The Tradegate lock-in risk: Core Selection trades now route through Tradegate Exchange, and those positions can’t easily be transferred to most other EU brokers. Also: FX on non-EUR assets, zero interest on uninvested cash, and high outgoing transfer fees.

Multi-currency accounts, institutional FX rates, interest on cash, broader global access, and full portfolio portability. If your portfolio is growing past €50–100k and you care about FX drag, model the difference before committing.

DEGIRO can lend your securities to third parties (short sellers, institutions). You retain legal ownership, but you are exposed to counterparty risk if the borrower defaults. DEGIRO provides a collateral guarantee — but it is not a risk-free arrangement. Despite DEGIRO’s official documentation permitting lending, the company has stated it does not actively lend securities in practice. That said, the right to do so is still embedded in the account terms.

FX: the quiet cost that compounds

DEGIRO charges 0.25% on currency conversions. If you deposit EUR and buy a USD-listed ETF, that’s 0.25% on every single purchase — applied at the point of each trade via Auto FX. On a €500/month DCA plan buying USD-denominated assets, that’s ~€15/year in FX alone before spreads.

The fix is straightforward: buy EUR-denominated share classes of your UCITS ETFs. VWCE, CSPX, IWDA all trade in EUR on Euronext Amsterdam — no conversion needed. Most broad-market UCITS ETFs have EUR share classes; use those.

No interest on uninvested cash

DEGIRO pays 0% on cash balances — regardless of currency or account size. With rates elevated in 2025–2026, this is a real gap versus competitors. Trade Republic (~2% on cash, up to €50,000), Trading 212, and Interactive Brokers all pay something. On a €10,000 cash buffer sitting in your account, that’s €200/year DEGIRO isn’t giving you.

For investors who deploy capital immediately on each transfer, this is minor. For those who hold meaningful cash positions at the broker level, it’s a genuine cost to factor in.

The lock-in risk you need to know

ETFs purchased on Tradegate Exchange are not accepted by most European brokers for incoming transfers. If you decide to switch brokers in 3 or 5 years, your Tradegate-held positions typically cannot be moved in-kind.

Currently, only Interactive Brokers is known to accept incoming transfers from Tradegate. All other major EU brokers require you to sell on DEGIRO, transfer cash, and repurchase — incurring transaction costs and potential tax events in some countries.

UCITS ETFs domiciled in Ireland or Luxembourg cover virtually every major index — S&P 500, MSCI World, FTSE All-World, EM, bonds. The product range is not a limitation for most long-term investors.

DEGIRO lists UCITS ETFs on Tradegate, Euronext Amsterdam, Xetra, London Stock Exchange, and more. Most major funds have listings across several exchanges — which means you can choose the exchange that suits your cost strategy.

PRIIPs/KID regulation blocks most EU retail investors from buying US-listed ETFs. DEGIRO enforces this restriction. This is not a DEGIRO-specific limitation — it applies across all regulated EU brokers.

Clean, functional, not overloaded with noise. Search for your ETF, pick the exchange, set a limit order, confirm. That’s the entire workflow for most long-term investors. No features trying to make you trade more. The interface has improved meaningfully since DEGIRO’s early years.

Functional for order placement and portfolio monitoring. Not as polished as Trade Republic or Trading 212 for mobile-first investing — some users report occasional bugs and a less intuitive UI compared to newer neobrokers. For quarterly ETF purchases, it’s more than adequate.

DEGIRO’s support is available via email, phone, and FAQ. Trustpilot rating sits around 4.1/5. The common complaint across user forums is slow response times during busy periods or account issues. Worth knowing before you need it.

Consider IBKR instead if…

• You want multi-currency accounts and institutional FX rates for EUR→USD conversions.
• You want interest on your uninvested cash balance.
• You value full portfolio portability — IBKR imposes no exchange-based transfer restrictions.
• Your portfolio is growing past €50–100k and FX drag is starting to matter at scale.
• You need fractional shares, advanced order types, or a richer reporting setup.
• You want one broker you genuinely won’t outgrow in the next decade.

Tax reporting

DEGIRO provides annual account statements and transaction history you can use for tax filing. In some countries — Germany, Netherlands — it may produce documents directly relevant to your return. But it does not “solve taxes” for you, and its tax reporting has previously contained errors.

You are responsible for understanding your country’s rules on capital gains, dividends, wealth tax (Box 3 in NL, Vorabpauschale in DE), and for using DEGIRO’s statements correctly. Guide: Taxes basics for investors · UCITS ETF tax by country.

Investor protection — updated 2026

DEGIRO now operates under flatexDEGIRO Bank AG, a German banking entity regulated by BaFin (the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority) and the European Central Bank framework. This is an important change from earlier years when DEGIRO operated as a Dutch investment firm under AFM/DNB only.

Because flatexDEGIRO holds a German banking licence, investor protection comes from the German scheme: securities are covered up to 90% of losses (max €20,000) per client in the event of broker insolvency, and cash balances are covered by the German Deposit Guarantee Scheme up to €100,000.

Your securities are held separately from DEGIRO’s own assets and are not accessible to DEGIRO’s creditors. Always verify current terms directly with DEGIRO. More: Investor protection in Europe.