Is AvaTrade a scam?

No. AvaTrade is a licensed broker with an unusually well documented regulatory footprint, and the evidence is straightforward to check.

We read the Central Bank of Ireland register on 5 September 2026: AVA Trade EU Limited, reference C53877, status Authorised, authorised 9 July 2009, no revocation date, client money rules apply, permitted to deal on own account in CFDs. We read the ADGM public register the same day: Ava Trade Middle East Limited, 190018, Active, authorised 6 February 2020. The BVI Financial Services Commission lists Ava Trade Markets Ltd as currently regulated.

A scam broker does not have three verifiable register entries across three jurisdictions with authorisation dates going back to 2009.

What there is to know instead

A regulator found it falsified data. On 14 May 2024 Japan's Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission found that Ava Trade Japan K.K. deleted its largest customers from the data used for regulatory stress tests, then reported the results. The Kanto Local Finance Bureau's disposition records that the deletions were directed by the chief executive across at least 13 test dates between May 2021 and March 2023, with 24 or more further dates manipulated between May and August 2023. The sanction was a business improvement order, not a suspension, and no client lost money. It is not fraud against clients. It is a serious honesty failure with a regulator, and it is the main reason our rating is Neutral rather than Trusted.

The fees on a dormant account are severe. $50 every three months of non-use, recurring, plus $100 after twelve months. That is $300 in the first dormant year against a $100 minimum deposit. It is disclosed in AvaTrade's help centre, so it is not hidden, and people are still surprised by it. See the fee page.

You cannot see the trading costs before you sign up. AvaTrade publishes no spread table, no swap rates and no AvaProtect pricing without a login. Legal, and unusual for a broker this size.

The entity name in the international contract does not match the register. AvaTrade's regulation page and the BVI register both say Ava Trade Markets Ltd. The international client agreement says Ava Trade Ltd. Ask them which company you are contracting with before you sign, and get the answer in writing.

Outside the EU there is no compensation scheme. EU clients get AVA Trade EU Limited and the Irish Investor Compensation Scheme, which pays the lesser of 90% of the loss or €20,000. Everyone else contracts with the BVI entity, where nothing stands behind the balance.

The full rating is in our AvaTrade review.