Firm provides free trading education
• Premium online broker aims to help clients upskill themselves, writes Lynette Dicey
Typically, successful investors and traders are those who have educated themselves about the market and how to take advantage of opportunities.
The reality, however, is that some people end up losing money when they dip their toes into the world of financial trading because they have not taken the time to learn enough about how it works, particularly during periods when financial markets are volatile, as is currently the case.
One company addressing this is ThinkMarkets, an international online broker in SA which obtained a licence to offer financial trading services to South African investors in 2019.
Established in 2010 with headquarters in London and Melbourne, ThinkMarkets describes itself as a premium, multi-asset online brokerage with hubs in Asia-Pacific, Middle East, North Africa, Europe, South America and, now, Southern Africa.
Internationally the brokerage provides quick and easy access to a range of markets including forex, CFDs (contract for difference) on equities, cryptocurrencies, commodities, indices, futures and more. The firm delivers some of the most recognised trading solutions including the industry standard MetaTrader 4, the next generation MetaTrader 5 and an in-house developed platform called ThinkTrader, which was awarded the Best Mobile Platform by the forex community in 2012. Available from a variety of platforms, ThinkTrader can be accessed via desktop, mobile or tablet, offering clients the convenience to trade from anywhere.
Locally, ThinkMarkets offers the full global product range and also a range of South African products including rand-based currency pairs such as dollar-rand, pound-rand and euro-rand as well as CFD indices and equity derivatives that are actively traded by investors on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
As part of the firm’s efforts to ensure clients are constantly upskilling themselves, ThinkMarkets offered free high-level webinar education events to current clients as well as other interested parties during May. These free webinars will continue to be offered in June and July with four Trading Masterclasses facilitated by renowned trading coach and market commentator Simon Brown.
A Thought Leadership masterclass taps into Brown’s extensive trading experience and expertise; the Know Your Derivatives masterclass allows traders to learn the ins and outs of how derivative trading works; the Trading 101 masterclass helps traders to improve their win ratio; while the ThinkMarkets webinar focuses on how to make the most of the firm’s platforms and free tools.
The changing behaviour of investors and the increased use of technology has seen the global firm shift its focus in the past 36 months to emerging markets, hence the establishment of an office in Johannesburg to take advantage of opportunities in both the country and the region.
“Prior to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic we were optimistic about the prospects for the South African economy and the rand despite the latter’s volatility,” explains Ridwaan Moolla, regional director South Africa for TF Global Markets which trades as ThinkMarkets.
“Despite the damage done to the local economy as a result of the recent lockdown we remain confident that in time the necessary economic reforms will be made to reignite the economy. From a regional perspective we are confident SA is a future growth centre into Africa for ThinkMarkets.”
Adds ThinkMarkets CEO Faizan Anees: “The decision to extend ThinkMarkets’ global footprint to SA demonstrates the confidence we have in this region and is reflective of our long-term vision and plans to be a leading participant in the country’s growing financial services sector.”
Financial trading typically offers no guarantees. One of the benefits of trading through ThinkMarkets’ online trading platform is that the firm has purchased a private $1m insurance cover which provides investors with individual protection and compensation up to $1m in the unlikely event of insolvency. This insurance offering, explains Moolla, applies to all clients without requiring any additional fee or cost.
“Essentially, we cover your deposit from the moment you start trading with ThinkMarkets. We take the security of our client’s funds extremely seriously which is why we provide an insurance package that exceeds the requirements of all local legislation.”
Using the latest technology to provide competitive pricing and execution speed, ThinkMarkets aims to deliver superior service to traders throughout their trading journey. “We maintain some of the most competitive trading conditions in the market including tight spreads, low to zero commissions and a variety of account types, tailored to clients’ personal preferences and needs,” says Moolla.
ThinkMarkets is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in SA and the UK and the Australian Securities and Investment Commission.
THE DECISION TO EXTEND THINKMARKETS’ GLOBAL FOOTPRINT TO SA DEMONSTRATES THE CONFIDENCE WE HAVE IN THIS REGION