IWBank

IW Bank is an Italian online banking site that provides financial services for individuals, businesses, and traders. Users on IW Bank can access and manage bank accounts, insurance accounts and investments online. Founded in Milano, IW Bank now has offices throughout Europe in countries including Austria, Germany, France, Spain, Luxembourg and Great Britain. The IW Bank website has an emphasis on security to protect the finances of its clients, and offers VeriSign SSL certificates extended validation and E-mail certificates to all verification and digital signatures of important documents and forms. The site also provides security information so users can protect their accounts, with pages dedicated to password protect to prevent software piracy and digital fraud, and ways to identify phishing scams to protect your financial information. The site also provides disaster recovery to protect the bank’s services and the information of clients in the case of unforeseen event.

IW Bank offers bank accounts with unlimited withdrawals and no monthly fees, with a 1% gross interest rate deposited monthly. Users can also order standard or free-form cheques for their accounts. IW Bank also offers no-fee credit cards which can be managed and paid online, as well as prepaid cards which can be used in stores or online. IW Bank provides several investment opportunities for its clients, and allows its clients to invest in equities and bonds, as well as investment funds and capital accumulation plans. IW Bank offers management of investments and direct deposits from bank accounts into investment portfolios for security and convenience.

Account applications can be done quickly online, and allow access to several of the bank’s services upon approval. For help setting up and using an online account, IW Bank provides 24 hour support for all services for its customers via online chat, and can also be reached by contacting weekday and weekend toll free support phone lines.

FX Trading

FX Trading is a financial consultant company and foreign exchange provider that offers advice and expertise, as well as account support for Forex trading. FX Trading allows registration of both demo and live accounts to allow Forex trading on the Metatrader 4 platform. FX Trading offers education on Forex trading for newcomers to foreign exchange trading, and provides data on current market conditions to help its clients make smart trading decisions.

The education portion of FX Trading covers the basics a new user needs to know to begin Forex trading online. The site offers basic information about what Forex is and how it is traded, a breakdown of market hours and the currency symbols used in Forex trading. They also provide a short of Forex trading and explain the recent availability of Forex trading to the general public. The site explains the differences between trading Forex and trading equity, to help a new user understand exactly how the Forex trading market words in relation to the stock market. FX Trading also acknowledges the high risk associated with Forex trading, to allow users to make educated financial decisions. Finally, the site offers a guide to Learn to Trade Forex in Seven Steps, a quick explanation of how Forex trading works online.

FX Trading offers both demo and live trading accounts. Demo accounts are free, and require a valid email account and installation of the Metatrader 4 software. Demo account holders have access to 24 hour technical support online. Live account registration can be done online or through the mail, and funds can be deposited and withdrawn online for ease of use. To protect the security of its clients, FX Trading provides negative balance control, to help ensure clients will not acquire a negative balance during trading. FX Trading also offers 24 hour phone and online support and advice for all users.

IG Index

IG Index is a spread betting firm that allows online spread betting and Forex trading. IG Index is the first financial spread betting company, which was founded in the United Kingdom and now has offices in eleven countries internationally, including the United States, Australia, Italy, Germany and Japan. The site is designed for experienced financial spread betters, as well as newcomers, and offers educational resources for users to learn more about spread betting online, as well as several account options for users.

The IG Index site is easy to navigate and offers a comprehensive education section to teach new users about spread betting. The site covers the basics and explains what spread betting is and how it differs from trading equity or Forex directly. The site explains the process of spread betting through the use of a step-by-step example of spread bet transaction, compared to the cost of purchasing shares. IG Index explains that spread betting is a high risk/high reward investment, and offers protection plans for its clients in case the market works against them. Finally, the site gives answers to frequently asked questions, and provides a glossary and handbook to guide users through spread betting.

IG Index offers several types of accounts. IG Index offers two main types of accounts: a Plus Account and Limited Risk Account. Plus account holders have access to more betting options with the potential to earn more money with each bet, but do not have protection against a negative account. This account type is more suited to seasoned spread betters. Limited risk accounts, designed for newer spread betters, have access to fewer betting opportunities, but know in advance the maximum they can potentially lose, and are protected from a negative balance. Application for both accounts can be done online, and IG Index offers 24 hour phone and email support for clients.

Trading International

Trading International is a Forex trading site based in Salt Lake City, Utah which was founded in 1999. The site is targeted to both experienced traders, as well as those that are new to Forex trading. Trading International has business units dedicated to broker accounts, Forex trading, Forex charting and software development, to help provide the best trading environment to its clients. The site offers both demo and trading accounts, which are based on the Forexecutor software platform.

For those who are new to Forex trading, Trading International provides basic information needed to begin trading Forex. The site offers questions to frequently asked questions to explain what Forex is, the tools needed to trade Forex, an explanation of how Forex trading works, and the benefits of trading Forex versus trading stocks. The site also has an education centre, where users can register for free with valid email address and phone number and receive the Six Steps To Forex Success ebook. Trading International also links to CurrencyCollege, a site which provides 18 web-based seminars to teach users about the basics for Forex to maximise their trading success.

Trading International offers demo accounts for new traders to try their hand at Forex trading online with no risk. The demo account is free and requires downloading the Forexecutor software. Using the demo account, you are provided with $100,000 virtual funds with which to trade Forex. Trading International also offers live trading accounts, which require a $300 investment to open an account. Several types of accounts are available for personal and corporate users, and all accounts allow trading via the Forexecutor software.   Trading International offers explanations of various types of Forex charts to allow users to easily navigate their software.   Additionally, Trading International offers phone support, and online support via email or Skype, to field any questions or concerns of their clients.

Northern Trust

This investment management provider is a leader in asset and fund administration as well as fiduciary and banking solutions for corporations, individuals and institutions around the world. Northern Trust is a very profitable company boasting $82 billion is banking assets, $3.7 trillion in assets under custody, and $627.2 billion in assets under management; as of December 31, 2009.

Northern Trust has a long history of giving back to the community. You can visit the Corporate Social Responsibility area to view their stories of philanthropy and volunteerism. You can also download Northern Trust’s Charitable Trust Annual Report.

The Investor Relations area is where you will find complete resources for Northern Trust investors. If you have any questions regarding financial information, stock information, presentations or how to reach a stock transfer agent, you can find the answer here. You can also email any page on the site to a friend.

Northern Trust News is an excellent source for financial news and other information about Northern Trust. Press Releases and day-to-day items of interest can be found here. The current stock price is listed as well as a long list of FAQ’s.

If you were thinking about joining the Northern Trust team, you can visit the careers section to find their immediate hiring needs and other available roles around the world. You can also find information about benefits, diversity and University recruiting. This site is free to use and easy to navigate.

Gain Capital

Gain Capital is a useful full service brokerage that features advanced Forex trading technology. By visiting Gaincapital.com, you will have access to real-time market information, professional customer service, and trading tools.

Opening a Gain Capital account is fast and easy, but you will need an initial minimum deposit of $100,000 for trading. You can apply online, or download and print an application. A free 30 day trial is also available. This way, you can test your trading strategies and get familiar with the features of FOREXTrader PRO. You will receive $100,000 in virtual cash as well as unlimited access to Gain’s FOREXTrader PRO Platform.

Gain Capital supports fully automated trade execution via a standard FIX protocol or web-services API. This is useful for traders interested in developing their own black box strategy or in utilizing an automated trading system. Another benefit of Gain Capital is that you will have access to an award winning system and platform. Gain offers a 24-hour trading environment during market hours as well as a 100% uptime.

Gain Capital Group is a registered NFA member and is regulated by the CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission.) Being an FCM ensures that Gain Capital must uphold the highest business practices and standards, and is subject to strict financial reporting and requirements.

Credit Suisse

Credit Suisse is a Forex banking and investment company with headquarters in Switzerland and locations worldwide. Their comprehensive website www.credit-suisse.com, offers prospective customers and current clients a good amount of information that is presented in a professional, easy to read style.

Credit Suisse is an established and reputable Forex broker with an international presence and the website is designed to cater to customers at any of their worldwide locations. In their capacity as bankers, Credit Suisse provides a number of standard services such as personal banking, loans and mortgages, investments and wealth management.

In addition to this, Credit Suisse offers expert consultations in regards to financial planning for all stages of life, whether a student, a first-time home buyer or someone reaching retirement age. Many financial planning tools and calculators are available on the website and the user can download and print articles and forms from the ‘publication shop’. In addition to providing personal banking and Forex services, including secure online banking, Credit Suisse claims to provide ‘innovative solutions’ to corporations and governments and gives personal profiles of their individual office heads and managers. As well as being interesting, this gives the company a ‘human’ image, unlike many similar large, impersonal banking and Forex institutions.

Credit Suisse has a hand in many humanitarian and sponsorship projects around the world, most of which are detailed in both the company newsletter and online magazine. Another helpful feature on the site is the Credit Suisse job section where students, graduates and banking professionals can search the company database for exciting international job opportunities. The company appears to have a particular interest in aiding students, providing an apprentice program and campus recruitments.

While Credit Suisse has obviously put a lot of care and detail into giving the consumer a detailed and information-packed website that covers all areas of the company, the disadvantage is that it can be a little overwhelming and is not always easy to navigate. Apart from this, and based on our Credit Suisse review, it really is the best site to learn about this esteemed institution.