This article was first published on March 7, 2018
Stellar is a distributed, hybrid blockchain. It works as a decentralised cryptocurrency based on Lumens, with the ticker symbol ‘XLM’. This page will break down everything you need to know about Stellar, including the cryptocurrency’s history, wallets and future price projections. Finally, some top tips on how to start day trading with Stellar coins will be given.
Stellar Brokers in Zimbabwe
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- Crypto Spread: From 0.04%
- Platforms: MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView, DupliTrade
- Min. deposit: $0
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- Crypto Spread: 114.37 (BTC)
- Platforms: Web Platform, MT4, MT5, TradingCentral
- Min. deposit: $200
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- Crypto Spread: 19.75 (BTC/USD)
- Platforms: FBS App, MT4, MT5
- Min. deposit: $5
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- Crypto Spread: 12 average (Bitcoin)
- Min. deposit: $0
- Regulator: FMA, FSA
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- Crypto Spread: 0.22%
- Platforms: xStation
- Min. deposit: $0
69-80% of accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. -
- Crypto Spread: 17.3 (Bitcoin)
- Min. deposit: $0
- Regulator: ASIC, CySEC, FSA, FSCA, FSC, SCB, CMA-Kenya
Learn how we test brokers and why you can trust our ratings.
Here is a short overview of each broker's pros and cons
- Fusion Markets 4.6/5 Fusion Markets offers the best-known crypto tokens paired with USD, and up to 1:10 leverage depending on your location. Bitcoin spreads are competitive starting from 0.04%, while it shines for its top-notch charting tools in MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView.
- Markets.com 4.4/5 Markets.com’s crypto offering covers 30+ major coins, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin, with leverage options that vary by region but stay more conservative than on forex. Execution was generally smooth in our tests, though spreads were noticeably wider during high volatility, making it better for swing trades than ultra-short-term scalping.
- FBS 4.3/5 FBS offers trading on crypto/metal, crypto/crypto or crypto/fiat pairs, making the broker a great pick for traders looking to diversify their digital asset portfolios. Spreads are also reasonable, averaging around 20.0 for BTC/USD.
- BlackBull 4.5/5 BlackBull excels for active traders interested in trading crypto. It has grown its selection of cryptocurrencies, now providing 27+ digital tokens, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Trump, with all cryptos paired with USD. But pricing is where it excels, with testing revealing average spreads of around 12 on BTC/USD - less than half that of competitors like Eightcap, plus there’s no commission, making it considerably cheaper than most crypto CFD brokers. BlackBull also offers separate well-presented crypto guides for beginner, intermediate and advanced traders. Up to 1:100 leverage is available on cryptos.
- XTB 4.8/5 XTB offers an excellent selection of cryptos with more than 50 digital currencies. Spreads are tight starting from 0.22% on BTC and leverage reaches 1:5. The xStation platform also provides intra-crypto pairs like ETH/BTC and DSH/BTC. With the capability to trade cryptos 24/7, XTB ensures a secure environment with transparent accounts for cryptocurrency day trading.
- FP Markets 4.2/5 FP Markets supports CFDs on popular cryptos including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Bitcoin Cash, and Litecoin. Yet while you can speculate on price movements through CFDs, direct ownership of coins is not supported. FP Markets also doesn’t add up-and-coming tokens for crypto enthusiasts on the pulse.
Community Sentiment
See how users rate these brokers based on the average customer ratings submitted on DayTrading.com, plus ratings from Trustpilot, the Apple App Store and Google Play.
| Broker | Our Users' Rating | Trustpilot Score | Trustpilot Reviews | iOS App Rating | Android App Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fusion Markets | 10376 | ||||
| Markets.com | 1259 | ||||
| FBS | 10284 | ||||
| BlackBull | 3522 | ||||
| XTB | 3049 | ||||
| FP Markets | 10379 |
Fusion Markets
Fusion Markets is a standout option for forex traders looking for excellent pricing with spreads near zero, industry-low commissions and recently TradingView integration. It’s a particularly good broker for Australian traders where the company is headquartered and regulated by the ASIC.
Jemma Grist, Reviewer
Fusion Markets quick facts
- Coins
- BTC, BCH, ADA, ETH, LTC, EOS, XLM, DOT, LNK, AVAX, SOL, MATIC, DOGE, BNB
- Crypto Mining
- ✘No
- Auto Market Maker
- ✘No
- Crypto Spread
- From 0.04%
- Crypto Lending
- ✘No
- Crypto Staking
- ✘No
- Platforms
- MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView, DupliTrade
- Minimum Deposit
- $0
- Regulator
- ASIC, CySEC, VFSC, FSA
- Account Currencies
- USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, NZD, JPY, CHF, HKD, SGD
Pros
- Fusion Markets continues to impress with its pricing that provides tight spreads with below-average commissions that will appeal to active day traders.
- Fusion Markets offers best-in-class support with very fast, friendly and helpful responses during tests and no frustrating automated chatbot to navigate.
- Average execution speeds of around 37 milliseconds are noticeably faster than many rivals and can help day traders secure optimal prices in fast-moving markets.
Cons
- There is no proprietary trading platform or app built with beginners in mind, a notable drawback compared to AvaTrade.
- Traders outside of Australia and Europe must sign up with weakly regulated global entities with limited safeguards, though in August 2026 they made negative balance protection available to all eligible accounts.
- While the selection of currency pairs trumps most rivals, the broker's alternative investment offering is average with no stock CFDs beyond the US.
Markets.com
Markets.com is best suited to retail investors who trade frequently but don’t want to calculate commissions, thanks to its spread-only pricing (EUR/USD around 1.3 pips). It especially appeals to short-term traders who value fast execution, flexible asset choice spanning 2,200+ instruments and proprietary tools like hedge fund confidence indices and insider trade alerts.
Christian Harris, Reviewer
Markets.com quick facts
- Coins
- XLM, PENGU, BTC, XTZ, SNX, YFI, TRX, HLP, HIVE, VAULTA, CRV, RSR, BAT, AAVE, VANA, VIRTUAL, XRP, DOGE, LTC, SKY, XMR, ADA, BCH, DASH, AVAX, BGB, PI, ETH, WLFI, TON, ZRX, SOL, DOT, LINK, UNI
- Crypto Mining
- ✘No
- Auto Market Maker
- ✘No
- Crypto Spread
- 114.37 (BTC)
- Crypto Lending
- ✘No
- Crypto Staking
- ✘No
- Platforms
- Web Platform, MT4, MT5, TradingCentral
- Minimum Deposit
- $200
- Regulator
- ASIC, CySEC, FSCA, BVI FSC
- Account Currencies
- USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, ZAR, SEK, NOK, DKK, CHF, PLN, CZK
Pros
- Switching between the proprietary web platform (great for alerts and quick analysis) and MT5 (strong for algorithmic EAs) was smooth in our tests; positions synced across desktop, web, and mobile without gaps or re-quotes.
- Markets.com’s Hedge Fund Confidence and Insider Trading tools pulls SEC filings into the dashboard within 24 hours of disclosure, helping to spot fund moves and C-suite buys before most retail newsfeeds updated.
- Markets.com provides commission-free trading on most assets with spreads starting from around 0.6 pips on major forex pairs, making it cost-effective for casual traders.
Cons
- While CySEC and FSCA oversight is solid, the SVGFSA and BVIFSC entities offers 1:500 leverage under a light-touch framework, meaning protections like compensation schemes and strict conduct rules lag behind the strictest regulatory standards.
- The proprietary web platform felt a bit basic once we pushed into advanced charting with fewer drawing/indicator options than full TradingView or MetaTrader.
- During sign-up, we hit unclear account type explanations and got stuck in an email verification loop that locked us out for an hour - way less streamlined than other brokers we’ve tested.
FBS
FBS is an excellent choice for day traders at every level and budget, with just a $5 minimum deposit and intensive academy for aspiring traders alongside access to MT4 and MT5.
Christian Harris, Reviewer
FBS quick facts
- Coins
- BCH, BTC, ETH, LTC, XRP, TRX, DOGE, SOL, XLM, BNB, ETC, ADA, DOT, LINK, UNI, SHIB, AVA, TON
- Crypto Mining
- ✘No
- Auto Market Maker
- ✘No
- Crypto Spread
- 19.75 (BTC/USD)
- Crypto Lending
- ✘No
- Crypto Staking
- ✘No
- Platforms
- FBS App, MT4, MT5
- Minimum Deposit
- $5
- Regulator
- ASIC, CySEC, FSCA, FSC
- Account Currencies
- USD, EUR, AUD, JPY
Pros
- The trading firm has picked up over 90 awards and amassed more than 27 million clients, making it one of the largest and most established brokers globally.
- FBS strikes the balance between robust features and ease of use, with a sign-up process taking <10 minutes, an intuitive app, advanced research through Market Analytics & more recently VIP Analytics, plus immersive education through the FBS Academy and Trader’s Blog.
- FBS offers lightning-fast execution speeds from just 10 milliseconds, placing it among the industry leaders for highly active traders like scalpers who demand rapid order processing.
Cons
- Although the FBS app offers a terrific mobile trading experience for aspiring traders and MT4/MT5 cater to advanced traders, the absence of cTrader and TradingView, which are increasingly offered by alternatives like Pepperstone, will deter day traders familiar with these platforms.
- Despite enhancing the selection of currency pairs, now providing over 70, FBS still trails industry leaders like BlackBull Markets in its market offering with a particularly narrow selection of commodities and indices.
- There are only four base currencies available - EUR, USD, AUD and JPY (region dependant) - which isn't practical for minimizing currency conversion fees for many global traders, and is especially striking given the broker’s user base spans over 150 nations.
BlackBull
After improving its trading infrastructure with Equinix servers in London, reducing latency for traders, BlackBull is an obvious choice if you want to day trade stock CFDs with ECN pricing. With competitive spreads and no commission on a growing roster of digital tokens paired with USD, BlackBull also works for active crypto traders.
Christian Harris, Reviewer
BlackBull quick facts
- Coins
- BTC, ETH, SOL, XLM, XRP, BCH, ADA, SUI, TRUMP, LNK, DOT, DOGE, AAVE, AXS, HED, LTC, TRX, UNI, PYTH, ARB, BNB, AVAX, NEAR, ILV, ATM, INJ, POLY
- Crypto Mining
- ✘No
- Auto Market Maker
- ✘No
- Crypto Spread
- 12 average (Bitcoin)
- Crypto Lending
- ✘No
- Crypto Staking
- ✘No
- Platforms
- BlackBull Invest, BlackBull CopyTrader, MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView, AutoChartist
- Minimum Deposit
- $0
- Regulator
- FMA, FSA
- Account Currencies
- USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, NZD, JPY, ZAR, SGD
Pros
- BlackBull is a much greater fit for aspiring traders following the overhaul of its ECN Prime account, now featuring improved spreads averaging 0.16 on EUR/USD and a more accessible minimum deposit of $0 compared to the old $2,000.
- BlackBull offers every ingredient for day traders; fast execution speeds of <100ms and tight spreads from 0.0 pips.
- BlackBulls’s research is superb, especially the daily ‘Trading Opportunities’ articles that break down complex market movements into easy-to-understand insights, making it simpler to capitalize on emerging trends.
Cons
- Although the Education Hub now features improvements like webinars and tutorials, the courses we’ve explored need more focus on explaining the wider economic factors influencing prices.
- Unlike most top brokers, BlackBull charges an irritating $5 withdrawal fee, which can detract from the overall cost-effectiveness, especially for active traders who frequently move funds.
- Despite a growing selection of 2,180+ assets, including additions to its Asia Pacific indices, they are mainly stocks with an average selection of currency pairs and indices.
XTB
XTB stands out as a top choice for new day traders with the terrific xStation platform, low trading costs, no minimum deposit, and excellent educational tools, many of which are seamlessly integrated into the platform.
Christian Harris, Reviewer
XTB quick facts
- Coins
- ADA, BTC, BCH, DSH, EOS, ETH, IOTA, LTC, NEO, XRP, XLM, TRX, XEM, XLM, XMR, DOGE, BNB, LINK, UNI, DOT, XTZ
- Crypto Mining
- ✘No
- Auto Market Maker
- ✘No
- Crypto Spread
- 0.22%
- Crypto Lending
- ✘No
- Crypto Staking
- ✘No
- Platforms
- xStation
- Minimum Deposit
- $0
- Regulator
- FCA, CySEC, KNF, DFSA, FSC, SCA, CMF, Bappebti
- Account Currencies
- USD, EUR, GBP
Pros
- XTB has improved its assets and markets offering further in 2026 with options trading in Spain and Germany, spot cryptos in some regions, and Investment Plans 2.0 with more pre-built plans covering sectors like Defence, a more intuitive interface, and greater flexibility to combine single stocks and ETFs into individual plans.
- First-class 24/5 customer support is available, including a friendly live chat with response times of under two minutes during testing.
- Opening an XTB account is a hassle-free, entirely online process that takes just a few minutes, making the entry into day trading smooth for new traders.
Cons
- The demo account expires after just four weeks, a serious limitation for traders who wish to thoroughly test the xStation platform and practice short-term strategies before committing real funds.
- XTB discontinued support for MT4, limiting traders to its proprietary platform, xStation, potentially deterring advanced day traders familiar with the MetaTrader suite.
- Not being able to adjust the default leverage level of XTB products is frustrating, as manual adjustment can significantly mitigate trade risk, especially in forex and CFD trading.
FP Markets
FP Markets strikes an ideal balance between affordability and quality for active traders. They’ve managed to keep trading costs low while expanding their investment offering, charting tools, and research features, all while providing excellent support you can rely on for urgent trading queries.
Christian Harris, Reviewer
FP Markets quick facts
- Coins
- ADA, BCH, BTC, DOG, DOT, EOS, ETH, LNK, LTC, RPL, SOL, XLM
- Crypto Mining
- ✘No
- Auto Market Maker
- ✘No
- Crypto Spread
- 17.3 (Bitcoin)
- Crypto Lending
- ✘No
- Crypto Staking
- ✘No
- Platforms
- Iress, MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView, AutoChartist, TradingCentral
- Minimum Deposit
- $0
- Regulator
- ASIC, CySEC, FSA, FSCA, FSC, SCB, CMA-Kenya
- Account Currencies
- USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, NZD, JPY, CHF, HKD, SGD
Pros
- FP Markets has a seamless onboarding experience, standing out with crypto deposits and over 10 base currencies, catering to global traders.
- AI-powered sentiment analysis, trading signals and real-time NewsIQ research, integrated with MT4 and MT5, has been added via FP Markets Intelligence.
- FP Markets delivers fast and dependable support, available 24/5 with average response times of less than 1 minute during testing.
Cons
- FP Markets trails the best MetaTrader brokers, despite offering a Trader's Toolbox on MT4, just 130 instruments are available, limiting opportunities for serious traders, especially compared to Pepperstone with its 1,300 assets.
- Although Traders Hub provides rich research, notably the Daily Report, Technical Report, Market Insights, and Fundamental Analysis, it needs to widen its daily content variety and keep its forex news updated to match category leaders like IG.
- While pricing in the Raw account is excellent, spreads in the Standard account trail the cheapest brokers with a 1.1-pip average spread on the EUR/USD compared to the 0.8-pip average at IC Markets.
What is Stellar?
Before considering the cryptocurrency’s potential, how precisely it works needs to be explained. Essentially, Stellar is an open-source payment technology that seeks to connect financial institutions, while seriously reducing the cost and time associated with cross-border transfers. For that reason, it is somewhat like the Ripple network. In fact, they both share the same initial protocol.
The stellar protocol is actually supported by a nonprofit, the Stellar Development Foundation. The Stellar blockchain enables users to generate their own tokens and Stellar can manage as many as 1,000 transactions each second.
The cryptocurrency itself is based on Lumens. Each Lumen is a single unit of the currency. Initial supply was to be around 100 billion. 18 million or so XLM were swiftly in circulation.
One of the clear advantages of the cryptocurrency is that buying Lumens allows users to interact with a number of fiat currencies with ease. For example, both forex traders and travellers can capitalise on swift and straightforward access to the US dollar or Euro.
Overall then, their vision is clear if not challenging – they seek to revolutionise global financial transactions. Specifically, they want to allow developing nations to take part in global finances, starting in the South Pacific.
History
The Stellar team came to life in 2014. The cryptocurrency creators were the co-founder of the Ripple, Jed McCaleb and former lawyer Joyce Kim. In fact, the company was launched when McCaleb left Ripple after a number of disagreements. But while this may have dampened the outlook of Ripple, it ensured the Stellar owner had a point to prove.
At the initial launch, Stellar was built on the Ripple protocol. However, forking took place once a number of changes to critical consensus code were made. The Stellar Development Foundation built an updated version of the protocol, boasting a new consensus algorithm, based on a totally new code. April 2015 then saw the release of the white paper. The updated coin network then went live in November 2015.
Stellar Partnerships
Future value predictions for this cryptocurrency often hinge on information about potential partners. Fortunately, the company has secured investment and deals with a number of high profile enterprises, including:
- Stripe – The payment service has removed blockchain, allowing access to Stellar on its platform.
- Ordain – The cloud-based banking software company Ordain will use the Stellar network to bridge microfinance institutions in Nigeria.
- The Praekelt Foundation – Their aim is to integrate Stellar into their open-source messaging app, Vumi. This should allow young Sub-Saharan African girls to save money using airtime credits.
- International success – December 2016 saw the announcement of several partnerships in India, the Philippines and West Africa. The result of this was a significant increase in the cryptocurrency’s trading value on exchanges.
- Deloitte – 2016 also saw Deloitte announce a partnership with Stellar to create a payments app.
- Banking results – At a 2017 conference, McCaleb made the announcement that 30 banks had signed up to use Stellar’s blockchain for cross-border payments.
- IBM – In October 2017 the latest news on cryptocurrency coin websites and forums was Stellar’s partnership with IBM. The purpose of the deal was to create multiple currency corridors for countries in the South Pacific, such as South Africa. This would allow small enterprises, non-profits and local financial institutions to enhance commercial transactions.
- Benefit scheme – In September 2017, it became clear the coin’s value was set to increase even further. Stellar announced it was to award partners up to $2 million in a new benefits system to develop “high impact projects”.
- Word spreads – Furthermore, the cryptocurrency’s trading price and predictions in 2018 rose after graphs illustrated a huge increase in the number of people online talking about Stellar coins each week.
Stellar Live Chart
Architecture
Take the Stellar cryptocurrency vs Ripple and Bitcoin and a couple of clear differences arise. Firstly, Ripple is a closed system, whereas Stellar is open source. Servers run a software implementation of the protocol while using the internet to interact with other Stellar servers, creating a global value exchange network.
Each server makes a record of every account on the network. These details are then stored in a database, also known as a ledger. Servers will put forward changes to a ledger by suggesting transactions which move accounts from one location to another, by spending an account’s balance or altering a property of an account. All servers will then reach an agreement on which transactions to apply to the current ledger, known as ‘consensus’. This mechanism takes place regularly, every two to four-seconds in fact. As a result, each server’s copy of the ledger is synced and kept exactly the same.
The consensus protocol also means Stellar does not require coin mining pools, unlike the Bitcoin cryptocurrency.
On top of the protocol difference, Stellar’s CEO also seeks different customers. Ripple focuses on established banking institutions to enhance their cross-border transfer technology. Whereas Stellar is concerned with developing markets and has a number of uses for its technology, from money remittances to bank loan distribution to the unbanked.
Inflation
The coin’s rate is kept stable as Stellar has a built-in inflation system. Small amounts of free XLM are given to members. A tiny fraction of the Lumens taken from each operation goes towards inflation, as well as all other Lumens dispensed into circulation.
Benefits
There are a number of advantages to the Stellar cryptocurrency, including:
- Decentralisation – Ripple is moving away from the decentralised nature digital currencies were built on. Stellar, however, is far more decentralised. Furthermore, it is actually a nonprofit organisation.
- Low fees – As trading systems and platforms go, Stellar offers an extremely cheap way to transfer capital. In fact, the operation fee for each transaction is as little as 0.00001 XLM. Exchanging currencies is also relatively cheap.
- Security – You can freeze transfers if you accidentally entered the wrong wallet address, for example. This is unlike the majority of digital currencies where transfers are irreversible. Transactions although normally public, can also be made private via third-party plugins.
- Community-owned – The community owns the Stellar network. If the nonprofit organisation vanished, the network would still function. This also means anyone with Lumens can vote where capital comes from and how transition fees should be spent.
- ICOs – Although it doesn’t handle all software types like Ethereum, for example, it is one of the best choices for cryptocurrency ICOs.
- Promising partnerships – The cryptocurrency has secured a number of powerful partners, including IBM and the KlickEx Group. This has helped stimulate substantial growth in coin price charts and forecasts.
- Accessibility – Cryptocurrency trading in India, the UK and the rest of the world is on the rise. From trading bots to futures trading, there is a range of instruments and techniques for aspiring traders to choose from.
- Resources – There is a huge range of cryptocurrency resources you can turn to. Yahoo Finance, for example, will give you the coin’s news today and the current buy price in USD, AUD, Euro and more. Even brokers, such as eToro will give you analysis and commentary when prices drop and markets fluctuate.
Drawbacks
Before you decide to purchase any of this cryptocurrency, coin reviews have highlighted a number of drawbacks, including:
- Distribution – The founders own 90% of Lumens. Having so much of the cryptocurrency’s worth in the hands of so few can be worrying for future growth. These ‘whales’ have the ability to send prices plummeting if they sell large quantities of their digital capital.
- Competition – Regardless of current cryptocurrency live prices, it is only the technology that is likely to stand the test of time. Companies will choose one chain and stick with it. So while a few may survive, tens will not. This may mean even Stellar’s reputable name may disappear from the map if it doesn’t secure enough partners.
- Manpower – Coin forecasts and projections often assume teams will develop quickly to meet drastic growth. However, this is not always the case. The Stellar team is relatively small and rapid growth may lead to fragmentation and mistakes.
So while coin reviews are mostly positive and their purpose admirable, market history shows us price can tumble at a moments notice. Not to mention, maintaining and gaining market share when competition is so fierce is challenging to say the least.
Where to Buy Stellar Coins
Fortunately, as a result of an increasing number of coin exchanges becoming available, buying Lumens is relatively straightforward. The cryptocurrency exchanges Binance, Bittrex, Poloniex, Kraken and Coinbase all have Stellar coins available for purchase. It is also possible to speculate on price movements without using an exchange, many brokers now offer single click access to crypto trading. IQ Option offer access to over 20 different coins and tokens.
Wallets
Now you know where to buy Stellar coins. However, you will also need to store your new coins in a wallet. You get a choice between mobile, desktop and web wallets. In fact, all of the following wallets support Lumens:
- Stellar Desktop Client
- Ledger Nano S
- Stellar Portal
- Blackwallet
- StellarTerm
- Stronghold
- Centaurus
- Stargazer
- Lobster
- Papaya
- SAZA
Faucets
There is also an option for those looking to get free stellar coins. Cryptocurrency faucets, usually found on websites or apps, are effectively reward systems. They simply give away coins in return for completing a captcha or task detailed on the website. If used correctly, faucets can help increase your total number of coins, which you can then use to day trade.
What’s Next for Stellar?
Trading reviews impress with the cryptocurrency’s price history and performance. Strong partnership deals and a focus on a stronger lightning network are likely to increase the coin’s future price predictions. Furthermore, The Stellar Decentralised Exchange (SDEX) is set to enhance scalability and security. It aims to bring cheaper rates between assets as well as low trading fees.
Despite the number of positives, coin and price graphs often fail to signpost potential pitfalls. Stellar certainly does come with risks. Strong competition and a monopoly on coin ownership could all prove dangerous for aspiring traders.
For further crypto guidance, see our cryptocurrency page.