ACY Securities Review 2025

Trust

ACY Securities Regulations

In our reviews, we examine the licenses and regulations of each entity operated by a broker, allowing us to compare their different levels of protection. We rank licenses by various regulatory bodies on a three-tier system, where Tier-1 licensing indicates the highest level of regulation.

This is what I discovered about the several entities operating under the ACY Securities trade name:

• ACY Securities Pty Ltd is licensed and regulated by the Australia Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) under license number 403863. We rate ASIC as a Tier-1 regulator.
• ACY Securities SA Pty Ltd is licensed and regulated by the Financial Services Conduct Authority (FSCA) in South Africa under license number 51008. We rate the FSCA as a Tier-2 regulator.
• ACY Capital LLC is based in St Vincent and the Grenadines. The entity is not regulated.

Understanding the Regulatory Protections of Your Account

Brokers operate multiple entities globally, but regulatory protections vary. Some regulators enforce stricter financial standards than others, so traders should understand the safety measures of the entity they choose to open an account with.

Here is what you need to be looking for in a broker in terms of safety mechanisms:

• Segregation of client funds. Keeping client funds in segregated bank accounts from the ones used for the broker’s corporate capital negates the risk of accounting errors. Client funds with all ACY Securities’ entities are held separately from the company’s corporate capital at Commonwealth Bank.
• Negative balance protection. This safety mechanism removes the risk of trading losses exceeding the account balance. In other words, the losses you incur from trading are capped at the amount you have put in your trading account. All ACY Securities’ entities guarantee negative balance protection.
• Compensation scheme. A compensation scheme protects traders against the broker’s liabilities if the company becomes insolvent. ACY Securities Pty Ltd and ACY Capital LLC clients are protected by up to AUD 2.5 million under the broker’s professional indemnity insurance.
• Maximum leverage. Capping the maximum leverage restricts the extent of market exposure to retail traders. The higher the leverage, the higher the potential profits and potential losses. The maximum retail leverage with ACY Securities is 1:5000.

Stability and Transparency

In our Trust category assessments, we evaluate factors tied to stability and transparency, including the broker’s longevity, company size, and information transparency.

ACY Securities demonstrates a high level of transparency through several key practices. First, the broker discloses the name of the institution, Commonwealth Bank, where client funds are securely held in segregated accounts. Second, it provides live spread data on its website, allowing traders to easily evaluate the competitiveness of its trading fees. Additionally, the broker publishes weekly spread reports on FX Majors, Gold, and Major Indices.

I reviewed the broker’s legal documents and policies, including its Client Agreement, which is easily accessible on the website and clearly presents all relevant information. The language used is straightforward, ensuring even less experienced traders can understand the content. Importantly, the documents contain no misleading or vague terminology, and I found no significant omissions.

Is ACY Securities Safe to Trade With?

I determined that ACY Securities is quite safe to trade with due to the following factors:

• Licensed and regulated globally
• Has a professional indemnity insurance
• Transparent legal documents

Fees

ACY Securities Trading Fees

ACY Securities Spreads

I tested ACY Securities’ spreads on 26 November 2024 during the London and New York opens. The results are shown in the table below:

My live tests indicate that broken down by asset class and compared to the industry average, ACY Securities charges low spreads on share CFDs and indices, low-to-average spreads on currency pairs, average spreads on commodities, and high spreads on Bitcoin.

ACY Securities Swaps

A swap fee is a trader’s cost for holding an open position overnight because of changing interest rates. Swap long refers to the charge deductible or credit receivable for holding a buy position open overnight. In turn, swap short relates to the charges/credits deductible or receivable for holding a selling position open overnight.

The values listed below are for one full base currency contract (100,000 units).

I discovered that ACY Securities’ overnight fees were average-to-high compared to the industry benchmark. However, swaps tend to change over time.

ACY Securities Non-Trading Fees

ACY Securities does not impose a handling fee for deposits or withdrawals, though third-party banking fees may apply. The broker also does not charge an inactivity fee for dormant accounts.

Accounts Comparison

I have compiled the table below to help you better understand the difference between the trading fees with ACY Securities’ two account types and the industry average. It illustrates the spreads and commissions I have recorded for the EUR/USD pair and compares them against the typical costs for ECN and STP accounts in the industry at large.

The table demonstrates how much you would have to pay to trade 1 full lot (100,000 units) in EUR/USD with a pip value of $10 for each account.

To calculate the cost of such a full-sized trade, I used this formula: Spread x pip value+commission

I found that ACY Securities’ EUR/USD spread on the Standard account is slightly above the industry average for STP accounts. However, its ProZero account offers significantly lower spreads compared to the industry average for raw spread accounts.

Are ACY Securities’ Fees Competitive?

I find ACY Securities’ fees to be highly competitive. Its spreads are generally below the industry average, with the exception of its Bitcoin spread. Notably, the commission rate on the ProZero account is twice lower than the industry average of $6. Additionally, the broker does not charge any non-trading fees, further enhancing its cost-effectiveness.

Platforms and Tools

ACY Securities MT5 Desktop

The desktop version of the MetaTrader 5 platform features multiple essential tools, such as one-click trading, an alarm setting option, and a market depth tool. These allow traders to examine various market developments from different angles and exploit the underlying trading opportunities in multiple ways.

MT5 is arguably best suited for automated trading via its Expert Advisors (EAs). The platform also has an intuitive strategy tester, allowing experienced algo traders to tweak the parameters of their strategies so that they can be used under different market conditions.

This aligns particularly well with ACY Securities’ integration of Capitalise.ai, which enables traders to automate their trading systems without requiring coding skills. Moreover, the broker delivers ultra-fast order execution speeds, minimizing the risk of negative slippage often encountered by algorithmic traders.

General Ease of Use

The MetaTrader platform is easy to navigate – even beginner traders can quickly learn where the charts, account info, and watch lists are. However, its cumbersome charts make the platform somewhat difficult to use.

ACY Securities’ MT5 platform is available on both Windows and Mac and supports 52 different languages, including English, French, Spanish, German, Arabic, Chinese, and more.

In addition to the above-mentioned depth of markets tool, MT5 also features:

• Alerts: Traders can set alerts for following when the price of a given instrument falls or rises to a predetermined level, which could potentially signal a viable entry opportunity.
• Watchlist: Traders can populate watchlists with their favorite instruments and track market changes more easily.
• One-click Trading: This feature enables instant market entries at the spot price and is invaluable for high-precision traders, such as scalpers.
• Trading from the Chart: Traders can place conventional trading orders directly from the chart, specifying the entry price, volume level, stop and take-profit levels, and more.

Charts

I consider the charts screen a platform’s most important feature. It facilitates technical analysis by providing an overview of price action behavior. Chart artists use many analytical tools and chart configuration possibilities to examine it from multiple angles. In my experience, the really important aspect of a chart is how easy it is to scale price action up and down.

As shown above, a common issue with MetaTrader is that charts can quickly become cluttered, even with just two indicators. This can obscure price action and make it harder to perform detailed technical analysis.

I have broken down the available analytical tools and chart configurations below:

• 38 technical indicators: These include trend-based and volume-based indicators, along with oscillators to analyze price action and assess market sentiment, helping predict market movements.
• 24 drawing tools: Tools like Fibonacci retracement levels and Elliott waves help identify price patterns, support/resistance levels, and breakout points. However, MT5’s design can make price action harder to interpret.
• 21 timeframes: For multi-timeframe analysis, enabling detailed price action analysis.
• 3 chart types: Price action can be displayed as line, bars, or candlesticks, offering diverse perspectives on trading opportunities.

Orders

MetaTrader 5 features three types of order execution: market, pending, and one-click trading (top-left corner). One-click trading allows immediate entries at the spot price.

I have broken down the available order types on the MetaTrader 5 platform below:

• Market orders: Used for immediate entry at the best available price. They guarantee volume filling, though the entry price may differ from the requested price.
• Limit orders: Guarantee exact price entries but won’t be filled if the price doesn’t reach the trigger level.
• Stop orders: They are used to support open positions by limiting the maximum loss that can be incurred if the market turns in the opposite direction. A stop-loss order is placed at a fixed price below or above the spot price. If the market does indeed turn and triggers the stop-loss, it will transform into a market order and get filled at the best possible price.

MT5 Desktop: My Key Takeaways

MetaTrader 5 is a good option for fast and simple order execution. However, its dated and rugged design falls short compared to newer, sleeker platforms. As a trader who prioritizes flexible charts that are easily scalable, I find MT5’s charting capability too rigid and less effective.

ACY Securities MT5 App

The MT5 mobile app affords quick and easy access to the market on the go. It is very useful for opening, terminating, and adjusting open positions. The app is available for both IOS and Android.

The market is continually evolving, marked by periodic surges and declines in volatility. For this reason, staying on top of the latest market developments is crucial, a task made simpler through the mobile app version of MT5.

You can also use the app to place market, limit, and stop orders, as well as to adjust the exposure of your open trades.

MT5 App: My Key Takeaways

The MetaTrader app stands out for its convenience, making it an indispensable tool for adjusting trades, especially during periods of heightened volatility. However, I find the app less intuitive and not particularly ideal for analyzing price action.

ACY Securities Execution Model

ACY Securities operates as an Electronic-Communication-Networks (ECN) broker without a dealing desk. The broker utilizes technology to match client orders (buyers to sellers and vice versa), thus allowing it to achieve fast order execution speeds.

LogixTrader Web Platform

The LogixTrader web platform has easily scalable charts, allowing for a smoother and more detailed examination of price action than MetaTrader. It also features 21 technical indicators, 21 drawing tools, 10 timeframes, and 5 chart types.

Tradable Instruments

Compared to the industry average, ACY Securities offers a high number of commodities, share CFDs, and indices, an average number of currency pairs, and a low number of cryptocurrencies.

What Are CFDs?

Contracts for difference (CFDs) are derivatives that speculate on the underlying asset’s price without physical ownership.

For example, a long position on gold would generate profit as the price rises or incur a loss as it falls without purchasing actual gold bars.

One of the biggest advantages of trading CFDs is that traders can get in and out of the market almost instantaneously, thereby catching even minute changes in the price of the derivative.

What Can You Trade With ACY Securities?

ACY Securities Instruments: My Key Takeaways

I appreciated ACY Securities’ instrument offering for its scope and diversity.

The offering mainly consists of share CFDs, with spreads on these instruments significantly lower than the industry average. Another advantage of ACY Securities is its extensive offering of lower-risk securities, particularly ETFs.

Customer Support

Customer Support Channels

Customer Support Test

When we test a broker’s customer support, we evaluate the agent’s knowledge of their own website, how long it takes them to respond to questions, and how detailed their answers are.

I conducted my live test of ACY Securities’ customer support via live chat on 25 November at around 14:28 p.m. CET. The chat can be found on the bottom-right corner of the website. Before connecting to an agent, you have to navigate a chatbot and provide your name and email address.

An agent connected within a couple of minutes after my initial inquiry. I asked about the broker’s withdrawal policy, but the agent was initially hesitant to answer and suggested transferring me to an account manager, which was surprising for such a straightforward question.

While the agent’s responses were polite, concise, and to the point, they often lacked detail. In some cases, he provided only a link without further explanation. Additionally, there were gaps in his knowledge—for instance, he mistakenly claimed that the Australian entity of ACY Securities offers VPS hosting when this service is actually limited to its offshore entity.

Deposit and Withdrawal

ACY Securities Deposit Methods

ACY Securities Withdrawal Methods

Account Types and Terms

ACY Securities Account Opening Process

To set up an account with ACY Securities, follow these simple steps:

1. Click ‘Open an Account’ at the top-right corner of the main page.
2. Enter your country of residence, name, phone number, and email address.
3. Choose a password.
4. Confirm your email address.
5. Select an account type.
6. Upload proof of an ID and proof of address to verify your account.

ACY Securities Account Types

In my estimation, both ACY Securities accounts are fairly accessible thanks to their low minimum deposit requirements. The ProZero offers especially favorable conditions with its raw spreads from 0.0 pips and a $3 round-turn commission. For comparison, the industry average is $6.

The combination of a 100% margin call and 30% stop-out levels protects traders against complete account blowouts in volatile trading environments.

Demo Accounts

ACY Securities offers a demo account that introduces traders to the broker’s services and allows them to tweak their strategies in a risk-free environment. The market is continually evolving and never static, so it is important to hone your skills in a safe environment. You can set up a demo account for yourself prior to or alongside your live CFD account.

Islamic Accounts

ACY Securities provides Islamic accounts for swap-free trading, as mandated under Shariah law. This option is available only for Standard accounts. You can contact customer support to request additional information.

What is CFD Leverage?

Leverage determines a trader’s overall market exposure. When trading Contracts for Difference (CFDs), positions can be opened for a fraction of their value because of leverage. Essentially, the broker lends the trader money so that they can open bigger positions. Leverage multiplies the profits a trader generates from winning positions but also the losses incurred from failed trades.

Maximum Leverage By Asset Class

In the table below, I have listed the maximum retail leverage available with the Australian entity of ACY Securities for instruments from different asset classes:

Note that the maximum leverage with the SVG-based entity ACY Capital LLC is 1:5000.

ACY Securities Restricted Countries

ACY Securities does not accept as clients residents of Iran, North Korea, Libya, New Zealand, USA, Russia, Belarus, Somalia, or any other territory where trading activity is prohibited by the local authorities.

Research

Research Tools

I have broken down the most important research tools with ACY Securities below:

• Economic Calendar: The economic calendar is the most rudimentary and important tool in a trader’s arsenal. It alerts traders of potential trading opportunities from upcoming economic releases, policy decisions, speeches, etc. ACY Securities’ economic calendar is incorporated from finlogix.com, and it tracks the development of market trends.
• Market News: ACY Securities tracks the latest market developments via its news screener, which is available from the client portal and directly on the website. The service is updated frequently and is available in video and written format.
• Market Insights: The market insights are broad and highly informative, utilizing aspects of technical, fundamental, and economic analyses so that the reader can gain a multilayered understanding of what, how, and why is driving the market.
• Trade Ideas: ACY Securities also publishes trade ideas in video format, underscoring developing trade setups on instruments from different markets. This type of content informs the reader how and when it might be viable to enter the market, what the target of such a trade might be, and also how to implement tight risk management.

ACY Securities Research: My Key Takeaways

I found ACY Securities’ research content to be comprehensive and diverse. It incorporates a variety of analysis techniques – technical, fundamental, and economic – offering traders a well-rounded understanding of the markets from multiple perspectives.

The only notable absence is content from third-party providers like Trading Central or Autochartist, which could add valuable nuance and provide alternative points of view.

Education

I found ACY Securities’ educational content to be of excellent quality. It covers essential trading topics and provides a solid introduction to the fundamentals of trading.

I was particularly impressed by the variety of resources available, including 91 educational videos and 37 platform tutorials accessible from the client area. Additionally, the broker hosts weekly webinars and has published three detailed e-books.

The Bottom Line

ACY Securities is a financial derivatives broker founded in 2011 and headquartered in Australia. Its clients can choose from over 2500 tradable instruments that can be traded on MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and LogixTrader platforms.

ACY Securities excels in competitive trading fees and fast order execution speeds averaging 30 milliseconds. The broker is tightly regulated and has issued professional indemnity insurance. It also offers robust and multilayered research content, along with extensive educational materials.

I found room for improvement in ACY Securities’ customer support. Another minor gripe of mine is that the broker only provides VPS hosting with its offshore entity.

Overall, I assessed that ACY Securities is a great choice for day traders, scalpers, and especially algo traders.

FAQ