Swissquote Review 2024 – The Ultimate Test
Updated: Aug 20
Swissquote Bank is a leading Swiss online bank that allows you to trade shares and other financial products easily and cost-effectively. What many people don't realise is that with Swissquote you also get a complete bank including account, debit card, Twint, 3a and more. We have tested Swissquote and show you in this review why Swissquote is an attractive choice for both experienced traders and beginners.
📖 Overview
Welcome offer 🚀 CHF 200 Trading CreditWith the Swissquote promotional code MKT_BECOMEWEALTHY you will receive a trading credit of CHF 200. Learn more |
☝️ At a glanceAdvantages
Disadvantages
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Introduction: Swissquote Experience & Review
Anyone who deals with the topic of trading in Switzerland will sooner or later come across Swissquote. Swissquote recognised early on what traders in Switzerland expect from a broker. Today, however, Swissquote is much more than just an innovative broker, it is a bank: from daily banking - including debit card and Twint - to pillar 3a or predefined investment strategies with Invest Easy, Swissquote offers everything from a single source. So how does the Swissquote online bank perform and is it a good choice for you? In this review, we report on our experiences with Swissquote, the level of fees and take a close look at the offering.
What is Swissquote?
Swissquote is the market leader in online banking. Swissquote has grown as an online broker with which you can trade the entire product range of financial products such as shares, ETFs, funds, derivatives, options, futures and cryptocurrencies via app or computer. With Swissquote, you can trade over 3 million financial products on over 50 exchanges worldwide. However, Swissquote now offers much more than just trading. Over the years, Swissquote has developed into a fully-fledged bank and, in addition to trading, also offers traditional banking services such as mortgages, automated asset management, pillar 3a and an account with a debit card and the usual payment options (Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay, Twint, eBill). Swissquote therefore covers the full range of trading, investing and banking services.
Which bank is behind Swissquote?
Swissquote Bank Ltd is an independent bank. Swissquote has held a banking licence since October 2020. Swissquote Bank is fully subject to supervision by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA).
The company was founded in 1990 by Marc Bürki and Paolo Buzzi and has been listed on the Swiss stock exchange since 29 May 2000. If you not only want to use Swissquote as a broker, but also want to participate directly in Swissquote's future success, you can add Swissquote shares to your portfolio. The head office is located in the Vaud municipality of Gland. Other offices are located in Zurich, Bern, Dubai, Malta, London and Hong Kong. Swissquote currently employs over 1,000 people. Since its foundation, Swissquote has stood for innovation and technology and is now the most important online bank in Switzerland.
Is Swissquote a safe bank?
A distinction must be made between the cash balance in your account and the investments. Swissquote Bank is regulated by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA). Your liquid assets are therefore subject to Swiss deposit protection and are thus protected up to an amount of CHF 100,000 in the event of bankruptcy. Securities such as shares, bonds, funds and ETFs are also safe, as they are special assets and do not fall into the bankruptcy estate in the event of insolvency. The securities would therefore be returned to the customer in the event of Swissquote's bankruptcy. Swissquote Bank is therefore a reputable and secure bank.
However, this says nothing about the value of your securities. Of course, the value of a financial product, such as a share, can also fall. You must therefore be aware that every investment involves a certain amount of risk. Only invest funds that you are not dependent on to cover your living expenses and that you can therefore leave invested on the financial markets for the longer term. In addition, only invest in financial products that you understand. For example, investing in shares of solid companies or ETFs is a good place to start. You should only use financial instruments such as derivatives, options or futures if you understand them and are able and willing to bear the associated risks.
How good is Swissquote?
Trading
Swissquote allows you to buy and sell financial products for relatively low fees. You can execute your transactions using either the desktop version or the app. The desktop trading interface offers many useful functions and information. Swissquote meets the needs of both the beginner and the professional trader.
Swissquote is a leader in the field of financial services and online trading in Switzerland.
Swissquote offers a very broad product range and many different trading centres. The range of financial products leaves practically nothing to be desired. Thanks to the many professional selection and analysis tools and a wide range of information, Swissquote enables you to search for suitable investment products independently and individually. The platform serves as a source of information in real time, allowing you to act on the financial markets at any time.
Invest Easy
If you don't want to put together your own portfolio, Swissquote offers you three predefined investment strategies with Invest Easy (cautious, balanced and ambitious strategy). Once you have activated Invest Easy in the account overview after opening your account, you can choose a strategy and start with a minimum investment of CHF 500. Equities, bonds, property and commodities are used in all three strategies. The ambitious strategy also includes investments in cryptocurrencies. Invest Easy incurs annual management fees of 0.6% and product fees of currently between 0.14% and 0.21%.
3A Easy
Swissquote also offers a pillar 3a solution called 3A Easy based on the same concept. In addition to a fee-free interest strategy, the investment strategies Balanced, Dynamic and Ambitious are again available from a minimum investment amount of CHF 100. The fees are 0.6%; there are no additional product fees for 3A Easy.
Banking
Swissquote offers banking and credit solutions. Customers receive the virtual Debit Mastercard free of charge, while the physical debit card costs CHF 6.90 per month after the 6-month trial period. It is a multi-currency card with 13 currencies. With the physical card, cash withdrawals at ATMs in Switzerland are included. The card offers all common mobile payment functions (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Twint) as well as eBill. Swissquote is the first bank in Switzerland to enable payments with cryptocurrencies. You also receive cashback for every transaction in the form of trading credit (credit for trading fees).
Trading-Credit Cashback | virtual debit card | physical debit card |
normal card payments | 0.25% | 0.5% |
crypto payments | 0.5% | 1% |
How high are the fees at Swissquote?
Custody fee
Fees are an important criterion when choosing a broker. Swissquote offers relatively favourable fees for Switzerland. On the one hand, you pay a custody account fee based on your invested capital. The fee is capped at CHF 50 per quarter or CHF 200 per year. If your custody account value exceeds CHF 200,000, the average custody account fee falls below 0.1%. No fees are charged on assets that are not invested.
Custody fees per quarter | Invested capital |
CHF 20 | 0 to 50'000 |
CHF 25 | 50'000 to 100'000 |
CHF 37.50 | 100'000 to 150'000 |
CHF 50 | over 150'000 |
additional 0.0075% | for assets over one million |
Trading
Fees also apply to the purchase and sale of financial products. These vary depending on the product and transaction amount. You can find a detailed overview on the Swissquote website. As a general rule, the higher the investment amounts, the more attractive the fees, as they make up a smaller percentage of the total amount.
ETF Leaders
Swissquote makes an exception to this for the so-called ETF Leaders. When trading ETFs via the Swiss stock exchange SIX, you pay a flat fee of CHF 9, regardless of the trading volume. In terms of fees, it is therefore worth saving a certain amount each time and then investing a higher amount.
Shares
The fees for trading shares start at CHF 5 (for transactions up to CHF 500), for transactions up to CHF 2,000 you pay CHF 20 and for transactions up to CHF 10,000 CHF 30. As you can see, it is better to invest a higher amount once than a lower amount twice. To compensate for the real-time data provided, a surcharge of CHF 0.85 is also charged for each transaction. Stamp duty of 0.075% is payable on trading in domestic securities. For foreign securities, the stamp duty is 0.15%. This tax is payable by all brokers in Switzerland and must be paid by them to the Swiss Federal Tax Administration. In addition, the respective stock exchange fees are incurred, which depend on the respective stock exchange.
Crypto
Swissquote charges a fee of 1% for cryptocurrency trading up to a transaction volume of CHF 9,999. Thereafter, the fees fall to 0.75% and 0.5% (up to a transaction amount of CHF 49,999 and over CHF 50,000 respectively).
Exchange fees
If you wish to purchase financial products that are traded in a foreign currency, you must exchange Swiss francs into the corresponding currency. The exchange fee for the main currencies is 0.95%. Clearing accounts in CHF, EUR and USD are automatically opened when you open a custody account. This is very practical, as incoming dividends in foreign currencies are posted directly to the corresponding account. Of course, you can also transfer foreign currency balances directly to the corresponding clearing accounts in order to save on exchange fees.
Does Swissquote pay interest?
You receive interest on your uninvested cash balances, which varies depending on the currency. Interest rates currently range between 0.1% and 0.5%. With the Invest Easy savings strategy, you receive up to 1% on CHF balances. You can find a detailed overview of interest rates on the Swissquote website. Please note, however, that there is a withdrawal limit of 25,000 per month. A three-month cancellation period applies for higher withdrawals, otherwise a withdrawal fee of 1% will be charged.
What we like less about Swissquote
If you need a tax statement, there is a fee of CHF 100 plus VAT. Although you can also enter individual items on your tax return yourself, you will need a tax statement for numerous items and transactions.
For whom is Swissquote worthwhile? Our conclusion
Swissquote is the best-known online bank in Switzerland and offers a trading platform regulated in Switzerland. Compared to other Swiss banks, the fees are attractive and transparent. In addition, Swissquote is a Swiss bank and not a foreign broker. Swissquote is the ideal provider if you want to build up a diversified portfolio over the long term. At Swissquote you get a huge selection of financial products at fair prices and with Swiss security standards.
Last but not least, you get access to Swissquote's other services, such as everyday banking, pillar 3a and mortgages. If you want to manage your own finances online and can do without personal visits to the counter, Swissquote offers a sophisticated and modern banking solution that is constantly being further developed.
With our Swissquote voucher code MKT_BECOMEWEALTHY you will also receive a trading credit of CHF 200, which you can use to make your first purchases.
If you are still unsure, you can test Swissquote without any obligation to invest money. Swissquote offers a demo account with which you can fictitiously trade all products. You can observe the market for a while and gain experience with Swissquote.
Welcome offer 🚀 CHF 200 Trading CreditWith the Swissquote promotional code MKT_BECOMEWEALTHY you will receive a trading credit of CHF 200. Learn more |
Frequently asked questions about Swissquote
For whom is Swissquote worthwhile?
Is Swissquote free of charge?
How expensive is Swissquote?
How secure is Swissquote?
Sources
² FINMA authorisation of Swissquote Bank AG
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