OQtima is a financial derivatives broker established in 2022. It is headquartered in Limassol, Cyprus, and offers more than 940 tradable instruments that can be traded via MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5.
OQtima impresses with its rock-bottom BTCUSD spread, free Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting for low-latency trading, and diverse range of tradable instruments. Additionally, OQtima incorporates industry-leading market research by Trading Central.
On the other hand, the broker lacks educational content and charges wide spreads on some instruments like indices.
In conclusion, I determined that OQtima is an excellent choice for day traders, cryptocurrency traders, and algo traders.
Pros | Cons |
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When reviewing a broker, we assess if it suits different trading strategies and trader profiles. To achieve this, we evaluate the availability of the necessary features and tools. Here’s our verdict about OQtima:
Scalpers can utilize OQtima’s free VPS to achieve ultra-fast order execution speeds averaging 5 milliseconds. Moreover, they can access actionable trading signals by Trading Central directly on the MT4/MT5 platforms. This is possible via the Alpha Generation plugin.
OQtima’s robust market research includes an intuitive economic calendar, featured trading ideas on a wide range of trading instruments, probing economic analyses, and an intuitive market sentiment gauge. These multifaceted tools make OQima an ideal solution for news trading.
Algo traders can benefit from the broker’s VPS to achieve low-latency trading and stable internet connectivity. Additionally, both OQtima account types – ONE and ECN – support automated trading via Expert Advisors (EAs). Finally, MetaTrader features built-in strategy testers so that algo traders can perfect the parameters of their strategies.
Traders can start with OQtima with a low deposit of only $100, making the broker’s accounts quite affordable. Additionally, casual traders can benefit from free access to top-tier research content by Trading Central. However, the broker has limited educational content.
While OQtima does offer a wide range of share CFDs and ETFs typically used by swing traders, its relatively high swaps prevented it from scoring higher. Still, overnight fees change over time.
Day traders can access featured trading ideas and comprehensive market analyses provided by the seamless Trading Central. However, OQtima clients are limited to a choice between MT4 and MT5—two platforms with rather cumbersome charts that are not ideal for conducting probing technical analysis.
OQtima does not support social and copy trading.
OQtima does not offer real stocks for value investing. The broker’s 945 tradable instruments can be traded solely as CFDs.
OQtima stands out with its broad range of low-risk securities, including more than 100 ETFs, which can be used for trade diversification. Additionally, the broker provides an extremely low BTCUSD spread, which I recorded at $13, beating the industry average of $34.
I opened an OQtima ONE account with the OQTIMA INT. LTD entity and performed my tests on the desktop and mobile app versions of the MetaTrader 5 (MT5) platform. Some features and services may vary depending on where you reside.
☑️ Regulations | CySEC (Cyprus), FSA (Seychelles) |
🗺 Supported Languages | English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, French, Indonesian, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Japanese |
💰 Products | Currencies, Stocks, Crypto, Indices, Commodities |
💵 Min Deposit | $20 |
💹 Max Leverage | 1:30 (CySEC), 1:500 (FSA) |
🖥 Trading Desk Type | STP |
📊 Trading Platforms | MT4, cTrader |
💳 Deposit Options | Wire Transfer, Skrill, Neteller, Credit Card, Debit Card |
💳 Withdrawal Options | Credit Card, Debit Card, Wire Transfer, Skrill, Neteller |
🤴 Demo Account | Yes |
🗓 Foundation Year | 2022 |
🌎 Headquarters Country | Cyprus |
Two entities operate under the OQtima brand. They are licensed and regulated by CySEC in Cyprus and FSA in Seychelles. The broker claims to ensure the segregation of client funds and negative balance protection. It has also issued a ‘best execution policy’.
Entity Features | OQTIMA INT. LTD | OQtima EU Ltd |
Country/Region | Seychelles, Mahe | Cyprus, Limassol |
Regulation | FSA | CySEC |
Tier | 3 | 1 |
Segregated Funds | Yes | Yes |
Negative Balance Protection | Yes | Yes |
Compensation Scheme | No | Up to EUR 20,000 under ICF |
Maximum Leverage | 1:1000 | 1:30 |
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 two entities operating under the OQtima trade name:
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:
In our Trust category assessments, we evaluate factors tied to stability and transparency, including the broker’s longevity, company size, and information transparency.
I reviewed the broker’s Client Agreement and noticed some minor discrepancies. In particular, it does not mention the segregation of client funds or negative balance protection. However, the website states that the broker does indeed guarantee both—something that cannot be independently confirmed.
I also checked the broker’s legal documents and discovered that it had issued a ‘best execution policy,’ a legal mandate to provide traders with the most favorable price quotes under the prevailing market conditions.
I determined that OQtima is safe to trade with due to the following factors:
OQtima’s spreads vary greatly across instruments from different asset classes on its Standard trading account. Its crypto spreads are quite low, but the spreads on indices are comparatively higher. I also learned that the broker does not impose a handling fee for deposits or withdrawals.
I tested OQtima’s spreads on 16 January 2025 during the London and New York opens. The results are shown in the table below:
Instrument | Live Spread AM | Live Spread PM | Industry Average |
EURUSD | 1.2 pips | 1.2 pips | 1.08 pips |
GBPJPY | 2.4 pips | 1.2 pips | 2.44 pips |
Gold (XAUUSD) | 21 pips | 25 pips | 23 pips |
Crude Oil | 0.04 pips | 0.05 pips | 0.03 pips |
Apple | NA | 0.06 points | 0.33 points |
Tesla | NA | 0.11 points | 0.50 points |
Dow Jones 30 | 5.0 basis points | 5.0 basis points | 3.3 basis points |
Germany 40 | 5.0 basis points | 5.0 basis points | 2.4 basis points |
Bitcoin | $13 | $13 | $34 |
My live tests indicate that OQtima charges low spreads on share CFDs and Bitcoin, low-to-average spreads on currency pairs, average spreads on commodities, and high spreads on indices.
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).
Instrument | Swap Long | Swap Short |
EURUSD | Charge of $6.21 | Credit of $2.28 |
GBPJPY | Credit of $14.32 | Charge of $33.6 |
I assessed that OQtima’s swaps are average to high compared to the industry benchmark. However, overnight charges change over time.
OQtima does not impose a handling fee on deposits or withdrawals, but third-party processing fees may apply. However, the broker charges dormant accounts an inactivity fee of $20, which is applied monthly until activity resumes or the account balance drops to zero. An account is considered dormant after six calendar months of sustained inactivity.
I have compiled the table below to help you better understand the difference between the trading fees with OQtima’s two retail 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
Account Type* | Minimum Deposit | Spread | Commission** | Net Cost |
OQtima ONE | $100 | 1.2 pips | $0 | $12 |
OQtima ECN+ | $100 | 0.1 pips | $6 | $7 |
Typical STP | NA | 1.2 pips | $0 | $12 |
Typical ECN | NA | 0.2 pips | $6 | $8 |
*The numbers in this chart are only illustrative and subject to change over time
**Round-turn commission
According to my live tests, the trading fees on OQtima’s ONE account are in line with the typical STP account with respect to forex trading. In comparison, its ECN+ account offers marginally better trading fees than the typical ECN account.
The competitiveness of trading fees on the OQtima ONE account depends largely on the traded instrument. For instance, the broker offers extremely favorable share CFDs and cryptocurrency spreads, but its commodities and indices spreads were quite elevated. On a positive note, OQtima does not charge a handling fee for deposits and withdrawals.
OQtima incorporates the standard suites of MT4 and MT5, available for web, desktop, and mobile trading. The two can be enhanced via the Guardian Angel plugin, which integrates Trading Central content on the platforms. OQtima also provides free VPS hosting for low-latency trading.
Platform/Tool | Suitable For |
MetaTrader 4 | Basic technical analysis, simple order execution, automated trading |
MetaTrader 5 | Basic technical analysis, simple order execution, automated trading |
MT4/MT5 Apps | Trading on the go |
Free VPS hosting | Low-latency trading and stable internet connectivity |
I tested the desktop version of the MetaTrader 5 platform, which 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.
OQtima’s MT5 platform is available on both Windows and Mac. The platform 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:
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 examination and make it harder to perform detailed technical analysis.
I have broken down the available analytical tools and chart configurations below:
The chart screen is undeniably one of the most crucial features of a trading platform. It equips traders with essential tools and configurations to analyze price action and spot trading opportunities. Just as important is the ability to easily scale price action, allowing for a clearer and more detailed view of market movements.
MetaTrader 5 features three types of order execution: market, pending, and one-click trading that allows immediate entries at the spot price.
I have broken down the available order types on the MetaTrader 5 platform below:
MetaTrader 5 is a good option for fast and simple order execution. However, its dated and rugged design is inferior to newer and sleeker platforms. As a trader who prioritizes flexible charts that are easily scalable, I find MT5’s charting capability too rigid and less effective.
The MT5 mobile app is available for both IOS and Android, enabling quick and easy access to the market on the go. It is very useful for opening, terminating, and adjusting open positions.
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.
The MetaTrader app stands out for its convenience, making it an essential tool for adjusting trades, especially during periods of heightened volatility. However, I consider it cumbersome and not the best choice for analyzing price action.
OQtima operates as an Electronic-Communication-Networks (ECN) broker without a dealing desk, which allows it to achieve fast execution speeds. Client orders are matched electronically (buyers to sellers and vice versa) at the interbank level.
OQtima provides Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting to high-volume traders interested in achieving lightning-fast order execution speeds and stable internet connectivity. The service is free to OQtima clients who maintain an account balance of at least $500 and achieve a monthly traded volume of at least 5 lots.
OQtima offers 940+ tradable instruments across currency pairs, commodities, share CFDs, indices, cryptocurrencies, and ETFs. I was most impressed with the massive ETF offering of 107 instruments, allowing traders to diversify their market exposure.
Markets | Number | Types | Industry Average |
Forex Pairs | 63 | Major, Minor, and Exotic | 30 – 75 |
Commodities | 5 | Metals, Energies, and Futures | 5 – 10 |
Shares CFD | 730+ | Retail, Finance, Tech, Other | 100 – 500 |
Indices | 19 | US, EU, Asia, Other | 5 – 10 |
Cryptocurrencies | 45 | Major and Minor | 10 – 20 |
ETFs | 107 | Financial, Industrial, Others | 10 – 20 |
Compared to the industry average, OQtima provides an average number of currency pairs and commodities and a high number of share CFDs, indices, and cryptocurrencies.
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, all without the need to purchase 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.
Currency Pairs | Commodities |
EURUSD | GBPJPY | AUDUSD | NZDSGD | GBPCAD | EURAUD | | Gold | Crude Oil | Brent Oil | Silver | Platinum |
Shares CFDs | Indices |
Apple | Amazon.com | Tesla | Microsoft | Netflix | META | AIRBNB | Adobe | Dow Jones 30 | Germany 40 | France 40 | Japan 225 | Nasdaq 100 | China 50 | |
Cryptocurrencies |
Bitcoin | Ethereum | Solana | Dogecoin | Cardano | Avalanche | Polygon |
I appreciated OQtima’s massive offering of 100+ ETFs, which can be used to limit one’s market exposure. The broker also offers quite a few share CFDs and cryptocurrencies, which is important given its low spreads on instruments from these two asset classes. I would appreciate adding some alternatives to CFD contracts, such as vanilla options.
OQtima provides 24/7 multilingual customer support via live chat, email, and phone. Agents are quick to respond, polite, and fairly knowledgeable. The website also has a dedicated Help section for more general queries.
Live Chat | Phone | |
24/7 from the website | support@oqtima.com |
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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 test on 16 January 2025 at around 17:01 p.m. CET via live chat, which is available from the bottom-right corner of the website.
An agent connected to the chat within seconds. He was polite, had a good command of English, and was fairly knowledgeable. I received a prompt reply to my question regarding OQtima’s margin call and stop-out levels. From my experience, customer support agents of other brokers frequently struggle with the same question. I concluded that OQtima offers fast, reliable, and quality customer support.
Available Languages |
English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese |
OQtima accepts payments via bank wire, international bank transfer, credit and debit cards, cryptocurrencies, and e-wallets. The broker does not impose a handling fee for deposits or withdrawals, but third-party banking fees may apply. Transaction times vary but fall within the norm.
Deposit Method | Fee | Currencies | Processing Time |
Bank Wire | $0 | EUR, USD, JPY, CAD, GBP, CHF, AUD, AED, HKD, PHP, NZD, ZAR | 3-5 business days |
Credit/Debit Card | $0 | EUR, USD | Instant |
UK Bankwire | $0 | GBP | Instant* |
Local Banking | $0 | JPY, THB, MYR, IDR, VND, SGD, PHP | Up to 10 minutes |
Crypto Funding | $0 | USDT | Instant |
STICPAY | $0 | CAD, GBP, JPY, USD | Instant |
PIX | $0 | BRL, USD | Instant |
E-Wallets | $0 | Various | Instant |
*If made during UK business hours
Deposit Method | Fee | Currencies | Processing Time |
Bank Wire | $0 | EUR, USD, JPY, CAD, GBP, CHF, AUD, AED, HKD, PHP, NZD, ZAR | Up to 24 hours |
Credit/Debit Card | $0 | EUR, USD | Up to 24 hours |
UK Bankwire | $0 | GBP | Up to 24 hours |
Local Banking | $0 | JPY, THB, MYR, IDR, VND, SGD, PHP | Up to 24 hours |
Crypto Funding | $0 | USDT | Up to 24 hours |
STICPAY | $0 | CAD, GBP, JPY, USD | Up to 24 hours |
PIX | $0 | BRL, USD | Up to 24 hours |
E-Wallets | $0 | Various | Up to 24 hours |
Account Types and Terms
OQtima has two account types: OQtima ONE and OQtima ECN+. Both have a minimum deposit of $100 and accommodate hedging and EAs trading. The available base currencies include EUR, USD, GBP, CAD, JPY, CHF, SGD, and ZAR. Swap-free trading is also permitted via OQtima’s Islamic accounts.
To create an account with OQtima, follow these easy steps:
Account Type | OQtima ONE | OQtima ECN+ |
Spread From | 1.0 pips | 0.0 pips |
Commission* | $0 | $6 |
Minimum Deposit | $100 | $100 |
Minimum Trade Volume | 0.01 lot | 0.01 lot |
Standard Contract Size | 100,000 units | 100,000 units |
Hedging Allowed | Yes | Yes |
EAs and Scalping | Yes | Yes |
Margin Call | 80% | 80% |
Stop Out | 20% | 20% |
Swap Free Account | Yes | Yes |
Demo Account | Yes | Yes |
*Round-turn per one full contract
According to my tests, the OQtima ONE account is better suited for casual traders, while the OQtima ECN+ account offers marginally more competitive fees. Beyond the different pricing mechanisms, I find the two accounts quite similar. I also appreciated the combination of an 80% margin call and 20% stop-out that protect traders against the risk of complete account wipeouts.
OQtima offers a demo account on all available platforms. It 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 before or alongside your live CFD account.
OQtima offers Islamic accounts for swap-free trading under Shariah law. Clients must contact the broker’s customer support to request further assistance.
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.
In the table below, I have listed the maximum retail leverage available with OQtima for instruments from different asset classes:
Asset Class | Maximum Leverage |
Currency Pairs | 1:1000 |
Metals | 1:1000 |
Energies | 1:100 |
Shares CFDs | 1:5 |
Indices | 1:100 |
Cryptocurrencies | 1:100 |
ETFs | 1:5 |
OQtima does not accept as clients residents of the United States, Iran, and North Korea or of any jurisdiction where trading may be prohibited by law or regulation.
I have broken down the available research content with OQtima by type below:
OQtima offers high-quality market research from Trading Central. I appreciated that most of the research content is available directly on MT4/MT5 via the Guarding Angel plugin. Furthermore, OQtima provides this highly practical and extremely valuable content for free. However, it has no research content developed in-house.
OQtima’s educational content is limited to a few glossary definitions of popular trading terms. Beyond that, the broker does not provide any articles, courses, webinars, or videos, unlike most other brokers.
OQtima’s educational content is limited and lacks depth, making it insufficient for learning essential trading concepts and strategies. While the broker offers basic definitions of forex and CFD trading terms, beginners must seek more comprehensive educational resources elsewhere.
Founded in 2022 in Limassol, Cyprus, OQtima is a forex and CFDs broker that offers more than 940 tradable instruments across currency pairs, commodities, share CFDs, indices, cryptocurrencies, and ETFs. OQtima operates as an ECN broker and provides free VPS hosting to high-volume traders.
OQtima incorporates MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 and permits hedging and algo trading via EAs. Its trading fees vary greatly between the tradable instruments, but the spreads on Bitcoin and share CFDs are notably low.
The broker impresses with its massive range of 107 ETFs, low cryptocurrency spreads, and top-fo-the-line market research.
Among the drawbacks I found were a lack of copy and social trading solutions and very limited educational content.
Overall, I concluded that OQtima could be a great choice for day traders, algo traders, and cryptocurrency traders.
Headquarters Country | Cyprus |
Foundation Year | 2022 |
Regulations | CySEC (Cyprus), FSA (Seychelles) |
Publicly Traded | No |
Number Of Employees | 17 |
Trading Desk Type | STP |
Trading Platforms | MT4, cTrader |
Restricted Countries | Burkina Faso, Cote dIvoire, Cuba, Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Fiji, Haiti, Iran, Jamaica, Jordan, Libya, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Panama, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Yemen, North Korea, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Spain, United States, Czech Republic, Virgin Islands, British, Afghanistan, American Samoa, Guam, Iraq, Lebanon, Puerto Rico, Somalia, Sudan, Russian Federation, Turkmenistan, Congo, Albania, Barbados, Belarus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Northern Mariana Islands, China |
Supported Languages | English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, French, Indonesian, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Japanese |
Min Deposit | $20 |
Max Leverage | 1:30 (CySEC), 1:500 (FSA) |
Deposit Options | Wire Transfer, Skrill, Neteller, Credit Card, Debit Card |
Withdrawal Options | Credit Card, Debit Card, Wire Transfer, Skrill, Neteller |
Time to Withdrawal | 2 |
Time to Open an Account | 7 |
Crypto | Ethereum, Dogecoin, Bitcoin, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ripple, Dash, TRON, Cardano, Binance Coin, Solana, Polygon, Avalanche |
Products | Currencies, Stocks, Crypto, Indices, Commodities |
Demo Account | Yes |
OCO Orders | No |
Offers Hedging | Yes |
Automated Trading | Yes |
API Trading | No |
Guaranteed Stop Loss | No |
Guaranteed Limit Orders | No |
Guaranteed Fills / Liquidity | No |
Economic calendar | Yes |
Trading From Chart | Yes |
One-Click Trading | Yes |
Expert Advisor | Yes |
Social Trading | Yes |
Autochartist | Yes |
Trading Signals | Yes |
Platform Languages | Multi-lingual |
24 Hours Support | Yes |
Support During Weekends | No |
Live Chat | Yes |
Daily Market Commentary | Yes |
News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes |
Webinars | No |
Deposit Fee | No |
Withdrawal Fee | No |
Inactivity Fee | Yes |
Having been a retail trader since 2013, Plamen has gained an in-depth understanding of the challenges that novice traders face today. His expertise is swing trading and day trading with a heavy emphasis on psychological and fundamental analysis. Plamen’s favourite trading instruments include FX majors and gold. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics and International Relations. Plamen's broad experience has equipped him with the expertise to recommend the best forex brokers.
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