FAQ
We've gathered the answers to the most common questions we get from our customers. If your question isn’t addressed here or you want to clarify something, our team is available.
Company
1Where is Scandinavian Capital Markets located?
Scandinavian Capital Markets SCM AB is a currency trading broker registered in Sweden under the company registration number 556863-5972. The company is registered with the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (Finansinspektionen) under FI number 80438. We are headquartered at Torshamnsgatan 27, Kista 164 40, Sweden. While the company and management team are based in Sweden, our operations and customer support team is distributed throughout Europe.
2Who founded Scandinavian Capital Markets?
The company was founded by Arif Ahmad and Michael Buchbinder, both of whom are highly experienced finance and investment professionals. Arif founded Scandinavian Capital Markets as an asset management firm, but later he partnered with Michael to launch the discretionary currency trading service for traders.
3What is Nordic Funder?
In 2021, Scandinavian Markets launched the Scandinavian Funded Trader Program. In 2022, it became an independent company and rebranded to Nordic Funder for strategic reasons. Learn more about Nordic Funder here: https://nordicfunder.com
4Do you accept clients from every country?
No, While we accept inbound registrations from many countries, there are some restrictions according to our risk, regulatory and compliance programs. You can see if your country is accepted or not in our registration form.
5What is Scandinavian Asset Management?
Scandinavian Asset Management was a platform offering passive currency trading strategies to Scandinavian Capital Markets customers. We no longer provide an asset management service.
6Do you accept clients from the US?
We may only consider accepting US-based clients if they meet the criteria of an Eligible Contract Participant (ECP). For individuals to be considered an ECP, they must have a net worth exceeding $10M. If the purpose of the trading account is to hedge investment risk of $5M, their net worth should exceed $5M.
7Do you report taxes?
No. We do not withhold or report taxes. You are responsible for reporting and paying your tax according to the laws of your tax domicile.
Funds
1Do you participate in an investor compensation scheme?
We are not part of a compensation scheme. However, we have been in business for over 10 years, and the company is well-capitalised. Furthermore, we keep client deposits segregated from our funds with some of the most trusted European banks.
2How are my funds protected?
We hold client deposits in segregated accounts with leading European banks, which means client funds are never commingled with the company assets. As such, client funds are only used to cover margin requirements for trading purposes and are never used in the company’s balance sheet.
3Are client funds segregated?
Yes. Client funds are segregated from our corporate funds. We perform daily reconciliations to adjust accounts to settle profits and losses from client trading activity.
4Where do you hold client funds?
Client funds are held in top-tier European banks, such as Santander.
5What is the minimum deposit?
The minimum first-time deposit is $250. The minimum deposit for existing clients is $50.
6What funding options are available?
You can deposit via bank transfer using EUR, USD and GBP or using a payment card (VISA) via the payment service provider Skrill. We also accept payments via popular cryptocurrencies, such as BTC, ETH and USDT.
7Do you charge any conversion fees?
When converting currencies for deposits and withdrawals, we always use the rate our bank or payment service providers apply, and they may apply a markup. Scandinavian Markets does not apply a markup to currency conversions.
8Do you charge withdrawal or deposit fees?
We do not charge fees for deposits. We may charge a discretionary $25 fee for withdrawals via bank transfer.
9Do you charge any account maintenance fees?
We do not charge interest or monthly maintenance fees. However, we charge an inactivity fee on accounts holding funds that haven’t traded for over six months. The inactivity fee is 20 USD/EUR/GBP, depending on your account currency. Inactivity fees shall never allow an account to have a negative balance.
10How long does it take to process withdrawals?
If you have sufficient margin in your trading account to hold your positions, withdrawals are processed within one business day.
11Can I transfer funds between my trading accounts?
Yes. Our client portal allows you to move funds between your different trading accounts.
12What should I use as a bank transfer reference?
When making a bank transfer to fund your trading account, please write your trading account number as the reference. Adding the reference is especially important if you have multiple trading accounts.
13How do I submit a withdrawal request?
To request a withdrawal, log in to your Scandinavian Markets portal account, click the withdrawals tab, and submit the form.
Accounts
1What information is required to open a trading account?
To open a trading account with Scandinavian Markets, you must truthfully answer several questions about your background, such as your employment situation and any political exposure. Following the questionnaire, you must provide one valid document to verify your identity and take a selfie for us to match your face to your ID and provide a separate document issued in the past 3 months to verify your address.
2What accounts do you offer?
Many forex trading brokers offer different account types, typically branded using names like Raw, STP, ECN, etc. The main difference between the account is how fees are charged, either as a markup or commission. At Scandinavian Markets, we take a different approach and let you choose what you pay.
3Can I sign up for a corporate account?
Yes. When you start the registration process, one of the first questions you’ll be asked is whether you want to open an individual or corporate account.
4How long does it take for my application to be reviewed?
We aim to process new customer applications within a matter of hours. However, it can take longer, depending on the time of the day. All applications are processed within 24 hours.
5How can I close my account?
To close your account, please send an email to support@scandinavianmarkets.com. If your account is managed, you must also submit an LPOA revocation. Kindly note that we cannot erase your personal information for compliance reasons.
Trading
1Do you operate a dealing desk?
No. Scandinavian Markets does not operate a dealing desk. Our business model is strictly an agency model that uses a straight-through-processing execution model to route orders to our liquidity providers or ECNs for execution.
2What liquidity providers do you use?
Scandinavian Markets is a true STP forex broker. Therefore, we aggregate the best bid and ask prices from numerous prime brokers and ECNs to ensure the best possible execution.
3What are your trading hours?
On MetaTrader 4, we offer trading from 21:00 GMT on Sundays until 21:00 GMT on Fridays, with variations on some instruments, such as precious metals. On cTrader, we offer continuous trading as weekend cryptocurrency trading is supported from 05:00 GMT on Saturdays until 21:00 GMT on Fridays. Please check our trading platforms for up-to-date trading schedules and holidays.
4Where are your trading servers located?
Our MT4 and cTrader platforms are hosted in London.
5What is the maximum leverage?
The maximum leverage offered is 200:1. However, leverage varies by instrument.
6Can I change my leverage?
Yes. You must submit a leverage change request in your Scandinavian Markets client portal to increase or decrease your leverage. Click the "leverage change button" next to your account and enter the leverage you wish to use.
7Are all my trades STP?
Yes. Scandinavian Capital Markets never takes the other side of your trades. We send 100% of our order flow to external counterparties.
8Which currency pairs do you offer?
We offer over 70 currency pairs. Our currency trading offering ranges from major currency pairs, such as EUR/USD and GBP/USD, to exotic pairs, such as USD/KRW and USD/INR.
9Can I trade precious metals, such as gold and silver?
Yes. We offer gold and silver quoted against USD, EUR, AUD and other currencies and platinum and palladium quoted against USD.
10Can I trade cryptocurrencies?
Yes. On MT4, we offer major cryptocurrencies such as BTCUSD and ETHUSD. On cTrader, we offer more than 30 cryptocurrencies. We offer up to 33:1 leverage on cryptocurrencies.
11Can I trade stocks, futures or options?
No. Unfortunately, we do not offer stocks, futures or options trading.
12Are the spreads in the demo and live account the same?
In general, yes. We try to ensure that the trading conditions, such as quotes and swaps, are aligned between demo and live platforms. However, there can be some differences. Please consider that a demo account's main purpose is to test the platform's functionality. We suggest you open a live account and monitor the spreads and check swap rates from a live account.
13Do you allow scalping?
Yes. We allow any trading strategies except those which violate our terms and conditions.
14Do you allow automated trading?
Yes. We allow our clients to trade however they wish and support any trading strategy, whether an EA, cTrader Bot or a black box trading via FIX API.
15Do you support FIX API?
Yes. We offer FIX API connection to your cTrader or MT4 account. For the smoothest FIX API experience, we recommend using the cTrader platform.
16What is your order execution time?
Our internal order execution time is between 2-5 milliseconds. As all orders are executed externally, matching can take between 25 and 150 milliseconds, depending on the time of the day, proximity to the execution venue and order type.
17What is the maximum order size?
The maximum order size on MT4 is 50 lots per trade. On cTrader, the maximum order size is 5 million units of base currency. The maximum order size varies by instrument. You can check minimum and maximum order sizes in the symbol specifications on the trading platforms.
18Do you offer hedging or netting accounts?
We offer hedging or netting accounts on MT4 and cTrader platforms. You can choose your account type during the registration process.
19What is your margin call level?
A margin call occurs when your margin level is below 100%. You will be prevented from increasing your exposure when a margin call occurs. You should consider managing your positions to reduce margin utilisation or increase equity by depositing more funds. It’s important to react to margin calls to prevent stop-outs.
20What is your stop-out level?
Stop-out happens when your margin level falls below 80%, which is the level when your positions start being liquidated, and your losses will be realised.
Platforms
1What platforms do you offer?
We offer cTrader and MetaTrader 4 platforms.
2Where can I download cTrader?
You can download the Scandinavian Markets cTrader on desktop and mobile here: https://scandinavianmarkets.com/ctinfo/
3Where can I download MetaTrader 4?
You can download the Scandinavian Markets MT4 on desktop and mobile here: https://scandinavianmarkets.com/mt4info/.
4Can I trade on a MacBook?
Yes. We recommend using cTrader web on your Mac. Alternatively, you can download MT4 software for Mac. Please be aware that MT4 for Mac does not work on MacOS Catalina and later because of the end of support of 24-bit applications. To set up the MT4 trading platform on Mac OS, please refer to the following instructions: www.metatrader4.com/en/trading-platform/help/userguide/install_mac.
5How do I access the web version of cTrader?
To access the web version of cTrader, you need to go to ct.scandinavianmarkets.com.
6Why can’t I see any tradable currency pairs in MT4?
To see all the available symbols, you must right-click on the symbols menu and select 'Show all'.
7How can I change my MT4 password?
To change your MT4 password, open the platform and go to Tools > Options, and under the 'Server' tab, select 'Change Password'.
8What is a cTrader ID?
cTrader ID (cTID) is a set of credentials for signing in to multiple live or demo cTrader accounts with one or several brokers.
Affiliate Program
1Do you have an affiliate program?
Yes. We offer an affiliate program. Please contact us for more details.
2What is your compensation scheme?
Affiliates can receive up to 20% of revenue generated from their referrals.
3How can I start referring people?
After you open an affiliate account, you can refer customers by sending them your affiliate link. When they click the affiliate link and open a trading account, they are recorded as your referrals in the affiliate portal. Alternatively, you can ask your referrals to use your affiliate code when registering.
4How can I track my affiliate commissions?
We provide an affiliate portal where you can track your revenues, which are credited daily and can be withdrawn regularly. The minimum affiliate withdrawal is $500.
Ready to start trading?
Open your Scandinavian Markets trading account for true STP forex trading.