Ardu Prime: Staying Ahead of the Regulatory Curve

Foreign exchange or Forex, for short, is the largest and most liquid market in the world. According to an October 2022 BIS Survey, the global daily foreign exchange trading volume exceeded the $7 trillion mark. This context and the advent of new-age trading technologies has sparked a wave of new and attractive product developments in the Forex and CFD market. 

Regulated by the Hellenic Capital Market Commission (HCMC), one of Europe’s prominent regulatory authorities, Ardu Prime is one of Greece’s key financial market players. Aiming to boost trust in financial services through transparency and customer centricity. 

Offering access to over 200 CFD instruments that run the gamut from Forex to CFDs on Shares, Indices, Commodities, Cryptocurrencies and Specialty Instruments such as UK Gilts, VIX and others, Ardu Prime is one of the very few HCMC regulated brokers to obtain the Greek regulator’s green light for providing virtual asset services, including crypto exchange and wallet custodian services (Virtual Asset Provider for Crypto Exchange and Wallet Custodian Services License no. LEI: 213800SISGTURPDOWL49 GIIN: 063v14.99999.SL.300). Open an account.

The VASP license has permitted Ardu Prime to expand its array of services in the digital asset space. In the second half of last year, the financial firm introduced crypto deposits, which continue to enjoy great popularity among crypto holders and traders.

The HCMC is Greece’s regulator for non-bank financial service providers, with very strict regulatory oversight. Therefore, securing an HCMC license is a key milestone for a financial institution of Ardu Prime’s size. 

The HCMC aims “to ensure the protection and the orderly and efficient operation of the capital market, which is crucial for the growth of the national economy,” according to a website statement.

Contributing actively to the operations of key European institutions, including the Council of the European Union, ESMA and IOSCO, the HCMC oversees and sanctions the activities of Greek and foreign financial firms offering investment services. 

Acting as the main point of contact between ESMA and the Greek government in matters concerning the capital markets, the HCMC adheres to the latest EU financial regulations, including MiFID II. According to its latest business plan drawn up in compliance with said directive, the Greek regulator has set a clear roadmap for the coming years, focusing on its extended contribution to the development of the capital market by formulating a clear regulatory framework and its effective implementation, the reinforcement of information and transparency in the financial markets, procedure simplification, use of new technologies and development of modern supervision methods better adapted to the current digital-driven context and more.

Acing compliance with a solid value proposition for traders

With decades of experience and a sound reputation in the financial services industry, Ardu Prime is guided by values such as transparency and accountability. Over the years, the brokerage has demonstrated an unabated endeavor to create a safe and stable environment for traders of all sizes.

In line with its HCMC regulation, Ardu Prime provides seamless access to valuable resources, including news, market insights and analysis that offer a comprehensive image of the investing and trading mechanisms sufficient to get any novice trader started. All these materials have been intelligently grouped together under the Knowledge Hub, equipping traders with the technical data and fundamental facts they need to understand to navigate the financial markets. 

A glossary compiling some of the most frequently used trading terms is also available on Ardu Prime’s website, which allows novice traders to familiarize themselves with the terminology and use it confidently.

Beyond this, what distinguishes Ardu Prime from competitors is its sharp perceptiveness to infer customer expectations and mirror them in a tailored product suite. Not only does the broker offer a choice of account types for small, medium-size and institutional traders, it also caters to the needs and wants of crypto holders. As a licensed crypto custodian, Ardu Prime also offers cryptocurrency deposits and withdrawals to and from a dedicated cryptocurrency wallet safeguarded by advanced end-to-end encryption. The broker implements high-end cybersecurity protocols that add an extra layer of protection, thus keeping clients’ crypto funds safe from any malicious activity.

Committed to an integrated approach to trading, the Forex and CFD industry leader aims to service all traders, whether they prefer more ‘traditional’ asset classes or tech-driven digital assets. With this in mind, it introduced crypto deposits last year, which enjoyed great traction, allowing crypto holders to finally do more with their crypto.

The backbone of Ardu Prime’s trading ecosystem is, above all, its STP environment, meaning that all orders are forwarded directly to the market, without any dealing desk involvement. Based on the advanced MT5 technology, it provides access to deep aggregate liquidity and unparalleled depth of market. In turn, this translates to low-latency execution and best bid-ask pricing – which only a regulated broker can provide. 

Spotlight on Ardu Prime: a breakdown of a regulated brokerage service

Other distinctive advantages of Ardu Prime stem from its top-tier regulatory coverage. Under this regulatory umbrella, Ardu Prime has built a reliable trading environment that empowers traders. Some of the benefits of its all-round trading services include:

• Fund safety. Ardu Prime traders enjoy peace of mind that their funds are kept separate from the company’s funds in segregated accounts maintained with top-tier banks around Europe and worldwide. The broker is also part of the Greek Investment Guarantee Fund, which provides investor protection up to €30,000 per person. 

• Negative balance protection. As an extra layer of protection, the industry leader offers negative balance protection. Under the HCMC regulations, Ardu Prime has the obligation to keep traders indemnified against potential significant losses caused by extreme market conditions.

• Data protection. In compliance with the EU-set GDPR norms, Ardu Prime handles client data in the strictest confidence. All transactions carried out through its platform follow the latest rules of confidentiality and PCI compliance. 

• Straight-Through Processing. As a true STP broker, the financial service provider prides itself on offering straight-through-processing (STP) execution, with all client orders being executed fairly, at the real market price. 

• Low spreads. The tight spreads afforded to traders, regardless of the account type, make Ardu Prime a broker of choice for both retail and institutional clients.

• Advanced tools. Among the advanced tools available on its platform, the broker gives access to a set of innovative decision-support tools via its Trading Central integration. From trading signals to in-depth trade analytics and sentiment analysis, traders can get a comprehensive overview of their performance and make informed decisions in real time.

For more information about Ardu Prime and its extended offering, visit the website.