Blackstone Futures Review 2021 – Pros & Cons Revealed

Finding a forex and CFD broker can be a daunting task that may require in-depth research before deciding on a certain platform. Normally, many people prefer opening an account with a local brokerage firm, and thus, knowing the funds are safe and secure in your own country.

One such forex and CFD broker that is located in South Africa and has gained lots of attraction since its foundation is Blackstone futures. This FSCS-regulated broker is operating in the industry since 2009 and is considered by many as one of the safest options for South African traders. So, if you are interested in opening a BlackStone Futures trading account and have doubts if this broker is safe, this Blackstone Futures Review will help get a decision.

Blackstone Futures History & Background

Founded in 2009, Blackstone Futures South Africa is an STP (Straight Through Processing) broker that offers users to buy and sell forex and CFDs through the popular MetaTrader4 or their own proprietary trading platform called CloudTrade. By being an STP broker, Blackstone Futures sends all clients’ orders to liquidity providers without trading desk intervention (NDD) and thus can offer both variable and fixed spreads. Plus, an STP broker (or ECN) is generally considered to be more transparent as it cannot trade against the clients, and ‘make a market’ like market maker brokers.

The broker is located at 11 Cradock Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg, 2196, South Africa, and has an additional office at 30 Crown Place, London, EC2A 4ES, UK. Blackstone Futures (Pty) LTD is a representative firm of Trade Nation Financial (Pty) Limited, which is fully authorized and regulated in South Africa by the FSCA as well as in Europe by the Financial Conduct Authority under firm reference number 525164. Moreover, it is also authorized in Australia by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, ACN 158 065 635, AFSL No. 422661, and by the Securities Commission of the Bahamas, SIA-F216.

Blackstone Futures Pros & Cons

What Can You Trade and Invest in on Blackstone Futures?

All in all, Blackstone Futures offers a great selection of more than 750 instruments. Below you will find a list of the asset classes that this broker supports.

FX Currency Pairs

Blackstone Futures offers a selection of 34 currency pairs including the trading of popular and exotic coins including USD/ZAR. Notably, forex trading comes with a leverage of 400:1, which makes Blackstone futures among the highest leverage brokers in South Africa.

Shares

This is where Blackstone Futures South Africa has an advantage over most of the South African brokers. On this platform, users get access to shares from the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and South Africa. This means you’ll get access to shares CFDs of some of the most popular companies in SA that include: ABSA, Anglo Platinum, Bidvest Group, Capitec, Discovery LTD, Firstrand, Glencore Xstrata, Kio, Mondi plc, Netcare LTD, RMB Holdings, Tiger Brands LTD, Vodacom, and many more.

Indices

Blackstone Futures also offers a nice range of stock indices futures and rolling cash. The difference between the two forms of contracts is that with rolling cash you can hold the position forever while in future contracts, you have to close the contract on the expiration date or before.

Regardless, here are the indices you can trade on this broker’s platform: Dollar Index, US 2000, US 500, Nasdaq 100, Dow Jones 30, Australia 200, Hong Kong 50, Nikkei 225, Euro Stock 50, Cac 40, DAX 30, SMI 20, FTSE 100, and South Africa 40.

Another great feature that Blackstone Futures offers is the differentials, which are simply contract that allow you to speculate on the difference between two popular indices. As such, you’ll be able to trade the difference between DAX 30/Euro Stoxx 50, DAX 30/CAC 40, DAX 30, FTSE 100, FTSE 100/Euro Stoxx 50, Dow Jones 30/DAX 30, and Dow Jones 30/FTSE 100.

Energy

If you want to focus on this asset class, you might get a bit disappointed by this broker. This is because Blackstone Futures offers only two assets to trade – the Brent crude oil, and the US light crude.

Metals

Blackstone Futures offers the most liquid commodity metals such as gold, silver, and copper. Additionally, it offers some popular metals like aluminum, lead, nickel, and zinc.

Blackstone Futures Fees & Commissions

Much like any other CFD trading platform, Blackstone Futures South Africa allows traders to buy and sell assets without having to pay any trading commissions. Instead, traders need to pay the spread that the broker charges. With that said, let’s take a closer at all of the trading and non-trading fees charged by Blackstone Futures.

Trading Fees and Spreads

Blackstone Futures fees and spreads are generally very competitive. The broker does not charge any fees for daily rolling cash contracts and the spreads are below the average in the industry (starts from 0.6 pips). Further, you also need to take into consideration the charges of an overnight (margin) fee for positions held open during the overnight and a fixed spread of 1% for South Africa shares.

To help you get a better picture below is a breakdown of the Blackstone Futures fees and spreads:

	Spread	Trading Fee/Commission	Swap
Currencies	Starts from 0.6 pips	0%	Yes
US Shares	2 cents per side	0%	Yes
UK Shares	UK100 0.1% (5 bps per side) UK250 0.2% (10 bps per side)	0%	Yes
SA Shares	1%	0%	Yes
European Shares	0.1% or 10 bps per side	0%	Yes
Indices	N/A	0%	Yes
Metals	Gold (0.4), Silver (2 points), copper (10 points)	0%	Yes
Energy	Brent and US Crude Future – 3 points	0%	Yes

Non Trading Fees

Besides the spreads and trading fees, Blackstone Futures also charges additional non-trading fees. In that aspect, the broker does not disclose much information on its website about non-trading fees such as an inactivity fee and deposit and withdrawal fees. However, it does mention additional charges like exchange data fees, bank fees, FX balance conversion fees, and stock borrowing fees.

Blackstone Futures Platforms

When it comes to trading platforms, Blackstone Futures offers its users to trade on two trading platforms – the MetaTrader4 or its proprietary platform CloudTrade platform. Both platforms have their merits, which makes it a difficult decision to choose. It would be fair to say that while the MT4 is clearly a better choice for intermediate and experienced investors, the CloudTrade is more suited for newbie investors. That said, the good thing is that you can use both platforms in order to get the most of your trading experience.

MetaTrader4

Blackstone Futures offer the MetaTrader4, which is certainly the best platform in the market for experienced traders that want get access advanced charting package and top-notch plugins. Further, if you decide to trade via the MT4, then the broker offers floating spreads that change at a time of high volatility in the markets. You’ll also be able to utilize automated trading and take advantage of the custom Expert Advisor tool that are essentially built-in programs that run on the Blackstone Futures MetaTrader4 terminal.

The MT4 is available on all versions including Windows, macOS, Android (Google Play), and iOS (Apple Store). The platform, however, is not available as a web-based platform.

CloudTrade

Besides the popular MT4 platform, Blackstone futures also offers its in-house platform that is available on any web browser and as a mobile app on Android and iOS. To be honest, the CloudTrade platform is very basic in terms of features and functionality. It was developed so users get a convenient and user-friendly trading dashboard, and is mainly targeted at beginner traders or long terms investors. That said, you do get access to real-time quotes, instant market execution, and market alerts.

Further, the charting of the platform works very well. This charting package, powered by ChartIQ, enables users to:

• Utilize lots of technical analysis indicators
• Use a range of timeframes
• Open multiple charts on a large number of web pages
• The ability to save views
• Trade directly from the chart

Blackstone Futures – User Experience

Overall, our Blackstone Futures review found that the user experience on this platform is extremely simple and intuitive. Unlike many other forex brokers in the industry that very often provide rich but very complicated trading applications, trading on Blackstone Futures is straightforward. The site is concise and not littered with unnecessary information and data. Simply put, you get access to an economic calendar, live webinars, video tutorials, articles and guides, and the market sentiment tool.

The account creation process is also straightforward. Once you open an account, you’ll immediately get transferred to the Blackstone Futures dashboard where you can manage your account, get live customer support, and connect to your demo or live accounts. This certainly makes the process of trading very simple.

Moreover, from the Blackstone Futures dashboard, you can upload the verification documents, get live chat, download the platform you wish to trade on, and get access to your demo and live accounts. The only tool that is missing, in our view, is a market news and forecast analysis section that can be accessed directly on the dashboard or on the platform.

Blackstone Futures – Features, Charting, and Analysis

In a nutshell, Blackstone Futures provides all the tools and features needed to maintain trading or an investment account. In terms of charting, you’ll be able to get access to the MT4 charts, or the CloudTrade charts powered by ChartIQ. In that aspect, while the MT4 charting is pretty known as one of the most easy-to-use and professional charting platforms in the market, we were also very impressed by the charting tools that are available on the CloudTrade platform.

Additionally, the South African-based brokerage firm provides the following trading tools and features.

Market Sentiment Tool

Blackstone Futures operates in collaboration with MyFXBook, a popular platform that provides a range of analytical tools. As such, you’ll get access to a fairly reliable forex market sentiment indicator that shows you the percentage of users that are long and short on a certain forex asset.

Negative Balance Protection

The negative balance protection is one of the most effective risk management tools provided by brokers. This tool basically ensures you will never lose more money than deposited by alerting you and if necessary, the system automatically closes all positions.

High Leverage

Even though there are other SA-regulated brokers like InstaForex that allow trading with higher leverage of 1000:1, Blackstone Futures is still among the highest leverage brokers in South Africa with a leverage of up to 400:1.

For those who are not familiar with the concept, leverage of 400:1 means you can open a position 400 times the value of the capital need for opening a position.

Blackstone Futures Account Types

In terms of account types, this broker does not really specify different types of accounts. However, there are two minor differences in terms of the account type that you need to know before opening an account. First, the broker offers two account types – USD account, or ZAR account. This means you can make a deposit with South Africa Rands and use it as account base currency.

The second difference you should take into consideration is the trading platform you choose. Once again, Blackstone Futures does not mention all the differences between opening an MT4 account or a CloudTrade account, but the spreads are different on each platform (floating on MT4 and fixed on CloudTrade). Also, the minimal and maximal trade sizes are also different on each platform.

Blackstone Futures Review

Overall, after reviewing the Blackstone Futures services, we can genuinely say that this broker has a solid and reliable platform. Everything works pretty smoothly, including the registration and verification process. Further, the usability of the site and the trading screens (both MT4 and CloudTrade) is intuitive and user-friendly.

As an STP broker, it is also important to mention that Blackstone Futures is able to provide the best prices in the market, and trade execution occurs electronically at high speed. Another advantage of this brokerage firm is that unlike most brokers that act as market makers, STP brokers like Blackstone Futures don’t take the opposite side of your trades. As a matter of fact, Blackstone is one of the best STP (Straight Through Processing) brokers in South Africa.

When it comes to the actual trading experience, the MT4 is clearly one of the best platforms in the market. And, even though there is a short learning curve to get familiar with the platform, you’ll be able to trade effectively very quickly, in large because there are lots of video tutorials on the Blackstone Futures website, its YouTube channel, and on other sources over the internet.

As for the CloudTrade platform – this platform is very basic and lacks many features. But overall, it serves the purpose. You can view quotes, get access to the charting package and easily place orders in the market. As such, it is a solid platform in case you are a beginner or wish to take long-term positions.

Blackstone Futures Payments

Blackstone Futures makes things fairly simple in terms of the payment methods clients can use to deposit and withdraw funds. The South African broker offers these payment options:

• Ozow Secure Payments
• Bank transfer
• EFT – Electronic Funds Transfer
• Credit and debit cards – Visa and Mastercard
• Skrill
• Neteller

Blackstone Futures Minimum Deposit

Blackstone Futures maintains different minimum deposit requirement for each account type:

• ZAR account – 1000 ZAR
• USD account – 100 USD

Blackstone Futures Bonus

Presently, if you wish to register and deposit funds, Blackstone Futures offers an attractive welcome bonus. New clients get a 30% Blackstone Futures bonus on the first deposit as long as they make a deposit of R1,000 – R15,000. Plus, according to the broker, there are no limitations, lock-in periods, or minimum lot volumes. However, the broker does not disclose all the terms and conditions of the bonus and as such, we recommend you contact the broker before you sign up.

Blackstone Futures No Deposit Bonus

At the time of writing, Blackstone Futures does not offer a ‘no deposit bonus’ to new clients.

Blackstone Futures Contact and Customer Service

From this review, we can conclude that Blackstone Futures focuses on personal customer support service. First, the broker has live chat support and submitting a ticket form. Additionally, Blackstone Futures offers phone support, email support, WhatsApp support, and an FAQ section. Blackstone Futures is also very active on social media with accounts on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Telegram.

Is Blackstone Futures Safe?

Even though there’s always a risk in any type of investment or account opening at a brokerage firm, Blackstone is one of the safest options out there, especially for South African investors. First, Blackstone Futures (Pty) Limited, which operates as a subsidiary of Trade Nation Financial (Pty) Limited is located and registered in South Africa. Plus, Trade Nation Financial (Pty) Limited is authorized and regulated by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) under the license number FSP#49846, and by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under firm reference number 525164. Further, according to the customer agreement, funds are kept safe in segregated accounts.

On the negative side, the broker does not mention any security features to ensure that hackers will not be able to access users’ accounts.

Blackstone Futures vs Capital.com

Clearly, there are many reasons for South African investors to choose Blackstone Futures as a trading host. This broker is regulated in South Africa by the FSCA, allows users to open an account that is South Africa Rand denominated account, and gives users access to South African CFD shares that can be traded with leverage. Other than that, you get access to the popular MT4 and competitive fixed or floating spreads (depending on the platform you choose).

With that in mind, there are some crucial considerations to keep in mind when you choose a broker. For that reason, we have decided to compare Blackstone Futures to another popular brokerage firm in South Africa, which is Capital.com.

The first thing we want to analyze is the pricing model offered on each brokerage firm. From this comparison, it appears that Blackstone Futures is the most cost-effective platform in terms of trading fees and spreads. However, Capital.com is more transparent and highlights the fees it charges for holding a leveraged position overnight.

	Trading Fees	Deposit and Withdrawal Fees	Inactivity Fee	Margin/Overnight Fee	Spreads
Capital.com Fees	Commission Free	Deposit – Free of charge Withdrawals – Free of charge	None	3% + LIBOR	0.00008 pips for EUR/USD
Blackstone Futures Fees	Commission Free	Deposit and Withdrawal Fees – N/A	Does not disclose any information about inactivity fee	A fee is displayed when placing the trade	Starts from 0.6 (0.6 pips for the EUR/USD). Competitive spreads for other instruments

Another advantage that Blackstone Futures has over Capital.com is the high leverage ratio it provides and the ability to trade on two trading platforms  – one for beginners and the other for experienced traders.

On the other hand, Blackstone Futures does not offer you to trade crypto coins, which is perhaps the most interesting and attractive market these days. Also, it does not provide Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). So, if you are looking for the most extensive trading platform, Capital.com offers a huge selection of markets and products to trade including shares, ETFs, currency forex pairs, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies. This means you can not only buy shares at Capital.com but also buy Bitcoin and other popular cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin Cash, Cardano, Etheruem, and Dogecoin.

Further, if you are a beginner that wants to get access to an innovative and easy-to-use platform, then Capital.com is most likely the best choice for you. Crucially, Capital.com offers an extensive selection of educational materials for traders to utilise. This includes articles, a glossary of terms, courses with quizzes, webinars, and more. In addition, a feature called Capital.com TV is also provided which breaks down current market events and provides useful insight for your trading.

All things considered, Blackstone Futures is a solid platform if you are looking to trade on the popular MetaTrade4. Otherwise, Capital.com seems to be a better trading platform and network, particularly if you are a beginner.

The Verdict

From our Blackstone Futures South Africa review, we can conclude that this broker is one of the best FSCA brokers that is also physically located in SA. Plus, it is certainly one of the best forex brokers in SA due to the range of FX currency pairs and the high leverage of 400:1. This is especially the case if you wish to open a trading account with a South African-based broker and if you are looking for a transparent trading environment, access to the MT4, and generous Blackstone Futures bonus.

However, if you are a beginner who wants to find the ideal platform to trade the markets, we would suggest Capital.com as the better option. This is because, unlike many DIY platforms, on Capital.com you get access to a huge range of assets to trade in a cost-effective manner. Further, Capital.com’s platform is most likely among the most user-friendly and innovative trading platforms in the market.

Capital.com – Our Recommended Broker (Zero Commission)

75.26% of retail investor accounts lose money when spread betting and/or trading CFDs with this provider.

FAQs

Is Blackstone Futures a scam?

No, Blackstone Futures South Africa operates since 2009 and is authorized and regulated by several top regulators including the FSCA and FCA. It is also a true STP broker, which means it is transparent and never trades against its clients. Finally, Blackstone Futures has great reviews online and the broker discloses on its official website most of the important information and legal documents.

Is there a Blackstone Futures demo account?

Yes. Blackstone Futures offers a demonstration account with virtual money for both platforms, the MetaTrader4 and the CloudTrade.

Does Blackstone Futures have binary options?

No, Blackstone Futures does not offer binary options trading nor any sort of options trading. The broker offers CFDs and futures contracts only.

What is the Blackstone Futures bonus agreement?

According to Blackstone Futures, new users receive a 30% bonus on the first deposit of R1,000 - R15,000. There are no limitations, lock-in periods, or minimum lot volumes and users can get access to the funds and profits.

What is the Blackstone Futures minimum deposit?

This depends on the currency you choose to deposit with. For ZAR account, the minimum deposit is 1000 South Africa Rand, for USD account, the minimum deposit is 100 US dollar, and for GBP account, the minimum deposit is 100 British Pounds.

Does Blackstone Futures have NASDAQ100?

Yes, Blackstone Futures offers a rolling cash contract and a futures contract on the NASDAQ 100 index.