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Trading 212 is fully regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), for trading a wide range of financial instruments in a CFD format, including currency pairs, commodities, stocks, and indices. This powerful mobile trading solution is available in an easy-to-download app, for Android and iOS users. It touts itself as a hassle-free solution for all your trading requirements. Among others, clients have access to improved margins as professional traders, long position swaps, and short position swaps.
Overview/Background
Trading 212 is a London-based fintech enterprise. The company was created to democratize the financial markets with easy-to-use trading apps allowing clients to trade forex pairs, equities, commodities, and indices. The company is headquartered in London, England, with zero commission stock trading options available in the United Kingdom, and across Europe.
To date, the apps boast an estimated 15 million+ downloads by 180,000+ clients, rendering it a top selection among traders. In 2016, Trading 212 was rated the #1 trading application in the United Kingdom, and in 2017 it was rated the #1 trading application in Germany.
This broker is fully regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (#609146) to offer a wide range of CFD trading services to clients. The company is registered and authorized in England and Wales, and Bulgaria by the Financial Supervision Commission (#RG-03-0237). The integrity of client accounts is safeguarded at all times, thanks to stringent security controls and strict compliance. Additionally, segregated bank accounts are standard. Traders are protected by way of Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) frameworks against loss, up to £85,000. In Bulgaria, client funds are protected up to 90%, but with limits at €20,000. Clients will be compensated in the event of misconduct, or mismanagement by the company.
Account Types
Trading 212 features multiple types of accounts, based on where you are physically located. In the United Kingdom, there are 3 types of accounts available with Trading 212, including:
Trading 212 CFD
Trading 212 CFD is ideally suited to forex traders, commodities traders, stocks traders, and indices traders. Be advised that this account allows CFD trading in financial instruments, not actual ownership of the underlying assets. As far as forex trades go, you have access to a wide range of major, minor, and exotic currency pairs.
Margin retail clients (5%) have higher margin requirements than margin professional clients (1% or less). Other options include long position and short position swaps. The forex trading markets are typically available from midnight to midnight during market hours, from 9:01 PM on Sundays until 8:59 PM on Fridays, GMT time.
Currency pairs available to traders include the likes of AUD/CAD, AUD/CHF, AUD/DKK, AUD/GBP, AUD/JPY, AUD/PLN, AUD/USD, AUD/ZAR, BGN/DKK, BGN/RUB, CAD/AUD, CAD/CHF, CAD/DKK, CAD/NOK, CAD/SEK, CHF/CAD, DKK/GBP, EUR/AUD, EUR/CAD, EUR/GBP, EUR/ILS, EUR/NZD, EUR/USD, GBP/CAD, GBP/DKK, GBP/JPY, GBP/SEK, GBP/ZAR, HKD/JPY, NZD/CAD, USD/CAD, USD/GBP, USD/HKD, USD/JPY, and others.
Depending on the liquidity, volume, and popularity of the currency pairs, spreads will differ.
Trading 212 Invest
Trading 212 Invest is designed for traders who would like to invest in fractional shares, from as little as £1. This account type allows anyone to own top-tier expensive shares like Amazon, Google, Apple, and others with minimal investment capital. There are some 10,000+ stocks available to clients using the Trading 212 Invest account.
Trades are instantly executed at all the top exchanges, including the NASDAQ, New York Stock Exchange, DAX 30, and LSE. These particular markets offer stocks and exchange-traded funds, with £0 commissions. Other exchanges are available, including Bolsa de Madrid, the SIX Swiss Exchange, and the Euronext Amsterdam for stocks, but no ETFs. A full spread of stocks is provided for traders.
Trading 212 ISA
The Trading 212 ISA account includes popular shares such as Barclays plc, Vodafone Group plc, BMW, Deutsche Bank, Tesla, Lloyds Banking Group plc, and many others. With this account option, clients can trade minimal quantities on the exchanges, during market hours. This tax-free, zero commission ISA account is best suited to stock traders.
Trading Platform/ Software
Trading 212 is a world-class online broker with multiple financial instruments available for trading purposes. As a forex trader, you can dabble in CFD trading with hundreds of major, minor, and exotic currency pairs. The trading accounts feature a zero-commission system, and the app is internationally renowned. There are mobile and desktop trading platforms available, with the same username/password combination to access both. Fortunately, you can practice trading in demo mode, with a demo account, or trade for real.
The website trading platforms are available in multiple languages, including Arabic, English, Dutch, Italian, German, French, Polish, Spanish, Russian, Romanian, and Chinese. With the desktop trading platform, you can access all the financial instruments on the sidebar. You can also set a personalized watchlist of assets to trade. The dashboard is easy to use and features a position manager, as well as a trading chart in the middle of the screen. On mobile devices – Android and iOS – traders use sliders to move between different asset categories. You can easily scroll through products and make your trading selections. Your available balance is represented in the top bar, and you can seamlessly switch between account types. Luckily, the mobile trading application is filled with features, and you can view trading statistics in a live trading window. Various trading tools and resources are provided such as technical analysis tools (RSI, Bollinger Bands, MA, EMA, Ichimoku Cloud, Elliot Waves, etcetera).
The feature-rich trading platforms and proprietary trading software certainly make it easy, convenient, and educational to trade financial instruments. Some of the financial benefits of the trading platform include zero commission investing, and zero-fee stocks and shares ISA.
Deposit Options
The minimum deposit amount is €1/£1/$1for Invest/ISA accounts. These deposits can be made with debit cards or credit cards, ApplePay, Google Pay, bank transfers, instant bank transfers, Skrill, DotPay, GiroPay, Carte Bleue, Direct eBanking, PayPal, and iDEAL. Fees of 0.7% are applicable when funding accounts once the £2000 threshold is exceeded, via credit cards and debit cards, ApplePay, Google Pay, iDeal, Sofort, DotPay, and GiroPay.
When your account balance is below £2000, there are no fees. Instant bank transfers and bank transfers are free of charge. This broker does not currently accept cash payments made to the company’s bank account. PayPal can only be used with CFD trading, and not with any of the other account options. It generally takes around 10 minutes for funds to be transferred to your client with debit cards and credit cards. Bank wire transfers may take longer than normal when increased trading volumes are taking place.
Markets
Various markets are available, including the following trading instruments:
Forex – AUD/CAD, AUD/CHF, AUD/DKK, AUD/GBP, AUD/JPY, AUD/PLN, AUD/USD, AUD/ZAR, BGN/DKK, BGN/RUB, CAD/AUD, CAD/CHF, CAD/DKK, CAD/NOK, CAD/SEK, CHF/CAD, DKK/GBP, EUR/AUD, EUR/CAD, EUR/GBP, EUR/ILS, EUR/NZD, EUR/USD, GBP/CAD, GBP/DKK, GBP/JPY, GBP/SEK, GBP/ZAR, HKD/JPY, NZD/CAD, USD/CAD, USD/GBP, USD/HKD, USD/JPY, etc.
Commodities – cheese, wheat, milk, cocoa, coffee, copper, corn, cotton, crude oil, feeder cattle, gasoline, gold, heating oil, lean hogs, live cattle, natural gas, oats, Brent crude oil, palladium, silver, soybeans, and sugar.
Indices – Dollar Index, iShares MSCI (Norway, Israel, Finland, Denmark, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Mexico, Brazil), DAX 30, CAC 40, FTSE 100, NASDAQ, SPX 500, and dozens more.
Stocks – Bank of East Asia Ltd, China Overseas, AIA Group Ltd, Japan Tobacco Inc, Hitachi, Sony Corporation, Kyocera Corporation, Honda Motor Co Ltd, Canon Inc, Nintendo, 888 Holdings plc, Anglo American plc, Apple Inc, Google Inc, Facebook, Tesla, and thousands of others.
To get started with these financial instruments across markets, you can simply download the Trading 212 app at the App Store, or the Google Play Store. Next, pick your preferred account, fund your account, and start trading.
Bonuses
From time to time, promotional codes may be offered to traders and prospective traders at Trading 212. With a Promo Code, clients may qualify for a complimentary share valued at up to £100/$100/€100 after meeting the qualifying requirements. The qualifying requirements clearly state the rules in effect with all bonuses and promotional offers. Other bonuses include friend referral bonuses. [https://www.Trading 212.com/en/Invite-a-Friend-Terms]
Customer Support
Customer support representatives can easily be reached at Trading 212. While multiple languages are supported on the trading platform, customer support is only available in English. You can contact the Trading 212 support team by using the online contact form. The customer support team is available 24/7 and they will respond to questions, comments, or complaints in short order. The Submit a Request form requires your email, category, subject, and description. You can attach documents, screenshots, or files if necessary.
Perhaps the most useful way to get assistance is through the Trading 212 Help Centre page. Information is provided on a wide range of topics including invest, ISA, CFD, announcements, and Autoinvest. The FAQ section is a quick-search option for sourcing all manner of information. This includes account-related topics, corporate events, trading, trust and regulation, taxes, Brexit-related issues, friend referral bonuses, account security, and promotional codes. Each of these topics is addressed in detail, with multiple blog posts, and didactic information provided. Support is certainly on the ball.
Safety
Account security is a top priority at Trading 212. Fortunately, this brokerage uses two-factor authentication (2-FA) protocols. This additional layer of security on your account is designed to safeguard your trading activity, funds, and personal information against hackers. You won’t be required to just enter your username/password combination; you will need to authenticate your identity with an authentication code. Download and install Google Authenticator, or even Authy to implement 2-FA. Other than that, there are strict security protocols in effect, such as SSL encryption, account verification, username/password combinations, and ID validation. All of this is designed to make it much more secure for you to trade, invest, and transfer funds online.
Ease of Use
For the most part, it’s smooth sailing with Trading 212. Forex traders should have no problems navigating between different categories, financial instruments, or platforms. The trading platform itself is easy to use, with detailed chart options readily available. With 3 unique account types available, you can pick the option that is best for you, with relative ease. As a forex trader, you will be trading CFDs with major, minor, and exotic pairs. This is easily done online at Trading 212. Your level of experience with forex trading will determine the type of margin that is required. Generally, retail traders must use a 5% margin, while professional traders use 1%. Either way, it’s easy to understand how this trading platform works across different devices and browsers.
Final Thoughts
It’s easy to see why these trading apps were the #1 most popular app in the United Kingdom in 2016, and #1 in Germany in 2017. With 10,000+ stocks, across all major international markets, Trading 212 certainly cuts a fine form with newbies and experienced traders alike. Security is clearly a top priority at this trading brokerage, with 2-FA protocols in effect.
Pros
- Attractive trading conditions
- Great regulatory status
- Good market coverage
- Very low minimum deposit
Cons
- Simplistic trading platforms
