Alpari is one of the older names in the online trading industry. It was founded in 1998 and was gaining recognition among forex and CFD traders long before many of today’s binary options brokers existed. Over time, Alpari expanded its product lineup to include fixed-time trades, which is Alpari’s term for binary options. This dual approach has allowed it to target both fixed-term traders and those looking for more conventional market exposure. Alpari stands out in the binary options space for its combination of longevity and brand recognition, and you can trade both binary options and other products from a standard account (but on different platforms).
The fixed-time trades are straightforward, payout rates are competitive, and entry requirements are low, making it appealing to traders at all levels. While its offshore regulatory setup means less formal protection, its history in the market offers a level of trust that many newer binary brokers can’t match.
Platform and Trading Experience
Binary options trading at Alpari is done through the company’s proprietary platform, separate from its MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 systems used for forex and CFDs. The binary options platform is web-based, requiring no download. It is designed to keep the process as simple as possible: choose the asset, set the expiry time, pick “Up” or “Down,” and confirm the trade.
Expiry times for binary options at Alpari range from 30 seconds to 1 day.
Charting tools are basic, offering candlestick and line charts with a handful of indicators, so more advanced technical analysis is better done on MT4 or MT5 before executing trades on the binary options platform.
What is Fix-Contracts?
The type of product that other platforms call binary option is labeled fix-contract at the Alpari platform. They are also referred to as Alpari Options. The selection includes many different contract types, including Call/Put, Touch, and Range.
Binary Options Payouts (Alpari Fix-Contracts)
Depending on the asset and market conditions, payouts can reach up to 100%, though more commonly they sit between 70% and 90%.
Underlying Assets for Binary Options (Alpari Fix-Contracts)
Alpari offers binary options on:
- Forex (15+ pairs)
- Cryptocurrency
- Commodities, including metals
- Individual stocks
- Stock indices
The choice is narrower than some newer binary-only brokers, but the assets offered are among the most liquid.
Examples of available forex pairs
- High payouts (typically around 70%): EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY
- Medium payouts (typically around 60%): AUD/USD, EUR/JPY, GBP/JPY, NZD/USD, USD/CAD, USD/CHF
- Lower payouts (typically around 40%): AUD/JPY, EUR/AUD, EUR/CAD, EUR/GBP, GBP/AUD, GBP/CAD, GBP/CHF, NZD/JPY
Examples of available commodities
XAU/USD (speculate on the price of gold in relation to the USD)
XAG/USD (speculate on the price of gold in relation to the USD)
Deposits and Withdrawals
Alpari supports a broad range of payment methods, including bank cards, wire transfers, e-wallets like Skrill and Neteller, and in some regions, PayPal. It also accepts cryptocurrency transfers for certain accounts. Many different cryptocurrencies are supported, including BTC, ETH, LTC, XRP, BCH, USTD (TRC20), and TRX.
The minimum deposit is $5 for some funding methods, making it one of the more accessible brokers in terms of low entry requirements.
Withdrawals are processed in one to three business days for most methods, with e-wallets often being faster than bank transfers.
Regulation and Trustworthiness
Alpari was founded in Kazan, Russia, in 1998, making it one of the pioneers in the retail online trading business.
Alpari is registered and headquartered in Kingston, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. This jurisdiction is known for giving brokers and trading platforms a lot of flexibility and hardly any supervision. Still, Alparis longevity in the business makes many traders trust them.
Alpari holds licenses from various lax jurisdictions around the globe, including Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Mwali, and Mauritius. Mwali, also known as Mohéli, is one of the three main islands that make up the Union of the Comoros, a small island nation located in the Indian Ocean, between Madagascar and the African mainland.
There used to be a UK arm of Alpari, but it ceased operations after becoming insolvent as a result of the 2015 Swiss franc shock.
For a long time, Alpari was a part of the Exinity Group. Recently, Finance Magnates reported that Alpari has been quietly separating from the Exinity Group, and the brand and its operations are now managed by the new entity Parlance Trading Ltd. At the time of writing, some of Alparis public information still references Exinity or a partnership with Exinity.
Alpari Background
Alpari was founded as a small dealing center in Kazan, Russia, on December 24, 1998. Dealing center is a term commonly used in post-Soviet countries to describe a company that provides access to the foreign exchange market for individual retail traders. Just a few months before the founding of Alpari, the Russian Ruble Collapse had taken place, and Russia was struggling with serious economic problems. The crisis brought on an increased mainstream interest in currency speculation in Russia and this helped make Alpari successful.
Growing quickly, Alpari became the very first broker on the MetaTrader platform. By 2002, Alpari was offering its services in both Russian and English, working hard to not remain confined to the Russian-speaking region. Alpari UK was launched in 2004, but this branch of Alpari would later fold as a result of the 2015 Swiss franc shock.
About Parlance Trading Ltd.
In 2025, Parlance Trading Ltd. replaced “Alpari (Comoros) Ltd.” as the formal Alpari trademark owner.
The registered address for Parlance Trading Ltd is Bonovo Road, Fomboni, Island of Mohéli (Mwali), Union of the Comoros.
Registration number: HY00423015
License: An International Brokerage and Clearing House licensed by the Mwali International Services Authority (MISA). The license number is T2023236.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
- Established broker that has been active since the 1990s.
- Low minimum deposits (from $5)
- Competitive payouts, sometimes reaching 100%
- Supports multiple payment methods, including e-wallets, crypto, and in some regions PayPal
- Offers both binary options and standard forex/CFD trading under one account
Weaknesses
- Complex ownership structure that might be deliberately opaque, and licensed by jurisdictions known for not enforcing strong trader protection rules.
- Binary options asset range smaller than some dedicated binary brokers
- Charting tools on the binary platform are basic
- Ties to Russia, which means increased political risk
Why Are Traders Choosing Alpari?
Alpari appeals to traders who want the stability of a long-established broker combined with the flexibility to trade both binary options and traditional markets from the same account. With over 25 years in the industry, Alpari carries a level of brand recognition and operational experience that few binary option platforms can compete with.
Its low minimum deposit (starting at just $5 for some payment methods) makes it accessible for beginners and for those who want to start small while testing a new platform. Payout rates are competitive, sometimes reaching 100% on certain assets, giving traders strong profit potential.
For those who value payment flexibility, Alpari supports bank cards, e-wallets, cryptocurrency, and in some regions PayPal, making funding and withdrawals straightforward. Processing times are generally faster than many smaller offshore competitors, helped by the broker’s established infrastructure.
Traders who like to keep options open may also find Alpari appealing because it allows a mix of fixed-time trades (binary options) alongside more traditional speculation/trading, all within a single account. This setup makes it easier to diversify without moving funds between different brokers.
While its regulatory status means few to no formal protections for traders, Alpari´s long track record and broad client base make it a popular choice for traders who want binary options from a broker with history behind its name. Still, traders who find themselves having issues with Alpari can not expect to get much help from any of the jurisdictions to which the platform and its owner has ties, including Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Union of the Comoros.