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City Index vs Lightyear : Fees, Safety & Trading Conditions Compared (2026)

Broker Name

City Index

City Index

VS
Lightyear

Lightyear

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Broker Overview

Broker Type (e.g., Market Maker, ECN/STP)

Market maker

STP

Years of Existence / Established Year

1983

2020

Customer Base / Number of Accounts

1M + active customers

Info not available


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Regulation & Security

Regulations (governing bodies)

CIRO, CySEC, NFA, CFTC, CIMA, FCA, SFC, FSA, MAS, ASIC

FCA EFSA

Awards Won (count for the last 2 years)

Best trading app, Best CFD provider, Forex broker.com No.1- Performance Analytics new tool, Best in Class overall

No major awards listed

Security Measures

FSCS

SIPC, EIPSF Upto Euro 20,000

SSL Encryption / 2FA

Yes

Yes

Segregated Funds

Yes

Yes

Negative Balance Protection

Yes

No


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Trading Instruments/Products Offered

Assets Types / Trading Instruments (total count and breakdown)

13,500+ assets types including Shares

US / EU / UK Stocks (3500+) Interest Money Market Funds Baltic Stocks Baltic Bonds

Currency Pairs

Yes

No

Commodities

Yes

No

Indices

Yes

No

Cryptocurrencies

No

No

CFDs

Yes

No

ETFs

Yes

Yes

Stocks

No

Yes

Options

Yes

No

Futures

No

No

Bonds

Yes

Yes

Mutual Funds

No

No

Fractional Shares

Yes

Yes

Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs)

No

No

Precious Metals

Yes

Yes - through Exchange Traded Commodities

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

No

Yes - through REIT stocks

Equities

No

Yes


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Trading Platforms & Technology

Trading Platform Availability

Yes

Yes

MT4

Yes

No

MT5

No

No

cTrader

No

No

Social Trading

Yes

Yes

Copy Trading

Yes

No

Other Trading Platforms (proprietary, etc.)

City Index mobile trading app

Lightyear's proprietary platform

Platform Compatibility (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android)

Yes

Yes


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Account Types & Conditions

Account Types (Retail, Pro, VIP, etc.)

Standard, MT4, Corporate account

Personal Business

Demo Account (Yes/No)

Yes

No

Islamic Accounts (Yes/No)

No

No

Minimum Deposit

€100

$0

Leverage Available

30:1

No

Trade Limit (maximum per trade)

Depends on the assets class

Varies for each product

Commission (per account type)

€0

Euro 0

Best Suited For (e.g., beginners, experienced traders)

Beginner to experienced

Beginners


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Deposit & Withdrawal Options

Deposit Methods

Bank transfer, credit card, debit card, e-wallets

EUR - SEPA, Debit Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay GBP - FPS, CHAPS, BACS, SWIFT, Apple Pay, Google Pay USD - ACH, FedWire, SWIFT HUF - Bank transfers within Hungary

Withdrawal Methods

Bank transfer, credit card, debit card, e-wallets

Bank Transfers

Other E-Wallets Supported

Paypal

No


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Tools & Educational Resources

Economic Calendar

Yes

No

Tools & Educational Resources (tutorials, webinars, market news, etc.)

Reuters Insider, News and analysis, Trading tools, Advanced trading view Charts

Savings interest calculator Inflation calculator Ticker time machine Rate comparison calculator


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Fees & Commissions

Trading-Related Fees

UK Shares: 0.10% (min. €8 commission)US Shares: 1.5 cents per share (min. €8 commission)

US Shares per order - 0.1% upto $1 maximum EU Shares per order - Euro 1 UK Shares per order - Euro 1 Money Market Funds - 0.25% annually Nasdaq Baltic - Euro 1 ETFs -Euro 0 Multi-currency account -Euro 0

Spread (typical, fixed, variable)

Fixed and variable spreads

NA

Per Lot Fees

NA

NA

Options Contract Fees

NA

NA

Futures Contract Fees

NA

NA

Markup Fees on Spread

NA

NA

Guaranteed Stop Loss Fees

$0

NA

Maximum Leverage

30:1

Info not available


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Non-Trading Fees

Dormant Fees

$15 monthly fee after 24 months of inactivity

$0

Subscription Fees (for premium features, data feeds)

NA

NA

Advisory Fees

NA

NA

Swap Fees (Overnight Financing)

Yes

NA

Statement or Document Fee

NA

NA

Account Opening Fee

NA

$0

Account Maintenance Fee

NA

$0

Deposit Fee

Credit/ debit card- 2%, others - €0

In EUR & GBP Debit Card / ApplePay / Google Pay - First Euro500 lifetime free, 0.5% after In USD FedWire & Swift - $6.11

Currency Conversion Fee

Varies by instrument

0.35%

Withdrawal Fee

Bank fees may apply

$0


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Bonuses, Promotions & Benefits

Bonuses, Promotions, and Referrals

Yes

Yes

Customer Benefits (e.g., Retirement Plan)

No

Yes


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Trading Hours

Trading Hours (for each asset class if applicable)

Varies by instrument

Vary for each asset class


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Customer Support

Support Hours (e.g., 24/7, weekdays only)

24/5

24/7

Customer Support Methods (phone, email, live chat)

Email: [email protected], Phone: 0800 060 8609, Live chat

Email: mailto:[email protected], Live chat Phone number:+1 332-333-4220.

Support Languages

6

20+


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Additional Information

Headquarters Location

1st Floor, Moor House, 120 London Wall, London, EC2Y 5ET

Volta 1 Tallinn 10412 Estonia

Complaints (for crypto brokers)

No

No


At TradingCritique, we don't just list brokers. We test, compare, and simplify your decision-making. Whether you're a beginner or a pro, our data-driven comparisons are built to match your trading style and region. Learn how we Evaluate a broker.
If minimizing trading costs is your top priority, City Index might be more attractive due to its lower commissions. Meanwhile, Lightyear justifies its moderate fees with more robust tools and professional-grade features.
Creating an account with City Index is generally faster and more user-friendly, often taking just a few minutes, while Lightyear requires more detailed steps and identity verification, which may suit more cautious investors.
City Index provides a modern trading experience with its proprietary or MT4 platform, ideal for technical traders. Lightyear , on the other hand, offers more research tools and is better suited for data-driven investors.
City Index caters to serious traders who value advanced features, whereas Lightyear appeals to beginners due to its user-friendly platform.