Best business investment accounts in the UK

As your business grows and cash flow stabilises, it’s worth considering what to do with the money sitting in the company’s account. If you have reserves you don’t need in the short term, you’re probably looking at ways to put them to work, while keeping enough flexibility to withdraw for future projects or unexpected expenses.

This article presents our best picks for a business brokerage account, based on reputation, safety, fees and customer support. Let’s dive in.

Best business investment accounts

Comparison table

Founded in 1978, listed on NASDAQ (ticker: IBKR) and part of the S&P 500 index since August 2025, Interactive Brokers is a global online broker with more than 5.5 million client accounts that has come through major financial crises.

Interactive Brokers offers an advanced platform that lets you invest in stocks, options, futures, currencies, bonds and funds on 170 markets in 40 countries from a single account. Its account management tools let you control and delegate user permissions, which is useful when more than one person manages the company’s investments.

Businesses around the world can open an account with IBKR, including small businesses, hedge funds, proprietary trading firms and family offices. You get solid order execution through IB SmartRouting and a full set of technical and fundamental tools.

Its fee structure is complex and the registration process is lengthy, although fully online, and it doesn’t offer commission-free trading outside the US. However, when you take into account its very low currency conversion fees, tight spreads and stock lending programme, IBKR clients still save significantly compared with most brokers.

Want to know more? Read the details on Interactive Brokers’ business account page, or check our step-by-step guide on how to open a business brokerage account with Interactive Brokers.

Founded in 1992, Saxo is one of the most solid names in the brokerage industry. It gives access to a very wide range of instruments through SaxoTraderGO and SaxoTraderPRO. The Swiss J. Safra Sarasin Group became its majority owner in March 2026 and its sole owner in July 2026.

Saxo’s corporate account tiers are:

• Classic: requires a minimum deposit of £50,000, with tight spreads and 24/5 customer and technical support.
• Platinum: requires £200,000, and adds prices up to 30% lower and priority support in your local language.
• VIP: requires £1,000,000, with the best pricing, access to trading experts and invitations to exclusive events.

Pricing depends on your tier. For example, a US stock order costs 0.08% of the trade value (minimum $1) on the Classic tier, and 0.03% (minimum $1) on VIP. A custody fee may also apply to stocks, ETFs and bonds, so check the price list for your country. Interest on GBP cash is only paid on the VIP tier (2.48% as of 6 October 2026, with nothing paid on the first £4,999).

Saxo says it usually takes about a week to approve a business account, provided you send clear copies of the following documents:

• Memorandum and Articles of Association.
• Certificate of Incorporation.
• Proof of the company’s business address, if different from its registered address (for example, a company bank statement or utility bill less than three months old, in the company’s name).
• Latest financial statements.
• Group structure diagram (only for entities within complex group structures).

In addition, every beneficial owner with a holding of 25% or more, and each company director, has to send:

• Passport.
• Proof of residence, such as a utility bill less than three months old showing the date, name and address matching the application.

If you want more detail, check Saxo’s page for corporate investment accounts.

Lightyear is a European investment app that operates in the UK through Lightyear UK Ltd, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and in the EU through Lightyear Europe AS, regulated by the Estonian Financial Supervision Authority (Finantsinspektsioon).

Business accounts can be opened by freelancers and sole directors, as well as small, medium and large companies. You can invest in money market funds (highly liquid and AAA-rated), more than 6,000 stocks and ETFs, and it offers direct registration of a Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) for £42.50 + VAT or €48 + VAT. It also fills in the W-8BEN-E form automatically, to get the reduced withholding rate on US dividends.

There are no Lightyear execution fees on ETFs, although fund manager fees apply. On stocks, commissions don’t exceed €/$/£1 per order (£1 on UK stocks and 0.1% on US stocks, with a maximum of $1), and there’s a flat 0.35% currency conversion fee, which you can minimise with its multi-currency account in EUR, GBP and USD. Lightyear offers one of the highest returns on cash through money market funds, including 3.85% (AER/APY) or 3.84% (AER/APY) in GBP, depending on whether the fund is managed by BlackRock or J.P. Morgan (net, variable, true as of 06-Oct-2026). Crypto costs 0.45% per trade and isn’t available in the UK.

Lightyear also offers a free fractional share, ETF or money market fund worth £100 for UK business accounts (up to €300 for EU business accounts) with the promo code “INVESTINGINTHEWEBBIZ” (retail investors have a similar offer).

On the downside, Lightyear’s product range is limited: there are no options, no direct commodity trading (only ETCs) and no forex.

What is a business brokerage account?

A brokerage account is an investment account that gives you access to financial products such as stocks, ETFs, bonds, futures and more. The word “business” only indicates that the entity opening the account is a company (a limited company, an LLC, a partnership and so on) rather than an individual.

In practice, the products available in a corporate account are similar to those in a retail account, with a few differences: higher minimum deposits in some cases, lower spreads and commissions for large portfolios, and more personalised customer support.

Common reasons to invest through a company include putting idle cash to work, keeping company and personal finances separate and, depending on your country, tax treatment. Bear in mind that the tax rules vary a lot between countries, and taking money out of the company usually has a cost, so it’s worth speaking to your accountant first.

You will need an LEI code: what is that?

LEI stands for Legal Entity Identifier. It’s a unique 20-character code that identifies entities such as a limited company, a trust or any organisation investing in the financial markets. In the UK and the EU, any legal entity trading securities needs one.

For instance, a company investing in stocks, ETFs or derivatives traded on the London Stock Exchange must have an LEI. This ensures every transaction can be attributed to a verified entity, which is what regulators need for transaction reporting.

The LEI has to be renewed every year to stay active, and brokers can’t execute your orders if it lapses.

There are several providers where you can get an LEI, with prices that vary quite a bit. Lightyear, for example, registers it for you for £42.50 + VAT, and you can also compare providers such as LEIservice.

Documents needed to open a business account

When you apply for a business account with any of the providers above, you’ll be asked for the documents below. This is a general overview, and your broker may ask for more. Unless stated otherwise, all documents must be less than six months old:

• Company name and registration number.
• Principal place of business.
• Tax residence and tax identification number.
• Description of your business activities, the products and services you offer and the countries where you operate.
• Information on the source of funds and the activity that generates them.
• Identification documents for the directors and for any beneficial owner holding 25% or more.
• Your LEI code, or a request to have one registered.
• If you want to trade US stocks, the W-8BEN-E form.

Bottom line

With a business investment account, you have plenty of options for your company’s money. You can stick to more conservative choices, such as money market funds or short-term government bonds, or use it as a share dealing account for your limited company if you’re comfortable with more risk.

Which one fits depends on how soon you’ll need the money: cash you may need within a year shouldn’t be in the stock market.

Please remember that the above should not be construed as investment advice and is intended only as an information resource. Investors should do their own research and due diligence to determine which services best suit their risk, return and goals.