The LSE Directory / CFD and forex brokers
AvaTrade is a retail online broker offering leveraged trading in forex, CFDs on indices, shares, commodities, cryptocurrencies, ETFs and bonds, plus a dedicated forex options product. Clients trade through a mix of proprietary and third party platforms: the AvaTradeGO mobile app, the AvaOptions desktop and mobile options platform (built on Sentry Derivatives technology), MetaTrader 4 and 5, a browser based WebTrader, and the AvaSocial copy trading app, with DupliTrade available as a further copy trading route into MT4 accounts. Pricing on most instruments is spread based rather than commission based. The firm differentiates itself within the CFD broker category primarily through the breadth of its regulatory footprint rather than through pricing or a single flagship platform. It operates through country specific regulated entities, including licenses from the Central Bank of Ireland, Australia's ASIC, Cyprus's CySEC, South Africa's FSCA, Japan's Financial Services Agency, the Abu Dhabi Global Market's FRSA, and the British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission, among others, which lets it onboard clients across a wide span of jurisdictions under locally licensed subsidiaries rather than a single offshore entity. Its forex options offering through AvaOptions and its emphasis on social and copy trading through AvaSocial and DupliTrade are aimed at intermediate to active retail traders alongside the beginner focused education and demo account funnel typical of the category. AvaTrade was founded in 2006 by Israeli entrepreneurs Emanuel Kronitz and Negev Nosatzki as an online forex broker originally registered in the British Virgin Islands under the name Ava FX; it rebranded to AvaTrade in 2013 once its product range had expanded well beyond forex into stocks, commodities and bonds. The company is led by CEO Daire Ferguson, who joined in 2008 as Director of Trading and Risk Management. As of 2025 to 2026 reporting, AvaTrade employs roughly 450 people, serves more than 400,000 registered traders placing several million orders a month, and reports monthly trading volume in the tens of billions of dollars (independent broker review sites in 2026 put the figure in a $60 to 80 billion range). A 2015 attempt by gambling technology group Playtech to acquire AvaTrade for around 105 million dollars was blocked by Irish regulators; a planned London Stock Exchange listing discussed around 2021 did not proceed. As of mid-2026, AvaTrade is in the process of an ownership change: Israeli businessman Zvika Barinboim is reported to be acquiring a controlling stake, combining purchases from existing shareholders with newly issued shares, in a transaction valued at up to 500 million dollars and pending review by Israel's Securities Authority. Co-founder Emanuel Kronitz is reported to be selling his entire stake as part of the deal, while co-founder Negev Nosatzki is reported to be increasing his holding; as of this writing the transaction had not yet closed.
