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The comparison reads the same evidence fields used by broker profiles, so users can scan scores, regulation, costs, platforms, withdrawals, and caveats side by side.
Broker 1
Broker 2
| VS field |  |  |
|---|---|---|
Decision summary | ||
| Overall score | 84 | 91 |
| Trust score | 94 | 100 |
| Cost score | 78 | 92 |
| Platform score | 86 | 92 |
| Withdrawal score | 79 | 89 |
| Best for | Canadian residents · Existing RBC banking clients · Long-term investors using registered accounts | European self-directed investors seeking low-cost access to stocks and ETFs · Investors who prefer web/mobile platforms and exchange-traded products |
| Watch out | Needs verification | Needs verification |
Trust & regulation | ||
| Regulators | Member of the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO). Source | Primarily supervised by BaFin and Bundesbank in Germany; Dutch branch registered with DNB and supervised by AFM and DNB. Source |
| License numbers | Specific registration or license numbers were not disclosed on the reviewed official pages. Source | Financial licence number not disclosed in reviewed official sources. Commercial registrations found: flatexDEGIRO Bank SE HRB 141330 on flatexDEGIRO Bank SE imprint; DEGIRO UK footer states HRB 105687; Dutch Branch KvK 82510245. Source |
| Regulated entities | RBC Direct Investing Inc. is the Canadian regulated entity and CIPF member. Source | DEGIRO is operated by flatexDEGIRO Bank Dutch Branch, a branch of flatexDEGIRO Bank SE; flatexDEGIRO Bank SE is a licensed German bank headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. Source |
| Negative balance protection | No negative balance protection disclosed; margin borrower remains responsible to repay the loan and interest even if securities decline. Source | No negative balance protection found. Official account-profile page warns losses can exceed deposit and result in a negative Balance for derivatives, margin and short-selling services; margin profiles are legacy-only. Source |
| Investor compensation | Member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF). Source | Cash in flatexDEGIRO Bank SE Cash Account protected up to €100,000 per customer under German Deposit Guarantee Scheme; investor compensation covers up to 90% of non-returned assets, max €20,000 per customer; UK FSCS does not apply. Source |
| Restricted countries | Non-residents of Canada should not access RBC Direct Investing automated services; offers are not solicitations outside Canada including the United States. Source | Available via listed country selector in Europe/UK; US persons are not accepted; UK onboarding for new clients was temporarily unavailable on the reviewed UK page. Source |
Costs & account conditions | ||
| Minimum deposit | No minimum to open; GoSmart page states no minimum investment and comparison page states opening an account is free. Source | No fixed minimum deposit identified; DEGIRO homepage says users can add any amount of money to the account for free. Bank-account verification search result states minimum EUR 0.01 for linking a new bank account. Source |
| Spread from | Not applicable: RBC Direct Investing is not a CFD/forex spread broker; equity/fixed-income pricing is commission/quote based. Source | Not a quoted-spread CFD/FX broker field. DEGIRO discloses that bid-ask spreads are implicit market costs and not direct broker costs. Source |
| Commission | Commission schedule varies by asset and account type; key online/mobile stock/ETF commission is $9.95 standard. Source | Examples from UK fee page: US stocks €1 + €1 handling; LSE £1.75 + £1 handling; selected ETFs €0 + €1 handling; global ETFs €2 + €1 handling; options €0.75 commission. Currency, connectivity, external product and spread costs may apply. Source |
| Maximum leverage | Maximum leverage is not stated as a fixed ratio; margin loan value varies by security and market value. Source | DEGIRO currently does not allow new changes to margin-trading profiles; legacy Active/Trader/Day Trader accounts may have Debit Money / derivatives risk but maximum leverage was not disclosed in reviewed sources. Source |
| Deposit fee | RBC states it does not charge a fee to transfer in an account; other institutions may charge. Source | No deposit fee disclosed on UK fee page and homepage; deposits listed as FEE €0 / no deposit-withdrawal fees. Source |
| Withdrawal fee | Registered and transfer fees vary: TFSA/FHSA $0, HBP/LLP $25, RSP $50, wire $45, cheque $10, transfer out $150. Source | No withdrawal fee disclosed on UK fee page and homepage; withdrawals listed as FEE €0 / no deposit-withdrawal fees. Source |
| Inactivity fee | No inactivity fee found on reviewed official pricing and FAQ pages; RBC discloses $0 account maintenance fee but not a separate inactivity fee. Source | No inactivity fee; UK fee page lists inactivity fee as €0. Source |
Markets, platforms & payments | ||
| Tradable assets | Stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, options, GICs, bonds and other fixed income, IPOs, gold and silver certificates. Source | Shares, ETFs, bonds and derivatives such as options and futures; DEGIRO product pages also describe investment funds availability. Source |
| Trading platforms | Online Investing platform, RBC Mobile app and Trading Dashboard. Source | DEGIRO provides a web/desktop trading platform (Webtrader) and mobile apps for iOS and Android. Source |
| Account types | GoSmart supports TFSA/FHSA/RRSP; full-suite supports registered, non-registered, business and more account types. Source | DEGIRO account/profile types include Basic, Active, Trader, Day Trader and Custody. Active, Trader and Day Trader are legacy-only and new margin profiles are no longer available. Source |
| Deposit methods | RBC transfers, bill pay from other financial institutions, in-kind transfers, PAC, Avion points and mobile app funding. Source | Manual bank transfer from a verified linked/reference bank account; deposits must use the account base currency. Source |
| Withdrawal methods | Transfers to RBC bank accounts, automatic funds transfer to Canadian financial institutions, wires, cheques and registered plan withdrawals. Source | Withdrawals go back to the primary registered/linked bank account; only uninvested cash in the Cash Account can be withdrawn. Source |
| Withdrawal processing time | RBC transfers out are real-time during business hours, otherwise next business day; locked-in/RRIF/RESP excluded from that statement. Source | Withdrawals may take up to 2-4 working days; transfers can take up to 2-3 working days to complete. Source |
BrokerVS provides broker comparison research only. Scores and evidence can vary by country, account type, and legal entity; users should verify source links before opening an account.