Ardu Prime

Ardu Prime is a registered financial institution and regulated forex broker based in Greece, with a long history in providing excellent services to international high-net worth individuals. Given the demanding standards of its client base it comes as no surprise that the broker is well versed in delivering the best in customer service, doing all they can to meet client needs.

Ardu Prime launched all the way back in 1999 and has built a solid team of executives, account managers, customer service professionals, and third-party fintech providers. While the company started off on providing service to high-net worth individuals, in May 2020 it expanded to a retail broker by adding access to the MetaTrader 5 platform, and introduced multiple Asset Classes to satisfy even the most ambitious investors.

By being fully regulated by the Hellenic Capital Market Commission Ardu Prime is fully compliant with the European MiFID II and all Anti-Money Laundering Directives. They have also been authorized by the FCA to provide services in the U.K. and BaFin, the financial regulatory authority for the Federal Republic of Germany.

The company has received 6 awards in 2022 from both Ultimate Fintech and Pan Finance: Ultimate Fintech Awards “Most Trusted Broker Europe”, “Best Trading Conditions”, “Most Innovative Broker” Pan Finance Awards “Most Reliable FX & CFD Broker - Greece 2022”, “Best Investment Services Provider - Greece 2022” and “Trading House Of The Year - Greece 2022”.

Ardu Prime Pros and Cons

Pros

Regulated by the Hellenic Capital Market Commission since 1999 (EU Regulation – MIFID II) and authorized by the FCA and BaFin to provide services in the UK and the Federal Republic of Germany respectively.

• World class customer service and dedicated support for all client.
• MetaTrader 5 is the desktop, mobile, and web platform.
• Wide range of trading assets with over 200 tradable instruments, including CFDs in Forex, Indices, US Equities, Commodities, Speciality Instruments and Cryptocurrencies.
• Trading Central Tools.
• No fee for Withdrawals.
• 24/7 customer support.
• 3 Account types with Islamic option available.

Cons

• Website offers limited education.
• Possibly more suited towards experienced traders, but due to client support and tools beginners will have a good starting experience.
• There is a deposit fee:
  - Bank wire 0%
  - Credit/Debit card 1%
  - Neteller 4%

Broker Regulation

Broker regulation is very important to the security and peace of mind for traders, and Ardu Prime is fully regulated and authorized by the Hellenic Capital Market Commission under license number 4/164/20.7.1999. Being Greece an EU country this also means Ardu Prime is fully compliant with the European MiFID II and all Anti-Money Laundering Directives. All that makes Ardu Prime a solid choice for traders who are looking for well-regulated brokers.

In addition to the regulation by the Hellenic Capital Market Commission Ardu Prime has also been authorized by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the U.K. under reference number 725166, as well as by the BaFin to provide services in the Federal Republic of Germany under ID #10146106.

In other words, clients can feel secure and protected when trading with Ardu Prime.

Account types

Ardu Prime offers three different account types, with something to match the needs of any trader. No matter which account is chosen, clients will enjoy exceptional liquidity where even the largest orders can be executed without slippage. Each account type comes with its own commission structure, and all costs and fees are made fully transparent to the client.

All the account types have STP / No Dealing Desk execution conditions, and all can be funded with GBP, USD, or EUR and selected cryptocurrencies (BTC | ETH | USDT | USDC). Also, all accounts come with dedicated support and allow for algorithmic trading.

Standard Account

• $250 minimum deposit.
• No FX Commissions.
• No commission for CFDs.
• Up to 1:30 leverage.
• Limited Access to Trading Central Premium Tools.
• $0.02 per share for US Equities, $10 minimum.

Premium Account

• $25,000 minimum deposit.
• Trading Central Premium Tools.
• No FX Commissions.
• No commission for CFDs.
• $0.02 per share for US Equities, $5 minimum.
• Up to 1:30 leverage.

Institutional Account

• $100,000 minimum deposit.
• Trading Central Premium Tools.
• Customized commission structure.
• Up to 1:100 leverage.

In addition, the Islamic account option is available for all account types (subject to approval) that follow Islamic roles, thus making them Sharia compliant.

Trading Platforms

There are two trading platforms available from Ardu Prime, but retail traders only need to concern themselves with the MetaTrader 5 platform that has been added specifically for the broker to accept retail clients. Institutional clients can also take advantage of the professional Direct Liquidity Access (DLA) platform.

The MetaTrader 5 platform was chosen for its advanced trading functions and superior technical analysis tools. It is the ideal trading platform for every level of trader. Traders can also take advantage of support for automated trading and a powerful strategy tester is built-in to the platform. As with its predecessor Metatrader 4, the new Metatrader 5 has its own programming language (MQL5) which can be used to code Expert Advisors and Indicators, either to analyze the markets, generate signals or trade automatically. Ardu Prime offers the powerful desktop version of MetaTrader 5 as well as the mobile versions for either iOS or Android operating systems.

KEY FEATURES

• User-Friendly Website.
• Comprehensive Trading Functions.
• Advanced Market Depth.
• Professional Indicators and Tools for Technical Analysis.
• Economic Calendar.
• Algorithmic Trading.
• Enhanced Strategy Tester.
• Trading Signals.
• Alerts and push notifications.
• Desktop / Tablet / iPad / Mobile.
• Unlimited and easy market access, anywhere, at your fingertips.
• MT5 Platform is available in more than 30 languages.

METATRADER 5 DESKTOP

The MetaTrader 5 platform has expanded its functionality and includes 21 different time frames and over 80 built-in technical indicators. Plus, traders can have up to 100 charts open at the same time, which should satisfy even the most prolific trader.

METATRADER 5 MOBILE

The MetaTrader 5 mobile app can be used on all smartphone devices, allowing you access to trade anytime and anywhere. The mobile version provides everything you need in the palm of your hand. Execute new trades and close positions, monitor P&L, set-up pending orders, set or modify Take Profit and Stop Loss. The mobile version also supports One-Click-Trading, allowing you to execute new trades fast and easily. And since it synchronizes with the desktop version you can see all your trades from either desktop or mobile at all times.

Available Assets

Ardu Prime offers over 200 individual CFD assets that include forex pairs, commodities, indices, U.S. equities, cryptocurrencies and specialty instruments.

The inclusion of such a diversity of assets makes it easier to find trading opportunities no matter what the markets are doing.

Education and Research

Ardu Prime’s educational resources include weekly market insights and an A-Z glossary of terms.

Depending on the account types, traders can benefit from the inclusion of the Trading Central tool within the Ardu Prime trading platform. Trading Central is one of the top third-party tools for investing research and information, and it is included free with your Ardu Prime account. Trading Central combines automated AI analytics and senior analyst expertise to provide traders with fundamental, technical, news, sentiment and economic analysis.

Customer Service

Ardu Prime customer support is provided via Email, Contact Form and Support Ticket. Offered from Monday to Sunday, from 09:00 am to 22:00 pm GMT +2. Clients can also use the phone support or read through the FAQ section before contacting a customer associate.

In Conclusion

Ardu Prime is unique amongst retail CFD brokers since they enter the market with extensive experience and knowledge in the broker industry through their institutional and high-net worth client offerings. Based on the demanding needs of this group you can understand that Ardu Prime does everything possible to satisfy the needs of their clients.

That said it did feel like the broker was most suitable for more experienced traders. Nevertheless, beginners with access to Trading Central tools and with the dedicated client support offered should have no trouble to learn and grow.

The assets available are varied enough to provide for diversification, and we found the commissions to be quite affordable. Plus, it is all made available for trading through the excellent and powerful MetaTrader 5 platform, which is excellent.

Being regulated by an EU regulating body for over two decades is certainly a plus and the customer support team is considered to be world-class.

Ardu Prime is a broker certainly worth trading with, and both novice and experienced traders will definitely have a great experience doing so.

​​Company Updates

Ardu Prime has recently launched an updated version of their website. It is considered to be easy to navigate, accessible and appropriate for both novice and experienced investors.

In October 2022, Ardu Prime announced a new partnership with EuroLeague becoming a Premium Partner of the two top Pan-European basketball club competitions, Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup until 2024.

Sotirios Promponas, CEO of Ardu Prime, said: "It's a privilege to be partnering with two large-scale sporting properties such as the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup. As we expand, grow and embark on a new era, we believe this is just the beginning of a successful cooperation that together will strengthen our brand and market footprint on a global scale." (Source: EuroLeague Basketball)