Tradestone Ltd

Tradestone Ltd is the legal entity behind the FBS EU brand, a Cyprus-based retail forex and CFD broker regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) under license number 331/17. The company was founded in 2017 and operates from offices in Limassol, Cyprus, at 89, Vasileos Georgiou A' street, Office 101, Potamos Germasogeias 4048.

FBS EU is part of the broader FBS group of brokers, which operates in various jurisdictions worldwide. The Cyprus-regulated entity specifically targets clients within the European Economic Area, offering services under the MiFID II regulatory framework. The broker is classified as a Cyprus Investment Firm (CIF) and is authorized to provide investment and ancillary services to retail and professional clients.

Tradestone Ltd holds an active CySEC CIF licence (331/17), which subjects the firm to oversight by the Cypriot regulator. As a CySEC-regulated broker, it must comply with capital adequacy requirements, client money segregation rules, and the Investor Compensation Fund (ICF) scheme, which covers eligible clients up to €20,000 in case of insolvency.

Despite these protections, aggregated industry data shows that a significant majority of retail clients lose money trading CFDs with FBS EU. The broker itself reports that 70.72% of retail investor accounts incur losses. This is a standard risk warning for CFDs, but it highlights the inherent risk of leveraged trading.

FBS EU offers a range of CFD instruments covering major, minor, and exotic forex pairs, precious metals (gold, silver), energy commodities (oil, natural gas), indices, and individual shares. The broker provides both fixed and floating spreads, with spreads from 0 pips advertised on certain account types.

Leverage varies by instrument and client classification. Retail clients typically face lower maximum leverage (up to 1:30 for major forex pairs under ESMA rules), while professional clients can access leverage up to 1:500. This allows for significant position sizing but also magnifies risk.

FBS EU offers several account types, including Cent and Standard accounts, designed for different trader experience levels. The Cent account allows trading in micro-lots, making it suitable for beginners or those testing strategies with smaller capital. The Standard account offers more standard lot sizes and tighter spreads.

Minimum deposit requirements are low, starting from $10. The broker supports multiple base currencies, including USD, EUR, and GBP. Deposit and withdrawal methods are typical for the industry, including credit/debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Maestro), e-wallets (Skrill, Neteller), bank wire transfers, and rapid transfers.

The primary trading platform offered by FBS EU is MetaTrader 5 (MT5), a widely used platform known for advanced charting tools, automated trading via Expert Advisors, and multi-asset support. The broker also provides a mobile app called FBS Trader for account management and basic trading on the go.

Additional trading tools include copy trading, where clients can replicate the trades of experienced traders. This feature is integrated into the MT5 environment. The broker also provides educational resources, such as a forex book and articles, aimed at beginner traders.

FBS EU offers customer support in multiple languages, including English, via live chat, email, and phone. The broker's website has a dedicated education section with articles, guides, and a forex book. While the resources are basic, they provide a starting point for new traders.

The broker does not specify the availability of a demo account, but given the CySEC regulatory requirements, a demo account should be available. However, this is not explicitly confirmed on the website.

FBS EU is aimed at retail forex traders, particularly beginners, due to its low minimum deposit and cent account offering. The broker also caters to more experienced traders seeking higher leverage through professional classification. However, the high percentage of losing retail accounts suggests that the broker's products carry significant risk.

The broker is not available to US residents due to regulatory restrictions. Its primary market is the European Union, where it is licensed and passportable under MiFID II.