Funding and access

Swissquote review

How to fund and withdraw with Swissquote, and what it costs to trade.

Swissquote is workable, with clear compromises. Regulated by FINMA; FCA (562170); CySEC (422/22); DFSA (F001438); MAS; SFC Hong Kong; MFSA, offering CFXD, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, TradingView. What follows is drawn from the broker's own published material and covers the things that decide the account you end up with: who oversees them, what trading actually costs, and where the compromises sit.

Our rating

77/100

One rating, identical across our sites - only the way it is shown changes. It averages six assessments: regulation, trading costs, platforms, markets, support and education.

What it costs to trade

Spread from
0.0 pips
EUR/USD spread
Approx. 1.0 pip, Prime
GBP/USD spread
Approx. 1.0 pip, Prime
Commission
€2.50 per side / €5 round turn, Elite
All-in cost, EUR/USD
Approx. 0.5 pips, Elite minimum
Spread type
Variable
Overnight swap
Both: positive swaps credited and negative swaps debited
Inactivity fee
10 account-currency units/month on applicable international forex accounts
Deposit fee
None for bank transfer; method-dependent otherwise
Withdrawal fee
Method/entity-dependent; bank transfer fees can apply
Currency conversion
From 0.95% on Swiss banking accounts; entity/account dependent

A quoted spread from 0.0 pips is a raw-spread figure, which almost always means a separate commission per lot. Compare the two together - a "zero spread" account with a high commission can cost more than a wider spread with none.

Quoted spreads are best-case figures on the most liquid pair, in normal conditions. What you actually pay widens around news and at the session open.

Swissquote lists a minimum deposit of $1,000. Treat it as the cost of opening an account, not the cost of trading one - position sizing on a small balance is what tends to cause damage.

Markets and execution

Markets
Forex, Stocks, ETFs, Funds, Bonds, Options, Futures, CFDs, Cryptocurrencies, Structured Products, Precious Metals
Currency pairs
130+
Total instruments
3,000,000+
Crypto CFDs
Yes
Maximum leverage
1:30 retail
Execution model
Bank / principal with aggregated liquidity and market routing
Execution speed
14ms
Order types
Market, limit, stop, stop-loss, take-profit, trailing stop
Servers
LD4 London; institutional infrastructure also includes NY4 and TY3

Leverage is capped at 1:30 retail, which is the retail limit under tier-one regulation. It is a protection rather than a restriction: it caps how quickly a position can move against your balance.

Swissquote covers forex, stocks, etfs, funds, bonds, options, futures, cfds, cryptocurrencies, structured products, precious metals. A wider range matters less than depth in the instruments you actually trade.

Funding options: bank transfer, credit/debit card, apple pay, google pay and internal swissquote account transfer. Check withdrawal routes as well as deposit ones - they are often not the same, and the difference only becomes apparent when you try to take money out.

Platforms and tools

Platforms
CFXD, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, TradingView
Own platform
Yes, CFXD
Mobile app
Both proprietary and third-party
Browser trading
Yes
Automated trading
Yes; MT4/MT5 Expert Advisors and automated trading
Copy trading
No
Indicators
30+ MT4; 38+ MT5; 100+ through TradingView
Third-party tools
TradingView, Autochartist, MetaTrader Master Edition
API access
Yes, REST/FIX and institutional API connectivity

MetaTrader 4 remains the most widely supported platform for expert advisors. If you rely on an existing EA, this is usually the deciding factor.

MetaTrader 5 handles more asset classes and order types than MT4, but expert advisors are not compatible between the two - an MT4 EA will not run on it.

TradingView integration lets you trade from charts you may already use, removing the need to run a second platform for analysis.

Regulation and safety

Regulated by
FINMA; FCA (562170); CySEC (422/22); DFSA (F001438); MAS; SFC Hong Kong; MFSA
Regulator tier
Tier 1
Register entry
FINMA authorised institutions register
Client money segregated
Yes
Held at
Swissquote Bank Ltd / regulated banking and custodian infrastructure
Negative balance protection
Yes for eligible retail leveraged-trading clients
Compensation scheme
Swiss esisuisse deposit protection up to CHF 100,000; eligible EU CFD clients protected up to €20,000
Audited by
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Not available to
United States and jurisdictions subject to applicable sanctions or where Swissquote does not provide its services

Swissquote holds tier-one authorisations from FCA, CySEC, MAS and FINMA. That matters more than any headline spread: it determines your leverage cap, whether losses can exceed your deposit, and what happens to your money if the firm fails.

The FCA caps retail leverage at 1:30, mandates negative balance protection, and covers eligible clients under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

CySEC licences passport across the EU and follow the 1:30 retail leverage cap, with the Investor Compensation Fund covering eligible claims.

The DFSA regulates from the Dubai International Financial Centre, a separate legal jurisdiction from the wider UAE.

Accounts

Minimum deposit
$1,000
Account types
Standard, Premium, Prime, Elite, Professional, Corporate, Demo
Account currencies
EUR, USD, JPY, GBP, CHF, CAD, AUD, TRY, PLN, SEK, NOK, SGD, XGD, HUF, CZK
Islamic account
No
Demo account
Yes
Professional account
Yes
Minimum trade size
0.01 lots / 1,000 currency units
Time to open
Typically same day following digital verification

Deposits and withdrawals

Deposit methods
Bank transfer, credit/debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay and internal Swissquote account transfer
Withdrawal methods
Bank transfer and internal Swissquote account transfer
Deposit time
Cards generally instant; bank transfers typically 1-3 business days
Withdrawal time
Typically 1-3 business days
Minimum withdrawal
No general minimum
Local payment methods
SEPA; Swiss bank transfer and jurisdiction-specific local banking methods

Support and education

Support hours
24/5 for forex trading support
Contact channels
Phone, email, contact form, live chat
Languages
Multilingual
Telephone
+41 44 825 88 88
Email
forex.support@swissquote.ch
Live chat response
Typically under 5 minutes
Education
Extensive: webinars, ebooks, trading courses, videos, tutorials and forex education
Research
Extensive: Morning News, market analysis, technical/fundamental research, Trading Central, analyst commentary and investment themes

The company behind the brand

Legal entity
Swissquote Bank Ltd
Company number
CHE-106.274.193
Headquarters
Gland, Switzerland
Founded
1996
Publicly listed
Yes, SIX Swiss Exchange (SQN)
Parent company
Swissquote Group Holding Ltd
Employees
1,200+
Also trades as
Swissquote; Swissquote Bank

Information is regularly updated. Last compiled from Swissquote's own website on 26 August 2026.