Accounts and opening requirements
Sections ↑TradeDirect is a BCV service, not a separate bank and not a MetaTrader-style leveraged FX account. The principal choice is a self-directed securities relationship with currency settlement accounts; specialist permissions and foreign-market requirements remain separate from the headline brokerage price.[1][2][13]
Reference table01
Account structure
| Attribute | Standard relationship | Boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Customer scope | Swiss residents | Non-resident eligibility is not inferredSource 2 |
| Investment mandate | Execution only | Research does not create a discretionary mandateSource 6 |
| Cash currencies | CHF, EUR and USD accounts | Currency conversion and settlement remain relevantSource 2Source 4 |
| Digital channels | Web and mobile | Banking authentication and custody are with BCVSource 5Source 13 |
| Borrowing | No routine overdraft or uncovered sale | Funding must support purchase and settlementSource 6 |
Reference table02
Opening preparation
| Item | Published terms and practical effect |
|---|---|
| Application pack | Use the official account-opening process and current supporting forms; identity, tax-residence and ownership details are required.Source 2Source 8 |
| US securities | The document library supplies W-8BEN and US estate-tax information; the applicable investor declaration must match the customer.Source 8 |
| Transfer of existing holdings | A custody-transfer form is available. Acceptance depends on whether the securities can be held and serviced.Source 8Source 7 |
| Promotions | The homepage and opening route carried different dated offers during review. No expired welcome allowance is treated as a permanent account feature.Source 1Source 2 |
Products and platforms
Sections ↑Reference table03
Markets, tools and devices
| Item | Published terms and practical effect |
|---|---|
| Securities | Swiss and international shares, ETFs, bonds and eligible other listed securities form the core offer.Source 1Source 4 |
| Market access | The tariff identifies individual venues and their own pricing. Marketing pages use inconsistent total-market counts, so a single headline count is omitted.Source 2Source 1Source 4 |
| Web/mobile | Portfolio views, charting, alerts and order submission are available; instrument and market restrictions still apply.Source 5 |
| Market data | SIX real-time data is listed without a subscription charge. Other eligible feeds may require activation; remaining prices can be delayed.Source 4 |
| Research | TheScreener and other market information support self-directed decisions; they are not automatic trading or a return guarantee.Source 3 |
| Missing ticker | An eligible product absent from the platform can be requested for activation during service hours. Acceptance is not guaranteed for every ticker.Source 12 |
Trading fees and ongoing costs
Sections ↑Reference table04
Selected online brokerage bands
Reference table05
Recurring and exit charges
| Item | Published terms and practical effect |
|---|---|
| Base custody | 0.025% per quarter; minimum CHF 10 and maximum CHF 25, before applicable VAT.Source 4 |
| Non-online securities | An additional 0.025% custody item applies to securities not tradable online; the base cap must not be presented as an all-in cap.Source 4 |
| Outward securities | CHF 100 per position for a Swiss depositary or CHF 150 for a foreign depositary, plus applicable VAT.Source 4 |
| Cash-account closure | CHF 15 for each used cash account under the tariff.Source 4 |
| Statements and tax extracts | Ordinary electronic statements and account/loan tax extracts differ from a securities tax statement priced when ordered.Source 4 |
| Fees and statutory charges | Brokerage is not the whole investment cost; exchange, stamp-duty, custody and foreign-currency costs require separate consideration.Source 4Source 6 |
Orders, execution and risk controls
Sections ↑Reference table06
Execution mechanics
| Item | Published terms and practical effect |
|---|---|
| Basic orders | Market, limit, stop and stop-limit orders are described, subject to market availability.Source 5 |
| Submitting the order | Preparing an order is not sending it. Review the ticket, submit it and inspect the resulting order status.Source 10 |
| Cancellation | Cancellation succeeds only if received before execution; acknowledgement of the request is not confirmation of cancellation.Source 6 |
| Stops | Stop orders do not secure a guaranteed execution price. Trigger rules and market liquidity can affect the result.Source 6 |
| Restricted investments | The conditions permit rejection of instruments such as certain penny stocks, US partnership interests or other restricted securities.Source 6 |
| Frankfurt window | The services page specifies a 09:00–17:35 order window for Frankfurt even where an exchange’s wider session differs.Source 3 |
| Partial fills | The tariff distinguishes same-day partial executions from orders executed on different days.Source 4 |
Deposits, withdrawals and transfers
Sections ↑Reference table07
Payments and investment transfers
| Item | Published terms and practical effect |
|---|---|
| Cash transfer | Use the BCV-linked banking channels and the correct currency account. Own-bank transfers and security purchases are different instructions.Source 4Source 11 |
| Recurring money | A standing order can move cash into the account, but the subsequent securities purchase still has to be entered manually.Source 11 |
| Settlement funding | The conditions disallow uncovered purchases and short sales. The bank can intervene to correct a deficit.Source 6 |
| Incoming securities | Use the current transfer form and list the positions precisely; separate currency accounts do not themselves move securities.Source 8Source 7 |
| Exit costs | Budget outward transfer fees per position and depositary, not once for the whole portfolio.Source 4 |
| Unusual instruments | Eligibility and settlement constraints can affect the transfer of a security that cannot be traded online.Source 12Source 7 |
Regulation, custody and protection
Sections ↑Reference table08
Custody and regulatory scope
| Item | Published terms and practical effect |
|---|---|
| Legal counterparty | Banque Cantonale Vaudoise, not an independently licensed TradeDirect company.Source 13 |
| Regulatory evidence | BCV is identified in the official FINMA bank list reviewed for this profile.Source 14 |
| Eligible deposits | The Swiss deposit-protection framework has a CHF 100,000 client/bank limit, subject to eligibility and aggregation.Source 15Source 16 |
| Market risk | Shares and other securities are not guaranteed against investment losses by the deposit scheme.Source 16Source 7 |
| Custody chain | The custody regulations govern safekeeping and third-party arrangements. Do not assume all foreign holdings are registered directly in the customer’s name.Source 7 |
| State guarantee | The name “cantonal bank” is not used here as evidence of an unlimited government guarantee.Source 13Source 16 |
Support and account administration
Sections ↑Reference table09
Help and administration
| Item | Published terms and practical effect |
|---|---|
| Published helpdesk | 0848 808 883; Monday–Friday, 07:30–22:00 Swiss local time. This is a Swiss service number.Source 9 |
| Languages | French, German and English assistance are described.Source 3 |
| Secure instructions | Use the authenticated service for account matters. General email is not assumed to be an order-placement channel.Source 9Source 6 |
| Platform interruption | Contact the helpdesk and establish the status of outstanding instructions; a universal outage execution guarantee was not found.Source 9Source 6 |
| Security | The service describes BCV smartID authentication. Recovery and any resulting transfer restrictions should follow the bank’s current procedure.Source 3 |
| Inactivity | The published custody charge is not an inactivity-only fee. A fixed automatic inactivity-closure deadline was not established.Source 4Source 6 |
Formal complaints
Sections ↑BCV directs a complaint first to the usual bank contact. In BCV-net, select “Envoyer une réclamation” as the message subject. If the response is unsatisfactory, the Client Feedback Centre can be reached at [email protected] or BCV / Centre de feedback client / CP 300 / 1001 Lausanne. The bank promises an appropriate response period but the reviewed page does not specify a fixed number of days.[17]
BCV also identifies the Swiss Banking Ombudsman as an independent, free mediation route after an unsatisfactory bank response. Mediation is separate from the TradeDirect helpdesk and from an instruction to cancel or close an investment. Retain the order, statement and correspondence relevant to the dispute.[18]
Research, reporting and additional services
Sections ↑Reference table10
Research and records
| Item | Published terms and practical effect |
|---|---|
| Alerts | SMS/email price alerts and monitoring tools are described; an alert is not a protective order.Source 5 |
| Simulated portfolio | A portfolio simulation is an analytical facility, not a funded trading account.Source 5 |
| Regular investment | Manual order entry is required after recurring cash funding; there is no basis to label that as automated ETF execution.Source 11 |
| Tax preparation | The library provides tax-residence and US tax forms alongside banking and custody documents.Source 8 |
| Export and closure access | Save required contract notes, statements and acquisition-cost records before closing. An unlimited post-closure online archive was not established.Source 4Source 7 |
| Delegated access | Use the supplied power-of-attorney process rather than sharing the account holder’s credentials.Source 8Source 6 |
Company identity and evidence
Sections ↑TradeDirect’s own operating documents and BCV’s institutional information establish the service’s scope. The review distinguishes bank-account funding from automated securities buying and base custody charges from surcharges. Dated promotional banners and inconsistent market totals are not treated as permanent terms. No funded account or live trade was used in this review.[13][6][11][4][2]
Legal entities & licences
These are source-dated records, not a blanket assessment of the broker. Read each issuer, identifier, status and scope together.
Banque Cantonale Vaudoise (BCV)
No separate licence entry is recorded in this panel.
Sources & further reading
- TradeDirect service TradeDirect · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Opening a TradeDirect account TradeDirect · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Services and tariff overview TradeDirect · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- TradeDirect tariff 42-102/25.02 TradeDirect · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Web and mobile platforms TradeDirect · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- TradeDirect conditions of use TradeDirect · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Custody regulations TradeDirect · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Forms and documents TradeDirect · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Help and contact TradeDirect · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- How to submit a purchase order TradeDirect · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Standing-order investment limitation TradeDirect · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Requesting an additional instrument TradeDirect · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- BCV legal and regulatory information BCV · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Authorised banks and securities firms FINMA · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Deposit-protection bank lookup esisuisse · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Swiss deposit protection system esisuisse · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- BCV complaint submission and internal feedback escalation Banque Cantonale Vaudoise · Accessed 15 Oct 2026
- BCV legal information and Swiss Banking Ombudsman route Banque Cantonale Vaudoise · 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.