How to Open a Scalable Capital Account
(2026, EU Investors)
Scalable Capital is available in six EU markets and the registration takes under 20 minutes. One decision matters before you start: FREE or PRIME+. Get that right and the rest of the process is straightforward.
FREE vs PRIME+: make this call first
Scalable Capital has two broker plans. The one you choose at sign-up sets your per-trade cost from day one. You can switch later with no penalty, but picking the right plan upfront saves friction.
- 0.99 EUR per trade on all instruments
- PRIME ETFs free for orders of 250 EUR or more
- Savings plan executions: 0 EUR
- Cash interest: 2.50% p.a. on uninvested cash
- Custody fee: 0%
Best for: investors who trade fewer than 5 times per month or rely mainly on savings plans.
- 0 EUR per trade for orders of 250 EUR or more on Gettex / EIX
- 0.99 EUR for orders below 250 EUR
- Savings plan executions: 0 EUR
- Cash interest: 2.50% p.a. on uninvested cash
- Custody fee: 0%
Best for: investors who make 5 or more manual trades per month — PRIME+ covers its own cost at that threshold.
PRIME+ costs 4.99 EUR per month. Each manual trade on FREE costs 0.99 EUR. At 5 trades per month, FREE costs 4.95 EUR in commissions — roughly identical to a PRIME+ subscription. From trade 6 onward, PRIME+ is the cheaper plan. For investors who rely exclusively on savings plans (0 EUR on both plans), FREE is always the better choice.
A curated selection of ETFs from Amundi, iShares, Vanguard, and Xtrackers trade at 0 EUR commission on both FREE and PRIME+ plans — as long as the order is 250 EUR or more. If your portfolio is concentrated in major UCITS index ETFs, you can effectively run FREE with no trading commissions at all, provided you meet the order-size threshold on each trade.
| Fee | FREE | PRIME+ |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee | 0 EUR / month | 4.99 EUR / month |
| Commission per trade | 0.99 EUR | 0 EUR (orders 250 EUR or more on Gettex/EIX); 0.99 EUR below |
| PRIME ETFs (orders 250 EUR or more) | 0 EUR | 0 EUR |
| Savings plan execution | 0 EUR | 0 EUR |
| Annual custody fee | 0% | 0% |
| Cash interest (uninvested) | 2.50% p.a.* | 2.50% p.a.* |
| Fractional shares | No (savings plans: yes) | No (savings plans: yes) |
| Minimum deposit | None | None |
What you’ll need
Have these four items ready before opening the registration page. Missing any one of them will stall the application mid-flow.
Valid passport or national identity card. Non-EU documents may require a supplementary information sheet during POSTIDENT verification in Germany. Expired documents are rejected.
A current (checking) account at a SEPA bank in your own name. Savings accounts and joint accounts where you are not the primary holder are not accepted. You will need the IBAN at registration.
Your TIN for your country of tax residency. In Germany: Steueridentifikationsnummer (11 digits). In Italy: Codice Fiscale. In the Netherlands: BSN. In Spain: NIF. In France: Numero fiscal.
Required for two-factor authentication and for POSTIDENT video chat in Germany. Must be a live EEA number you can receive calls on at the time of verification. Non-EEA SIMs are not accepted.
Create your account and choose your plan
Start on the Scalable Capital website. Web is recommended over mobile for this step — the form is long enough that mobile adds unnecessary friction. Desktop or laptop only.
- Go to the Scalable Capital registration page and click Open account.
- Enter your email address and verify it via the magic link sent to your inbox.
- Choose your broker plan — FREE (0 EUR per month) or PRIME+ (4.99 EUR per month). Use the break-even analysis in the plan section above if you are undecided.
- Accept the legal disclosures from Scalable Capital and custodian bank Baader Bank AG via Advanced Electronic Signature.
Enter personal, tax, and financial details
This is the longest part of the process. Every field is required. The form auto-saves, but work through it in one sitting where possible — partial completions can expire on long inactivity periods.
- Full legal name (exactly as on your ID)
- Date of birth, place of birth, country of birth
- Current residential address
- Nationality
- EEA mobile phone number
- Tax residency country and Tax Identification Number
- Employment status and profession / industry
- PEP (Politically Exposed Person) status
- SEPA reference account IBAN
- Password and 2FA device registration
The name on your Scalable Capital profile must exactly match the name on your SEPA reference bank account. Mismatches caused by middle names, maiden names, or hyphenated surnames entered differently trigger a compliance rejection. Use the name exactly as it appears on your bank statement, not as it appears on your ID.
Complete identity verification (KYC)
The verification method depends on your country of residence. Both routes are fully digital. You do not need to visit a branch unless video identification fails.
Three options available, in order of convenience:
- Video chat — live call via smartphone camera; fastest
- eID / AusweisApp — NFC chip on German ID card; fully automated
- In-person branch — Deutsche Post office; fallback when video fails
Automated photo verification via the Scalable Capital app:
- Photograph the front and back of your document
- Take a selfie for biometric matching
- Automated approval — typically within minutes
- Non-Latin characters or missing holographic features on passports often fail POSTIDENT video. Use the in-person Deutsche Post branch as a fallback in this case.
- Name mismatch between your Scalable profile and SEPA reference account causes a compliance rejection after verification completes. Check this before submitting.
- Kids’ accounts require the secondary legal guardian to log into their own Scalable account to confirm the minor’s registration. Missing this step stalls approval.
- Expired magic links or 2FA issues after changing mobile devices can freeze mid-registration. Contact support via service@scalable.capital to resume.
Wait for approval, then fund your account
After identity verification, Scalable Capital runs a compliance review and formally opens the broker account at Baader Bank. Nothing more to do on your side during this period.
- Up to 3 business days after successful identity verification
- Scalable contacts you proactively if additional information is needed
- Approval notification by email and in-app notification
- SEPA bank transfer — 1 to 2 banking days; most common method
- SEPA Instant — same-day availability; initiated from Home > Payments > Deposit
- Minimum deposit: none required to activate the account
- Transfer must come from your registered SEPA reference account — the IBAN entered during registration. Deposits from other accounts are returned automatically and may take up to 2 banking days to clear back.
- Savings accounts and call accounts are not accepted as source accounts. Use a current (checking) account only.
- The registered recipient will appear as Scalable Capital Bank GmbH. This is correct — your personal IBAN routes the deposit to your account automatically.
- SEPA Direct Debit may not be available in all markets. Use a standard SEPA credit transfer if Instant is not available.
What to set up next
Your broker account is live. These are the three features worth configuring before your first trade.
Savings plan executions are 0 EUR on both FREE and PRIME+. Minimum is 1 EUR per plan. You can run multiple plans across different ETFs simultaneously. Execution dates are selectable (1st, 4th, 7th of the month and similar). See the full savings plan setup guide for execution scheduling and ETF selection.
Launched in March 2026, the Scalable Overnight account pays 2.50% p.a. on uninvested cash (variable rate). It attaches to your broker account without a separate identity verification. Access via Home > Add product in the app. External deposits into the Overnight account must come from your verified reference account only.
Scalable Capital became a licensed bank in September 2025. Your securities are held in custody by Baader Bank AG, segregated from Scalable’s own balance sheet. Cash is protected up to 100,000 EUR per partner bank under the German deposit guarantee scheme (Einlagensicherungsfonds). PRIME+ clients can spread cash across multiple partner banks for extended coverage up to 5 x 100,000 EUR.
Junior custody accounts are managed directly inside the parent’s Scalable app. Both legal guardians must hold their own Scalable account and confirm the minor’s registration. A separate KYC for the child is not required if the parent has already passed identity verification. Savings plans for children operate the same as adult accounts.
Ready to open your account?
Choose your plan, have your ID and IBAN ready, and complete registration in under 20 minutes. No minimum deposit required to activate.
More guides
Common questions
What is the difference between FREE and PRIME+ on Scalable Capital?
FREE costs 0 EUR per month and charges 0.99 EUR per trade. PRIME+ costs 4.99 EUR per month and offers zero commission on trades of 250 EUR or more on Gettex and EIX. On both plans, PRIME ETFs from Amundi, iShares, Vanguard, and Xtrackers are free for orders of 250 EUR or more, and savings plan executions are always 0 EUR. The break-even is 5 manual trades per month — above that, PRIME+ is the cheaper option.
Is there a minimum deposit to open a Scalable Capital account?
No. There is no minimum deposit required to open or activate a Scalable Capital broker account. You can complete registration and identity verification before depositing any funds. The minimum per savings plan execution is 1 EUR.
How long does it take to open a Scalable Capital account?
The registration form takes 15 to 20 minutes to complete. After identity verification, account opening takes up to 3 business days. Deposits via standard SEPA transfer arrive in 1 to 2 banking days. SEPA Instant is available for same-day funding where supported.
Can I open a Scalable Capital account if I live outside Germany?
Yes. Scalable Capital accepts residents of Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, metropolitan France, and the Netherlands. Residents outside these six markets cannot open a new account. Clients who move outside the EEA after account opening will have their client relationship terminated by Scalable Capital.
Is my money safe with Scalable Capital?
Scalable Capital became a licensed bank in September 2025. Securities are held in custody by Baader Bank AG, segregated from Scalable’s own balance sheet — your holdings are not at risk if Scalable itself were to fail. Cash balances are protected up to 100,000 EUR per partner bank under the German deposit guarantee scheme (Einlagensicherungsfonds). PRIME+ clients can spread uninvested cash across multiple partner banks, extending effective deposit protection to up to 5 x 100,000 EUR.
Can I switch between FREE and PRIME+ after opening my account?
Yes. You can upgrade to PRIME+ or downgrade to FREE at any time inside the Scalable Capital app or web interface. Changes take effect from the next billing cycle. There is no switching fee or penalty for changing plans.
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