Best Brokers for EU Residents (2026)
An EU-resident investor in 2026 has more good options than at any previous point. The right pick depends on what you actually trade — and how much of the plumbing you want to see.
The main options
Interactive Brokers Ireland: 150+ markets, 30+ currencies, options, futures, bonds, FX. Best in class on pricing for portfolios above ~€25,000 and on product breadth for everyone. Steep learning curve; Client Portal is much easier than TWS for casual users.
DEGIRO (flatexDEGIRO Bank Nederland): a curated set of mainstream equity, ETF and bond markets at €1 flat plus small venue costs. Free-ETF list covers most core buy-and-hold portfolios.
Trade Republic: €1 flat, savings plans on 2,500+ ETFs and 1,000+ stocks, 2% cash interest on the euro balance, LS Exchange routing. Simplest of the five.
Scalable Capital: two tiers — pay-as-you-go (€0.99/trade) or Prime+ (€4.99/month unlimited). Broad ETF savings plans and access to Xetra as well as gettex. Good for cost-conscious users who prefer Xetra pricing to LS Exchange.
Saxo Bank: A/S-licensed Danish investment bank with full product breadth similar to IB but more polished UI. Pricing is higher (0.08%/trade equity min €3 in most markets) but positioned at the affluent-retail segment.
How to choose
If you only buy 3–6 ETFs on autopilot: Trade Republic or Scalable Capital. Zero setup friction, savings plans do the rest.
If you actively trade EU/US equities across a moderate range of markets: DEGIRO or Interactive Brokers. IB wins on cost above €25,000 of AUM; DEGIRO wins on simplicity below that.
If you need options, futures, or multi-currency margin: Interactive Brokers, no close second at retail prices.
If you want a Danish or German bank's UI polish and can accept higher commissions: Saxo Bank.
If you already have a domestic bank relationship you value (Fineco, Comdirect, DKB, ING): the domestic brokerage arm is fine for buy-and-hold at slightly higher fees.
Safety, custody and tax reporting
All five brokers separate client securities from broker balance-sheet assets via nominee or SPV structures. In a broker failure, securities are transferable to another broker; cash balances up to €20,000 (Ireland) or €100,000 (Germany, Denmark, Netherlands) are covered by the local scheme.
Trade Republic, DEGIRO/flatex and Scalable Capital are German- or Dutch-licensed and issue country-specific tax reports for German residents. For non-German residents, the annual MiFID statement is enough to file at home.
Interactive Brokers Ireland issues an EU-tailored annual statement plus a US Form 1042-S for US-source dividend withholding. Saxo Bank issues Danish and per-country tax summaries.
All EU brokers exchange information under CRS/DAC2. Assume full transparency and file your annual return with the data they provide.
Frequently asked questions
- There is no single best — Trade Republic and Scalable for simple ETF investing, DEGIRO for mainstream buy-and-hold, Interactive Brokers for advanced or multi-asset, Saxo for affluent-retail.
Related on Banks.eu
Informational purpose only. Rates and product terms change frequently — always verify with the issuing institution before opening an account. Some links may be affiliate or partner links and never influence editorial rankings.
