Beware! Parallel Investment 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 Parallel Investment website convinces us that this is a forex broker that can help us in our financial journey. But in preparing this review, we did not find any evidence that this is a legitimate broker. We have every reason to believe that Parallel Investment is nothing more than another online scam. Let’s take a detailed look at why you should stay away from Parallel Investment and how to choose a trustworthy investment intermediary.
Parallel Investment Regulation and safety of funds
Guaranteed Funds | Segregated Accounts | Negative balance protection | |
Parallel Investment | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
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.
Parallel Investment does not disclose which company is behind this alleged broker and does not provide access to the Client Agreement, Terms and Conditions or other documentation. If you don’t know exactly who you are dealing with and what the terms of the deal are it would be an obvious mistake to put your money on the line.
An address in Cyprus is listed, but we do not find a licensed broker using Parallel Investment’s trade name and domain in the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) database.
Another European financial regulator, the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM), has issued a warning to investors that Parallel Investment is a scam. Spanish financial authorities have also blacklisted the website.
If you intend to invest in financial instruments, you should beware of the many fake brokers lurking online. Always check carefully whether the broker you choose really has the necessary licences. There are numerous benefits to working with a company that is truly authorised and supervised by a regulatory institution such as the CySEC.
They must maintain a minimum net capital of at least EUR 730 000, which guarantees that the company is financially stable and has a serious long-term approach. When clients deposit money in their trading accounts, they are kept segregated from the broker’s operating funds in separate bank accounts. All brokers licensed in Cyprus and other EU countries are members of the Investor Compensation Fund, which may cover a maximum of EUR 20,000 per person in the event of broker insolvency.
Parallel Investment Trading software
Analytical tools | Auto trading | Custom indicators | Mobile apps | |
Parallel Investment platform | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
MT4 | 30+ indicators | ✅ | ✅ | Android and iOS |
MT5 | 50+ indicators | ✅ | ✅ | Android and iOS |
cTrader | 40+ indicators | ✅ | ✅ | Android and iOS |
There are illustrative images of unspecified trading software on the website, but we have not been able to ascertain whether Parallel Investment has any platform. The reason is that at the time of writing this review it was not possible to register a new account.
It should be noted that the presence of some kind of trading software is no guarantee that this is a genuine broker. Financial scammers often use rigged trading platforms to fool their victims that their money is actually being invested. However, this trading is entirely fictitious and the money goes directly into the scammers’ pockets.
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).
Parallel Investment Trading instruments
Currency | Stocks | Indices | Crypto | Commodities | |
Parallel Investment | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
XM | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
FBS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
FXTM | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Parallel Investment advertises trading in currency pairs, indices, stocks and metals. But we have no reason to believe that the trading offered by this anonymous and unregulated website is real.
Parallel Investment Spreads and cost of trading
Parallel Investment | 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 |
Parallel Investment does not provide any information on the trading price and other basic parameters.
Parallel Investment Maximum leverage
Forex | Stocks | Crypto | Gold | Indices | |
Parallel Investment | 300:1 | 100:1 | 10:1 | 100:1 | 100:1 |
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 | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Parallel Investment offers leverage between 1:100 and 1:300 for different account types. This is also proof that Parallel Investment is not a licensed EU-based broker.
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and accordingly all EU regulators limit leverage to 1:30 for major currency pairs, 1:20 for non-major pairs, gold and major indices, 1:10 for other commodities and non-major indices, and 1:2 for cryptocurrencies.
Regulated brokers offer higher leverage only to professional clients who must meet very high standards for capital and experience and forgo the guarantees enjoyed by retail traders.
If you don’t qualify as a professional trader but are willing to take the risk of high-leverage trading, the most viable option is to use the services of an offshore affiliate of an established brand.
Parallel Investment Deposit and withdrawal methods
Due to our inability to register an account, we were unable to ascertain what payment methods Parallel Investment 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.
Parallel Investment Minimum deposit
Parallel Investment | XM | FBS | FXTM | |
Minimum deposit | €250 | $5 | $10 | $5 |
Parallel Investment specifies a minimum deposit of 250 EUR, which is the industry standard. But this means that for the same amount you could open a trading account with an established and duly licensed forex broker. Some of the leading brands in the industry offer Micro and Cent accounts with a very low entry threshold that are suitable for novice investors.
Parallel Investment Withdrawal requirements
Trading volume | Fee/Tax on withdrawal | Minimum withdrawal | |
Parallel Investment | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified |
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 lack of a publicly available Terms and Conditions or Client Agreement means that scammers may have set many traps such as hidden fees and impossible-to-meet withdrawal terms.