In 2014, DEGIRO expanded its online trading platform beyond the Netherlands, its country of origin, into several European markets. Since then it has grown steadily, reaching over 3 million clients across 18+ European countries.
Is DEGIRO available in Romania?
Yes, but not directly. Romania is one of DEGIRO’s accepted residency countries, so Romanian residents can open and use an account. However, DEGIRO has no dedicated Romanian website or local entity, and Romania is not one of its focus markets – those are the countries with localised sites, such as Germany, France, Spain, and the Netherlands.
In practice, this means you sign up through one of DEGIRO’s existing entities rather than a “DEGIRO Romania” page. Registration is done through the DEGIRO app, and you will need to be 18 or over, hold valid identification, have a euro-denominated bank account within the SEPA zone, and be a tax resident in an accepted country (Romania qualifies).
A few practical points worth knowing before you decide. DEGIRO operates as the Dutch branch of flatexDEGIRO Bank AG, a German credit institution supervised by BaFin and the Deutsche Bundesbank, passported into Romania under MiFID II with ASF oversight. Client assets are covered by the German Investor Compensation Scheme (90% of losses up to €20,000), and cash held with flatexDEGIRO Bank AG up to €100,000 under the German Deposit Guarantee Scheme.
Two things matter specifically for Romanian investors. First, DEGIRO requires a euro-denominated SEPA account, so if you hold lei you will need a EUR account and will bear conversion costs. Second, DEGIRO does not provide Romanian tax reporting, so declaring investment income to ANAF falls entirely to you – unlike domestic brokers, which typically withhold at source.
It works, then, but it is less straightforward than in DEGIRO’s core markets, which is why many Romanian investors prefer brokers with a stronger local fit.
Because the setup is less direct and customer support is not tailored to the Romanian market, it is worth comparing DEGIRO against brokers that actively serve Romanian clients before you decide.
Want to know which online brokers are available in Romania? Read on.
Best DEGIRO alternatives in Romania
DEGIRO does accept Romanian residents, but if you would rather use a broker better suited to your situation, or simply want to weigh your options first, there is plenty of choice. Growing competition has pushed many leading online brokers to eliminate commissions on most stock and ETF trades.
All the alternatives below are regulated by top-tier authorities and passport into Romania under MiFID II with ASF oversight, with investor compensation coverage typically up to €20,000 depending on the entity holding your account.
Based on criteria including demo account availability, commission-free trading, educational resources, and security, here are our top picks:
1. eToro
52% of retail CFD accounts lose money.
Founded in 2007, eToro is an international online broker with over 40 million users across 140+ countries, offering more than 3,000 financial assets including stocks, ETFs, cryptocurrencies, and CFDs on stocks, ETFs, commodities, forex, indices, and cryptocurrencies. Real stocks and ETFs from US, UK, and major EU exchanges are commission-free, whole or fractional (other fees apply), with a $50 minimum first deposit.
eToro’s platform, available via web and mobile, is a social trading hub. Investors can discuss trade ideas and market news with peers, replicate strategies through CopyTrader (mirroring Popular Investors), or invest in thematic Smart Portfolios covering themes such as AI, renewable energy, and dividend investing.
The demo account is particularly useful for beginners, with $100,000 in virtual money replicating live conditions so the transition to a real account feels seamless.
The main drawback for Romanian investors is that eToro operates in USD as its only base currency, so euro or leu deposits are converted to dollars (FX cost around 50 pips) and again on withdrawal. There is also a $5 withdrawal fee and a $10 monthly inactivity fee after 12 months without login.
Romanian clients are served by eToro (Europe) Ltd, authorised and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) and passported into Romania under MiFID II with ASF oversight. Client assets are covered by the Cyprus Investor Compensation Fund up to €20,000, plus Lloyd’s of London insurance up to €1 million per eligible client. eToro has been listed on NASDAQ (ticker: ETOR) since its May 2025 IPO.
For more details, visit our eToro review.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 52% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.2. Interactive Brokers
Founded in 1978 and publicly listed on NASDAQ (ticker: IBKR, an S&P 500 constituent since 2024), Interactive Brokers is a global online broker that has weathered multiple financial crises, demonstrating resilience and a rigorous risk management framework. It serves over 3 million client accounts worldwide.
Interactive Brokers offers an advanced platform covering stocks, options, mutual funds, ETFs, futures, bonds, currencies, and cryptocurrencies across 170+ markets in 36+ countries – including the Bucharest Stock Exchange for Romanian equities – with solid execution via IB SmartRouting and a comprehensive set of technical and fundamental tools.
Beginners and intermediate investors have educational resources through IBKR Campus (formerly Traders’ Academy), though the main TWS platform has a steep learning curve, which is why we primarily recommend it to more experienced investors. Customer support typically provides clear, concise answers.
On the downside, the fee structure is comparatively complex, registration is lengthy (though fully online), and IBKR does not offer fully commission-free trading. However, factoring in FX conversion at 0.20 basis points (minimum $2), tight spreads, the Stock Yield Enhancement Program, and interest on uninvested balances, clients achieve significant savings versus most brokers. There is no minimum deposit and native EUR base currency support.
Romanian clients are served by Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited, regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland and passported into Romania under MiFID II with ASF oversight.
Interactive Brokers also offers IBKR GlobalTrader, a modern mobile app for trading stocks, options, and ETFs, well suited to beginner investors, with automatic currency conversion, fractional shares from $1, and a $10,000 virtual demo account.
Want to know more? Check our Interactive Brokers review.
3. XTB
69-80% of retail CFD accounts lose money.
Founded in 2002 in Warsaw and listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (ticker: XTB), XTB is a major European broker with more than 1.7 million clients across 16 countries, regulated by the FCA (UK), KNF (Poland), CySEC (Cyprus), BaFin (Germany), and AFM (Netherlands), with ASF oversight in Romania under MiFID II passporting.
You can invest through xStation 5 and xStation Mobile across a broad product range including real stocks and ETFs, forex, indices, commodities, cryptocurrency CFDs, and vanilla options, added in early 2026 (product availability varies slightly by country). XTB offers 0% commission on real stocks and ETFs up to €100,000 of monthly turnover (0.2% above, with a €10 minimum), and pays cash interest on uninvested EUR balances linked to ECB policy.
Opening an account and transferring money is quick and fully online. For beginners, XTB provides a demo account to trade under realistic conditions before committing capital, alongside the XTB Trading Academy, an extensive educational hub. For intermediate and advanced investors, xStation 5 delivers a comprehensive set of technical and fundamental tools.
On the downside, XTB charges a €10 monthly inactivity fee after one year without trading and no deposit in the past 90 days. Cryptocurrency CFD spreads are relatively wide, though forex pricing is competitive.
Want to know more about XTB? Check our XTB review.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 69-80% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
4. Freedom24
Investing involves risk of loss.
Freedom24, part of Freedom Holding Corp (NASDAQ: FRHC), has established itself as a strong option for Romanian retail investors, providing access to a broad range of global financial products including stocks, bonds, futures, and options, with a particular depth in ETF investing.
With access to more than 3,600 ETFs, Freedom24 covers both the most widely held funds from global issuers such as Vanguard, iShares, and Invesco, and a broader range of strategies including dividend-focused and short-term bond ETFs, alongside niche options such as covered call and swap-based funds.
With no minimum deposit, stock and ETF commissions start from €/$1.20 per order, with no hidden charges or inactivity fees. Freedom24 is also running a zero-commission promotion on stocks and ETFs, applied automatically to eligible clients opening an account between 1 March and 31 August 2026. The promotion runs for 365 days from account opening or until 240 executed stock and ETF trades, whichever comes first. Note that the zero tariff does not apply to orders below €1, where a €0.012 fee applies instead.
Investors can choose between Smart in EUR for self-directed investors and All Inclusive in EUR (formerly Prime) for those wanting a dedicated account manager. On the downside, Freedom24 charges a €7 withdrawal fee and does not offer cryptocurrencies.
New users can also claim a signup promotion of up to 20 gift stocks. Note that the “up to $800” figure is a ceiling rather than a typical outcome, so check the current terms before depositing. Terms and conditions apply.
Freedom Finance Europe Ltd is regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) and passported into Romania under MiFID II with ASF oversight. Should segregated assets not be returned to clients, Freedom24 falls under the Investor Compensation Fund (ICF), covering non-returned investments up to €20,000, in line with MiFID II and ESMA investor protection standards. Parent company Freedom Holding Corp is NASDAQ-listed and subject to SEC reporting, PCAOB audit oversight, and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.
Want to learn more? Check our Freedom24 review or visit Freedom24 directly.
Investments in securities and other financial instruments always involve the risk of loss of your capital. The forecast or past performance is no guarantee of future results. It is essential to do your own analysis before making any investment. Promotion is subject to terms and conditions. Other fees apply. Zero commission offer available only in selected regions.
DEGIRO’s unique advantages
Compared with eToro, Interactive Brokers, XTB, and Freedom24, DEGIRO combines a few benefits you will not easily find elsewhere, or at least not presented as simply. The distinctive strengths:
- Trading platform: the DEGIRO interface is about as clean as it gets, balancing minimalism with genuine usefulness. You can locate any security through the search function using its name, ticker symbol, or ISIN code;
- Manual currency conversion: DEGIRO lets you convert manually from your account base currency into nine other currencies. If you sell Amazon shares, the proceeds stay in USD on your balance rather than converting automatically. At brokers that auto-convert, you would pay a conversion fee on the sale and again when buying USD-denominated shares – effectively a double charge. For a Romanian investor trading US markets repeatedly, this alone can outweigh other cost differences;
- Notifications: DEGIRO keeps alerts informative rather than promotional, covering market holidays, regulatory updates, and other material information. Some competitors send price-movement alerts (“X stock is up 8%”) that can nudge you toward short-term decisions, making it harder to stick to a long-term plan.
DEGIRO’s unique drawbacks
When DEGIRO entered the European market it represented a genuine shift for retail investors. That first-mover advantage has largely eroded, however, as competitors have moved quickly. Here are the drawbacks you would encounter at DEGIRO but not at the alternatives above:
- Connectivity fee: DEGIRO charges €2.50 per year per exchange (capped at 0.25% of your account value). If you hold positions on NYSE, NASDAQ, and Frankfurt, that is a minimum of €7.50 annually simply to keep those positions open;
- Trading and external costs: DEGIRO applies a €1.00 handling fee to every transaction, including trades in the commission-free Core Selection ETF list. On top of that, US, Canadian, and home-market stocks cost €1.00 per order, and other European stocks €3.90 per order. In fairness, DEGIRO often delivers tighter spreads, but since spread quality is hard to quantify consistently, we have focused on the costs you can be certain of;
- Investor protection: at DEGIRO you are covered for 90% of your securities up to €20,000. In practice, if you held €20,000 in financial instruments and the institution failed, you would recover €18,000. At the alternatives listed here, coverage is the full €20,000 under the Cyprus Investor Compensation Fund or equivalent. That said, cash held with flatexDEGIRO Bank AG is separately guaranteed up to €100,000 under the German Deposit Guarantee Scheme, which is more generous than most brokers offer on cash;
- No Romanian localisation: DEGIRO has no local entity, no Romanian-language site, and no customer support tailored to the market, which makes onboarding and support less straightforward than at brokers actively serving Romania.
Which platform should you choose?
Whether you invest through eToro, Interactive Brokers, XTB, Freedom24, or DEGIRO itself, it is worth comparing properly before committing.
For investors based in Romania, a few factors deserve particular weight:
- Total cost of ownership: compare commissions, currency conversion, custody charges, connectivity fees, and inactivity fees together. A broker with slightly higher per-trade costs but no recurring charges can work out cheaper over a long holding period;
- Currency handling: if you hold lei, you will convert to euros or dollars at some point. That cost recurs on every deposit and often on withdrawal, so it frequently matters more than the trading commission itself. Brokers with native EUR accounts (Interactive Brokers, XTB, DEGIRO, Freedom24) avoid a second conversion that USD-only platforms such as eToro require;
- Regulation and protection: all the brokers here passport into Romania under MiFID II with ASF oversight, but the entity holding your account determines your compensation coverage. Confirm which applies to you;
- Market access: check the broker covers what you intend to trade. Only Interactive Brokers offers access to the Bucharest Stock Exchange among the options here, so if you want exposure to Romanian equities alongside international markets, that narrows the choice considerably;
- Tax reporting: none of these brokers withhold Romanian tax at source or report to ANAF on your behalf, so declaring investment income falls to you. Keep clear records of purchase dates and prices, and consider consulting a local tax adviser if your portfolio is substantial.
The best broker for you will depend on your profile, preferences, and objectives. Explore the platforms above and decide for yourself.
The above should not be construed as investment advice and is provided for informational purposes only. Investors should do their own research and due diligence regarding the services and opportunities best suited to their risk, return, and impact strategy.
If you need further guidance or have questions, feel free to reach out to us.
