, traders will still have access to analytics with technical indicators, graphical objects, and a full set of trading orders.

ADSS Trading Tools

ADSS offers an extremely limited range of trading tools compared to other similar brokers.

ADSS offers a few additional trading tools, including an Economic Calendar and Autochartist. However, unlike many other brokers, it does not offer any VPS hosting services, copy trading platforms, or PAMM/MAM accounts.  See below for more details on the various tools:

• Economic Calendar: ADSS offers an economic calendar highlighting various events that will impact market movements. An economic calendar is also available through MT4.
• Autochartist: Free for all ADSS clients, Autochartist is an award-winning automated technical analysis tool that plugs into MT4 and scans all available CFD markets for trading opportunities. Autochartist’s advanced pattern recognition engine identifies the strongest potential trading opportunities and predicts future price movements. Some of Autochartist’s key features are:
  • Chart pattern recognition
  • Fibonacci pattern recognition
  • Key level analysis
  • Pattern quality indication
  • It recognises trade set-ups based on support and resistance levels.

The market scanner provides statistically significant market movements and identifies important price levels that are catalysts for market movements.

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Broker

Economic Calendar

Autochartist

Trading Central

Trading View

Free VPS

ADSS

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

AvaTrade

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

Pepperstone

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Overall, the tools on offer at ADSS are not as substantial as those offered by other brokers.

Financial Instruments

ADSS offers a broader range of tradable assets compared to its competitors.

ADSS offers trading on Forex, indices, shares, commodities, cryptocurrencies, and bonds.

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• Forex pairs: ADSS offers 56 Forex pairs to trade, including majors, minors, and exotics such as USD/ZAR and ZAR/JPY. This is around the average offered by its closest competitors. 

• Commodities: ADSS offers trading on 10commodities, including metals, energies, and agriculture, which is around the average offered by most other brokers. 

• Stock CFDs: ADSS’s stock CFD offering is excellent compared to most of its competitors, with 2600 stock CFDs available to trade, including popular US tech companies, European, German, UK stocks, and those listed on the NASDAQ, and NYSE, and more. 

• Indices: ADSS offers cash and futures contracts on over 16 international indices, including the UK100, S&P500, FTSE100, and the Nikkei. This is an average range of indices compared to other brokers. 

• Bonds: ADSS offers trading on 10 bonds, which is a broader range compared to most other brokers, including the Euribor, Bund, T Bond, and Eurodollar, among others.

• Cryptocurrencies: ADSS offers a reasonably wide range of cryptos including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum & Litecoin.  Leverage is limited to 1:25 for cryptocurrencies which is higher than other brokers. Traders should be careful because volatility can be extreme. Additionally, spreads on these currencies are variable and are significantly higher than Fiat currencies but in line with other brokers.

Overall, ADSS provides a wide range of tradable assets, which should leave most professional traders satisfied. 

ADSS for Beginners

Overall, ADSS offers a limited range of educational materials for new traders. However, it provides a well-structured, frequently updated range of market analysis materials and access to Autochartist. Additionally, ADSS offers a free unlimited MT4 demo account, and customer service support is available during business hours for all client-related and technical queries. 

Educational Materials

ADSS’s educational materials are limited compared to other large international brokers. 

ADSS caters to beginner traders with its range of platform tutorials, beginner videos, and webinars that run weekly:

• e-books: ADSS offers three E-books written by the broker’s experts on ADSS’s services and tools etc. They are well-written, but not particularly helpful for beginner traders.
• Video Library: ADSS provides 10 video tutorials for novice traders.
• Webinars: Webinars are run several times a week and cater more to beginners than experienced traders. 

Unfortunately, the educational content does not cater to more experienced traders and does not cover all the important topics one would need to begin a profitable trading career. Better learning materials can certainly be found at other brokers.

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Broker

Beginner Course

Advanced Course

Well Structured Education

Education Quality

Webinars

ADSS

No

No

No

Medium

Yes

AvaTrade

Yes

Yes

Yes

High

Yes

Pepperstone

Yes

Yes

Yes

Medium

Yes

Market Analysis Materials

ADSS’s market analysis is average compared to other similar brokers.

ADSS provides research primarily from a third-party content provider, Autochartist.  ADSS also provides a daily, updated market analysis blog featuring all the latest market movements.  It also provides daily technical analysis articles and fundamental analysis articles that take an in-depth look at the most popular tradable instruments. 

Additionally, ADSS has some basic features, such as an economic calendar and client sentiment data. 

Overall, ADSS’s market analysis section is good, but it could improve the materials by providing more comprehensive and multi-format content.

Customer Support

The company offers customer support in a range of languages, including English, Urdu, Hindi, Russian, Arabic, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai via email, phone, and live chat. This ensures that users from around the world can get their queries addressed smoothly. The customer service team is available during business hours, 5 days a week. For individuals who are comfortable finding their own answers, the FAQ section is especially helpful.

For the purposes of this review, we found the customer service was polite but unable to answer some of our questions. They also often only responded in 10 – 20 minutes, which is much longer than other brokers. 

Safety and Regulation

ADSS was founded in 2011 with the mission of creating a global financial services company delivering the highest quality products and services. It is headquartered in the UK and has an office in Abu Dhabi, and as such it maintains regulation from the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Securities And Commodities Authority (SCA) of the UAE. See below for more details:

• ADS Securities LLC (“ADSS”) is a limited liability company incorporated under United Arab Emirates law. The company is registered with the Department of Economic Development of Abu Dhabi (No. 1190047) and regulated by the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA).
• ADS Securities’ parent company is a major shareholder of ADS Securities London Limited, a company authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK, licence number 577453. ADS Securities London Ltd provides FX trading services across the euro zone under the FCA’s passporting programme.

South Africans will be trading under the subsidiary, ADS Securities LLC, regulated by the SCA. 

The SCA is well-respected, but is not considered one of the best international regulators.  Its rules are somewhat relaxed compared to those of the regulators in the EU and the UK.  For example, while the SCA ensures that brokers hold client funds in segregated accounts, they do not force brokers to provide negative balance protection or to comply with any leverage restrictions. Additionally, the SCA does not insure client funds through compensation schemes. 

ADSS does not participate in a compensation scheme and does not provide its traders with negative balance protection. Additionally, ADSS offers high leverage to its clients – up to 500:1 on some of its account types, which means that traders could go into a negative balance. 

According to regulation, ADSS is also required to keep accurate records and accounts, clearly distinguishing client accounts from each other as well as the company accounts. The company is also regularly assessed by external auditors, and the auditor’s report is sent directly to the SCA. 

Protecting its traders’ data is of the utmost importance to ADSS, and the company has held the prestigious ISO/IEC 27001 cyber security management standard for the past seven years.

Overall, due to the fact that ADSS is regulated by more than one authority, including top-tier regulator, the FCA, that it segregates client funds, and protects its traders’ data, we consider ADSS a safe forex broker to trade with. However, traders should be aware that ADSS does not provide its traders with negative balance protection.

Evaluation Method

We value transparency and openness in the way we review the partners. To bring transparency to the forefront, we have published our review process that includes a detailed breakdown of the ADSS offering. Central to that process is the evaluation of the reliability of the broker, the platform offering of the broker, and the trading conditions offered to clients, which are summarised in this review. Each one of these is graded, and an overall score is calculated and assigned to the broker.

ADSS Risk Statement and Disclaimer

Trading Forex is risky, and each broker is required to detail how risky the trading of Forex CFDs is to clients. ADSS would like you to know that: Investing in CFDs involves a high degree of risk that you will lose your money due to the use of leverage, particularly in fast-moving markets, where a relatively small movement in the price can lead to a proportionately larger movement in the value of your investment. This can result in losses that exceed the funds in your account. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and you should seek independent advice if necessary.   

Overview

Overall, ADSS is a well-regulated broker with a wide range of financial instruments compared to other similar brokers.  With three live account options, both its initial and ongoing costs are high, making it inaccessible to beginners and unpalatable for more experienced traders. Additionally, traders are charged a hefty fee of 15 USD per withdrawal, but no fees are charged for deposits or on inactive accounts. Platform support is limited to MT4 but ADSS offers several trading tools, including Autochartist. ADSS’s educational and market analysis materials are useful, but limited compared to other large international brokers, forcing traders to self-educate elsewhere.

Editorial Team

 

Chris Cammack
Head of Content

Chris joined the company in 2019 after ten years experience in research, editorial and design for political and financial publications. His background has given him a deep knowledge of international financial markets and the geopolitics that affects them. Chris has a keen eye for editing and a voracious appetite for financial and political current affairs. He ensures that our content across all sites meets the standards of quality and transparency that our readers expect.

 

Alison Heyerdahl
Senior Financial Writer

Alison joined the team as a writer in 2021. She is the Senior Editor for FXScouts.  She has a medical degree with a focus on physiotherapy and a bachelor’s in psychology. However, her interest in forex trading and her love for writing led her to switch careers. She has a passion for Forex trading and over a decade of editorial experience researching Forex and the financial services industry, producing high-quality content. She hosts a weekly podcast, “Let’s Talk Forex,” alongside her colleague, Chris, and has produced over 100 Forex educational videos for the FXScouts YouTube channel. She also writes weekly technical analyses and has tested and reviewed over 100 Forex brokers.

 

Ida Hermansen
Financial Writer

Ida joined our team as a financial writer in 2023. She has a degree in Digital Marketing and a background in content writing and SEO. In addition to her marketing and writing skills, Ida also has an interest in cryptocurrencies and blockchain networks. Her interest in crypto trading led to a wider fascination with Forex technical analysis and price movement. She continues to develop her skills and knowledge in Forex trading and keeps a close eye on which Forex brokers offer the best trading environments for new traders.