eToro to scrap commission fees on stocks

eToro, the multi-asset investment platform, announces today that it will soon be introducing zero commission for UK customers buying or selling stocks on its platform. In a break from the status quo among UK stocks providers, no charges will be added to the raw market spread when trading stocks.

Iqbal V. Gandham, UK Managing Director at eToro said: “We’re on a mission to get Britain investing. First step, make it far more affordable. If I’m a first time investor wanting to buy a few stocks, how can you justify charging me 3% to do so? Either the new investor baulks at the outset, or is stung later down the line when they discover the cost. It’s an instant barrier to investing. So we’re making it simple – no transaction fees, no mark-up on spreads, no custody charge, and no stamp duty.”

Research by gbi2 examined the cost of buying UK, US and German-listed stocks on nine platforms including eToro. The research looked at the cost of buying stocks at three price points per company/stock: £1,000, £10,000 and £100,000. The research highlights significant disparities in the cost to buy and sell stocks with some platforms charging investors as much as double the cost to transact.

Fees for a round-trip buying and selling stocks

The numbers below reflect a total investment fee for eToro once commission free stock trading goes live.

The full research across all nine providers can be found here.

Graham Bentley, Founder of  gbi2 said: “There is so much variance in costs across the market for buying stocks. No one platform has the same fee structure and often you have to spend hours of research to understand fees. It’s a problem.”

Going commission free will make eToro one of the cheapest places to buy and sell stocks in the UK. Investors could save up to 50% on fees with eToro compared with other popular UK platforms. eToro already absorbs the cost of Stamp Duty Reserve Tax on trading British stocks and, unlike some platforms, does not charge a quarterly management or administration fee. For no fee, investors with eToro can also follow Popular Investors, who openly share their investment strategies and stock picks for others to learn from or copy.

Iqbal V. Gandham continued: “As an industry we need to get people excited about investing. Price is a great starting point but alone is not enough. We need to show people how they can invest in their passions and the brands they care about. For most investors the FTSE100 means absolutely nothing.

“We need to work harder to engage consumers and build a connection between individuals and companies. We need to bring back Sid. The 1986 campaign led to a wave of first-time shareholders in the UK. It captured the public’s attention and showed that everyone could invest. Investing should not be seen as the preserve of the wealthy or something that is too complicated for the average man on the street. We need to get Britain investing.”