Wikilix
Contract reading

What AVATRADE legally published, but does not want you to read

Every clause below is published by AVATRADE itself, on its own website, today. The finding is not that the text exists. It is the distance between what a client is shown and what a client agreed to. Read from its own documents on .

Contracting entity: Ava Trade EU Limited

client moneymarketing contradictionprofit voidingsole discretiondispute windowhidden feeassignmentasymmetric slippagebank riskcomplaint form

AvaTrade's German and French homepages promise unrestricted scalping and hedging, but its contract bans scalping and lets AvaTrade cancel hedging profits. Clause 24.11 lets AvaTrade reprice the closed trades of everyone copying the same signal. You get two business days to dispute a statement before it binds you. An idle account pays €300 in its first year.

Back to AVATRADE

Contract risk

Money at risk
6.5/10

Where this contract sitsHow far this contract goes, overall. Under 2 is nothing beyond the ordinary; 6 to 9 means several clauses put money you have already earned at risk; 9 and above reads as designed to make payout refusable.

0510
CriticalClauses that can cost you money you have already earned or deposited, or that remove your ability to challenge it.
4
FlaggedEvery clause worth knowing about, at all three severities. Ordinary terms that every broker has are not counted.
16
DocumentsHow many of the broker's own legal files this reading is based on. Each one was downloaded and hashed on the date shown.
30
ContradictionsPlaces where a promise the broker makes in public is not kept by the clause that governs it.
6

How the 16 break downThe same flagged clauses, split by how much each one can cost you. Severity is our reading of the clause, not the broker's label.

Critical4
Warning10
Notice2

section 38 of 38is where the deepest clause sits: the very end of the document it is in

The numbers in this contractFigures taken from this broker's own clauses, so the labels differ from broker to broker. The four in the panel above are the same on every report.

1 of these 2 figures comes from a clause we rate critical, which means it can take your money or your profit rather than only delay it.

Critical2 working daysTime to complain. Jump to the clause this comes from.Two business days to dispute any statement$50Fee on an unused account. Jump to the clause this comes from.€50 every three idle months, plus €100 a year

What the documents say

16 clauses worth knowing about, worst first, each quoted from AVATRADE's own files

01

AvaTrade's German and French homepages say scalping, very short trades for quick gains, has no restrictions and hedging is allowed. Its contract bans scalping (clause 23.1.2) and can cancel your profit if it suspects you hedged, holding opposite positions, across accounts or brokers (23.1.4).

Why this matters

Trade the way the homepage invites and the contract lets AvaTrade take the profit back. AvaTrade's own website terms say the site's information is not verified and not claimed to be complete, accurate or reliable.

Exhibit 1CriticalHarder than usual

Bei OTC-Produkten erkennt AvaTrade Arbitrage oder „Scalping“ nicht als zulässige Praxis in einem OTC-Markt an, in dem der Kunde direkt vom Market-Maker kauft oder an ihn verkauft.
Clause 23.1.2 in Allgemeine Geschäftsbedingungen (Kundenvereinbarung), p.35
Read from the broker's site on Open the reference
  • Worse together with Exhibit 3The homepage invites the trading that clause 23.1.3 lets AvaTrade void, and clause 23.2.4 lets it act without giving a reason.
02

If you and other clients follow the same signal, copy-trading service or trading algorithm, AvaTrade can treat all those trades as one trade (clause 24.11). It can then reset the spread on every account involved, including trades already closed, without telling you first.

Why this matters

Profit on a trade you have already closed can shrink because of what other clients did. AvaTrade sells this kind of shared trading itself, through AvaSocial and DupliTrade.

Exhibit 2CriticalRarely seen

If AvaTrade, in its sole discretion, determines that a customer is conducting trading activity through multiple accounts and splitting trade volume across such accounts, or that a customer or different Customers are utilizing the same signal expert advisor, copy trading, algo trading, or anything similar, AvaTrade reserves the right, without prior notice, to treat all such trades as a single trade. AvaTrade may adjust the spreads for all such trades and account balances of such Customers to reflect the spread applicable to a single trade of the combined volume of all such trades together, including adjustments to prior transactions.
Clause 24.11 in General Terms & Conditions (Customer Agreement), p.35
Read from the broker's site on Open the reference

Our readingTreating one person's split accounts as one is a common volume rule. Pooling different clients because they follow the same copy-trading signal, then repricing their closed trades, makes your balance depend on what strangers did.

  • Worse together with Exhibit 4A repricing under clause 24.11 needs no warning, and you then have two business days to object to the statement that shows it.
03

You have two business days to object to a statement AvaTrade posts online, or clause 18.6 makes it "conclusive and binding" on you. The clock runs from posting, even if you never opened the statement (18.3).

Why this matters

Miss the two business days and a wrong fill or a fee charged in error becomes final against you. AvaTrade has no such deadline: clause 18.8 lets it correct its own errors whenever it finds them and turn them into a debt.

Exhibit 4CriticalHarder than usual2 working days

Reports of the confirmation of orders and statements of accounts for the Customer posted online by AvaTrade shall be deemed correct and shall be conclusive and binding upon the Customer if not objected to within two business days of the posting online.
Clause 18.6 in General Terms & Conditions (Customer Agreement), p.27
Read from the broker's site on Open the reference
  • Worse together with Exhibit 5Once the two-day window closes, your remaining route is a complaint, and that counts only when it arrives on AvaTrade's form.
04

If AvaTrade suspects market abuse on reasonable grounds, it can reverse any trade and cancel any profit without telling you why (clause 23.2.4). It can also void trades it decides relied on price delays and take back the profit, without warning (23.1.3).

Why this matters

Each power is tied to suspected abuse or a pricing error, but AvaTrade alone decides whether either happened. Clause 19.10 adds trades done at any price AvaTrade later calls not representative of fair market prices.

Exhibit 3CriticalHarder than usual

If the Customer places or closes any trade, places any order or enters into any transaction in breach of the representations and warranties given in this section, or AvaTrade has reasonable grounds for suspecting that the Customer may have done so, AvaTrade may, in its absolute discretion and without being under any obligation to inform the Customer of its reason for doing so, reject or cancel any order, close any transaction or position, cancel or reverse any trade, cancel any profit or loss, make any corresponding adjustment to the Customer’s account, suspend or terminate the Customer’s access to any AvaTrade platform or service and/or take any other action AvaTrade considers necessary or appropriate.
Clause 23.2.4 in General Terms & Conditions (Customer Agreement), p.33
Read from the broker's site on Open the reference
05

AvaTrade's German site tells you a withdrawal takes only one to two business days. The contract sets no deadline, and clause 42.1.2 says withdrawals may take longer for reasons partly within AvaTrade's control.

Why this matters

If your money is late, the one to two day promise is not in the agreement you signed. AvaTrade can first demand any documents it requires (42.1.1), and it decides whether card deposits go back to the card or your bank (42.1.3).

Exhibit 10WarningStandard wording

The Customer acknowledges that withdrawals may take longer than expected for numerous reasons, some in AvaTrade’s control and some not.
Clause 42.1.2 in General Terms & Conditions (Customer Agreement), p.48
Read from the broker's site on Open the reference
Our own capture of avatrade.de, taken on Oct 22, 2026The claim, on German deposits and withdrawals page, answer on how long a withdrawal takesVisit this page on the broker's siteDownload the full size image file
06

After 3 months without trading, AvaTrade takes €50 from your balance, and another €50 every 3 months after that. After 12 months it also takes a €100 administration fee.

Why this matters

An idle €1,000 balance loses €300 in its first year. The fees sit in clause 40 of the contract, not on AvaTrade's German trading conditions page, and clause 40.3 lets them change.

Exhibit 9WarningHarder than usual$50

The Customer acknowledges that the Customer’s trading account may be subject to inactivity fees unless prohibited by law. After 3 consecutive months of non-use (“Inactivity Period”), and every successive Inactivity Period, an inactivity fee will be deducted from the value of the Customer’s trading account.
Clause 40.1 in General Terms & Conditions (Customer Agreement), p.47
Read from the broker's site on Open the reference

What it costsA €1,000 balance left untouched for a year loses €50 at months 3, 6, 9 and 12, plus €100 at month 12. That is €300, leaving €700.

What happens, and when

The stages this clause runs through, taken from the broker's own document
TriggerWhat the broker may then doClause
After 3 months without useAvaTrade takes €50 from your balance ($50 or £50 on other base currencies).40.1
Every further 3 monthsAnother €50 inactivity fee is taken.40.1
After 12 months without useA €100 administration fee is taken on top.40.4

Spreads can rise for you alone, and new charges no longer need 7 days' notice

AvaTrade's October 2023 terms promised 7 days' notice before any new or higher charge, and the September 2026 terms dropped that promise. Clause 17.3 lets Ava Trade EU Limited raise spreads at any time, without notice, for one customer alone. Its German site still advertises fixed spread accounts.

Cost disclosure2 clauses flagged

AvaTrade can raise your spread, the gap between its buy and sell prices, on any instrument at any time (clause 17.3). It can do this for you alone, with or without notice, and widen it further if a referrer sent you (17.4).

In plain words

Remuneration means payments it receives.

Why this matters

The spread is the main price on each trade, yet the fixed spread accounts AvaTrade advertises in German appear nowhere in the contract. If a referrer brought you in, clause 31.8 lets you ask how they are paid.

Exhibit 7WarningHarder than usual

AvaTrade may increase or decrease spreads on any or all instruments, at its sole discretion, at any time and with or without notice, due to market conditions, news, announcements, trading volumes, market volatility, liquidity, third-party costs, risk-management considerations, internal or external factors, or any other factors AvaTrade considers relevant. This may be effected on an individual Customer basis or for all Customers simultaneously.
Clause 17.3 in General Terms & Conditions (Customer Agreement), p.24
Read from the broker's site on Open the reference
  • Worse together with Exhibit 2Clause 17.3 lets AvaTrade raise your spread alone, and clause 24.11 lets it recalculate spreads on trades already done.

AvaTrade's October 2023 terms promised you at least 7 days' notice on its website before any new or higher charge. The September 2026 terms dropped that promise, keeping only a general 7-day notice for changes to the agreement (46.2).

Why this matters

If AvaTrade names no start date, a change now binds you from the day it is published (46.3). Refusing a change means closing your positions within 10 business days (46.4).

Exhibit 8WarningHarder than usualNew

The Customer agrees to be bound by the terms of any amendment or change from the date specified by AvaTrade or, if no date is specified, from the date the amendment or change is published on AvaTrade’s website.
Clause 46.3 in General Terms & Conditions (Customer Agreement), p.50
Read from the broker's site on Open the reference
  • Worse together with Exhibit 9The inactivity fees can change periodically, and the old promise of 7 days' notice before a higher charge no longer applies.

AvaTrade can close your positions to protect itself

Clause 9.7 lets Ava Trade EU Limited close out your account at any time, possibly without notice, whenever it judges that advisable for its own protection. Clause 9.8 lets it raise margin before news events or retroactively. A margin call does not guarantee you time to respond.

Forced closure1 clause flagged

AvaTrade can close out your account at any time, possibly without notice, if it decides that is necessary or advisable for its own protection (clause 9.7). It can also raise the margin, the deposit that keeps a position open, before news events or retroactively (9.8).

Why this matters

A margin call does not buy you time: clause 9.7 says AvaTrade may still close positions at any time. You cannot choose which positions it closes.

Exhibit 11WarningHarder than usual

AvaTrade may at any time proceed to liquidate the Customer’s account, unilaterally and possibly without prior notification, including without limitation in the event (i) equity of an account no longer meets the margin requirements specified by an AvaTrade partner or depository bank, (ii) AvaTrade anticipates that the holding of an option position or any other position in the Client’s account likely will result in a future margin violation or (iii) AvaTrade determines that liquidation is necessary or advisable for its protection.
Clause 9.7 in General Terms & Conditions (Customer Agreement), p.10
Read from the broker's site on Open the reference

Two business days to object, and only AvaTrade's form counts as a complaint

Ava Trade EU Limited gives you two business days to object to a statement before clause 18.6 makes it "conclusive and binding". Its complaints process records a complaint only if it arrives on AvaTrade's own form. Clause 19.3 excludes liability for platform-caused trading losses, even where AvaTrade was negligent.

Dispute deadlines2 clauses flagged

AvaTrade's complaints process quotes Ireland's Consumer Protection Code, which defines a complaint as an expression of grievance or dissatisfaction by a consumer. It then records your complaint only if it arrives on AvaTrade's own form, with evidence, at complaints@avatrade.com.

Why this matters

An email or phone call saying you are unhappy may not count, so AvaTrade's 40 business days to resolve it may never start. The German form also asks you to name which contract clauses AvaTrade breached.

Exhibit 5WarningHarder than usual

ONLY A DULY COMPLETED, SUBMITTED COMPLAINT FORM ACCOMPANIED BY ADEQUATE SUPPORTING EVIDENCE (AS NECESSARY) TO COMPLAINTS@AVATRADE.COM WILL BE RECORDED AS A COMPLAINT BY THE COMPANY.
Quoted in Complaint Handling Process, p.1
Read from the broker's site on Open the reference

AvaTrade excludes liability for any loss you suffer, including trading losses, from using or being unable to use its platform (clause 19.3). Clause 19.5 applies this even where AvaTrade was negligent.

Why this matters

If the platform freezes and you cannot close a losing position, the contract leaves the loss with you. The risk disclosure, part of the same agreement, still holds AvaTrade liable for fraud, negligence or dishonesty in its operations (14.1).

Exhibit 16WarningHarder than usual

Under no circumstances shall AvaTrade or any of its subsidiaries, affiliates or agents be liable for any direct, indirect, punitive, incidental, special or consequential damages that result from the use of, or inability to use, AvaTrade’s trading platform or services, including Third Party Licences, including but not limited to lost profits, loss of business, trading loss, loss of data or use of data, any unauthorised access to, alteration, theft or destruction of the Customer’s computers, computer systems, data files, programs or information, or costs of procurement of substitute goods or services.
Clause 19.3 in General Terms & Conditions (Customer Agreement), p.28
Read from the broker's site on Open the reference

When the price moves your way, AvaTrade keeps the difference

Ava Trade EU Limited is the counterparty to every CFD, forex and options trade, and its conflicts summary says it may gain at your expense. Clause 24.8 lets it keep a favourable price move on your limit order, and 24.10 lets it refuse trades that narrow its spread. Its execution policy still says it applies symmetric slippage.

In plain words

On a principal basis, as your counterparty, means the broker takes the other side of your trade itself. Your loss is then the firm’s gain, so it has an interest in how your trade ends.

Counterparty pricing1 clause flagged

A limit order is meant to fill at your chosen price or better. If the price moves your way before AvaTrade accepts it, you get your price and AvaTrade keeps the difference (clause 24.8).

Why this matters

Price moves against you reach your account in full, while price moves in your favour go to AvaTrade. It can also refuse a trade when the fair market price would narrow its spread (24.10).

Exhibit 6WarningHarder than usual

While trading in Forex, CFDs or Options, if, before the Customer’s “Limit Order” offer to open or close a transaction is accepted by AvaTrade, AvaTrade’s quote moves to the Customer’s advantage, for example if the price goes down as the Customer buys or the price goes up as the Customer sells, the Customer agrees that AvaTrade will execute the closing transaction at the Customer’s specified price and not better. The Customer agrees that AvaTrade can retain such price movement for its own account.
Clause 24.8 in General Terms & Conditions (Customer Agreement), p.35
Read from the broker's site on Open the reference
Set against a regulated standard: CySEC (Cyprus)

CySEC's October 2019 review of best execution at the firms it licenses named asymmetric slippage, passing price moves against the client on while keeping moves in the client's favour, as a practice that raised client costs. Clause 24.8 lets AvaTrade keep a favourable move on your limit order.

AVATRADE is not licensed by this regulator, so this is a comparison of practice, not a finding of any breach.

Futures margin stops being yours, and client money can sit in London

For futures, clause 13.15.1 hands full ownership of your required margin to Ava Trade EU Limited. Clause 13.11.1 promises banks within the EU, yet AvaTrade's bank list names National Westminster Bank Plc in London. Its German client-assets sheet was last accurate on 31 January 2020.

Client money3 clauses flagged

If you trade futures, your required margin passes to AvaTrade in full ownership and stops being treated as yours (clause 13.15.1). AvaTrade may also use your assets as security for its own obligations (13.15.2).

In plain words

Negative balance protection is a limit that stops you owing more than you put in. Without it, one fast market move can leave you owing the broker money on top of your deposit.

Liquidity providers are outside banks and brokers.

Why this matters

If AvaTrade failed, you would claim that margin back as a creditor, not as the owner of protected client money. Unless you are a German retail client, futures losses can exceed your deposit, since negative balance protection (losing no more than your balance) covers only forex, CFDs and options (16.9).

Exhibit 12WarningRarely seen

Customers trading Futures through the Ava Futures platform or any other platform or service through which AvaTrade makes Futures available agree to the transfer of full ownership of funds to AvaTrade for the purpose of securing or otherwise covering required margin and related obligations. Such required margin will no longer be treated as belonging to the Customer.
Clause 13.15.1 in General Terms & Conditions (Customer Agreement), p.20
Read from the broker's site on Open the reference
Set against a regulated standard: FCA (UK)

Firms licensed by the FCA may not take full ownership of a retail client's money to secure that client's obligations, because the client would then depend on the firm's solvency. Clause 13.15.1 does this with futures margin.

AVATRADE is not licensed by this regulator, so this is a comparison of practice, not a finding of any breach.

Our readingIn an EU retail agreement, margin normally stays your money in a segregated client account. A full transfer of ownership makes it AvaTrade's money, so your protection rests on AvaTrade's solvency instead.

The contract says your money goes to a client account at a bank "within the EU" (clause 13.11.1). AvaTrade's own list of banks names National Westminster Bank Plc in London, and its client-assets document accepts banks rated "B or higher".

Why this matters

B is well below the investment-grade ratings given to the safest banks. If a bank holding your money failed, clause 13.13.1 says AvaTrade accepts no responsibility for your loss.

Exhibit 13WarningHarder than usual

Any funds received by AvaTrade from the Customer will be deposited in a client account with one of its appointed credit institutions within the EU.
Clause 13.11.1 in General Terms & Conditions (Customer Agreement), p.18
Read from the broker's site on Open the reference

The client-assets sheet AvaTrade gives you on its German legal page says it was accurate on 31 January 2020. It names Barclays banks missing from AvaTrade's current list, and the same file was already online in August 2021.

Why this matters

Reading AvaTrade's German documents, you get an outdated answer to where your money is kept; the English sheet is dated 1 June 2025. The index CFD key information document is dated 3 January 2018, and the privacy notice still shows draft brackets around its retention periods.

Exhibit 14Notice

Diese zentralen Anlegerinformationen zum Kundenvermögen entsprechen in ihrer Korrektheit dem Stand vom 31. Januar 2020.
Quoted in Zentrales Datenblatt zu den Kundenvermögen (CAKID), p.4
Read from the broker's site on Open the reference

Buried at section 38 of 38 in the Zentrales Datenblatt zu den Kundenvermögen (CAKID), 100% of the way through.

AvaTrade can move your agreement to another company

Clause 48.1 lets Ava Trade EU Limited transfer your agreement freely, while you need its written consent to transfer yours. Clause 1.1 lets the name "AvaTrade" cover its affiliates too. Disputes go to the Irish courts under Irish law (49.1).

Who you deal with1 clause flagged

AvaTrade can transfer your agreement to another company without your consent, while you need its written consent to transfer yours (clause 48.1). Disputes go to the Irish courts under Irish law (49.1).

Why this matters

Your negative balance protection and Irish compensation cover come from dealing with the Irish company. AvaTrade's help centre says some EU citizens trade with its company in the British Virgin Islands, so check which Ava company holds your account.

Exhibit 15NoticeStandard wording

AvaTrade may freely assign this Agreement.
Clause 48.1 in General Terms & Conditions (Customer Agreement), p.51
Read from the broker's site on Open the reference

Where the marketing and the contract disagree

A promise made in public, set against the clause that governs it

01

The German homepage promises scalping without restrictions, while the German contract says AvaTrade does not accept scalping as a permitted practice.

Said in public, in German

Hedging ist erlaubt, ohne Einschränkungen bei Short-Selling (Leerverkäufen) und Scalping.

Word for word in English: Hedging is allowed, with no restrictions on short selling and scalping.

German homepage, section Großartige Handelsbedingungen (great trading conditions)

In the contract · clause 23.1.2

Bei OTC-Produkten erkennt AvaTrade Arbitrage oder „Scalping“ nicht als zulässige Praxis in einem OTC-Markt an, in dem der Kunde direkt vom Market-Maker kauft oder an ihn verkauft.

02

The French homepage says hedging is allowed, while clause 23.1.4 lets AvaTrade cancel trades or profits it suspects came from hedging with another account or broker.

Said in public, in French

La couverture est autorisée, sans aucune restriction sur la vente à découvert et le scalping.

Word for word in English: Hedging is allowed, without any restriction on short selling and scalping.

French homepage, section D’excellentes conditions de trading (excellent trading conditions)

In the contract · clause 23.1.4

If AvaTrade suspects or has reason to believe that the Customer has abused the terms and conditions by hedging positions internally (using other trading accounts held with AvaTrade) or externally (using other trading accounts held with other brokers), AvaTrade reserves the right to cancel any trades or profits associated with the Customer’s account(s).

03

The execution policy promises never to combine your order with other clients' orders, while clause 24.11 lets AvaTrade treat many clients' trades as one and reprice them.

Said in public, in English

We will not combine your order with those of other clients for execution as a single order.

Order Execution Policy, section 7.1, No Aggregation

In the contract · clause 24.11

If AvaTrade, in its sole discretion, determines that a customer is conducting trading activity through multiple accounts and splitting trade volume across such accounts, or that a customer or different Customers are utilizing the same signal expert advisor, copy trading, algo trading, or anything similar, AvaTrade reserves the right, without prior notice, to treat all such trades as a single trade. AvaTrade may adjust the spreads for all such trades and account balances of such Customers to reflect the spread applicable to a single trade of the combined volume of all such trades together, including adjustments to prior transactions.

04

The execution policy promises symmetric slippage, while clause 24.8 fills your limit order at your price and never better, with AvaTrade keeping any improvement.

Said in public, in English

In the event of price slippage between the time that a client requests a trade and its execution, AvaTrade operates symmetric price slippage, and closely monitors this aspect to ensure absolute adherence to this philosophy.

Order Execution Policy, section 9.1, monitoring of execution speed

In the contract · clause 24.8

While trading in Forex, CFDs or Options, if, before the Customer’s “Limit Order” offer to open or close a transaction is accepted by AvaTrade, AvaTrade’s quote moves to the Customer’s advantage, for example if the price goes down as the Customer buys or the price goes up as the Customer sells, the Customer agrees that AvaTrade will execute the closing transaction at the Customer’s specified price and not better. The Customer agrees that AvaTrade can retain such price movement for its own account.

05

The German site advertises fixed spread accounts, while the German contract lets AvaTrade raise spreads at any time, without notice, for a single customer.

Said in public, in German

Fixe & flexible Spread-Konten

Word for word in English: Fixed and flexible spread accounts

German page about AvaTrade (why choose AvaTrade), list of account features

In the contract · clause 17.3

AvaTrade kann nach eigenem Ermessen die Spreads für einzelne oder sämtliche Instrumente jederzeit mit oder ohne vorherige Ankündigung erhöhen oder senken, unter anderem aufgrund von Marktbedingungen, Nachrichten, Bekanntmachungen, Handelsvolumen, Marktvolatilität, Liquidität, Kosten Dritter, Erwägungen des Risikomanagements, internen oder externen Faktoren oder sonstigen Faktoren, die AvaTrade für relevant hält. Dies kann für einzelne Kunden oder gleichzeitig für alle Kunden erfolgen.

06

The German site promises withdrawals in one to two business days, while the contract sets no deadline and allows delays within AvaTrade's control.

Said in public, in German

Die Auszahlung bei AvaTrade dauert nur ein bis zwei Werktage.

Word for word in English: A withdrawal at AvaTrade takes only one to two business days.

German deposits and withdrawals page, answer on how long a withdrawal takes

We took a picture of this page. It is shown once, with the finding it belongs to. See our capture of avatrade.de

In the contract · clause 42.1.2

Der Kunde erkennt an, dass Auszahlungen aus zahlreichen Gründen länger als erwartet dauern können, wobei einige dieser Gründe im Einflussbereich von AvaTrade liegen und andere nicht.

What changed quietly

AvaTrade's documents have not been reviewed before, so no changes are listed.

  • REWRITTENClause 23.1.2 · 01.10.2023 to 04.09.2026

    In October 2023 the clause said scalping "cannot exist" in an OTC market; the current text says AvaTrade does not recognise it as a permitted practice, a plain ban.

    In relation to OTC products, AvaTrade does not recognise the concept of arbitrage or “scalping” as a permitted practice in an OTC market where the client is buying or selling directly from the market maker.

  • ADDEDClause 24.11 · 01.10.2023 to 04.09.2026

    Clause 24.11 is not in the October 2023 terms; AvaTrade's Italian terms already carried it on 5 March 2025.

    If AvaTrade, in its sole discretion, determines that a customer is conducting trading activity through multiple accounts and splitting trade volume across such accounts, or that a customer or different Customers are utilizing the same signal expert advisor, copy trading, algo trading, or anything similar, AvaTrade reserves the right, without prior notice, to treat all such trades as a single trade. AvaTrade may adjust the spreads for all such trades and account balances of such Customers to reflect the spread applicable to a single trade of the combined volume of all such trades together, including adjustments to prior transactions.

  • REMOVEDClause · 01.10.2023 to 04.09.2026

    The October 2023 promise of 7 days' website notice before new or higher charges, still in the Italian terms of March 2025, is gone.

  • REWRITTENClause 46.3 · 01.10.2023 to 04.09.2026

    A change used to bind you from its effective date; if AvaTrade now names no date, it binds you from the day it is published.

    The Customer agrees to be bound by the terms of any amendment or change from the date specified by AvaTrade or, if no date is specified, from the date the amendment or change is published on AvaTrade’s website.

  • REWRITTENClause 16.9 · 01.10.2023 to 04.09.2026

    Negative balance protection used to cover the whole account; it now covers forex, CFDs and options, and futures losses can exceed your deposit.

    With respect to trading activity in Forex, CFDs and Options, AvaTrade provides the Customer with negative balance protection for the Customer’s account. This means that the Customer’s losses can never exceed the Customer’s Equity.

The documents this reading is based on

30 files, all published by AVATRADE. Each shows when we read it and a fingerprint of its wording.

WIKILIX keeps the copy of each file it read, and does not republish it: what is published is the fingerprint of its wording. Download the file yourself and hash its text, lowercased with runs of whitespace collapsed, and a matching fingerprint means the wording quoted above is still the wording AVATRADE publishes.

How this reading was done

Every clause above was read out of a document AVATRADE publishes itself

This reading was published on .

Documents
28 of 30downloaded from the broker's site, and 28 read in full
Pages opened
88pages walked to find those documents, footer links included
Older copies
5earlier versions downloaded, 2 identical to the copy we hold by fingerprint
Marketing pages
11public pages set against what the contract says
Languages
DE vs EN vs FRthe language it advertises in, against the language it contracts in
Position measured
1clauses whose position was counted: which numbered section of the document holds them, out of how many

Who the contract is with

Ava Trade EU Limited

Ava Trade EU Limited is an Irish company authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland (licence C53877) to deal on its own account. It is the other side of every CFD, forex and options trade, and its execution venue report lists itself as the only venue. Clause 2.2 names it as one of ten Ava Group companies. The German website is copyrighted by Ava Trade Markets Ltd, the group's company regulated in the British Virgin Islands, and AvaTrade's help centre says some EU citizens trade with that company instead. Retail clients of the Irish company are covered by Ireland's Investor Compensation Scheme for 90% of money owed, up to €20,000 (clause 13.14.4). The CFD key information document describes this as cover for the first €20,000 of loss.

Quotations are copied verbatim from the documents named above, with the clause number and the page each one came from. Where a clause is quoted in another language, the original is shown first and the English is a translation.

The plain-language parts, what a clause means for a client, how ordinary it is, and how it reads against a regulated standard, are WIKILIX's analysis and are labelled as such on every card. This is a reading of public documents, not legal advice and not an allegation of wrongdoing.

In fairness, and what we could not check

A reader who knows the edges of the work can trust the middle of it

Ava Trade EU Limited publishes its whole document set and dates its contract (4 September 2026). German clients get a full translation, with a schedule that removes any duty to pay in more than they deposited on futures. Retail forex, CFD and options accounts get negative balance protection in plain words (clause 16.9). The conflicts summary admits openly that AvaTrade is your counterparty and can gain at your expense. Complaints get written updates at least every 20 business days and a route to the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman for six years after the final response. AvaTrade names the banks that hold client money and states its inactivity fees with amounts, in the contract and on its help centre.

This review covers AvaTrade's contract in full in English and in German, both dated 4 September 2026, and the policies linked from its German legal page. It does not cover the Futures Pricing page, where AvaTrade lists the auto-liquidation and expiry fees that clauses 11.3.1 and 11.5.2 refer to. The instrument table on AvaTrade's German trading conditions page showed no data, so we did not check spreads, swap rates or commissions against the contract. The marketing claims quoted here come from AvaTrade's German and French websites and its own policies; the English pages of avatrade.com are not compared. No English copy of the contract between October 2023 and September 2026 is available, so we measured changes against the English version effective 1 October 2023 and dated them with the Italian version effective 5 March 2025. A change placed in the current version may first have appeared in an unavailable version. Seven of the eight earlier copies are identical to today's files. The eighth, an older copy of the AvaAcademy terms, is incomplete. The English privacy notice is covered in part and the German one in full. Five documents belong to AvaAcademy, AvaTrade's course website, and none of them produced a finding. This review covers Ava Trade EU Limited only, not the other Ava Group companies.

How to check any of this yourself

Every quote above links to the AVATRADE file it came from. This is what to do with it.

Open the three stepsFind the words in the source, work out the fingerprint, and read what a difference does and does not prove.

Open the source and search for the words

Every quote has a link under it. Open the file, or the web page, and search it for the words we quote. The clause number next to the quote tells you where to look.

If the words are not there any more, the source may have changed after we read it. That is worth knowing too. We keep the date we read it, and a code worked out from its wording, so the quote stays checkable.

What a fingerprint is

A fingerprint is a code worked out from what a source says. Change one word and the code changes completely. We keep two codes for every file we read, and the panel on each source shows both.

The first is the code of the exact file we downloaded. The second is the code of its wording alone, with capital letters lowered and runs of spaces collapsed. When the same words are saved as a new file, the first code changes and the second one stays the same.

Only the first code can be worked out on your own computer. Save the file, then run one of these, putting the name of the file you saved where the example is. The panel on each source prints the command with that source's real file name already in it.

macOS or Linux:
  shasum -a 256 the-file-you-saved.pdf

Windows:
  certutil -hashfile the-file-you-saved.pdf SHA256

The two codes are different from each other, and they are not meant to match. Comparing one against the other proves nothing.

What a difference means, and what it does not

A different file code on its own proves nothing. A PDF saved again with a new date inside it is a new file saying exactly the same thing.

A different wording code means the words themselves changed. That is the one that matters, and it is why we keep it.

Even then, a change is not proof of bad faith. Companies update their documents. What this report says is what the document said on the day we read it, and every quote carries that date.

A source that is a web page and not a file has no file to save, so only the code of its wording is shown.

How this report is made

Every clause quoted above comes from a document AVATRADE publishes on its own website, downloaded and hashed on the date shown, with the clause number and page recorded so any reader can check it. We do not allege anything the documents do not say, and we do not judge AVATRADE on anything other than its own published terms and its own public marketing. Where a clause has a qualifier that softens it, the report says so. Last read Oct 22, 2026.

If you represent AVATRADE and a clause has changed, been withdrawn, or is being read out of context, tell us and we will re-read the documents and update this page. Corrections from the broker are welcome and are published with the reading they change. Contact us.

This is a reading of a contract, not legal advice and not a ruling on AVATRADE. Whether its licence is real and current is a separate check on the broker profile.

What traders say about AVATRADE

Comments on AVATRADE are posted on its profile

Nobody has commented on AVATRADE yet. If you have traded with them, your experience helps the next reader decide.

Write the first comment
Back to the AVATRADE profile