Table of Contents
Who is ADSS?
ADSS is a broker headquartered in the United Arab Emirates. Founded in 2010 in the UAE, it serves both UAE clients and those abroad, providing market access to spot forex and CFDs on equities, indices, commodities, forex, and more.
The broker is licensed and authorised by the SCA in the UAE, and it partners with the Central Bank of UAE to provide added value for local traders.
In this review, we will look at the performance of the broker’s offerings as well as how we feel about its operational efficiency and general user experience. We will first outline the markets available.
Then we will compare the account types available – live and demo – as well as platforms available. Finally, we will review the educational resources available at the broker for those who are looking to continually upskill their trading.
If you are looking for a second or third opinion on the broker, you can check out other broker reviews. It is also advisable to refer to several reviews and opinions to ensure that you have the right information to trade with a broker.
Also Read: Why Do You Need to Avoid Shortcuts in the Trading Profession?
Products offered
ADSS offers a very diverse range of products and accessibility to markets around the world. As an execution-only broker, they provide access to spot forex trading and CFD trading on currencies, crypto, commodities, equities, and indices. Leverage and other fees (such as spreads, commission) vary, but overall, we have found that they are competitive in peak and non-peak trading hours compared to industry peers.
- Over 60 FX pairs are available, including major, minor, and exotic pairs. Spot forex is tradable as are CFDs on currency pairs, and leverage of up to 500:1 can be used.
- CFDs on global and local equities are available, with leverage of up to 20:1.
- CFDs on a range of commodities can be traded, from agricultural goods and metals to energy products such as oil and gas. Leverage of up to 200:1 is available for certain commodity CFDs, and commodities are traded per whole tick for convenience.
- Crypto CFDs are available with leverage of up to 4:1.
- Index CFDs are available with leverage of up to 333:1, and a wide range of indices are available – from local to global markets, including the FTSE 100, the US 30, the S&P 500, the Nikkei 225, the DAX, and the CAC 30.
Comparing the account types available
ADSS offers both live and demo accounts, and they can be accessed through either of the platforms they provide – more on that later.
First – the demo account.
We have found the demo account to be standard in its offering, which is by no means a bad thing. It provides comprehensive access to the broker’s entire instrument range, and traders can test out demo on either MT4 or the ADSS trading platform. The demo account does expire in 90 days. When it expires, traders have the option to stop trading demo or transition to live trading with ADSS.
There is a balance of 50,000 USD of virtual funds available, and this can be reset anytime when you contact their customer service team. This was done easy enough, and paper trading was overall pleasant and easy. It was also a great way to get used to the ADSS trading platform – which is the broker’s proprietary solution.
Next – the live accounts.
ADSS offers three tiers of live accounts for retail and professional traders. These are the Classic, Elite, and Pro accounts. Older reviews may have referred to the Pro account as Elite+ – which was what it was used to be called. More on that later.
The Classic account is perfect for retail traders with 100 USD as a minimum deposit requirement. This is a low entry barrier, and this can be a good way for traders who are making the switch from their previous broker to ADSS to test out if ADSS is right for them.
It’s low commitment and convenient – plus traders can continue to use MT4 if they’ve been using it previously. Classic traders benefit from maximum leverage of 500:1 and low spreads, trading on either platform, as well as 24/5 customer support.
Elite traders have a minimum deposit requirement of 100,000 USD. This is a giant leap from the previous tier – but for good reason.
Traders can participate in the markets with 25% lower spreads, 500:1 maximum leverage, access to +Elite events, and can work with a dedicated senior manager on their trades. One bigger benefit is that Elite traders can work with a multi-base currency account, which can save a lot on conversion fees for those who want a thoroughly diversified portfolio.
Finally, Pro traders – previously used to be the Elite+ trader tier – can enjoy spreads from 0 pips, low commissions, and the same maximum leverage of 500:1.
Minimum account deposit requirement is also 100,000 USD (previously, the Elite+ tier required a minimum deposit of 250,000 USD, so that’s a change). Pro traders receive the support of a RM+ sales trader and access to +Elite events.
Comparing platforms offered
ADSS offers two trading platforms – anyone with a demo or live account can choose between using MT4 and using their proprietary solution – the ADSS trading platform. There is much more detail about how to set either of these up and how to trade using them.
There is also a lot of information on the functionality of MT4 online – whether it is through trading with ADSS or another broker. Therefore, this review will focus on the functionality and efficiency of the ADSS trading platform.
The ADSS trading platform is designed with simplicity and efficiency in mind. This is a great thing for beginners or those just making the switch to using the platform and need to become familiar with it. It has a clean and sleek interface, and it is highly customisable.
We could draw on charts, see 15 timeframes, use indicators that are colour-coded, and view the charts in multiple ways (candlestick, line, mountain, OHLC, Heikin-Ashi.).
Other features include multiple indicators (MACD, RSI, Moving Average, Moving Average Cross, Volume) and drawing tools (trend line, parallel, Andrew’s Pitchfork, Gann Fan, Fibonacci retracements). Overall, it is a comprehensive set of tools.
Market orders are varied and cater to most casual traders, including the use of regular orders, limit orders, and stop-loss orders.
Those who wish to be a bit more creative in their risk management can do so easily, and those who wish to try out new strategies can also put in time-in-force conditions such as GTC, good to a specific date.
The ADSS platform is available on both mobile and web – as well as on desktop. The transition between web and mobile is seamless, and there were no delays getting my information pulled up in real-time, or the charts that I had been tracking.
Educational resources and market updates
Finally, to round off this short but comprehensive review, we looked at the educational resources available from ADSS. It is worth mentioning that most resources are bilingual, in English and Arabic.
There are educational articles, a full glossary, as well as videos (the latter currently only available in English). Market updates are also provided regularly, and they are available in both English and Arabic.
Also Read: Bitcoin Trading – A Trending Way to Make Good Money!
Final words from us
We traded with the Classic account with ADSS for over eight months. Over this time, we found the Classic account
to be more than adequate in providing a good set of basics, and the ADSS trading platform was easy to navigate and learn.
There were plenty of order types and options to customise the platform, and trade execution was fast with minimal slippage. The range of instruments is great – we traded mostly spot forex and equity CFDs – and portfolio diversification could easily be done.
Overall, ADSS is a great option for those who would like to try something new while having the stability of a trusted and reputable broker.