Scalable Review

Founded in 2015 in Germany, Scalable Capital is a regulated fintech company overseen by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and the Deutsche Bundesbank. Its digital identification partner, Fourthline, is regulated by the Dutch Central Bank and the Financial Conduct Authority. Scalable Capital offers a comprehensive range of products, including ETFs, stocks, funds, crypto-ETPs, derivatives, and bonds. The platform is known for its seamless account setup and commission-free stock trades.

Recommended to

Scalable Capital is recommended for individual investors looking for a comprehensive and advanced trading solution. It is ideal for more experienced traders who value low commission stock trades, algorithmic trading capabilities, and personalized investment insights.

Pros

  • Diverse Investment Opportunities
  • Automated portfolio management
  • User-Friendly Interface

Cons

  • High Non-Trading Fees
  • Educational Resources

Review’s Keypoints

Country of regulation

Germany

Minimum deposit

€1

Time to open an account

1-3 days

Trading fees class

Low

Deposit with bank card

Not available

Number of base currencies supported

1

Products offered

Stocks

ETFs

Funds

Crypto ETPs

Derivatives

Bonds

Depositing with electronic wallet

Not available

Demo account provided

Not available

Fees

Scalable Capital provides a range of competitive and transparent fee options. It offers different plans with varying features, such as a basic plan with minimal trading fees, and premium plans that offer unlimited free trades for higher order volumes and additional benefits like interest on cash balances. Although there are multiple plans to choose from, Scalable Capital maintains a clear and user-friendly fee structure without hidden costs.

Pros

  • Low-Cost Trading
  • Interest on cash balance
  • No inactivity fees

Cons

  • USD-Only Cash Holdings

Transfers

With Scalable, deposits process in 1-3 business days via SEPA direct debit, bank transfer, or credit card (SC Broker only). SEPA direct debit deposits may be restricted for withdrawal or derivative purchases for up to eight weeks. Scalable Credit offers a flexible overdraft, allowing you to use your securities for payouts or further investing. Enjoy fee-free withdrawals processed within 3 days for convenient fund management.

Pros

  • Withdrawals are free of charge
  • No minimum deposit for general investment account

Cons

  • Instant deposit has a fee
  • Deposits via SEPA/Instant has 8-week withdrawal hold

Trading Platform

Web trading platform

The Scalable Capital web trading platform offers various order types, including market, limit, stop, and stop-limit orders, along with tools for setting take-profit and stop-loss orders. Security is enhanced with two-step verification. Users benefit from multilingual support, detailed fee reports, and performance overviews. All broker plans offer a list of transactions, and PRIME/PRIME+ users can export these to a CSV file. Additionally, the platform features stock comparison tools, available only on the web platform

Mobile trading platform

The features available on the Scalable Capital web platform, such as two-step verification, various order types, performance overviews, multilingual support, fee reports, and transaction export, are also accessible on the mobile apps. This consistency makes the platform versatile and accessible for all users, whether they prefer to trade via web or mobile devices.

Desktop Trading platform

The desktop trading platform of Scalable Capital offers an intuitive and user-friendly interface. It supports various order types, including market, limit, stop, and stop-limit orders, and provides real-time price data. The platform also offers extended trading hours from 08:00 to 22:00 and includes features such as detailed fee reports and multilingual support, making it versatile and accessible for users.

Offering

Scalable in Numbers:

0
Funds
0
Shares
0
Clients

Stocks

Scalable Capital offers a comprehensive stock trading platform that allows clients to trade a wide range of stocks from global markets. Investors can access over 7,000 global shares, including major US and Emerging Market stocks, through regulated European exchanges like Xetra and gettex

ETFs

Scalable Capital offers ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) that provide low-cost, diversified investment options across various asset classes like equities, bonds, and commodities. They feature transparent holdings, flexible trading, and low management fees. ETF savings plans start from 1 euro for regular, automated investments.

Funds

Scalable Capital offers a wide range of mutual funds, including equity, pension, real estate, and mixed funds, all managed by professional fund managers. Investors can trade over 1,800 funds without an issue surcharge and set up savings plans starting from just 1 euro. These features provide a flexible and cost-effective way to diversify and grow investments.

Crypto ETPs

Scalable Capital offers Crypto ETPs (Exchange Traded Products) that make investing in cryptocurrencies easy and secure. These products trade like stocks or ETFs on regulated exchanges such as gettex or Xetra, combining the security of regulated trading with the convenience of physical backing of crypto assets, eliminating the need for separate wallets or costly custody services.

Derivatives

Scalable Capital offers a comprehensive range of derivatives for trading, including products from partners like Goldman Sachs, HSBC, and HypoVereinsbank. The derivatives cater to experienced investors and cover over 170,000 products on more than 1,000 underlying assets. Before trading, users must complete an appropriateness test to ensure they understand the risks involved​

Bonds

Scalable Capital offers government and corporate bonds to provide stability and diversification to investor portfolios. These bonds feature fixed or variable interest rates and have various maturities and risk profiles​

Tools

Insights

tool offers comprehensive portfolio analytics, helping users identify opportunities and risks. It breaks down the portfolio by instrument type, assesses diversification by regions, sectors, and asset classes, and provides hypothetical scenarios to gauge potential impacts. Powered by BlackRock's analytics, Insights is accessible on the web home screen and the app's top-right graphic.

Securities Lists

Scalable Capital's securities lists feature helps users explore investments by categorizing securities into groups like popular savings plans, most traded securities, regions, strategies, megatrends, and industries. This simplifies finding interesting securities and can be accessed via the platform's search tab

Portfolio Groups

The platform allows users to create and manage portfolio groups based on their investment goals or strategies, making it easier to organize and track their investments​

Smart Predict

Feature simplifies placing limit and stop orders by using historical data and machine learning to show the probability of execution within the next hour, considering factors like volatility, price distance, spread size, security type, and time of day. This real-time updating tool helps set optimal prices, enhancing trading strategies. However, it is only available to users with the PRIME Broker plan, which could be a downside for those on FREE Broker plan.

Regulation

Scalable Capital is a digital investment platform regulated by BaFin (Federal Financial Supervisory Authority) in Germany. This high-level regulation ensures that Scalable Capital adheres to stringent financial standards, creating a secure environment for investors. Additionally, the platform is supervised by the Deutsche Bundesbank, further strengthening its regulatory framework and commitment to financial stability and investor protection. These strict oversight measures require Scalable Capital to segregate client funds from its operational funds, safeguarding investor assets and ensuring their return even in the event of financial difficulties. Moreover, compliance with BaFin’s standards, which are on par with bank-level security systems, ensures transparency and ethical trading practices. 

 

Bottom Line

Scalable Broker offers some of the lowest stock and ETF trading fees in Europe, with commission-free trading under its PRIME plan. The platform is user-friendly and provides a wide range of investment products, including stocks, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies, along with automated investment management. It is regulated by BaFin in Germany, ensuring high security and compliance. However, it lacks access to US stock markets, does not offer fractional shares, and has a high minimum investment for managed portfolios​.