In order to trade successfully, it is very important to choose the right broker. in South America, a large number of companies provide access to trading and you will have to choose the one for you among them. It is important to work only with reliable brokers providing all the required instruments for trading based on your trading strategy. TU analysts have selected the best online brokers for beginners in South America 2024. You can compare their features and trading conditions.
1
eToro - Best for beginners in South America
The eToro broker was founded in 2007. The company promotes itself as a social trading platform working with traders from over 140 countries. The broker has several divisions operating under different jurisdictions and licensed by different regulators. For example, eToro (Europe) is licensed by the Cypriot regulator CySEC (109/10) and eToro (UK) is licensed by the British regulator FCA (583263). The broker also has a representative office in Australia and the USA.
👍 Advantages of trading with eToro for traders from South America:
•High level of reliability ensured by the licenses of respected regulatory authorities and participation in the compensation funds.
•Wide selection of assets quoted at stock exchanges in the UK, U.S., Australia and Asia.
•An opportunity to combine active trading with social trading and passive investing.
•Zero-fee trading of a number of stocks.
•Access to ready-made diversified asset portfolios with various risk levels.
•Provision of leverage, educational materials on various markets and user-friendly trading platforms that can run on any device.
•Zero fees for portfolio management, depositing funds and account maintenance.
👎 Disadvantages of eToro for traders from South America:
•High minimum deposit for users of a number of countries.
•No live chat on the website for quick connection to customer support.
2
Revolut - Best for beginners in South America
Revolut is a British fintech company that has been providing investors with accounts for trading precious metals, cryptocurrencies, and stocks listed on U.S. exchanges since 2015. The broker offers its clients access to investing in stocks and ETFs on European stock exchanges. For organizations and private clients, the company offers a multi-currency account with the possibility of exchanging currencies at the current inter-bank exchange rate. Revolut is supervised by the Financial Services Authority (FSA).
👍 Advantages of trading with Revolut for traders from South America:
•In addition to stock trades, customers can trade cryptocurrencies and precious metals.
•The broker offers commission-free trading plans.
•The minimum number of shares to buy is 0.00000001.
•There are no minimum deposit requirements.
•Social trading is available, which allows newcomers to the stock market to copy trades of successful traders.
•Communication with the support service via chat is available in the mobile application 24 hours a day.
•There is no fee for opening and maintaining a trading account.
👎 Disadvantages of Revolut for traders from South America:
•Stock trading is currently only available to UK residents.
•Operations in precious metals and cryptocurrencies are not regulated by supervisory authorities.
•The company does not offer fiduciary management of its investment portfolio.
3
ETrade - Best for beginners in South America
The Etrade broker is a subsidiary of Morgan Stanley, the financial conglomerate, which has been operating since 1982. Today, E*TRADE is the leading online platform for financial instruments trading on the world's major exchanges. It offers operations with stocks, options, futures, bonds, ETFs, as well as investments in mutual funds. The broker is a member of FINRA (CRD#: 29106/SEC#: 8-44112), SIPC, NFA (0401545), and the FDIC, and provides services according to its license with the SEC, the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
👍 Advantages of trading with ETrade for traders from South America:
•Fully adaptable to e-commerce through its mobile applications.
•No commissions when working with stock options on American exchanges.
•Twenty-four/seven customer support via online chat.
👎 Disadvantages of ETrade for traders from South America:
•The Forex market tools are not available for trading.
•Training is provided in English only,
•Leverage is limited and cannot exceed 50% of the trader's personal funds.
•You cannot open a demo account to test the broker's conditions.
•There is no support, the website is only in English.
4
Lightspeed - Best for beginners in South America
Lightspeed is an American stockbroker for experienced investors. The company is overseen by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC, 0001122636 ), the US Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and NFA (0330872). The SIPC, the Securities Investor Protection Corporation, is responsible for compensating Lightspeed customers in the event the broker files for bankruptcy. Lightspeed specializes in providing investors with access to the stock markets, offering multi-ownership accounts and instant order execution.
👍 Advantages of trading with Lightspeed for traders from South America:
•A wide selection of trading platforms for the different needs of a trader.
•The ability to test the trading conditions of the broker without financial risks, on a virtual account.
•The company offers accounts for trading different assets and with different forms of ownership.
•A Lightspeed customer can earn additional income by participating in the affiliate program.
•Basic training materials for working on the Lightspeed platforms are available on the broker's website
👎 Disadvantages of Lightspeed for traders from South America:
•Expensive minimum deposits.
•Lack of investment programs and other ways to generate passive income.
•The broker charges clients a commission for non-trading operations like holding positions, closing an account, maintaining an account, etc.
5
Zacks Trade - Best for beginners in South America
Zacks Trade is a stock broker headquartered in Chicago. The company has been providing investment services and quality analytical research since 1978. It is a division of LBMZ Securities, for which Interactive Brokers provides clearing and execution services. Zacks Trade is regulated by FINRA (CRD#: 7874/SEC#: 8-23266) and SEC, and is a member of SIPC. The broker offers its clients access to trading securities of the USA, Europe and Asia using proprietary platforms with powerful analysis instruments.
👍 Advantages of trading with Zacks Trade for traders from South America:
•The list of countries, the residents of which can open an account, includes 218 states.
•Wide selection of shares of international markets and quoted at the US stock exchanges.
•Reliable regulation by highly respected regulation authorities FINRA and SEC.
•No account service, inactivity or deposit fees.
•Fully digitalized account opening procedure.
•Over 20 base currencies.
•Access to subscription to professional instruments of research from third party providers and specialists of the broker’s own analytical department Zacks Investment Research.
👎 Disadvantages of Zacks Trade for traders from South America:
•At the moment, the broker’s clients cannot trade cryptocurrencies, futures, commodities and Forex instruments. Only shares are available from the securities of foreign exchanges.
•IRA accounts are available only for US tax residents.
•Funds cannot be deposited to the account using debit/credit cards. Also withdrawals to debit/credit cards are not available.
Commissions & Fees
Brokerage fees are the amount of money that you pay for using the services that a brokerage offers in order to perform trading and manage investments. The brokerage fee structure and regulations vary from broker to broker, and there are two primary fee types which are:
Trading Fees: This type of fee is only charged when you perform a trade. It can be a conversion fee, margin rate, financing rate, spread, or commission.
Non-Trading Fees: This type of fee isn't directly related to your trading activity, and it can include inactivity fee, withdrawal fee, deposit fee, etcetera.
eToro Commissions and Fees
Registration on the eToro platform is free. The broker does not charge a fee for opening and closing long positions on stocks quoted at the US stock exchanges. The stocks of other markets are available as derivatives, with eToro charging a trading fee on them in the form of the spread. Also, the fees are applied to short positions and leveraged orders. The company accepts and allows withdrawals of only US dollars. If a client deposits or withdraws another currency, it is converted into USD at a fee of 0-50 pips. Members of eToro club get a 50-100% fee reduction on conversion. If a client shows no activity for a period of 12 month, the broker charges the inactivity fee of $10. There is no deposit fee. eToro charges $5 on each withdrawal.
| Account type | Spread (minimum value) | Withdrawal commision |
|---|---|---|
|
Standard |
$5 |
Yes |
|
Pro |
from $1.1 |
$5 eToro’s fee + the fees of payment systems |
Revolut Commissions and Fees
During our analysis of trading conditions, it was found that Revolut limits the number of trades without commissions. Depending on the account type, 1-5 transactions per month are free. There is a monthly subscription fee of £2.99-£12.99 on different accounts, which can be reduced by 20% if you pay in advance for a year. The broker charges a fee of 1 USD for additional orders. Since stocks listed on American exchanges are offered for investment, the fees are calculated in USD and then the funds are converted to the account currency at the current exchange rate. For transactions in cryptocurrency, the commission is 1.5-2%, and for transactions in precious metals, it’s 0.5-1.5% of the transaction volume. The amount of interest depends on the selected trading account. No additional hidden commissions were revealed.
| Account type | Spread (minimum value) | Withdrawal commision |
|---|---|---|
|
Standard |
From £2.99 |
No |
|
Plus |
From £2.99 |
No |
|
Premium |
From £2.99 |
No |
|
Metals |
From £2.99 |
No |
ETrade Commissions and Fees
The broker's terms analysis for the direct and hidden commissions proved the following: the trading fee amount depends on the assets traded. There are also extra fees for certain types of contracts (index-type options). When working with securities of foreign exchange companies, a tax on financial transactions is collected. It is 0.12-0.3% of the total value of the transaction depending on the specific country. Moreover, the custody of depositary receipts for American shares involves a fee of $0.005 to $0.05 per unit. All information about fees is freely available on the E*TRADE website.
| Account type | Spread (minimum value) | Withdrawal commision |
|---|---|---|
|
E*TRADE |
from $1 |
There is a bank commission |
Lightspeed Commissions and Fees
The experts at Traders Union have analyzed the trading conditions of the Lightspeed broker for the existence of explicit and hidden commissions. Information about fees is publicly available on the company's website. Trading fees depend on the trading asset and the client's trading volume. Non-trading fees include account maintenance and closing fees, inactive account, additional security measures, transaction cancellations, refunds, etc.
| Account type | Spread (minimum value) | Withdrawal commision |
|---|---|---|
|
Individual Account |
From $2.50 per trade |
$25 internal bank transfer, $50 external bank transfer, $25 check |
|
Joint Account |
From $2.50 per trade |
$25 internal bank transfer, $50 external bank transfer, $25 check |
|
Corporate Account |
From $2.50 per trade |
$25 internal bank transfer, $50 external bank transfer, $25 check |
|
LLC Account |
From $2.50 per trade |
$25 internal bank transfer, $50 external bank transfer, $25 check |
|
Partnership Account |
From $2.50 per trade |
$25 internal bank transfer, $50 external bank transfer, $25 check |
|
Trust Account |
From $2.50 per trade |
$25 internal bank transfer, $50 external bank transfer, $25 check |
|
Retirement Account |
From $2.50 per trade |
$25 internal bank transfer, $50 external bank transfer, $25 check |
Zacks Trade Commissions and Fees
Zacks Trade charges trading commissions and also a non-trading withdrawal fee, starting from the second withdrawal (no fee is charged on the first withdrawal of the month). The amount of trading commissions depends on the type of asset and the selected market. For trading US stocks and ETFs worth over $1, the broker charges USD 0.01 per share (but no less than $1), worth less than $1 – 1% of the trade (but no less than $1). Commissions on foreign stocks are calculated in the account currency. As is with the US stocks, there is a minimum commission. For the trades on Canadian stocks, Zacks Trade charges CAD 0.02 per share. For trading stocks of other countries, a percentage of the trade value is charged: 0.3% for Mexico and Australia, 0.1-1% - Europe, 0.05-0.3% - Asia. Commissions on options are as follows: $1 for the first contract, $0.75 for the following contracts, no fees are charged on execution and assignment. For the trade on mutual funds (over $1 per share), the investors pay $27.50, corporate bonds – 0.1% of the nominal value +$3 per bond. For currency conversation for the securities traded at the international exchanges, a $2-2.5 commission is charged.
| Account type | Spread (minimum value) | Withdrawal commision |
|---|---|---|
|
Cash Account |
from $1 |
Charged on the second and following withdrawals within one month |
|
Margin Account |
from $1 |
Charged on the second and following withdrawals within one month |
|
Portfolio Margin Account |
from $1 |
Charged on the second and following withdrawals within one month |
Summary
Many brokers are available for traders from South America, but not all of them offer good conditions. In this review, TU experts chose the Best online brokers for beginners in South America 2024. These are the most trusted companies that offer the best conditions for traders. You will also be able to review the general assessment of each broker.
Overall score of the best Online Brokers For Beginners in South America
| eToro | Revolut | ETrade | Lightspeed | Zacks Trade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Overall score |
7.75 |
7.69 |
6.97 |
5.95 |
5.26 |
|
Execution of orders |
9.1 |
9.2 |
8 |
6.94 |
6.24 |
|
Investment instruments |
9.7 |
9.8 |
8.6 |
7.36 |
6.66 |
|
Withdrawal speed |
9.5 |
9.6 |
8.4 |
7 |
6.3 |
|
Customer Support work |
9.3 |
9.4 |
8.2 |
7.3 |
6.6 |
|
Variety of instruments |
9 |
9.1 |
7.9 |
6.78 |
6.08 |
|
Trading platform |
9.8 |
9.9 |
8.7 |
7.52 |
6.82 |
|
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FAQ
Can you earn passive income in the financial markets?
Yes, the best brokers in South America offer passive income options. These could include copy trading, PAMM accounts, managed portfolios, etc.
What are the risks of trading in the financial markets?
Any trading in the financial markets carries risks of losing your money due to asset volatility. Therefore, it is important to develop the rules of risk management in your strategy and strictly follow them.
What commissions and fees should I take into consideration when I am choosing a broker?
The commissions and fees in the financial markets are divided into trading and non-tradings ones. Trading fees are the fees that are charged directly during trading (spread, commission per lot, etc.), while non-trading fees are the ones charged outside the trading process (for example, account fee, inactivity fee, deposit and withdrawal fee).
Does the choice of a beginner differ from the choice of an experienced trader?
Yes. A novice trader should primarily consider the availability of educational tools and a demo account, as well as basic assets. A more experienced trader is interested in wider opportunities on advanced account types, a wider choice of instruments for technical analysis, and a greater number of trading instruments.
Best Online Brokers For Beginners by Countries
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Team that worked on the article
Mikhail Vnuchkov joined Traders Union as an author in 2020. He began his professional career as a journalist-observer at a small online financial publication, where he covered global economic events and discussed their impact on the segment of financial investment, including investor income. With five years of experience in finance, Mikhail joined Traders Union team, where he is in charge of forming the pool of latest news for traders, who trade stocks, cryptocurrencies, Forex instruments and fixed income.
Olga Shendetskaya has been a part of the Traders Union team as an author, editor and proofreader since 2017. Since 2020, Shendetskaya has been the assistant chief editor of the website of Traders Union, an international association of traders. She has over 10 years of experience of working with economic and financial texts. In the period of 2017-2020, Olga has worked as a journalist and editor of laftNews news agency, economic and financial news sections. At the moment, Olga is a part of the team of top industry experts involved in creation of educational articles in finance and investment, overseeing their writing and publication on the Traders Union website.