ActTrader at 25: A legacy platform with the craftsmanship of a watchmaker and the energy of a startup

Khaleej Times

15-05-2025

ActTrader, which marks its silver jubilee this year is, similarly, a product of mastery. In an industry where products are known to innovate fast and obsolete even faster, Act's journey has been about refining, adapting, and enduring. Like a finely made timepiece, its stability is engineered through decades of iteration.
Invest-tech is an interesting world with a short life span where 25 years is the equivalent of almost a century of chaos when compared to traditional industries. Technologies change, regulations tighten, and entire asset classes rise and fall. For a trading platform to remain relevant for this long is a testament to engineering and institutional knowledge. ActTrader has seen platforms come and go, market cycles crash and recover, and asset classes like crypto rewire trader expectations.
Back in 1999, when online forex trading was still in its infancy, ActTrader emerged with a proposition that felt ambitious for its time: build a fully integrated trading platform that could power both front and back offices, with the flexibility to serve institutions and retail brokers alike. In 2004, long before smartphones were common in trading, ActTrader launched one of the world's first mobile trading apps - WAP-based and functional on early GPRS devices. It was a glimpse of what was to come, though the industry would take another decade to catch up.
A platform that watched generations come and go
Over the next two decades, industry watched the market explode with dozens of trading platforms - some niche, some brash, some backed by venture capital chasing speed rather than sustainability. Many of them are gone. A few consolidated. MetaTrader's rise reshaped the space, dominating retail FX for a decade-long stretch. But ActTrader never aimed to be trendy. It was built to handle scale, customization, and risk with surgical precision.
It quietly powered some of the largest brokers during their growth phases. FXCM, one of the first major brokers to go public, ran on ActTrader during its early global expansion. ActTrader was there not just for the market booms, but also the corrections, regulatory shakeups, and the industry's migration from desktop terminals to mobile-first experiences.
Then came the crypto wave. Platforms tailored to this new asset class began overtaking traditional FX systems in user interest. A generation of traders grew up on mobile-first, visually intuitive apps, often prioritizing experience over execution infrastructure. And yet, in the background, ActTrader continued to evolve.
From fintech stalwart to finvasia flagship
A major turning point came in 2021, when ActTrader was acquired by the Finvasia Group - a diversified fintech and investment banking conglomerate. Under the guidance of Tajinder Virk, a technologist with a deep understanding of both infrastructure and user psychology, ActTrader didn't just find new energy. It found direction.
The transition wasn't about reinventing ActTrader. It was about unlocking its potential with renewed ambition. Today, ActTrader powers not just forex trading, but is also being positioned as the engine behind a growing crypto exchange infrastructure and fintech applications serving brokers and institutions across continents.
"We built ActTrader with the mindset of long-term utility and resilience," says Ilya Sorokin, the platform's founder.
"It's incredibly satisfying to see it evolve under Finvasia's leadership. I truly believe ActTrader is in good and able hands - guided by a next generation fintech group that understands both the legacy and the opportunity."
The blend of deep institutional knowledge and a bold, global outlook has given ActTrader something rare: the craftsmanship of legacy with the momentum of youth.
Looking ahead with confidence
ActTrader has served millions of traders in over 100 countries, and its platform has processed over $400 trillion in transaction volume. While it has been through a lot, the platform still keeps evolving. Its recently upgraded new UI/UX is cleaner, faster, and more intuitive. Its integrations with tools like ZuluTrade bring social trading and execution together. And its all-in-one offering - spanning onboarding, execution, analytics, and risk - makes it attractive for both brokers and emerging fintech alike.
More brokers are now adopting ActTrader because it offers something scarce: a battle-tested platform with institutional DNA and modern usability. It's no longer just a stable alternative; it's a viable leader for brokers that want infrastructure, not just interface.
As fintech prepares for the next decade of transformation - from tokenization to embedded finance and AI-led advisory - ActTrader stands well-positioned to influence what comes next. Not with noise, but with depth.
Happy 25th, ActTrader. Built with precision, proven through time, and now accelerating into the future.
Disclaimer: Khaleej Times does not recommend any investment advice, financial advice, trading advice, or any other sort of advice and you should not treat any of the website's content as such. The views expressed may not reflect the newspaper's policy. Do conduct your own due diligence and consult your financial advisor before making any investment decisions.