Worked example
Practising on FXTM (ForexTime)'s numbers
This is an exercise sheet, not a review. We are going to take three things that FXTM (ForexTime) publishes — a spread, a ladder of account types and a list of licences — and turn each of them into something you can do arithmetic with. By the end you should be able to repeat the whole exercise on any firm you come across, which is the actual skill being taught.
The figures we are working from
Nothing below is our estimate. Where a firm has not published something, or we could not read it on a source we trust, the box says so instead of guessing — a habit worth copying when you build your own broker notes.
Exercise one — turn the spread into money
FXTM (ForexTime) does not publish a EUR/USD spread we were able to verify, so there is no honest arithmetic to do on this page. Do not substitute a number you read on a comparison site: an unverified spread quietly becomes an unverified cost, and then an unverified plan. Use one of the other examples on the practice index for this exercise and come back to this file for the account ladder below.
Exercise two — read the account ladder
Account tiers are a pricing structure dressed as a status ladder. FXTM (ForexTime) offers 3 rungs. Read them as a question — what does each rung ask of me, and what does it give back? — rather than as a set of prizes to climb towards.
- MicroThe entry rung. Whatever the published spread applies to, it is almost always this one — so this is the rung your arithmetic above describes.
- AdvantageA higher rung usually trades a tighter spread for a commission, a larger deposit, or a status test. Convert both pricing models to money per lot before you decide either is cheaper.
- Advantage PlusA higher rung usually trades a tighter spread for a commission, a larger deposit, or a status test. Convert both pricing models to money per lot before you decide either is cheaper.
Account names as published: Micro, Advantage, Advantage Plus. Platforms listed: MT4, MT5, FXTM Trader app.
Exercise three — what this licence list means for you
A long licence list is not automatically a good sign. What matters to a beginner is a narrower question: which entity would hold my money, and who supervises that entity? Those are often not the same as the impressive name at the top of the list. Here are FXTM (ForexTime)'s lines, each with a plain reading.
| Regulator | Entity on the register | Number | What that means for a beginner |
|---|---|---|---|
| FCA · United Kingdom | ForexTime UK Limited | 777911 | a top-tier regulator: compensation scheme, capital rules and a public register you can search yourself |
| CySEC · Cyprus | ForexTime Ltd | 185/12 | a mid-tier regulator: real supervision and a register, usually with a smaller or capped compensation scheme |
| FSC Mauritius · Mauritius | Exinity Limited | C113012295 | an offshore registration: a company exists and pays a fee, but expect little practical recourse from that entity |
| CMA Kenya · Kenya | Exinity Capital East Africa Ltd | 135 | a mid-tier regulator: real supervision and a register, usually with a smaller or capped compensation scheme |
1 of these line is top-tier — held by ForexTime UK Limited. If you are onboarded to a different entity than those, the protections attached to the top-tier line are not yours, however prominently the regulator's initials appear in the marketing. 1 line is offshore registration; treat those as a company address rather than as supervision.
The record behind these numbers
- FXTM is a brand of the Exinity group; non-EU/UK clients are typically onboarded through Exinity Limited in Mauritius.
- The Advantage account advertises spreads from 0.0 pips with a $3.50 per lot per side forex commission.
- The CySEC entity ForexTime Ltd is listed on the CySEC register under former investment firms; check current status before relying on it.
- FXTM holds a CMA Kenya non-dealing online foreign exchange broker licence, number 135.
What we could not verify
The following are unconfirmed and are deliberately left blank rather than estimated: current CySEC status of ForexTime Ltd; exact minimum deposit (sources give $10, $200 and $500 depending on account and entity); exact legal entity holding the FSCA South Africa licence; typical EUR/USD spread (source only gave an advertised 'from 0.0' raw-account figure). Confidence in this file overall: medium. When you build your own notes on a firm, keep a list like this one — the gaps are more useful than the figures, because they tell you what to go and check.
Run the same exercise on another firm
PipMentor does not rank brokers, does not award badges and does not tell you where to open an account. This page exists so the arithmetic you learn in the curriculum has real numbers to bite on.