Flatex Review
Category: Reviews | Author: Trading Brokers | Date: November 17, 2022
Flatex is a German investment company and online brokerage firm that is part of a bank. Regulated by BaFin, the broker offers thousands of assets for trading on modern and intuitive trading platforms including WebFiliale, Flatex Trader 2.0, Guidants and the CFD2GO app. They have plenty of research tools to help you find opportunities and make informed decisions, including morning news, trading signals and social trading. It is good to see that they look after new investors with a good variety of educational content available to all clients. It is worth considering that the excellent range of products and services are provided in the German language. If English is your preference, please feel free to browse our broker reviews for an alternative option.
Pros & Cons
- Great range of financial instruments to choose from
- Sophisticated trading platforms for all devices
- Very competitive stock trading fees
- Comprehensive education package for new traders
- Social trading for copy trading signals
- Excellent customer service
- Limited payment and account currency options
- Platforms may be complex for new investors
- Clients from the many countries not accepted
- Forex fees and margin rates are quite high
Summary
Flatex is a leading German online broker as well as financial investment firm. The broker was established back in 2006 as the first independent Discount-Broker in Germany and Austria. Today, several hundred thousand of customers use their unique brokerage approach: products, platform, price. Flatex AG is publicly traded on the Börse Stuttgart stock exchange in Germany. Flatex AG deals in securities, credit services, brokerage as well as banking services.
In 2020, DEGIRO joined forces with flatex because they complement each other well and the combined organization offers DEGIRO an increased capacity for sustainable growth and development. flatexDEGIRO is today one of the leading European online brokers with over 2 million customers in 18 countries. Following the completed acquisition of DEGIRO, they handle over 91 million transactions for our customers each year, representing a huge transaction volume of more than EUR 350 billion.
The broker offers thousands of assets for trading on multiple platforms. Flatex states that the counterparty and market maker to all CFD trades is Société Générale; which is a top European financial services firm and investment bank with head office in Paris. In appreciation for its brokerage services, Flatex has been honoured with awards for excellence.
Regulation
When it comes to choosing a broker, regulation is one of the first things that I look for. This is because a regulated broker must comply with rules and procedures that have been put in place to protect investors. Flatex is regulated by Germany’s Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin). This regulation gives it license to operate across the EU region due to the MiFID II passport. I consider this top-tier regulation and would therefore have no problem trusting Flatex for my trading activities.
Countries
Flatex mainly accept clients from the EU zone. Clients from the USA and many other countries are not accepted. If you find that they do not serve clients in your country, please feel free to choose an alternative broker from our broker ratings.
Platforms
Flatex WebFiliale
This is a forex and CFD trading platform developed by Flatex. It is web based and therefore runs on every operating system provided that it has a web browser installed. It requires no additional software downloads or installations. It is also available as Android and iOS apps.
Here are some of the Flatex platform features:
- Account management options including account deposits.
- Multiple order types including stop orders, market orders, OCO, etc.
- The watch list which displays the assets quotes in real time.
- Order book shows all open orders as well as the history.
- Up to 5 watch lists can be created to display only the trader’s favourite assets.
- Supports one-click trading.
Flatex Trader 2.0
This is a professional platform from Flatex in partnership with TeleTrader Software GmbH. It can be downloaded and installed on Windows desktop computers. The Flatex Trader 2.0 platform is the basic package and it is not free. It costs €15 per month though clients can test the software for 4 weeks for free. The premium package is the TeleTrader Workstation Software which costs €39 per month. It comes with enhanced features and functions.
Here are some of the features of the Flatex Trader 2.0 platform:
- Fully customizable with complex tools and functions.
- Assets quotes displays in real time.
- Supports alarms and signals.
- Full charts options and technical indicators for analysis.
- Multiple order types including order placement from various views.
- Clients can subscribe for real-time courses.
CFD2GO App
This is a user-friendly mobile app from Flatex available on Android and iOS. It is designed for forex and CFD trading on the go.
Features of the app CFD2GO App include:
- Account management; shows account balance, margin and history.
- Order management including market orders, limit, if-done, etc.
- News update is available.
- Charting capabilities and technical analysis.
- Clients can create new watch lists to suit their preferences.
Guidants Platform
This is a third party online trading platform available to Flatex clients. It has basic and Pro versions. This platform is used to monitor, analyze, discuss and enter trade positions on the financial markets.
Here are some of the Guidants platform features:
- Real time news about finance, business and stocks is streamed on the platform.
- PRO users can set up to 750 alerts per month.
- Customizable watch lists to suit the trader’s favourite assets.
- Real-time charts, quotes and analytical tools.
- Expert technical analysis from over 100 financial analysts including the option to participate in the discussions.
- Clients can connect to other users from the platform.
Tools
Flatex Morning News
This service is available through emails to subscribed clients. The first market overview is sent around 8:30 am. It covers a technical analysis of the German stocks and the EURUSD analysis. Updates of the markets events follows in the next email. Flatex also sends monthly newsletter to clients who subscribe for it. It contains information on all new products and other interesting piece of information.
Flex Credits & Lombard Loan
Flatex clients can get credit facilities form Flatex Bank AG up to a maximum of €100,000. The loan amount depends on the client’s portfolio size. Lombard loan is given to clients at competitive interest rates. It offers full flexibility for repayment. Clients can get up to €250,000 depending of the size of their portfolio.
SMS Alerts
Flatex has partnered with Sms-Signals; a company that provides trading signals via SMS. The signals are generated by professionals using complex strategies and analyses. Clients who subscribe to this service receive 3-4 SMS signals every week. It is available for 4 weeks free trial after which the clients are required to subscribe. There are no guarantees on the results that these signals will produce and you should have a clear understanding of the risks involved when trading online.
Wikifolio
This is a form of social trading platform where traders can invest in wikifolio certificates of other traders. The expert trader is rewarded by a performance fee from the profits of the investors. This service is suitable for new traders who wish to invest rather than trade themselves. Wikifolio.com is a popular European social trading website. Again, it must be emphasised that there are no guarantees of results or performance when investing online.
Education
Webinars
Flatex constantly organizes webinars and workshops. The webinars are scheduled almost every week on the website. It focuses on training, technical analysis and important tips to help traders to become successful. The webinars are grouped into Platform and Strategy Webinars.
Closing Bell
This is a weekly stock market update presented by two Flatex analysts. The video presentation comes up every Friday and it focuses on the major news that moved the markets within the week. It also looks at upcoming events and likely market behaviour. Closing Bell is presented in the German language.
eBook
This eBook is from ‘HypoVereinsbank onemarkets’ in conjunction with Flatex. The eBook is available upon free registration. It uses interactive trainings, practical video recordings and self assessment test. It is divided into 5 parts as follows:
- Part 1: Five tips to establish successful trading
- Part 2: Yield through active trading.
- Part 3: Limit risks – seize opportunities.
- Part 4: Through know-how to the trading idea.
- Part 5: Trading- from theory to practice.
Training Videos
This section of the Flatex academy contains a total of 29 video lessons taught by Flatex staff. All the videos are taught in German language. It is divided into 3 segments:
- Product videos: This consists of 7 videos introducing newbies to ETFs, Warrants, CFDs, Bonds, Stocks, Turbo certificates, mini-futures and factor-certificates.
- Platform videos: This section has 11 videos where Flatex experts teach how to use the trading platforms.
- Training: This also contains 11 videos where 2 experts teach how to trade the markets.
Markets
The following instruments are available for trading online with Flatex:
- Over 70 Forex currency pairs including minor, major and exotic FX crosses
- 22 Indices
- Over 2,000 Stock CFDs from different exchanges
- 13 Commodities
- Over 60 Mutual Funds
- 860 ETFs
- Bonds
- Warrant
- Turbo
Accounts
Flatex provides services to individuals, joint accounts and corporate accounts. Flatex charges commissions on most trades. The amount charged depends on the asset traded. For CFDs, Demo accounts are free and available with €50,000 virtual money for practice purposes.
Forex Account
This account is for trading currency pairs on the WebFiliale platform.
CFD Account
This account is used to trade CFDs. Cash and security account is for trading stocks, ETFs, funds and bonds. Clients trade on the Flatex trader 2.0 and on the WebFiliale platform. CFDs are charged at 0.05% of the trading volume. The minimum charge is €5.
Support
The Flatex customer support team works from 8am to 10pm, Mondays to Fridays. A contact form is available on the contacts page of the website. Fill the form and a customer support representative will get back to you. The team can also be reached via email and telephone. On the social media, they are on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Funding
Bank Wire Transfer is the only method available to Flatex clients for both deposits and withdrawals. Generally, it takes between 3 to 7 bank working days for the whole process to complete. Payments are accepted in EUR currency.
This Broker | AvaTrade | IG | IC Markets | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Founded | 2006 | 1974 | 2007 | |
Regulated | ADGM FRSA, ASIC, BVIFSC, CBI, FFAJ, FSCA, IIROC, JFSA | ASIC, BaFin, CFTC, DFSA, FCA, FINMA, FMA, FSA, FSCA, JFSA, MAFF, MAS, METI, NFA | ASIC, CySEC, FSA, SCB | |
Min. Deposit | $100 | $250 | $200 | |
Commission | From $0 | From $0 | From $0 | |
Spreads | Fixed | Variable | Variable | |
Leverage | 1:400 | 1:200 | 1:500 | |
Instruments | Forex, Commodities, Crypto, Stocks, Indices, Options, Bonds, ETFs | Forex, Commodities, Crypto, Stocks, Indices, Options, Bonds, ETFs | Forex, Commodities, Crypto, Stocks, Indices, Bonds | |
Platforms | MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, AvaTradeGO, AvaOptions, AvaSocial, DupliTrade, ZuluTrade | MetaTrader 4, IG Platform, IG Progressive Web App, ProRealTime (PRT), L2 Dealer, FIX API | MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader | |
Funding | Bank Transfer, Credit/Debit Card, E-Wallets | Bank Transfer, Credit/Debit Card, E-Wallets | Bank Transfer, Credit/Debit Card, E-Wallets | |
Trade | Trade | Trade | Trade |
Conclusion
Flatex is an established investment firm, bank and broker that is popular in Germany. It is regulated by the BaFin and has also implemented other security measures to ensure a safe trading environment. Multiple trading platforms are available depending on the trader’s choice of instruments and preferences. A comprehensive trading academy with eBook, training videos and webinars is available to all traders. The morning news and Wikifolio are services that can help clients with their trading strategy.
However, most of the available materials, trainings and forms are in German. The payment method is limited to bank transfers, with no online e-wallets, payment solutions or cryptocurrencies. The Flatex Trader 2.0 is not free and even other services like SMS alerts are also not free. Overall, I think they can be a good choice of broker for anyone in Germany who is looking to trade with one of the leading online brokers in Europe.
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