Lightyear uses two materially different retail price models under the same brand. UK personal accounts publish zero stock and ETF execution commissions with a 0.1% FX charge. European accounts publish per-order stock charges, a 0.35% FX rate and free ETF execution. Comparing the brand without naming the legal company and region would merge prices that were designed for different services.[1][2][5]
The UK company is Lightyear UK Ltd; the European company is Lightyear Europe AS. Both support multi-currency investing, but account wrappers, product coverage, cash rates and regulatory references differ. The selected onboarding route decides which schedule applies.[1][5]
Accounts & headline costs
Sections ↑Lightyear essentials
| Measure | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| UK stock and ETF commission | Free | UK personal GIA/ISA schedule; other taxes and fund charges can remain.Source 1Source 2 |
| UK currency conversion | 0.10% | Live interbank rate plus the stated charge.Source 1Source 2 |
| Europe currency conversion | 0.35% | European account schedule.Source 5 |
| Multi-currency balances | GBP, USD and EUR | Published as free to hold under the pricing pages.Source 1Source 5 |
| Advertised investment universe | About 6,000 stocks and funds | Current UK service presentation; actual instruments depend on account and region.Source 6 |
UK account routes
| Route | Published role | Boundary |
|---|---|---|
| General Investment Account | Taxable multi-market investment account | UK personal pricing appliesSource 2Source 1 |
| Stocks and Shares ISA | UK tax wrapper | Same zero execution and 0.1% FX headline; eligibility rules applySource 2Source 1 |
| Cash ISA | Flexible cash product linked to the Bank of England base rate | Separate from invested securities and market riskSource 1 |
| Vaults | Money-market-fund route | Fees up to 0.15%; not equivalent to a bank depositSource 1 |
| Investment plans | Recurring portfolio instructions | Automation does not guarantee price or returnSource 6 |
Fees & holding costs
Sections ↑Regional trading comparison
| Item | UK personal account | European account |
|---|---|---|
| Currency conversion | 0.10% | 0.35%Source 1Source 5 |
| U.S. shares | Free execution | 0.10%; US$0.10 min / US$1 maxSource 1Source 5 |
| U.K. shares | Free execution | £1 per orderSource 1Source 5 |
| EUR-denominated shares | Free execution | €1 per orderSource 1Source 5 |
| ETFs | Free execution | Free executionSource 1Source 5 |
| Account / multi-currency fee | Free | FreeSource 1Source 5 |
European regional details
| Route | Published price | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Other European shares | 0.10% with local-currency minimums | Non-EUR markets; minimum varies by countrySource 5 |
| Baltic shares | Three free orders monthly, then €1 | European account scheduleSource 5 |
| Crypto | 0.45% per order | European service; not inferred into the UK accountSource 5 |
| Money market funds | 0.15% or less | Rate shown after Lightyear fee; fund and product risk remainSource 5 |
| Card deposit | 0.60% | Optional faster funding routeSource 5Source 3 |
The cost difference can be substantial for repeated foreign-currency investing. On £10,000 converted once, 0.10% is £10 and 0.35% is £35. That £25 difference is pure arithmetic from the published rates; it does not account for exchange-rate movement, spread or multiple conversions.[1][5]
What “free” does and does not cover
| Item | Lightyear charge | Other cost that can remain |
|---|---|---|
| UK / U.S. / EU stock order in UK account | No execution commission | FX, taxes, spread and product riskSource 1 |
| ETF order | No execution commission | Fund manager expense and market spreadSource 1Source 5 |
| Account and custody | No Lightyear monthly fee | External taxes and specialist services can remainSource 1Source 5 |
| Cash ISA | No account fee | Rate can change and eligibility/tax rules applySource 1 |
| Vault / MMF | Up to 0.15% | Fund risk and rate movementSource 1 |
Execution & trading rules
Sections ↑Order controls and session scope
| Subject | Published terms | Practical scope |
|---|---|---|
| Market and limit | Low-volume instruments may permit only limit orders | Submitted market orders generally cannot be cancelled; an outside-hours cancellation request is not guaranteed.Source 16Source 17Source 18Source 19 |
| Stop orders | Available for US-exchange shares; trigger becomes a market order | Execution can differ from the stop price. Below US$10, the stop must be at least 1% above the current price for a buy or below it for a sell.Source 16Source 17Source 18Source 19 |
| Repeat orders | Scheduled stock/ETF purchases; no recurring MMF order | Insufficient cash skips that occurrence; a closed market moves it to the next trading day. Each purchase has its own applicable fee.Source 16Source 17Source 18Source 19 |
| Extended hours | Selected EU instruments on Tradegate: published 07:30–22:00 CET | Eligible instruments carry an Extended hours trading label; the app shows local hours. This does not establish US stop execution outside the regular US session.Source 16Source 17Source 18Source 19 |
Deposits, withdrawals & transfers
Sections ↑Cash, funding and currencies
| Operation | Published term | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| GBP uninvested cash — UK | 1% under the cited help schedule | Variable; applies to eligible uninvested cashSource 4 |
| EUR / USD uninvested cash — UK | 0% under the cited help schedule | Foreign-currency balances do not automatically earn the GBP rateSource 4 |
| Bank transfer in/out | Free local transfer | Bank or correspondent charges can still occurSource 1Source 5 |
| Multi-currency account | GBP, USD and EUR | Avoids forced conversion on every trade when the needed currency is heldSource 1 |
| Card deposit | 0.60% | Optional route; bank transfer is the lower-cost published alternativeSource 3Source 5 |
The multi-currency design matters because a low FX percentage is useful only when a conversion is needed. A customer who receives, holds and reinvests USD can avoid repeated GBP/USD round trips; another funding only in GBP will encounter the conversion charge whenever the trade requires foreign currency.[1][5]
UK service: bank withdrawals
| Subject | Published terms | Practical scope |
|---|---|---|
| Destination | Bank account in the customer’s name | Business-account withdrawals require the business name.Source 7 |
| GBP | Local transfer; bank saved after a GBP deposit | Normally available as a withdrawal account within one business day.Source 7 |
| EUR / USD | Ownership statement requested to add the bank | EUR local only; USD international SWIFT only.Source 7 |
| Timing | Most requests paid out within two business days | Then usually same banking day for GBP/EUR; USD can take five banking days.Source 7 |
| Available balance | Unreserved cash after applicable settlement | Rewards cannot be withdrawn for 180 days; SWIFT intermediaries can deduct charges.Source 7 |
For an outward securities transfer, the UK guide asks the customer to email [email protected] from the verified address with the instruments, quantities and receiving broker. Lightyear states no transfer fee, although the other broker can charge. Fractional shares cannot be transferred in or out; any fractional component must be sold rather than represented as a transferable whole share.[8][9]
Protection & regulation
Sections ↑Two operating companies
| Legal entity | Published reference | Service scope |
|---|---|---|
| Lightyear UK Ltd | FCA 987226; company 14367910 | UK personal investing and UK account wrappersSource 1 |
| Lightyear Europe AS | Finantsinspektsioon 4.1-1/31; company 16235024 | European investment serviceSource 5 |
| European crypto permission | Finantsinspektsioon 4.1-1/147 disclosed in the site footer | Separate permission from the investment-firm referenceSource 5 |
| Lightyear brand | Shared product and technology identity | Does not make UK and EEA fees interchangeableSource 6Source 5 |
For Lightyear UK, eligible missing-asset or client-money claims following the investment firm’s failure can fall within the £85,000 FSCS investment limit per person per firm. This differs from bank failure: UK partner-bank cash follows the deposit scheme, aggregated with the customer’s other deposits at that bank. Non-UK bank cash does not acquire UK deposit protection. GBP cash can also be held in qualifying money-market funds; those fund units and Vaults are investments, not guaranteed bank deposits. None of these arrangements insures ordinary market or fund-value losses.[15]
- Headquarters
- London, United Kingdom and Tallinn, Estonia — separate UK and European operating companies
- Founded
- 2020
Legal entities & licences
These are source-dated records, not a blanket assessment of the broker. Read each issuer, identifier, status and scope together.
Lightyear UK Ltd
United KingdomSource 1
| Issuer & identifier | Recorded status | Date & scope |
|---|---|---|
| Financial Conduct Authority987226 | Authorised | Checked 15 Oct 2026FCA firm record identifies the company, reference and authorised status; product permissions remain activity-specific.Source 12 |
Lightyear Europe AS
EstoniaSource 5
| Issuer & identifier | Recorded status | Date & scope |
|---|---|---|
| Finantsinspektsioon4.1-1/31 | Authorised | Checked 15 Oct 2026Current Finantsinspektsioon licensed-firm record identifies Lightyear Europe AS and licence 4.1-1/31.Source 13Source 14 |
Opening an account & support
Sections ↑UK complaints go to [email protected] with the issue date, affected transactions and a clear explanation. Lightyear promises acknowledgement within one business day and aims to resolve within three. Otherwise, within eight weeks it supplies a final response or explains the delay and the right to contact the Financial Ombudsman Service. An eligible FOS referral is normally due within six months of the final response. This is Lightyear UK Ltd’s policy; it does not establish the Estonian company’s external complaint route.[10]
Additional services
Sections ↑The reporting tools distinguish account statements, income reports, capital-gains reports and an annual ex-post costs-and-charges report. A broker report records activity; the applicable tax treatment still depends on residence, wrapper and the investor’s circumstances.[11]
Additional Information
Sections ↑Sources & further reading
- Lightyear UK pricing Lightyear · Accessed 9 Oct 2026
- UK commission removal and 0.1% FX announcement Lightyear · 11 Mar 2026 · Accessed 9 Oct 2026
- Lightyear fees and taxes Lightyear Help Centre · Accessed 9 Oct 2026
- How Lightyear pays interest on uninvested cash Lightyear Help Centre · Accessed 9 Oct 2026
- Lightyear Europe pricing Lightyear · Accessed 9 Oct 2026
- Lightyear UK service and product universe Lightyear · Accessed 9 Oct 2026
- Withdrawals by currency and processing Lightyear · Accessed 15 Oct 2026
- Stock transfers Lightyear · Accessed 15 Oct 2026
- Fractional shares and transfers Lightyear · Accessed 15 Oct 2026
- Lightyear UK complaint policy Lightyear · Accessed 15 Oct 2026
- Tax statements and reports Lightyear · Accessed 15 Oct 2026
- FCA firm record: Lightyear U.K. Ltd Financial Conduct Authority · Accessed 15 Oct 2026
- Finantsinspektsioon licensed firm: Lightyear Europe AS Finantsinspektsioon · Accessed 15 Oct 2026
- Finantsinspektsioon company and licence details Finantsinspektsioon · Accessed 15 Oct 2026
- UK asset protection and cash locations Lightyear · Accessed 15 Oct 2026
- Order types and cancellation rules Lightyear · Accessed 15 Oct 2026
- US-share stop-order conditions Lightyear · Accessed 15 Oct 2026
- Repeat orders and funding controls Lightyear · Accessed 15 Oct 2026
- Tradegate extended-hours instruments Lightyear · Accessed 15 Oct 2026
This profile reports dated public information, including broker-published services and terms. It does not independently test or guarantee execution, pricing or withdrawals. Inclusion is not an endorsement. Permissions and protections apply only to the named legal entity, service and client category; check the current official records and your contract.