Widely known in Germany, Trade Republic has attracted the attention of several Romanian investors, offering high interest on uninvested cash of 3.50% (euros), a slick and modern app, and low commissions.
Want to know if Trade Republic is available in Romania, the company’s expansion plans, and the alternatives available for Romanian investors? We’ve got you covered!
Is Trade Republic available in Romania? 🇷🇴
No, Trade Republic is not yet available in Romania.
Trade Republic is investing in its European expansion, however the company hasn’t shared publicly any plans to expand to Romania.
We have tried to open an account and Romania was presented as one of their unsupported countries:
Trade Republic is not available in Romania
Where is Trade Republic available? 🌎
Currently, Trade Republic is available in the following European countries: Austria, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain.
Trade Republic Alternatives in Romania
- Interactive Brokers: Best for experienced investors
- eToro: Best for low commissions on stock and ETF investing and social trading
- Trading 212: The closest alternative. New users get a free share
51% of retail CFD accounts lose money.
When investing, your capital is at risk.
Conclusion
If you want to open a Trade Republic account from Romania, you’re in bad luck: it is not possible. However, we believe any of the above mentioned brokers will be good choices.
Whether you value security and reputation or want a commission-free trading platform, the alternatives presented should be a good starting point. Explore their websites and decide for yourself!
If you haven’t found a match, you can still look at our comparison of online brokers available by country.
FAQs
What is Trade Republic?
Founded in 2015, Trade Republic is an investment app that allows users to invest in Stocks, ETFs, Bonds, Derivatives, and Crypto (+Saving Plans that include all these assets). It has over 4 million clients, which have over 35 billion in assets under management. Trade Republic is regulated by BaFin and Bundesbank. In the case of bankruptcy, up to €100,000 in cash is protected by the deposit guarantee scheme and your shares are held at the HSBC Bank custodian in Germany.
How does Trade Republic make money?
As economists like to say, “There is no such thing as a free lunch”. Trade Republic is still making money through payment for order flow (PFOF), which consists of paying brokerages to route orders to market makers for trade execution, thus creating a potential conflict of interest between the brokerage and the customer. According to the latest update, “Payment-for-order-flow agreements only accounted for about a third of Trade Republic’s overall income” (our bold). Since the EU plans to ban PFOF from 2026 onwards, Trade Republic must adapt and focus on other income sources, namely:
- Securities fending: Your stocks or ETFs are most likely not parked in a single place. Usually, brokerage firms lend your securities in exchange for an interest rate. Third parties borrow securities for several reasons, such as hedging a position, arbitrage an opportunity, creating a structured product, or shorting selling;
- Transaction fees: Trade Republic charges no trading fees (apart from external settlement costs), so this might be an option to increase their revenues in the future;
- Withdrawal fees: For withdrawals below €100, it charges €1;
- Among others: Registration annual meeting, etc.
