Trading Accounts

cTrader supports Demo and Live trading accounts. This section deals with the types of trading accounts, opening new trading accounts, switching between the trading accounts, etc.

Opening a Trading Account

Demo

A Demo account is a risk-free trading environment where you can practice trading and learn the cTrader Web main functionality and options. A Demo trading account (hedged) is automatically created for you when you sign up for the cTID profile, and the virtual funds (1000 EUR) for trading on the virtual market are automatically awarded to you.

Note that you can not withdraw any funds from the Demo account.

If you need an account of different type/currency, you can easily create another Demo account.

To create a Demo account:

1. Hover over the Spotware cTrader link to the upper left of the QuickLinks bar and select Open Demo Account from the drop-down.

Alternatively, click on the current trading Account from the QuickLinks bar and select Create New Trading Account from the Accounts selector dropdown.

2. In the Demo Account form specify the deposit amount, account currency, leverage, and the account type (Hedged or Netted). Check the Shariah-Compliant box if you would like to create a swap-free account.

When done, click Create Account.

When the account is created you will be automatically logged into it and notified with the respective message to the upper right (if notifications are enabled).

Live

Live accounts allow trading on the real market with real money. To open a Live account you should contact your broker. Some brokers allow creating Live trading accounts with zero balance directly from the app.

Note that not all brokers allow for creating Live trading accounts directly in the app, and even if they do, you may still need to contact them to top up your balance.

All trading accounts regardless of their type (Demo or Live) are automatically synchronized with your current cTrader ID profile.

To create a Live account (optionally):

1. Hover over the Spotware cTrader link to the upper left of the QuickLinks bar and select Open Live Account from the drop-down.

Alternatively, click on the current trading Account from the QuickLinks bar and select Trading Accounts from the Accounts selector dropdown.

2. In the Live Account form select the desired broker.

You will proceed to the official broker to complete with all the required account details.

When the account is created you will be automatically logged into it and notified with the respective message to the upper right (if notifications are enabled).

Switching Accounts

You can easily switch between your trading accounts synchronized with your cTrader ID. To switch accounts, hover over the Spotware cTrader link to the upper left of the QuickLinks bar and select Switch Account.

In the Switch Account menu select the desired account from the drop-down.

Alternatively, click on your current trading account in the Account bar to the upper right and select the desired account from the drop-down.

Hiding Accounts

You can hide the trading accounts that you don't use at the moment from your main accounts list. The accounts will remain active but won’t be visible in the accounts list, with the option to unhide them any time you wish. To do so, hover over the desired account and click the Hide icon next to it. It will be moved to the Hidden Accounts section to the bottom of the list.

To unhide accounts, proceed to the Hidden Accounts list, hover over the desired account, and click the Unhide icon.

Types of Trading Accounts

cTrader supports the two industry-standard types of accounts (for both Demo and Live) - Hedged and Netted.

Hedged Account

A hedged account allows traders to:

• Have both long and short (Buy and Sell) positions opened for the same symbol at the same time.
• Have multiple positions of the same type (either Buy or Sell) opened for the same symbol at the same time.

Example:

With this account type, when trading successively:

1. Buy 1 lot of EURUSD;
2. Sell 0.5 lot of EURUSD;
3. Sell 0.5 lot of EURUSD.

Eventually, you will have 3 open positions, which you can manage individually.

Netted Account

A netted account allows traders:

• To have only one open position for the same symbol at the same time.
• Successive orders of opposite directions for the same symbol (Buy or Sell) will sell-off each other according to the traded amount.

Example:

With this account type, when trading successively:

1. Buy 1 lot of EURUSD;
2. Sell 0.25 lot of EURUSD;
3. Sell 0.25 lot of EURUSD.

Eventually, you will have only one long (Buy) position for 0.5 lot, because another half of the lot was canceled out by selling two 0.25 lots.

Note that not all brokers support different types of accounts.

Change Account Type

To change the type of a Live trading account, contact your broker.

A Demo account type cannot be changed. You can only open a new Demo account of the desired type.

Special Options

Shariah-Compliant (Swap Free) Account

A Shariah-Compliant account meets all the requirements of Shariah law and the principles of Islamic finance. For such accounts, your broker charges only an administrative fee instead of swap fees.

To make your Demo account compliant with the financial traditions of Islam, when creating a new Demo account, check the Shariah-Compliant (Swap-free) box in the Demo Account menu.

Contact your broker, and request a Shariah-Compliant Live account if your cTrader Web does not allow for creating new Live accounts.

AMF Compliant (French Risk) Account

An AMF Compliant (French Risk) account has the following unique behavior:

• Guaranteed Stop Loss is always required when opening a position.
• Guaranteed Stop Loss cannot be removed when the position is open.
• QuickTrade is not available.
• The trade side of the GSL cannot be changed.
• Trailing Stop Loss is not available.
• Some symbols might be disabled by the broker for AMF Compliant accounts.

To create an AMF Compliant trading account, please contact your broker.

Note that the AMF option is available only for the hedged trading accounts.