CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Excess volatility increases risk further. Be cautious. Past performance is not an indication of future results.
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Find your screen, read that section

Questions filed by the screen that shows the problem (South Africa)

Almost every beginner question is being asked in front of one particular screen, even when it is phrased in general terms. Filing the answers by screen means five sections out of six can be skipped and the remaining one describes what is actually in front of you.

Six screens cover it. Your own bank statement. The transaction entry that records a payment being carried. The platform lines that count what is on the account. The position view while a trade is open. The profile settings where documents and passwords live. And the sixth, which is not a screen at all: a message that arrived unasked.

In front of your own bank statement

How much should I move across?

No page can name the figure. The test that works is whether the amount disappearing completely would change next month. Rent, food and money owed elsewhere fail it by definition.

Is the minimum shown at sign-up a suggestion?

It states what will be accepted for that account type and payment option, and nothing more.

Is anything at stake while the money is still here?

Nothing. A trade can only reach what is on the account, so money on this side of the crossing is out of its reach entirely.

What should I settle before sending anything?

The account currency, because it is fixed when the account is created, and the identity check, because it is the gate money has to pass to come back out.

In front of a transaction entry

It left my bank and the balance has not moved. Where is it?

With the payment provider carrying it. The transaction entry in the account area, with its own reference, is the record for that leg.

Why will the credited amount differ from what I sent?

A payment in rand into an account held in another currency is converted into that currency by the provider on the way in.

Where can money travelling back out be sent?

Along the road it came in on: up to the amount deposited it returns to the original method, and anything above that is paid out separately.

What is worth writing down while it travels?

The amount and currency as typed, the timestamp on the confirmation, the reference, and which account it was headed for.

In front of the platform money lines

Which figure is my actual money?

Balance is what is settled. Free margin is the part of it not being held. Equity includes floating results and is not settled at all.

Which currency is everything counted in?

The account's own, chosen on the creation screen when the account was opened and fixed from then on.

Does an idle balance cost anything?

There is no inactivity fee, so an account can sit unused without charges accumulating.

Can I hold several accounts in different currencies?

Yes — up to 100 MT4 and 100 MT5 accounts, 200 in total, under one login and one identity file.

In front of an open position

Part of my balance disappeared when I opened a trade. Where did it go?

Into used margin: still your money, on the same account, locked while the position is open and released when it closes.

The floating figure is negative. Have I lost it?

Not until the position closes. Closing is what turns a floating result into a settled figure on the balance.

A small amount was charged overnight. What was it?

The swap for carrying a position past the daily rollover, stated on the ticket before the trade was confirmed.

Can a position leave me owing money?

Clients never lose more than they've deposited, so the account does not travel past zero. Losing the amount deposited stays possible.

In front of the profile settings

What is verification actually establishing?

Which person the account belongs to. Everything else — whose payments it accepts, who a desk may talk to — follows from that one answer.

How long does the check take?

Registration is a few minutes; identity verification is usually approved within about 24 hours.

My document came back. Was I refused?

Usually the image or a spelling could not be read. Cut corners, glare, an expired date and a name that does not match the form cover most repeat attempts.

Does a second trading account need a second check?

No. The file belongs to the profile, so one accepted document covers the accounts opened under it.

Can a relative fund the account for me?

Money is expected to move between you and your own account. A payment in another name is a mismatch between the two ends of one movement.

In front of a message that arrived unasked

Which documents does verification ask for?

A government-issued photo ID — passport, national ID or driver's licence — and a proof of residential address.

Why does the platform reject my website password?

There are two passwords. The account area has one; each trading account carries its own platform password.

How do I add a second factor to sign-in?

Settings → Security settings → 2-step Verification, using an authenticator app, email or SMS. A lost device is not final — the security type can be reset to email.

Who is allowed to contact me about my account?

Support, from inside the account area. Exness does not contact clients through Telegram, WhatsApp or Facebook to ask for a password or to request that funds be sent to an address.

Are there bonuses or promotional codes?

Exness does not offer account-opening bonuses or promotional codes.

Does this site have any access to my account?

None whatsoever. It is an independent guide that opens nothing, holds nothing and sees no balance. More about that

Someone sent me a screenshot of a balance as proof. Does it mean anything?

Nothing about an account. A practice balance starts at $10,000 in virtual funds and can be reset at will from the Set Balance option, so an impressive picture costs nothing to make.

Can I let an experienced person trade for me if I keep the account?

Handing over a sign-in hands over everything the identity check was built to protect. The account is held in one verified name, and access is not divisible.

Which channel should a document problem go to?

Email or a support ticket, because documents need attachments and a written trail. Live chat suits shorter account questions.

Is there any deadline anywhere in this?

No. Opening an account is free, a practice account is free, an idle account carries no inactivity fee, and there are no promotions attached to moving faster.

An independent guide: it answers about screens, never about your particular account. CFDs are complex products. Trading is risky and may not be suitable for everyone.

Stops 3 and 4 can be watched for free.

A practice account shows the same balance and margin lines with virtual money behind them. The button goes through a partner link to the official exness.com website.

Open a free demo at Exness