In Forex affiliate marketing, simple tracking for affiliates is very important. IBs (introducing brokers), CPAs, and Forex hybrid partners need to know exactly where conversions originate. Additionally, they must understand how much each source contributes to the value of the conversion.

In this article, we’ll show you how to set up and run AppsFlyer for your Forex affiliate business. It’s especially relevant when used with MetaTrader 4/5 brokers and trading platforms.

You’ll also get tips on what to avoid, and sample calculations that will help you make the most money.

Why Forex Affiliates Should Care About AppsFlyer

First, let’s go through why AppsFlyer is such a good choice in this area. AppsFlyer is a well-known mobile measurement partner (MMP) that is used in many fields. It protects against fraud.

Therefore, this tool gives you real-time analytics. The tool also works with a lot of ad networks and channels.

The tool functions through AppsFlyer deep linking, in-app event postbacks, and mobile SDKs or software development kits. As such, it can track Forex apps, signal tools, mobile dashboards, and hybrid offers.

Many Forex brokers have companion mobile apps or Web-to-App funnels (for mobile onboarding, charts, and opening accounts). Thus, affiliates will want strong mobile attribution.

AppsFlyer makes it easy to keep track of installs, registrations, deposits, trades, signal subscriptions, and more, all in one place.

Getting Started: What You Need and How to Do It

Before you start setting up the technical side, make sure you have a clear plan for tracking.

Things you need to do:

• – A Forex broker (MT4/MT5) that is willing to work with AppsFlyer or support data API/postbacks
• – A mobile app or a hybrid mobile/web funnel linked to your offers
• – A developer or tech resource to add SDKs and event coding
• – An affiliate structure (IBs, CPAs, hybrid) with commission triggers (like deposits, trade volume, or subscriptions)
• – The ad traffic sources (Meta Ads, Google, TikTok, traffic networks, social) you’ll use
• – A budget attribution plan (how much you’re willing to pay per lead, deposit, or client)
  

Tip for planning:

Draw a map of your funnel before you start. For example:

Click on an ad → go to a deep link or OneLink → install or open the app → register → KYC or deposit → make your first trade or subscription → keep using it

You should track a few important in-app events, like registration, deposit, and first trade, and send them as in-app event postbacks to your affiliate or partner system.

How to Set Up Forex Affiliate Tracking in Steps

Here is a step-by-step guide to setting up AppsFlyer to make it easy for affiliates to track things in a Forex setting.

Step 1: Sign up for an AppsFlyer account and make an app record.

• – Sign in to AppsFlyer and add your mobile app (either Android, iOS, or a mix of the two).
• – Ask for the App ID (bundle ID/package name) if you already have a broker’s mobile app.
• – Make sure you can access SDK integration and event setup.

Step 2: Add the AppsFlyer SDK or server-to-server events to your app.

• – Give your development team the SDK documentation.
• – Set the important in-app events and parameters you want to keep an eye on, such as, af_registration, af_deposit, af_trade, and the amount.
• – Use the feature for in-app events.
• – Use AppsFlyer‘s server-to-server API to push server-side events, such as deposit events from the broker’s backend.

Step 3: Set up your Integrated Partners

• – In AppsFlyer, go to Configuration → Integrated Partners and look for your traffic source or affiliate platform, such as a network like ExoClick or a custom one.
• – Turn on the partner and fill out the configuration (API keys, event mapping, and attribution window).
• – Turn on in-app event postbacks. The purpose is for every partner or affiliate network to get the events they need.
• – If possible, set up cost integration so you can see ROI. Some partners accept cost data in postback parameters.

Step 4: Make attribution links or OneLink.

Use AppsFlyer to make attribution links (or OneLink for multiple platforms) with the right macros.

• – Add macros like &af_siteid={publisher_id} and &clickid={click_id}.
• – For mobile app → in-app flows, use AppsFlyer deep linking or deferred deep linking. It’s to make sure the user goes to the right place (based on whether they have the app installed.)

Step 5: Integrating Affiliates and Partners (Your Side)

• – If you run the affiliate platform, make sure to add postbacks from AppsFlyer to your partner system (IB dashboard, tracking platform).
• – Click_id or af_siteid – should match your affiliate IDs, campaign IDs, and sub IDs.
• – Keep track of revenue events, deposit amounts, trade volume, and so on.

Step 6: Start and Keep an Eye on Things

• – Start campaigns with links that let you track where they came from.
• – Keep an eye on installs, events, ROI, and signs of fraud.
• – Change campaigns, ads, and budgets as needed.

Attribution and “easy tracking for affiliates”

To make it easy for affiliates to keep track of things, you need to know how attribution works. AppsFlyer gives installs and events to clicks or impressions (based on rules and time windows.)

Depending on where your traffic comes from, you might use last-click or view-through models. Give credit to the campaign or affiliate. The more straightforward and consistent your rules are, the fewer problems you’ll have.

How to Use AppsFlyer Deep Linking in Your Affiliate Marketing

Deep linking makes sure that when someone clicks on your ad or affiliate link, they go to the exact page you want them to go to (the app page, the registration screen, or the deposit page).

Setting up deep links correctly will make things easier for users and boost conversions.

Deferred deep linking works for users who don’t have the app yet. They install it, and then the deep link “resolves” to the right screen. In Forex, this is important because going from an ad to an app to opening an account is a multi-step process.

Allowing Postbacks for In-App Events to Keep Track of Performance

You need to tell your affiliate or partner system about an event after a user registers, deposits, or makes a trade. You can set up in-app event postbacks in AppsFlyer‘s integrated partner settings to do this.

Postbacks can have macro parameters like the amount, currency, user IDs, and so on. Use them to link revenue to affiliates and figure out commissions.

How to Deal with Mobile Attribution for Affiliates in Today’s Privacy Settings

Mobile attribution for affiliates has become more difficult. It’s because of iOS ATT, changes to Android privacy, and restrictions on identifiers.

AppsFlyer works with SKAdNetwork attribution on iOS. It’s either probabilistic or deterministic matching on Android.

You should plan for fallback attribution, guardrails, and logic. It’s to ensure that affiliate commissions stay fair and long-lasting.

How to Manage Self-Reporting Networks and Reconciliations

A lot of affiliate networks are self-reporting networks (SRNs). That means they keep track of conversions on their own, not through AppsFlyer. To keep trust:

• – Look at SRN reports and AppsFlyer postbacks side by side.
• – Use click_id and timestamps to fix any differences.
• – Change how you calculate commissions (for example, only give credit if both sources agree, or use a tolerance).
• – When you can, use AppsFlyer‘s reporting as your “source of truth,” but be open to change.

Calculating Examples and Keeping Track of ROI

Let’s look at some simple examples to show how to make decisions.

Example 1: Cost-Per-Deposit model

ROI & Payout:

1. – Cost per depositing user (CPD):
   ( CPD = 2000 / 40 = $50 )
2. – Broker revenue from spread margin:
   ( 80,000 × 20% = $16,000 )
3. – Affiliate payout (30%):
   ( 16,000 × 30% = $4,800 )
4. – Net profit (before other expenses):
   ( 16,000 − 4,800 − 2,000 = $9,200 )

You can use AppsFlyer’s dashboards + your partner system to monitor each metric live.

Example 2: Using sub-IDs to scale incentives

Let’s say you have two creative ideas for campaign A:

• – Creative 1: brings in 25 users who deposit a total of $50,000
• – Creative 2: gets 15 people to deposit money, for a total of $30,000.
  

You can use sub-IDs in your af_sub_siteid macro to break up creatives and see how they do. Pick the one with a lower cost per deposit or a higher deposit per user.

Helpful Tips to Enhance Simple Tracking for Affiliates

Pro tips for better tracking and conversion:

• – Use OneLink and deep linking all the time to make mobile funnels easier to use.
• – Start with a small number of campaigns, test attribution windows, and then grow.
• – Use price floors or margin checks to get rid of bad deposits.
• – Use fraud tools like AppsFlyer Protect360 to stop fake installs or postbacks that aren’t real.
• – Use hold-back and incrementality tests to find out how much real lift there is.
• – Give IBs and affiliates a reason to drive quality, not just volume.
• – Keep an eye on the latency and retry rates of postbacks. Some networks drop events when they run out of time.
• – To avoid ad network rejections, use dedicated domain URLs (your own redirect domain).

Mistakes and Problems that Happen a Lot

• – Not mapping affiliate IDs (af_siteid, af_sub_siteid) → lost attribution
• – Not allowing in-app event postbacks for deposit and trade events never get to the partner side
• – Ad networks and AppsFlyer have different time zones or currencies.
• – Blindly trusting self-reporting networks. So, reconcile!
• – Not paying attention to install fraud or click injection
• – Deep link misconfiguration that breaks user journeys
• – Funnels that are too complicated. Each extra step makes it harder to convert

Scaling and Improving your Forex Affiliate Business

Once you have the basics of setup and tracking down, it’s time to scale up:

• – Run geo tests to find high-value markets
• – Diversify traffic sources (ad networks, social media, search engines, influencers)
• – Group users by value: some traders become VIPs, while others trade a lot
• – Use lookback windows and let users re-engage. It’s to bring back users who have stopped using the app
• – Use AppsFlyer‘s analytics to compare LTV to cost per campaign
• – Promote offers that encourage retention (like signal subscriptions and copy-trading) and send events downstream
• – Test different creatives, deep link paths, and ad copy in an A/B test.
• – Grow your affiliate and IB network. You must make sure that each one has tracking and attribution set up.
• – Check and reconcile all of your data sources (AppsFlyer, broker backend, and affiliate reporting) regularly.

Conclusion

In a Forex affiliate business, having a clean and strong attribution is imperative to earn more income. AppsFlyer makes it easy to keep track of affiliates on both mobile and web channels.

Always link back revenue events (deposits, trades) to your affiliate logic, and remember to reconcile self-reporting networks and avoid attribution leakage. Start with a small amount, test your flows, and then grow with confidence.

Ready to use AppsFlyer with your MetaTrader broker partnership? Need help setting up your affiliate tracking system? Join VT Affiliates today.