How to choose a broker: the checklist that matters

Broker comparisons usually lead with fees and interface. Those are the easiest criteria to measure and the least decisive. The order below runs from what protects you most to what protects you least.

1. Regulatory status

Authorized by the CVM or not. This item outweighs every other one: it determines whether there is anyone to turn to. Check on the CVM's own website, not on the broker's.

2. Withdrawals

Available methods, the published time frame and — the most revealing part — what users report about the actual time frame. Test it with a small amount before trusting it.

3. Total cost

Spread, swap and commission added together, on the asset you plan to trade. A small spread on an exotic pair does not make up for a large spread on the pair you use every day.

4. Support

Test it before you deposit. Send a specific question and see the time and the quality of the reply. Support that answers well before the deposit and disappears afterward is a known pattern — but support that already answers poorly beforehand is signal enough.

5. Platform

Deliberately last. You learn an interface in a week; money stuck does not get solved by a pretty interface.

Applying this to Duotide

On criterion 1, Duotide declares registration in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) and has no CVM authorization. That does not make it a scam, but it puts every other criterion in the background: without a local regulator, items 2 through 5 only hold up for as long as the company wants them to.

Frequently asked questions