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Saxo Bank vs Lightyear : Fees, Safety & Trading Conditions Compared (2026)
Broker Name
Saxo Bank
Lightyear
Broker Overview
Broker Type (e.g., Market Maker, ECN/STP)
STP broker
STP
Years of Existence / Established Year
1992
2020
Customer Base / Number of Accounts
1 million+ clients
Info not available
Regulation & Security
Regulations (governing bodies)
FSA, FCA, MAS, JFSA, SFC, ASIC, DFSA, FINMA, MiFID
FCA EFSA
Awards Won (count for the last 2 years)
Best Prime-of-Prime Broker 2024, Best Trading Platform 2024, Best Forex Broker 2024, Best CFD Broker 2023 and Best DMA/Professional Trading Account 2023
No major awards listed
Security Measures
Danish Depositor and Investor Guarantee Scheme DGS upto EUR 100,000 per depositor
SIPC, EIPSF Upto Euro 20,000
SSL Encryption / 2FA
Yes
Yes
Segregated Funds
Yes
Yes
Negative Balance Protection
Yes
No
Trading Instruments/Products Offered
Assets Types / Trading Instruments (total count and breakdown)
over 71,000 financial instruments including Turbos
US / EU / UK Stocks (3500+) Interest Money Market Funds Baltic Stocks Baltic Bonds
Currency Pairs
Yes
No
Commodities
Yes
No
Indices
No
No
Cryptocurrencies
Yes
No
CFDs
Yes
No
ETFs
Yes
Yes
Stocks
Yes
Yes
Options
Yes
No
Futures
Yes
No
Bonds
Yes
Yes
Mutual Funds
Yes
No
Fractional Shares
Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs)
No
No
Precious Metals
No
Yes - through Exchange Traded Commodities
Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
No
Yes - through REIT stocks
Equities
No
Yes
Trading Platforms & Technology
Trading Platform Availability
Yes
Yes
MT4
No
No
MT5
No
No
cTrader
No
No
Social Trading
Yes
Copy Trading
Yes
No
Other Trading Platforms (proprietary, etc.)
Saxo investor, SaxoTrader GO, SaxoTrader PRO
Lightyear's proprietary platform
Platform Compatibility (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android)
Yes
Yes
Account Types & Conditions
Account Types (Retail, Pro, VIP, etc.)
Saxo account, Joint account, Corporate account, Professional account
Personal Business
Demo Account (Yes/No)
Yes
No
Islamic Accounts (Yes/No)
No
No
Minimum Deposit
$0
$0
Leverage Available
1:50-1:100
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)
Beginners to experienced traders
Beginners
Deposit & Withdrawal Options
Deposit Methods
VAN bank transfer, Bank transfer, Telegraphic transfer, Credit/ debit card
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
Telegraphic Transfer, MEPS
Bank Transfers
Other E-Wallets Supported
No
No
Tools & Educational Resources
Economic Calendar
Yes
No
Tools & Educational Resources (tutorials, webinars, market news, etc.)
Saxo Academy Trading Education, Market Analysis and Insights, Webinars, Trading Strategies and Ideas, Saxo TV Market News and Analysis
Savings interest calculator Inflation calculator Ticker time machine Rate comparison calculator
Fees & Commissions
Trading-Related Fees
Stocks - $1, ETFs-$1, Bonds- 0.05%, Mutual funds- $0, Spread on Major forex pairs- from 0.7 to 0.9 pips
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)
Variable
NA
Per Lot Fees
NA
NA
Options Contract Fees
$0.75
NA
Futures Contract Fees
$1
NA
Markup Fees on Spread
NA
NA
Guaranteed Stop Loss Fees
NA
NA
Maximum Leverage
1:1000
Info not available
Non-Trading Fees
Dormant Fees
$0
$0
Subscription Fees (for premium features, data feeds)
100 EUR per ISIN
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
Plus or minus 0.25%
In EUR & GBP Debit Card / ApplePay / Google Pay - First Euro500 lifetime free, 0.5% after In USD FedWire & Swift - $6.11
Currency Conversion Fee
$0
0.35%
Withdrawal Fee
$0 bank fees may apply
$0
Bonuses, Promotions & Benefits
Bonuses, Promotions, and Referrals
Yes
Yes
Customer Benefits (e.g., Retirement Plan)
No
Yes
Trading Hours
Trading Hours (for each asset class if applicable)
Varies by instrument
Vary for each asset class
Customer Support
Support Hours (e.g., 24/7, weekdays only)
24/5
24/7
Customer Support Methods (phone, email, live chat)
Phone: +33 1 78 94 56 40, +44 (0)207 151 2100, +39 02 3668 2929, +31 (0)20 225 5900, +41 58 317 95 00. E-mail: [email protected], Live chat
Email: mailto:[email protected], Live chat Phone number:+1 332-333-4220.
Support Languages
24+
20+
Additional Information
Headquarters Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Volta 1 Tallinn 10412 Estonia
Complaints (for crypto brokers)
No
No
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