With Lightyear, you have an account with multiple currencies: EUR, GBP, and USD. You can deposit, hold, convert, trade, and withdraw in all these currencies, with no hidden auto-conversions.
You also choose a portfolio currency, which gives you an estimated total value of your portfolio in one currency, but it doesn't affect how your money or investments are held.
What does the multi-currency account cost?
Opening and holding our multi-currency account is completely free. There are no monthly fees, no local deposit or withdrawal charges. See our full pricing here.
Where do I find my deposit details?
Start by hitting Deposit in the Portfolio page, then select the currency you wish to deposit. Under the "Bank transfer" payment method, you'll see the account details required for a regular bank transfer. These are the exact instructions you'll need to initiate the transfer from your bank.
A few important things to know:
- These aren't bank accounts opened in your name. What you see are the account details of a client account for this currency. Using these details, you can send funds into your Lightyear balance.
- Always include your unique payment reference as shown in the account details.
- Only send the matching currency to each set of account details. For example, Lightyear EUR account details will only accept EUR deposits.
Read more about funding your account here: Everything about deposits.
How does trading work across a multi-currency account?
- Buying: When you have enough funds in the instrument currency, we use that balance automatically, and no conversion is needed. If you want to buy an instrument traded in a currency you don't have enough of, you'll need to convert first. You can do this manually beforehand, or let the app handle it during the order setup – we’ll show you the conversion details in the order preview for you to confirm.
- Selling: When you sell, the proceeds you get are in the instrument's currency, not your portfolio currency or what you originally converted from. For example, if you sell a USD stock, you'll receive USD in your cash balance. No automatic conversion happens when you sell.
- Cancellations: If an order is cancelled or it expires, the funds return to your cash balance in the instrument's currency. If you had to convert funds to place a buy order, keep in mind that we need the funds reserved for your order to fill, so the conversion happened when you submitted the order. This means that when the order is cancelled, the conversion fee isn't refunded, and the funds aren't automatically converted back.
See also Choosing my portfolio currency