AvaTrade have kicked off their new year in phenomenal form by picking up the prestigious "Most Regulated Broker" award. This award was presented to the Forex and CFD trading firm by leading global business affairs publication, The European. The award is cited as being recognition to the platform for showing “ongoing commitment to customer confidence and satisfaction”. [cta text='Visit AvaTrade' href='/out/avatrade'] However, of course, as the name of the award suggests, it is a recognition of the platform as being highly regulated, which in turn provides users with unique benefits in terms of trust and reliability. What was it that exactly made AvaTrade stand out from the pack of other similar brokers in this field? Award Criteria There are three specific criteria which this award from The European refers to. These are security, fair and transparent pricing, and conflict resolution. AvaTrade has unique features on its service by which they adhere to these three criteria and have excelled in their field in regards to them. In terms of security, the way that AvaTrade makes themselves stand out from the pack is that alongside ensuring all client funds are stored at a top tier bank with segregated accounts - which ensures the safety and easy access of their funds - they are also a member of Ireland’s Investor Compensation Fund (ICF). As a result of this, alongside ensuring that they meet industry standards in terms of storing funds, they also ensure clients compensation of €20,000 if these financial obligations are not met. While it is unlikely this will ever be a problem, it still ensures belt and braces security. Moving on to the next filed which AvaTrade have not only adhered to but surpassed is their pricing mechanisms. First and foremost, this means that they are not manipulating any prices that you find on their platform. Thus, what you see is what you get when you use their platform. In regards to this, they adhere to the strict pricing guidelines that regulatory agencies have laid out for them. They then also adhered to these agencies to ensure that their price feeds are always transparent. As such, further providing you with peace of mind that when you trade on their platform that there has been no tampering with prices and you are getting a fair and accurate deal. While this may sound like a given, at some less regulated platforms this may not be the norm. This can, therefore, drastically affect your profit margin, not to mention, the fact it underlines a lack of reliability at the platform in question. Something that this award ensures is not a concern at AvaTrade. This brings us on to the third and final element of the regulation that AveTrade guarantee. This is that while they do not want conflicts between trader and broker, if they for any reason do occur, AvaTrade ensure that they are well handled and do not escalate. They ensure this by appointing a third-party agency to investigate and protect the investors' interests. This means that is a conflict does a arise, the client will be assured a fair and just resolution. What This Means For AvaTrade As per the giving of this award, all these top qualities as a regulated broker has been guaranteed to be in place at AvaTrade, ensuring that you are provided service you can absolutely trust. If you want to learn more about AvaTrade you can read our review here, or head to their site directly here. Alternatively, if you want to learn more about CFD trading, you can read our ultimate guide here or find out our 10 top tips for conducting such trades here.