Investous Review
Why Investous Does Not Suck In 50 Words?
CySEC and IFSC regulation, Meta Trader 4, Demo accounts, market reviews that are updated daily, ‘Best Trading Platform 2018’ and ‘Best Execution Broker 2018’ accolades at the prestigious Forex Awards. Looks like they are ticking all the boxes of a good broker and definitely one that doesn’t suck. If they continue providing quality services, I see them rising through the ranks of trusted brokers.
Why Investous Sucks In 50 Words?
It’s not a big deal, but the Basic account requires a 250 EUR deposit (which is average-to-high for the industry), and for the next tier – Gold – you will have to come up with 25,000 EUR, which is huge if you ask me. Maybe 1,000 EUR would be more appropriate, especially because Gold accounts have lower spreads and everyone wants that.
Is Investous A Scam?
Investous is a relatively new broker, launched in 2018 yet so far they look very promising, and seem they’ve started with the right foot. The main reason why I say this is because the owning and operating companies (F1Markets LTD and IOS INVESTMENTS Limited) are fully regulated by the CySEC and IFSC respectively, two very respectable financial watchdogs.
It’s true that the broker itself was launched in 2018 but the company behind it has a good track record and is regulated since 2015 so at the current time there is absolutely no scam suspicion regarding Investous.com. The website looks professional and without the usual hype about huge profits; instead, they focus on presenting the potential risks involved, which is the mark of a trustworthy broker.
Should I Open An Account With Investous
Investous (Investous.com) is a CFD, FX and Crypto broker operated by IOS INVESTMENTS Limited, which is regulated by the International Financial Services Commission of Belize with license number 000349/122. Across the European Economic Area (excluding the United Kingdom and Belgium), trading services are offered by F1Markets Limited, authorized and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) under license number 267/15. The company was also EEA Authorized by the British Financial Conduct Authority (Reference number: 744255); however, this is no longer the case.
As mentioned before, Investous.com was just launched in July 2018 but they seem to have all the ingredients of a top broker. The platform choice is great: Meta Trader 4 as a desktop client and an easy-access WebTrader platform (no download required). The available products are Contracts For Difference (CFD) on a variety of underlying assets, including currency pairs, stocks, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies. Although it is a relative newcomer to the online CFD scene, Investous has already established a solid reputation as a portal that’s built around the evolving needs of its members. It provides a smooth, simple, and streamlined interface that supports intelligent and intuitive trading, with a wide range of popular assets, good educational tools, and responsive customer support.
Accounts start at $250 (Basic), which is average for the industry but the requirements for the other three accounts are quite steep, with 25,000 EUR for Gold, 100,000 EUR for Platinum, and 250,000 for VIP. A higher account comes with the major benefit of having a lower spread and some other perks such as free withdrawals.
Their Education Centre contains an extensive FAQ and Glossary, but maybe more importantly, a section for price analysis provided by Trading Central. You will also find an Economic Calendar and information about Technical and Fundamental Analysis as well as basic explanations of CFD, leverage, and some trading strategies.
Overall Investous looks like a very good choice if you are searching for your first broker or looking to make a switch from your current one. At the moment the only thing that bothers me a bit is their limited time in the business, but hey, we all started somewhere, and besides, the owning/operating company has extensive experience in the field of online trading.
F1Markets Limited is located at 43, Kolonakiou Avenue, Shop N2B, Ayios Athanasios, 4103 Limassol, Cyprus. IOS INVESTMENTS Limited lists the address Unit 106 No. 16 Cor., Hutson and Eyre Streets, Blake Building, Belize City, Belize The broker can be contacted at telephone number +357 25 358 700 and emails [email protected] and [email protected].
Investous Complaints
Complaints about Investous are not easy to come by, but we still managed to find some; however, some of the people posting the complaints don’t seem to know how things work. For example, a user called them a scam because in the past they were regulated by CySEC and now they are regulated by IFSC Belize. The matter is simple: EU clients are managed by F1Markets Limited (regulated by CySEC) and clients outside the EU are managed by IOS INVESTMENTS Limited (regulated by IFSC Belize). So, depending on the location you are accessing the website from, you could see CySEC or IFSC regulation. That’s no scam!
Investous Regulatory Warnings and Announcements
So far no regulatory agency has warned against Investous.com. However, they are no longer authorized by the British FCA to offer services in the UK; the reason is unclear and we don’t want to speculate.
Investous Withdrawals
Traders will be able to withdraw funds only to the source of funding, meaning if they’ve deposited through a credit card, they will withdraw to that card and the same goes for wire transfers. Clients will be required to send IDs and proof of residence to comply with KYC and AML rules.
The charge for wire withdrawals is 30 USD/EUR/GBP and 3.5% for credit/debit cards. They mention deposits via e-wallets but the exact ones are not specified. Minimum withdrawal is the equivalent of 100 EUR for wire transfers (no minimum required for cards). The processing time is usually 1 business day and an additional 5 business days may pass until the money reaches your account.
Investous Extras
Regulation by 3 major financial watchdogs, Meta Trader 4 trading platform, tons of underlying assets (over 270), CFDs on cryptocurrencies, and daily video market reviews. These are all positives and things that should be offered by more brokers.
Investous Ratings
User Friendliness 18/20
The website is well organized and translated into 5 different languages. The web platform is very easy to use and intuitive, with $100K demo accounts available. Mobile versions of the platforms are also available for both iOS and Android. US traders are not accepted.
Range Of Markets, Spreads And Leverage 18/20
Investous offers over 270 underlying assets from the categories of indices, stocks, commodities, cryptocurrencies, and Fiat currencies. The leverage for retail clients goes up to 1:30 which is on the low side but it is due to ESMA regulation which imposes several limits in order to protect investors. Professional clients benefit from higher leverage (1:400) but conditions apply. The spreads are a bit on the steep side (2.5 pips for EUR/USD) but they go lower if you have a large deposit account.
Deposits And Withdrawals 17/20
The minimum deposit is $250 and can be made through credit cards, wire transfers, and e-wallets. Withdrawals can be made through the same methods, with no minimum requirements for cards and 100 EUR for wires. The processing time is fast, at 24 business hours.
Fees And Support 17/20
There are no fees to open an account, just like anywhere else but clients will have to pay a charge of 30 USD/EUR/GBP for withdrawals. Basic accounts offer the first withdrawal free of charge, Gold accounts have one free withdrawal per month, Platinum offers three withdrawals free of charge each month, and VIP account holders will not pay for withdrawals.
There’s a fee of 3.50% for card withdrawal and an 80 EUR fee if you wish to withdraw but there is insignificant or no trading activity on the account. The inactivity fees are quite scary: 80 EUR monthly (1 to 2 months inactive account); 120 EUR monthly (2 to 6 months inactive account); 500 EUR monthly (6 to 12 months inactive account); 1,000 EUR monthly (over 12 months inactive account). The live chat support was quick to answer, polite, and didn’t run around the bush when asked a normal question.
Investous Extras 18/20
Regulation and a professional-looking platform like Meta Trader 4 are definitely some positive extras but other brokers have them as well. On the other hand, daily analysis from Trading Central is something harder to come by. Let’s just hope they keep them daily.