Connecting Your Account

Connecting your broker account to Arconomy takes just a few minutes. Once connected, Arconomy can execute trades, monitor positions, and manage your strategy deployments automatically. This guide walks you through the entire process step by step.

Before You Begin

Before starting the connection process, make sure you have the following:

• An active Arconomy account on the Paper Trading plan or higher. The Free plan does not include broker connectivity. See Plans & Pricing for details.
• A broker account with one of our supported brokers. If you do not have one yet, you will need to sign up directly with the broker first.
• Your broker login credentials — specifically the account number, password, and server name for your trading account (not your broker's web portal login).

Step-by-Step Connection Guide

Follow these steps to connect your broker account to Arconomy.

Step 1: Open the Broker Connections Page

Log in to your Arconomy dashboard and navigate to Settings > Broker Connections from the main navigation menu. You can also access this page by clicking the broker icon in the left sidebar.

Step 2: Select Your Broker

Click the Add Connection button at the top of the page. You will see a list of all supported brokers. Select the broker you want to connect. Each broker tile shows the available platforms (MT4, MT5, cTrader) so you can confirm your platform is supported before proceeding.

Step 3: Choose Your Platform

After selecting your broker, choose the trading platform your account uses. If your broker supports multiple platforms, select the one that matches your specific trading account. For example, if you opened an IC Markets account on the cTrader platform, select cTrader rather than MT4 or MT5.

Step 4: Enter Your Credentials

Enter the following credentials for your trading account:

Step 5: Verify the Connection

Click Connect Account to initiate the connection. Arconomy will attempt to authenticate with your broker's trading server using the credentials you provided. This typically takes between 5 and 15 seconds. Once the connection is established, you will see:

• A green "Connected" status indicator next to your account
• Your account balance and equity displayed
• The server name and account type confirmed
• A list of available instruments on that account

Step 6: Configure Account Preferences

After connecting, you can optionally configure the following preferences for this account:

• Default lot size: Set a default position size for strategies deployed to this account.
• Maximum open positions: Limit the number of simultaneous open positions allowed.
• Trading hours: Restrict the hours during which Arconomy can place trades.
• Notifications: Choose which events (fills, errors, disconnections) trigger email or push notifications.

How Your Credentials Are Stored

Security is a top priority at Arconomy. We implement multiple layers of protection to ensure your broker credentials remain safe.

Here is how we protect your credentials at each stage:

• In transit: All data sent between your browser and Arconomy's servers is encrypted using TLS 1.3. Your credentials never travel over an unencrypted connection.
• At rest: Credentials are encrypted using AES-256 before being stored in our database. The encryption keys are managed through a dedicated key management service and are rotated regularly.
• In memory: When Arconomy connects to your broker, your credentials are decrypted only in the memory of the connection service. They are never written to disk in plain text and are cleared from memory when the connection session ends.
• Access control: Only the connection service has access to the decryption keys. No Arconomy staff member can view your trading account password.

You can revoke access at any time by disconnecting your account from the Broker Connections page. When you disconnect, your stored credentials are permanently deleted from our systems.

Connecting via cTrader

The connection process for cTrader accounts differs slightly from MT4/MT5 because cTrader uses the Open API protocol with OAuth authentication. Instead of entering a password directly, you will authorise Arconomy through the cTrader authentication flow.

1. Select your broker and choose cTrader as the platform.
2. Click Authorise with cTrader. This will open a new window to the cTrader ID login page.
3. Log in with your cTrader ID credentials (your cTrader email and password).
4. Review the permissions Arconomy is requesting and click Allow.
5. You will be redirected back to Arconomy, and your cTrader account will appear in the connections list.

The OAuth token is stored securely and does not expire unless you manually revoke it from your cTrader ID settings. You do not need to re-authorise unless you revoke access or change your cTrader ID password.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

If you encounter problems connecting your broker account, consult the following list of common issues and their solutions.

Invalid Credentials

Symptom: You see an "Invalid credentials" or "Authentication failed" error after clicking Connect Account.

Causes and solutions:

• Wrong password type: Make sure you are using the trading account password, not your broker's web portal password. These are different credentials.
• Investor password: If you are using the investor (read-only) password, the connection will succeed but Arconomy will not be able to place trades. Use the master password instead.
• Password changed: If you recently changed your trading password, make sure you are using the new password. You may need to update the stored credentials in Arconomy.
• Account number format: Some brokers use numeric-only account numbers while others include a prefix. Enter the account number exactly as provided by your broker.

Wrong Server Selected

Symptom: You see a "Server not found" or "Connection timeout" error.

Causes and solutions:

• Demo vs live server: Demo and live accounts use different servers. Make sure you select the server that matches your account type. Demo servers typically include "Demo" in the name (e.g., ICMarkets-Demo).
• Server migration: Brokers occasionally migrate accounts to new servers. Check your broker's latest communications for any server changes.
• Regional servers: Some brokers have region-specific servers. Ensure you select the server for your account's region.

Connection Drops Frequently

Symptom: Your account connects successfully but the status frequently changes to "Disconnected" or "Reconnecting".

Causes and solutions:

• Broker server maintenance: Brokers perform regular maintenance, typically on weekends or during low-volume hours. Brief disconnections during these windows are normal.
• Multiple logins: If you are logged into the same trading account from another platform (e.g., the MT4 desktop application), the broker may terminate one of the sessions. Use a dedicated account for Arconomy, or close the other connection.
• Password expiry: Some brokers enforce periodic password changes. If your password has expired, the connection will fail on the next reconnection attempt. Update your credentials in Arconomy.

Account Not Appearing After Connection

Symptom: The connection process completes without error but the account does not appear in your connections list.

Causes and solutions:

• Browser cache: Try refreshing the page or clearing your browser cache. The account may have connected but the UI has not updated.
• Plan limitations: Your current plan may have a limit on the number of connected accounts. Check Plans & Pricing to confirm your account connection limit.
• Contact support: If the issue persists, reach out through the contact page with your account details and a description of the problem.

Updating Your Credentials

If you need to update the stored credentials for a connected account (for example, after changing your trading password), follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Settings > Broker Connections.
2. Find the account you want to update and click the gear icon next to it.
3. Click Update Credentials.
4. Enter your new password and click Save.
5. Arconomy will verify the new credentials by reconnecting to your broker.

Any deployed strategies on the account will automatically resume once the new credentials are verified and the connection is re-established.

Disconnecting an Account

To disconnect a broker account from Arconomy:

1. Navigate to Settings > Broker Connections.
2. Find the account you want to disconnect and click the gear icon.
3. Click Disconnect Account.
4. Confirm the disconnection in the dialog that appears.