Z.com Trade is considered the world’s leading Forex provider by volume, with 500,000+ registered customers and more than $1 trillion traded monthly. Z.com is the global brand name of GMO CLICK, launched in 2005 in Japan, as part of the GMO internet group. Fully licensed and regulated, GMO CLICK began offering Forex trading services in 2006 and expanded to include CFD trading services in 2010. By 2011, the company had established offices in Hong Kong and gained recognition globally as the largest retail Forex provider by volume. Following the opening of offices in London in 2012, GMO CLICK broke through the $1 trillion level in monthly trading, making it the first retail broker to do so. In 2015, the global company name was re-branded to Z.com and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Reflecting the expansion of GMO Click Holdings Inc, the parent company changed its name in 2017, to GMO Financial Holdings Inc. The website, GMO-Z.com Trade UK Ltd is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK. Traders at Z.com Trade are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme up to a sum of £50,000 in case of the company suffering losses.
Account Features
Z.com Trade provides deep liquidity, ‘ultra-tight’ spreads from zero pips and maximum leverage of 1:200 across three live trading account types. The company uses secure, high-grade technology for rapid trade execution in 80 tradeable products comprising 57 currency pairs, 16 indices and 7 commodities. We saw that trades are executed by Z.com Trade using the Straight Through Processing concept without any human intervention or dealing desk (STP NDD). Notably, powerful electronic systems are hosted in London in the Equinix LD4 data centre, creating a quality trading environment for Z.com clients. Moreover, traders at Z.com Trade can access the website in English, Russian and Chinese on Windows, MAC OS as well as through Android and iOS mobile devices.
Account Types
There are three types of live trading account offered by Z.com Trade. The Classic, ECN and ECN Pro account. Notably, registered clients can have multiple accounts and manage their accounts through the online Client Portal incorporated into all three live trading accounts. Not only is the Client Portal totally secure, but allows customers to deposit/withdraw funds and move money between trading accounts. Importantly, within the Client Portal is the ‘gateway’ to the education and analytical portal. This gives all traders immediate free access to the analysis team, live updates, analysis tools and content, signals, trading strategies and video reviews.
Z.com Classic Account
It takes a deposit of just £€$50 to set up the Classic account at Z.com Trade. Classic account holders have access to a limited number of products with 22 Forex currency pairs, 13 indices and 5 commodities with INSTANT order execution. Notably, with the Classic account, floating spreads are offered for all products except for major Forex currency pairs. A key feature of the Classic account is that traders do not pay commissions but cover trading costs through spreads starting at 2 pips. Leverage is capped at 1:200 and the minimum trade size permitted is 1 lot where the Forex lot size is 100,000 units of currency and the maximum order size is 20 lots. Significantly, the minimum account balance required to operate a Classic account is zero.
Z.com ECN Account
Experienced traders may prefer the ECN account featuring floating spreads from 0 pips and a maximum order size of 50 lots. Notably, traders are given access to all the products offered by Z.com Trade with maximum leverage of 1:200. Whilst it costs just £€$50 to set up the ECN account and there is no commission on commodities or indices, commission is charged on FX products at the rate of $4 for 1 lot (100,000 units of currency). Perhaps the most significant feature of the ECN account is the market execution process rather than instant execution feature in the Classic account.
Z.com ECN Pro Account
Traders who operate at a professional level may wish to open an ECN Pro account at Z.com. However, to do so, traders must begin by setting up an ECN account and have an account balance of at least £€$10,000. Only then should they contact Z.Com Trade to request an upgrade to the Pro ECN account. The account features remain the same as the ECN account BUT the commission for FX products is reduced to $2.50 per 100,000 units of currency traded (1 lot).
Trading Software & Assets
Z.com Trade offers the secure and stable Meta Trader 4 trading platform for Windows desktop and MAC personal computers. Additionally, clients can access the MT4 trading platform on the move using iOS and Android powered mobile devices. The popular MT4 platform allows trading in Forex currency pairs, Commodities and Indices in 30+ languages and is the preferred choice of traders worldwide. Notably, MT4 has a customisable interface with a broad range of charts and trading tools. What’s more, it allows traders to automate trades using ‘Expert Advisors’ without trading restrictions.
Z.com FIX API Connectivity
Traders who want a front-end solution providing more flexible high-speed trading can plug in to the FIX API in the Z.com Trade servers. These are in the Equinix LD4 data centre in London and provide all the advantages to traders of the STP NDD execution model at Z.com Trade. Through the FIX 4.4 which is industry standard, traders can manage orders and automate trading using their own strategies. Z.com Trade provides a link on the website for customers requiring detailed information about FIX API trading.
Support Information
Free live customer support at Z.com Trade is available during UK office hours, 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Specifically, clients have instant access to live support on the interface through the live chat function or by telephone to a London number. Notably, urgent assistance is available by phone outside office hours, however, callers from outside the UK must pay for the call. We did not see an email address on the contact page but a postal address for the London office of GMO-Z.com Trade UK Ltd.
Banking & Company Information
Accounts at Z.com Trade can be in EUR, GBP or USD. Funds deposited in other currencies are converted at the exchange rate set by the payment gateway provider at Z.com Trade. Multiple payment methods are supported on the website including the credit/debit cards, Mastercard, Visa and Visa Electron as well as Bank Wire transfer. Additionally, E-Wallets and alternative payment methods, Boleto, Giropay, iDEAL, Moneta, POLi, QIWI, Skrill, Sofort, Trustly, Webmoney and Yandex Money.
Withdrawal requests to bank accounts in the UK are processed by Bankers Automated Clearing Service (BACS) within 3 days business days, unless a request is made for faster withdrawals. Notably faster withdrawals are charged a higher processing fee and can only be applied to trading accounts operating in GBP. Significantly, only one withdrawal request can be made each day from Z.com Trade.