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.

YouTradeFX

If you, like many others, have a short attention span and want the conclusion of this YoutradeFX review (a.k.a YTFX) in the first sentence, it can be summed up in five words: A breath of fresh air.

YoutradeFX is regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in the United Kingdom, and by ASIC in Australia and the FSC in Mauritius. The company’s website is available in 12 languages, including English, Turkish, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic, German, Russian, Vietnamese, Italian, Japanese and Dutch.

As always, the first thing one sees when looking into a Forex broker is the website. The YoutradeFX website is modern, clean, streamlined, and easy to consume. Everything you need is in its place and you will not have any difficulties finding the relevant information.

One of the first things to catch your attention when accessing the YoutradeFX site is how easy it is to contact them.

You have three methods of contact: email, phone, or real time chat, all of which are visibly obvious.

Moving along, the platforms supported by YoutradeFX include MT4 if that is what you are used to, a Web-based trading environment if you want to be more portable and trade from anywhere, and a mobile trading platform for those who enjoy trading on the go. That pretty much covers all your needs.

During the course of our YoutradeFX review, we also noticed that they’re accessible to their traders (and potential traders) on various social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. This is important and even crucial for a Forex broker since it shows complete transparency and accessibility to their audience. Unfortunately, YoutradeFX’s Twitter account was locked and completely inactive and their Facebook page seemed pretty dead as well.

A nice feature offered by YoutradeFX to meet the needs of new Forex traders is the risk free trading account. It is similar in concept to a demo account, which allows traders to practice their trading skills, but there is one main difference.

YoutradeFX’S Risk Free account is the same thing as a real live account but all losses are returned to you after 14 days. Demo accounts have been known to run on different servers than real account and produce different results. In this case, you can practice trading and get the same results as a real account.

The website also offers many different resources to the new and experienced Forex trader alike. This includes an extensive education section with useful and informative videos about Forex trading.

During our YoutradeFX review we also tested out the company’s various Forex tools such as a pip calculator, economic calendar, market news, and technical analysis. In addition to the standard trading in YoutradeFX, their platform also supports automated solutions such as expert advisers and more, a great solution for the trader who wants to have his account managed by the experts. All in all, the service was comprehensive and offered nearly everything we would need to trade comfortably.

YoutradeFX offers competitive spreads as low as 1 pip, a relatively very high leverage of 1:500 and a low minimum deposit of $100. YoutradeFX also supports Islamic Forex accounts for those who want to trade Forex interest-free in accordance with Islamic law.

Depositing and withdrawing funds from YoutradeFX is also a seamless experience with support for credit cards, Money Bookers, and more, as well as a same day processing of withdrawal requests.

YoutradeFX supports an impressive 49 financial instruments giving the trader the flexibility they need to succeed in this market. All in all, our YoutradeFX review was very positive and if there’s one thing we can take away from our YoutradeFX review, it’s the fact that this rapidly evolving brokerage is worth a try.

Sucden Financial

Sucden Financial Limited is one of the international leading Commodity, Financial Futures and Options brokers. It also deals in gold and silver. It has had a strong global presence and experience for 35 years. The parent company is incorporated in France.  The Sucden Group has operations the world over. Its main activity being sugar trading, the Group ranks among world leaders with 20% of the market share.

The website is very attractive with its blue and orange color scheme and a touch of a few other colors. A lot of information can be gleaned from this website.

The platform of choice of this company is SMART. All the details about this platform are available including modules, charts and workspace views.

Opening an account is easy and guidance notes have been provided.

Towards the right hand side of the home page are areas for downloads of SMART and demos, and details about online and live help. At the top can be found sections for the products, research and more information about Sucden Financial and the Group.

All in all, this website provides sufficient information to aid decision-making.  Given that the company has been around and a global leader for 35 years is promptly a huge factor in their favor.

Squared Financial

Squared Financial is an online, independent Foreign Exchange broker.  This company has been created by professional traders; for professional traders so their needs are understood really well, individual or institutional. Customers are provided with leading edge Forex technology and service.
The company website provides plenty of information for the first-time investor as well as for the return customer.

The reasons why Squared Financial is a god company to choose are as follow:
- Excellent middle and back office service throughout the process of confirming and reporting
- Trading with minimum margin requirement of 1% on clients' deposits
- Powerful reliable technology
- 24-hour personal service by a highly trained team
- Collateral other than cash can be used for trading
- Trading in Futures offered as well.

The platform used by this company is Squared Trader and provides its client’s access to 6 top international liquidity providers, the trading process being transparent and neutral.
One can also take a tour and request a demonstration of this company's operations.  Once one has decided to go ahead, an account can be opened in 3 easy steps.  There is much more information on the website about the advantages of dealing with Squared Financial and the reasons why one would choose this company and stay with it.
This website's black, red and white color scheme spells success and efficiency.  It brings out Squared Financial's high degree of professionalism.

CompassFX

CompassFX is a company that prides itself in knowing what traders want in the wide wonderful world of Foreign Exchange!  This company is formed of Foreign Exchange traders so it understands other Forex traders from the inside out. It places great importance on having the appropriate resources and tools to facilitate trading, both for the novice and the expert.

The company's website, highlights its advantages and strong points very well, thus inspiring a steady and growing customer base. These are some of CompassFX's strengths:
-Platform in 12 languages, and thus, global reach
-Amazing liquidity
-Popular Internet trading software
-2-3 pip spreads on EUR/USD and USD/JPY
-3-4 pip spreads on other major currencies
-Fast and reliable trade execution
-Trailing stops and hedging capability
-$500 minimum deposit
-Up to 200:1 leverage through FX Solutions Australia, Gain Capital U.K. and FXDD.
-Excellent customer service.

The platform of choice at CompassFX is Metatrader4. Opening an account is very easy and one can open a demo account first to get a feel for how this company operates as well as to decide one's trading level.
The Trading Tip of the day is a unique touch.  In addition, one can find sections on the Synergy Trading method adopted at CompassFX, Free trading videos, current news, asset management and many others.
This website would certainly evoke a feeling of excitement and anticipation in both the first-time visitor and seasoned user, especially due to its color scheme, a pale yellow background and blue, white, yellow and red in the foreground. There is comprehensive information available to enable decision-making. Surely worth a perusal!