Trading 212 — where it wins, where it loses
Trading 212 wins on regulatory reach. It loses on published spread. Its cost per ten lots is not confirmed, so it is left out of the cost ordering rather than estimated.
Column by column
The split
Two lists, no averaging. A broker that takes a column outright appears on the left of it; one that gets beaten on a column appears on the right. Nothing is scored into a single number, because a single number hides which side you actually care about.
Wins on
- regulatory reach
Loses on
- published spread
Cost per 10 lots is the EUR/USD spread cost of ten round-turn standard lots at the figure above, commission excluded. Where a broker publishes a "from" spread rather than an average, the comparison inherits that limitation — see the unconfirmed list further down.
Licensing
Which entity, which regulator, which number
Tier decides how much weight a licence carries in any safety column. Each row links to the page it was read from.
| Regulator | Number | Jurisdiction | Tier | Entity | Read from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FCA | 609146 | UK | Tier 1 | Trading 212 UK Ltd | register.fca.org.uk |
| CySEC | 398/21 | Cyprus | Tier 2 | Trading 212 Markets Ltd | cysec.gov.cy |
| ASIC | AFSL 541122 | Australia | Tier 1 | Trading 212 AU Pty Ltd | search-afsl.com |
| BaFin | 10109603 | Germany | Tier 1 | Trading 212 EU GmbH | trading212.com |
| Financial Supervision Commission (Bulgaria) | RG-03-0237 | Bulgaria | Tier 2 | Trading 212 Ltd (Bulgaria) | trading212.com |
Checkable
Facts the comparison runs on
On the record
- Trading 212 was founded in Sofia, Bulgaria in 2004 and is headquartered in London.
- Trading 212 UK Ltd is authorised and regulated by the FCA under firm reference number 609146.
- Trading 212 Markets Ltd holds CySEC licence number 398/21, dated 1 March 2021.
- Trading 212 offers commission-free share and ETF investing alongside a separate CFD account.
- Trading 212's own imprint lists five regulated group entities: Trading 212 UK Ltd (FCA 609146), Trading 212 Markets Ltd (CySEC 398/21), Trading 212 EU GmbH (BaFin licence 10109603), Trading 212 AU Pty Ltd (AFSL 541122) and Trading 212 Ltd (Bulgaria FSC RG-03-0237) (https://www.trading212.com/imprint).
- Trading 212's own community announcement states it began onboarding new German clients through FXFlat Bank GmbH, a BaFin-licensed broker that Trading 212 acquired, with German depositor protection of up to EUR 100,000 (EdB) and investor compensation up to EUR 20,000 (EdW) (https://community.trading212.com/t/big-news-for-german-residents/80734).
- The FCA published a warning about a clone firm 'TRADING212' using the website thetrading212.com, stating the clone is not authorised and has no association with the genuine Trading 212 UK Limited (FRN 609146) (https://www.fca.org.uk/news/warnings/trading212-clone-authorised-firm).
| Trading since | 2004 |
|---|---|
| Base | London, UK |
| Minimum to open | $1 |
| Leverage cap | 1:30 (UK/EU retail) |
| EUR/USD | not verified |
| Terminals | Trading 212 proprietary web platform, Mobile apps |
| Account tiers | Invest, Stocks and Shares ISA, CFD, Cash ISA (UK) |
| Markets | Forex, Indices, Commodities, Shares, ETFs |
| Record confidence | medium |
| Matchup-ready | no — too many gaps to run a fair head-to-head |
Excluded from the maths
Not verified
Not verified
These fields are not confirmed. They are shown as gaps, not filled in, and they do not feed any column of the matrix:
- spreadEurusd — third-party measurements vary widely (roughly 1.5 to 2.7 pips) and Trading 212 does not publish a typical average
- Minimum deposit (Trading 212 markets a £1 minimum for Invest/pies; CFD minimum may differ)
- public listing status
- whether Trading 212 EU GmbH is FXFlat Bank GmbH renamed — the imprint does not state a rename; the community announcement names FXFlat Bank GmbH as the acquired BaFin-licensed broker onboarding German clients
Costs less
Who beats Trading 212 on price
Tickmill
$10.00 per 10 lots · wins on headline spread, platform choice
Eightcap
$10.00 per 10 lots · wins on regulatory reach
JustMarkets
$30.00 per 10 lots · wins on headline spread
CMC Markets
$50.00 per 10 lots · wins on headline spread, no minimum deposit, regulatory reach, platform choice
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 74% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money. Verify every figure with the broker before opening an account.