The path in choosing a Forex broker that is reputable and meets your requirements is not an easy one, with a number of important factors to keep in mind.

Discarding company regulations, segregation of clients' funds, deposit and withdrawal options will only lead into disastrous consequences, usually losing all your money. With hundreds of scam cases being reported constantly we feel that opening an account with the best possible firm that meets all the important criteria on your checklist, should guarantee a smooth trading experience in the long run.

In this article we are going to talk about Forex platforms.

There are several types of platforms available in the market today. Platforms are important because they will be the software program you will be using when conducting all of your trading activity. Depending on your experience and needs, they can range from simple to fully customizable with automatic trading support.

The most widely used platform today is Metatrader created by Metaquotes, a Cyprus based company. Metatrader has become a dominant force in Forex platform technology as it provides an array of features, integrates well in expert advisors,
 has multi-lingual support and its relative secure. Another boost towards its popularity is that most Forex brokers offer Metatrader as their main platform. Moreover Metatrader has a small learning curve with a variety of tutorials and guides available on the net. The latest version of the platform is MT5. There are several other types of Forex platforms that offer a different set of features such as social trading. For newcomers in the industry, I would recommend a platform that is easy to use, clear and has all the necessary tools according to your trading strategy.

Things to keep in mind:

1) Some brokers offer different platforms based on your deposit or account type.

2) Some brokers offer different platform functionality based on your deposit or account type.

3) Look for customized platforms: Metatrader 5 and other platforms are usually customized by brokers with added functionality or bonuses that will add value for your investment.

4) Many brokers offer tutorials, guides and even technical support for any issues related to their platforms. Keep the contacts of your broker's technical support somewhere close and make use of any educational resources you can find.

5) Some good tools to look in a Forex platform are Fibonacci retracement, Bollinger bands, moving average, real time news and retraceable historical data.

Richard B is a financial writer. FXMoz provides educational content for Forex trading and finance. Check out our eToro review