Beware! Deutscher-link is an offshore broker! Your investment may be at risk.
RECOMMENDED FOREX BROKERS
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Open trading accounts with at least two brokers.
The most important thing to know about Deutscher-link is that it is not what it claims to be. This is not a leading investment solutions provider with years of experience. Deutscher-link is actually a fraud exposed by financial regulators, capitalising on the hype surrounding cryptocurrencies. Let’s take a detailed look at why you should never trust your money to Deutscher-link.
Deutscher-link Regulation and safety of funds
Guaranteed Funds | Segregated Accounts | Negative balance protection | |
Deutscher-link | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
UK regulated brokers | £85 000 | Yes | Yes |
EU regulated brokers | €20 000 | Yes | Yes |
AU regulated brokers | No | Yes | Yes |
US regulted brokers | Yes | Yes | No |
If a financial services provider is legitimate, you will find on its website clear and detailed information about the company that owns and operates it, where it is based, and what licences it has. Genuine brokers also provide access to a comprehensive set of legal documentation. The availability of such information does not guarantee that it is not false or misleading. But the absence of these elements is very indicative that in all likelihood you are dealing with scammers.
Deutscher-link is a completely anonymous website available only in German. However, the Terms and Conditions, which are only available via the account registration form, are in English. The document lists a London address instead of a company name:
But on the homepage of the website an address in Switzerland is given:
A check of the records of the relevant financial regulators shows that Deutscher-link is not a licensed broker. The German regulator BaFin explicitly warns that this website is unauthorised:
Before investing your money in financial instruments, it is imperative to make sure you do so through a licensed intermediary and not one of the many scammers lurking online.
Depending on your location, it is advisable to choose a company that is regulated by an institution such as Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in the US, Australian Securities and Exchanges Commission (ASIC), UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) or some EU regulator like Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC).
Clients of these brokers receive protections such as negative balance protection and segregation of the client’s funds from the broker’s funds. In the EU and the UK, brokers must also participate in guarantee schemes that cover a certain amount of the trader’s investment if the broker becomes insolvent. These guarantees amount to up to 20 000 EUR in the EU and 85 000 GBP in the UK. However, the likelihood of such a bankruptcy is low because regulators also have significant net capital requirements that companies must maintain – EUR 730 000 in UK and Cyprus, AUD 1000 000 in Australia and at least 20 million USD in the United States.
Deutscher-link Trading software
Analytical tools | Auto trading | Custom indicators | Mobile apps | |
Deutscher-link platform | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
MT4 | 30+ indicators | ✅ | ✅ | Android and iOS |
MT5 | 50+ indicators | ✅ | ✅ | Android and iOS |
cTrader | 40+ indicators | ✅ | ✅ | Android and iOS |
At the time of writing this review, our attempts to register an account resulted in a technical error message. Because of this, we were unable to determine if Deutscher-link has any trading software. But we are pretty sure that this fishy website offers no real trading.
Legitimate brokers offer clients a wide selection of trading software, including desktop, mobile apps and web-based platforms. The most widely used platforms in the industry are MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5). These platforms have established themselves as industry standard because they offer a wide range of features, including a variety of options for customization, multiple account usage, designing and implementing custom scripts for automated trading and backtesting trade strategies.
Deutscher-link Trading instruments
Currency | Stocks | Indices | Crypto | Commodities | |
Deutscher-link | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
XM | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
FBS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
FXTM | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Deutscher-link claims to offer cryptocurrency trading and other types of investments. But as noted, we have no reason to think this is true.
Deutscher-link Spreads and cost of trading
Deutscher-link | XM | FBS | FXTM | |
Spread EURUSD | ❌ | 0.6 | 1 | 1.1 |
Spread GBPUSD | ❌ | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.4 |
Spread USDJPY | ❌ | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.4 |
When you visit the website of a legitimate broker you will find proposals for different types of trading accounts suitable for investors with different preferences, as well as detailed descriptions of trading parameters – minimum deposit, order execution method, tradable financial instruments, leverage, spread, swap, commissions, etc. Such information is completely lacking on the Deutscher-link website.
Deutscher-link Maximum leverage
Forex | Stocks | Crypto | Gold | Indices | |
Deutscher-link | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
UK regulated brokers | 30:1 | 5:1 | ❌ | 10:1 | 10:1 |
EU regulated brokers | 30:1 | 5:1 | 2:1 | 10:1 | 10:1 |
AU regulated brokers | 30:1 | 5:1 | 2:1 | 10:1 | 10:1 |
US regulated brokers | 50:1 | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
High leverage creates the opportunity for more significant profit, but correspondingly increases the risk of sudden and excessive losses. All leading regulators therefore restrict leverage for retail traders
Higher levels of leverage are only offered to professional clients who trade entirely at their own risk. If you are willing to take the risk of trading with high leverage and benefit from bonuses and promotions, the best option is to invest through an offshore division of an established brand.
Deutscher-link Deposit and withdrawal methods
Due to our inability to register an account, we were unable to ascertain what payment methods Deutscher-link. uses. Experience has shown that fraudsters direct their potential victims to cryptocurrency transactions that do not allow refunds to be requested.
Legitimate brokers typically offer clients a wide choice of transparent payment methods, including bank transfer, credit/debit cards and established e-wallets such as PayPal, Skrill or Neteller.
If you’re interested in legitimate brokers that accept digital currency payments alongside conventional methods, check out this list.
Deutscher-link Minimum deposit
Deutscher-link | XM | FBS | FXTM | |
Minimum deposit | N/A | $5 | $10 | $5 |
There is no doubt that it would be wiser to invest in the financial markets through an established and licensed broker. The leading brands in the industry offer beginner traders Micro and Cent accounts with a very low minimum deposit.
Deutscher-link Withdrawal requirements
Trading volume | Fee/Tax on withdrawal | Minimum withdrawal | |
XYZ / offshore brokers | 200x | 10% | $250 |
UK regulated brokers | No | No | No |
EU regulated brokers | No | No | No |
AU regulated brokers | No | No | No |
US regulated brokers | No | No | No |
The withdrawal terms of Deutscher-link leave no doubt that we are dealing with fraud. This bogus broker charges an exorbitant withdrawal fee of 10% if the vaguely worded conditions are not met. The account must have executed “over 200 in turnover” without explaining 200 what. Presumably it is 200 lots, or 20 million currency units.