ADSS is a broker that is based in the United Arab Emirates. Founded in 2010 in Abu Dhabi, it is authorised as an execution-only broker for spot forex and CFD trading on commodities, equities, FX, crypto, and indices. In this review of the broker, we will review its regulation and reputation in the GCC region. Then, we will look at its portfolio of tradeable instruments. Finally, we will look at its accounts available and the account opening and funding processes, including deposits and withdrawals.

Regulation and reputation of ADSS

ADSS is based in the United Arab Emirates and serves both local and global traders. Regulated by the SCA (Securities and Commodities Authority) and registered in the UAE as a limited liability company, it has earned a good trust rating in this review.

In terms of reputation, it is worth noting that ADSS is peer-recognised within the industry. It has earned a series of awards and accolades in its long history as a broker, most of them within the GCC and wider MENA region where it operates.

In 2022, ADSS was named Best Forex Broker in the Middle East at the Forex Expo in Dubai. In the same year, in Dubai, it was named Most Trusted Forex Broker in the Fazzaco Expo and the Best Forex Broker in the Middle East at the Forex Traders Summit. A year prior, it earned the accolade Best Forex Trading Innovation at the Global Forex Trading awards.

Portfolio of tradeable instruments

ADSS offers over 2,200 products (as of February 2024). This comprises spot forex on more than 60 currency pairs and CFDs on indices, commodities, equities, currencies, and cryptocurrencies. Trades are commission-free for retail traders, and leverage varies depending on the instrument traded. Spreads also vary, depending on the account tier of live traders.

• Over 60 FX pairs are available for spot and CFD trading. These include major and minor currency pairs such as EUR/USD, USD/JPY, USD/SGD, GBP/AUD, EUR/CAD, EUR/CHF, CAD/JPY, AUD/USD, AUD/NZD, and AUD/CHF. Exotic currency pairs such as NOK/SEK are also available. Leverage of up to 500:1 can be used.
• CFDs on equities are available with leverage of up to 20:1. This includes the most well-known stocks from global exchanges such as Adidas, Alibaba, Barclays, Dell, NVIDIA, JP Morgan, and Nike. GCC-focused stocks are also available for speculation, such as Saudi Aramco, Gulf Insurance, Gypsum, and Riyad Bank.
• Commodity CFD trading is available with varying leverage. Commodities include agricultural goods, metals, and energy products. Examples of offerings are UK oil, US oil, gas oil, coffee, copper, heating oil and natural gas.
• Crypto CFDs are available for trading on certain cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. Leverage of up to 4:1 can be used.
• Index CFDs can be traded with leverage of up to 333:1, from local and global markets. Some indices that ADSS offers are US2000, US30, US500, the French, German, Chinese, and Indian indices, the Hang Seng Index, and the Nikkei 225.

Accounts available at ADSS

There are four accounts available at ADSS – 1 demo and 3 live.

Demo accounts are free of charge, and they can be created through simple registration of phone number and email and the trader’s full name. They contain virtual funds of 50,000 USD and can be used to access the entire ADSS product range on MT4 or the ADSS trading platform (note: there may be some limits to trading on MT4, such as the lack of crypto CFDs available). Demo accounts do however expire after 90 days. At that point, traders typically transition to a live account, or they terminate their demo.

Live accounts come in 3 tiers – Classic, Elite, and Pro.

Classic is for retail traders, and they begin at 100 USD. Elite accounts are for advanced traders, and they begin at 100,000 USD. Finally, Pro accounts are designed for professional traders, and they also begin at 100,000 USD. Traders of all tiers can access the full product offering by ADSS, with maximum leverage of 500:1. However, there are some differences.

Classic account traders do not pay commission on trades, but their accounts are single currency based. They will find competitive spreads amongst other retail traders. They can access general customer support 24/5, which offers multilingual options including English, Arabic, French, Hindi, Urdu, and Turkish.

Elite account users can access more benefits, such as 25% lower spreads. They can access support from the general customer service team as well as their own dedicated senior manager when it comes to fund management and account issues. They also haveaccess to +Elite events offered by ADSS, and their accounts support funding in multiple currencies.

Finally, professional traders using the Pro account can access all the benefits of the Elite tier, while also receiving the support of an RM+ sales trader. They can trade with even lower spreads, with varied commissions.

Account opening and funding processes

The live account opening process is straightforward – typically, traders register with the broker and verify their documents and identity before funding. For UAE residents, UAE Pass can be used to create their account and verify their identity electronically.

Once the live account is verified, traders can fund their accounts in AED or USD through Skrill, Neteller, Samsung Pay, or Apple Pay. Again, UAE residents can find added value in the use of UAEPGS in their funding efforts. As a security measure, withdrawals made will see funds returned to the original funding account, and there is a 15-day withdrawal freeze for those who have not been verified by the ADSS compliance team.

Is ADSS a reputable and trustworthy broker?

Overall, ADSS shapes up to be a reputable broker that has sufficient security measures in place for their account funding and in terms of financial regulation compliance in the UAE. As the winner of a multitude of awards within the GCC region and beyond, it is safe to say the broker is industry-recognised and peer-reviewed. The broker also provides transparency in terms of pricing – with market information sheets updated frequently and found on their website. If you are looking for a broker to work with, whether you are situated in the UAE or not, ADSS is a good choice.

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