Rakuten Securities is an online CFDs and forex broker based in Australia, established in 1999. Rakuten Securities Australia Pty Limited is authorised and regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). Having over 2 decades of expertise under strict regulation, the broker is considered a reliable option for accessing online trading services. Moreover, Rakuten INC., the broker’s parent company, is a publicly-traded company and listed on the Tokyo stock exchange.
Rakuten Securities offers trading instruments from various asset classes such as forex, CFDs of indices, oil, metals, and cryptocurrencies. In addition, the broker offers completely commission-free trading with tight spreads. Moreover, Rakuten Securities provides the most utilised forex and CFDs trading platform MetaTrader 4 on various devices. The broker also offers copy trading services via the popular ZuluTrade and Myfxbook platforms.
Rakuten Securities also offers a bundle of educational and research resources for its clients so that they can get free education to improve their skills. Dedicated research tools, including the superb Autochartist and Trading Ideas, also help traders to spot potential trading opportunities and make informed decisions. They also have demo accounts for you to practice trading online and brush up on your skills. This can be a great way to see what the broker has to offer and if they can meet your needs without taking any risk.
Rakuten Securities has been providing trading services under strict regulations for over 2 decades. In addition, the broker offers tight spreads and commission-free trading. Moreover, the broker offers Copy Trading and social trading via Myfxbook and ZuluTrade. With the MT4 trading platform, Rakuten Securities also offers Autochartist plugin for automated market analysis and VPS hosting to run your trading platforms remotely 24/7. There is no inactivity fee charged from the broker which is another distinct advantage they have over some competitors.
On the other hand, the broker does not offer its services to the clients from the US. They do have a limited product portfolio compared to some of the industry leaders such as IG who have over 18,000. The broker charges withdrawal fees for most payment options. In addition, the broker requires a minimum deposit of $50 and provides customer support only 24/5. The spreads are not the lowest you will find but acceptable when you consider there is no trade commission fee charged on top.
Here is a summary of the considerable advantages and disadvantages of Rakuten Securities:
Rakuten Securities offers a reasonable range of financial instruments from various asset classes, including CFDs on forex, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies. If you are just looking to trade forex and a few other popular instruments, then there should be plenty of choice. However, many traders would find this product portfolio insufficient if they are looking to diversify their portfolios across more asset classes such as stocks, options, bonds, and ETFs. For a greater selection of trading products, you may want to take a look at Exclusive Markets who have thousands across more asset classes.
Rakuten Securities Instruments Summary
| Instruments | Rakuten Securities |
|---|---|
| Forex | ✓ |
| Stocks | x |
| Indices | ✓ |
| Commodities | ✓ |
| Cryptos | ✓ |
| Options | x |
| Bonds | x |
| ETFs | x |
| CFDs | ✓ |
Commission and Spread Fees
Rakuten Securities offers commission-free trading which is great but this does mean that you pay a higher spread. However, the broker does still manage to maintain very tight spreads across all account types. They also provide fixed spreads if that is something that your trading strategy requires. Just keep in mind that they might not be fixed during certain hours of low volume or high volatility. You can also get access to fixed spreads from a select few other brokers including easyMarkets. Below is a summary of trading costs with Rakuten Securities.
| Fee | Retail | Pro 1 | Pro 2 | Pro VIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commission (per standard lot per side) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Spreads from | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.5 |
Deposit and Withdrawal Fees
Rakuten Securities does not charge any deposit fees for using any of the offered payment methods. However, your payment service provider may incur some transaction charges. On the other hand, Rakuten Securities charges certain withdrawal fees for using different payment options. Below is a summary of the withdrawal fees for different payment options.
- Wire Transfers: $25
- Debit/Credit Cards: None
- E-wallets: 2%
- Crypto: 1%
Inactivity Fees
Rakuten Securities does not incur an inactivity fee from the accounts that have not conducted any trading activity.
Rakuten Securities Australia’s forex service is based on the MetaTrader platform. MetaTrader 4 (often known as MT4) is a popular charting software for trading forex and commodities. Aside from handling trades, it also allows you to analyse prices in great detail using a variety of chart types, timeframes and technical analysis tools. This is the preferred forex trading platform due to its extremely customizable and modular approach. Moreover, the broker offers copy trading and VPS hosting for the ease of investors.
MetaTrader 4 (MT4)
Rakuten Securities Australia offers currency trading using the MetaTrader platform. Aside from making and managing trades, MT4 allows you to analyse price activity using a variety of charts and technical analysis tools. MT4 is a highly customizable system that allows you to tailor your trading environment to your specific needs. I think this is the ideal platform for beginners as it has a quick learning curve whilst there is also more than enough functionality to satisfy the seasoned investors.
Rakuten Securities Australia provides a number of features via the MT4, which is widely regarded as one of the best trading platforms. This offers immediate execution into a huge pool of Japanese retail FX liquidity, four pending orders, two separate stop orders, and trailing stop orders. You can also extend the platforms capabilities significantly with a whole host of free and paid add-ons available from the MQL marketplace which you can access from directly within the platform.
MT4 provides clients with the option of trading manually or using expert advisors (EAs), which is computer algorithm that performs trades automatically. You may know this as a trading robot or forex robot. It can produce a signal and direct orders to a server, where they are filled by a broker. The system can automatically change to take profit and stop loss levels, handling risk management entirely. You can also set EAs to semi-automated mode where they will send you an alert notification so that you can decide whether you would like to take a particular position in the market or not.
You can also back test your automated systems in the MT4 strategy tester to get an idea how they may have performed over historical data. Just keep in mind, that these results are often not that reliable as they do not take into account important factors that can impact a strategy such as spreads, slippage, commission, liquidity. That being said, there is software specifically designed to enhance the MT4 strategy tester so you can get better results using tick data.
Rakuten Securities Australia provides two distinct version of the MT4 platform. This contains a fully functional trading platform that can be downloaded to your desktop as well as trading apps that can be used on the go. Both Android and iOS are supported by the mobile platform. The mobile platform benefits from a wide range of capabilities, such as charting with technical analysis tools. It can be the ideal solution for those of you who want to trade on your mobile device and follow the markets when on the move.
Here are the highlights of MT4:
- Three Execution Modes
- Market Orders 2
- 4 Orders are Pending
- There are two stop orders and one trailing stop
- Charts that are interactive
- 9 Timelines
- There are 23 Analytical Objects
- Thirty Technical Indicators
- MQL4 Programming Language
- Tester of MetaEditor Strategy
- A vast library is available
- Android support is available, as is iOS support
- Complete Set of Trading Orders
- Technical Indicators and Analysis
Copy Trading (Myfxbook)
Rakuten offers Copy Trading services to its customers through Myfxbook’s AutoTrade function. Myfxbook is a prominent social trading network that allows users to replicate other traders’ tactics and deals.
Myfxbook AutoTrade is Myfxbook’s next-generation trade copy service. This tool allows you to instantly replicate positions from any system you want into your Rakuten Securities Australia MT4 account. It’s as simple as linking your account to Myfxbook and selecting the system you want to replicate. The installation is simple, and because AutoTrade works on its own dedicated servers, you don’t need to run any software on your end. It only covers hand-picked systems that have passed a thorough screening procedure and have a track record with real money, not demonstrations. It gives up to date trade information, allowing you to analyse and improve your performance in real-time.
With AutoTrade, you can add and delete any system at any moment, giving you complete control over your account. Users of Myfxbook may effortlessly diversify their trading portfolio among many market instruments in order to try and reduce risk and exposure. To use the AutoTrade function, you just need to connect your Rakuten MT4 trading account to Myfxbook. To link accounts with Myfxbook, a minimum account balance of $1,000 is necessary. For every $1,000 transacted, Myfxbook levies a fee of $0.1. Past results are not an indication of future performance. You should be aware of all the risks involved.
ZuluTrade (Social Trading)
ZuluTrade is one of the most popular social trading networks accessible today. ZuluTrade allows traders to find professional strategy providers based on their rankings, performance, and other metrics. Clients of Rakuten may pick from thousands of traders from over 190 countries and automatically imitate their trades. To begin trading with ZuluTrade, customers must first sign up and then link their MT4 accounts. Copying traders does not mean that you will get good results. I have seen many accounts crash on ZuluTrade even after promising starts. If you are looking for a copy trading solution, you might want to consider eToro as they are the industry leading social trading platform.
VPS
All interested clients are provided with a Virtual Private Server (VPS). This is frequently required by traders who employ complicated trading strategies, trading systems, and EAs. A virtual private server (VPS) is useful for operating MT4 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It can also reduce downtime and enhance latency. The VPS may be set up using Amazon, and Rakuten gives instructions on how to do so. I think this can be a great solution for anyone who wants to run expert advisors in MT4 around the clock without needing your computer switched on. You can also get a free VPS from some other brokers including IC Markets.
Rakuten Securities Platforms Summary
| Platform | Rakuten Securities |
|---|---|
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | ✓ |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | x |
| cTrader | x |
| Proprietary | x |
| Desktop | ✓ |
| Web | ✓ |
| Mobile | ✓ |
| Social Trading | ✓ |
| Other | ✓ |
Rakuten Securities offers various educational and research resources in their “Education” section. They include multiple guides around Technical Analysis, Fundamental Analysis, Trading Psychology, and Forex basics. In addition, the broker offers AutoChartist indicator for MetaTrader 4.
Although there is a FAQ section with information on a variety of issues and a demo account for traders to practise with, the firm does not provide videos, webinars, or training courses, as most other brokers provide. If you are looking for more educational content, then you could take a look at IronFX. They have a great selection of educational resources and also offer fixed spread account just like Rakuten.
Market News
The newest news part of the Rakuten website provides market news on various trading instruments as it becomes available.
Market Report
Rakuten customers may sign up to get three market reports each day. These forecasts provide an outlook for the market when the markets in Tokyo, London, and New York open.
Autochartist
This is an excellent MT4 plugin that searches the charts of several instruments for trading opportunities. When it discovers one, it notifies the trader. It is totally customizable and accessible in many languages. This saves you tons of time that would be spent on technical analysis. You can download it for free from Rakuten’s website and install it on the MT4 platform desktop version. You can set it to automatically scan your favourite instruments for customised trading signals and send you alert when it finds them. This brilliant tool is available through quite a few brokers, including Swissquote.
Trading Guides
Trading the Forex markets necessitates a thorough understanding of the factors that influence daily variations in market sentiment. In a variety of methods, the one-stop education portal delivers knowledge on Rakuten Securities Australia goods and services. This article collection provides trading strategies for investors of all levels. You will discover useful information on forex and CFD trading instruments, strategy descriptions, risk management plans, and market psychology ideas. The broker’s education programme is designed to allow you to study at your own speed, with no attendance requirements. You may select the item you want to read when you want to read it and proceed when you’re ready.
Rakuten Securities Research and Education Summary
| Resources | Rakuten Securities |
|---|---|
| Market Analysis | ✓ |
| Guides | ✓ |
| Videos | x |
| Webinars | x |
| Autochartist | ✓ |
| Trading Central | x |
| Economic Calendar | x |
| Other | x |
Rakuten Securities offers and accepts funds via a generous variety of payment options including wire transfers, debit/credit cards, electronic payment services, and cryptocurrencies. Funds can be transferred in a limited 4 base currencies, so there might be currency conversion charges if you make a transaction in any other currency. Transactions may take anywhere from instant to 3-5 business days, depending on the payment option you are using.
Rakuten Securities Funding Summary
| Payment Method | Deposit | Withdrawal |
|---|---|---|
| Wire Transfer | ✓ | ✓ |
| Credit/debit Card | ✓ | ✓ |
| Electronic Wallets | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cryptos | ✓ | ✓ |
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission regulates Rakuten Securities Australia (ASIC). Rakuten Securities Australia is licenced by the Australian Financial Services Commission (AFSL). The Japan Financial Services Agency also regulates Rakuten Securities (JFSA).
Rakuten Securities Regulation Summary
| Regulator | Rakuten Securities |
|---|---|
| ASIC (Australia) | ✓ |
| IIROC (Canada) | x |
| CySEC (Cyprus) | x |
| SFC (Hong Kong) | x |
| JFSA (Japan) | ✓ |
| MAS (Singapore) | x |
| FINMA (Switzerland) | x |
| FCA (UK) | x |
| CFTC (USA) | x |
| Other | x |
Rakuten Securities Safety
All customer money at Rakuten Securities Australia is held in segregated accounts with the National Australia Bank, an AA-rated bank. This is in accordance with ASIC requirements. Rakuten does not use funds maintained in segregated accounts for internal activities. If the broker falls insolvent in the future, the separated money will be restored to the owners. The Rakuten website and platform are secured using 128-bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption offered by “DigiCert SHA 2 Secure Server CA.” This guarantees that all sensitive user data, such as credit card information, is encrypted before being transferred to the servers through the internet. This SSL technology keeps internet hackers and cybercriminals at bay.
Rakuten Securities Australia offers customer support 24/5 (weekdays) via live chat, WhatsApp, phone, and email. It’s to be noted that customer support is available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Sydney time). I think they could improve by extending support hours to weekends in order to keep up with competitors such who do such as InstaForex.
Rakuten is an experienced CFD broker that has been in business in Japan for a long time. They have subsequently extended the company’s worldwide activities, sponsoring alliances, creating offices, and drawing traders from all over the world.
They use complex and creative trading technology and extremely fast servers to execute orders in less than a second. Its liquidity pool is superfluous, which explains the company’s determination to remain market makers without engaging in any trade manipulation. Client deposits are secured since the broker adheres to all regulatory regulations and validates all clients using a variety of techniques.
The MT4 platform is widely used by traders and is a wise decision for Rakuten. It is excellent that ZuluTrade and Myfxbook have integrated social trading. The Autochartist is a highly useful tool for traders who need to do in-depth technical analysis on their charts. Fixed spreads are employed on all account types, and there are no transaction commissions.
Overall, I think Rakuten Securities is a good broker for anyone who wants to trade forex with fixed spreads n a user-friendly trading platform with plenty of handy tools for identifying possible trade setups. However, I think they are lacking in terms of other markets and could improve further by providing users with the newer MT5 platform and offering support on weekends.
