# Better returns start with lower fees The [multi-award winning](/stocks-and-shares-isa#awards) investment platform that pays [up to 3.83% AER interest](/vaults). Enhanced with [Lightyear AI](/lightyear-ai). When you invest, your capital is at risk FSCS protected & FCA regulated UK's low cost broker for stocks & funds. No commission fees, 0.10% FX. Capital at risk. ### Lightyear features - Commission-free: No account, execution or custody fees. Just a 0.1% FX fee if you convert currency. - Award-winning ISAs: The same Lightyear experience that customers love, wrapped in a tax-efficient flexible ISA. - 3.83% interest: Easy access Vaults with no withdrawal penalties. This is an investment product with daily variable rates. ## Low cost pricing For too long, UK investors have got the short end of the stick. Sky-high fees on one side, illusive
promises of ‘free trading’ on the other. This ends with Lightyear. With us, what you see is what you get. - Currency conversion (FX) - Monthly fee - ETFs: per order - US stocks: per order - UK stocks: per order - EU stocks: per order - Multi-currency - Full comparison Data accurate as of 3rd June 2026. **Trading 212:** Based on their Invest fees [page](https://www.trading212.com/terms/invest). **Hargreaves Lansdown**: Based on their [__Stocks & Shares ISA__](https://www.hl.co.uk/help/income-and-fees/fees-explained/fee-changes). Stock trading costs depend on the number of trades made in the previous month. The standard online dealing charge is £6.95 per trade for up to 19 trades in the previous month and £3.95 per trade for 20 or more trades. Shares, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and investment trusts are charged at 0.35% per year, capped at £150 per account. Foreign exchange (FX) fees are tiered: 0.99% on the first £10,000, 0.5% on the next £15,000, and 0.20% on amounts above £25,000. Additional dealing charges may apply for certain instruments, such as funds. **Interactive Investor:** Based on their pricing plans [page](https://www.ii.co.uk/our-charges). II offer 3 different plans; Core, Plus and Premium. There is a portfolio limit of £100k for Core. The table shows the range across these 3 plans. FX is 0.75% for Core, 0.75% for the first £50k in Plus and 0.25% over £50k, and 0.25% in Premium. Full breakdown of their pricing is available [here](https://lightyear.com/en-gb/comparison/interactive-investor-vs-lightyear). **AJ Bell:** Based on their [Stocks & Shares ISA](https://www.ajbell.co.uk/isa/stocks-shares-isa/charges). The AJ Bell fees for trading ETFs and stocks are based on trades in the previous month. If you had more than 10 share deals in the previous month then the £5.00 charged is reduced to £3.50. AJ Bell's FX fee in their ISA is 0.75% on the first £10,000 going down to 0.50% on the next £10,000 and to 0.25% on values over £20,000 ## How are our fees so low? “Do you even make money?” ### How are fees are so low - We have low costs: We integrate as closely as we can into Europe's financial infrastructure, reducing the number of intermediaries that want to take a cut. We also automate as many repetitive human processes as we can. - We charge reasonably: Our fees might be low, but they add up. We charge for FX and retain part of the interest on any cash held with us. Better returns start with lower fees, so it's important that we keep these as low as possible. ## Invest and save Maximise tax-free allowances with our ISAs, and go even further with our GIA and business accounts. ### Stocks & Shares ISA - No order fees - Flexible ISA - 3.83% AER through Vaults ### Cash ISA - 3.75% AER interest - Flexible ISA - No withdrawal penalties ### General Investment Account - No order fees - Multi-currency account - 3.83% AER through Vaults ### Business - Trusted by 5,000+ businesses - BlackRock Money Market Funds - Hold Pounds, Dollars and Euros Lightyear Business has different pricing to Lightyear Personal. ## Asset types to suit every investor Growing wealth over the long term or hedging against risk? We’ve got tools and asset types to suit every investor. ### US stocks 4,000+ US stocks across the NYSE and Nasdaq. ### UK stocks Invest in UK stocks trading on the London Stock Exchange. ### EU stocks Invest in stocks from across Europe: Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, and more. ### ETFs Diverse ETFs from some of the world’s largest fund managers. ### Money market funds Money Market Funds are low risk, highly liquid and AAA-rated investments that pay interest. ## Automate your investing Choose a Ready-made Plan or create one yourself. For people who want to keep investing structured and low-effort. ### Ready-made Plans Three risk-based Plans, funds managed by BlackRock & Vanguard. ### Create your own Plan Automate and group your investing ## Every account can pay interest ### 3.75% AER - Follows the Bank of England rate - Hold GBP only Money is held in UK banks and qualified money market funds. ### 3.83% AER - Daily variable rate - Hold GBP, EUR and USD This is an investment product managed by BlackRock. ### 3.83% AER - Daily variable rate - Hold GBP, EUR and USD This is an investment product managed by BlackRock. ## As seen in - [CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/14/richard-branson-takes-stake-in-lightyear-europes-answer-to-robinhood.html) - [Financial Times](https://www.ft.com/content/d3cbfa1f-d712-46b6-8595-ebe36b6c7162) - [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/14/richard-branson-backs-lightyear-as-uk-stock-trading-platform-launches-into-europe/) - [Sifted](https://sifted.eu/articles/trading-app-lightyear-transferwise) - [Mail Online](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/diyinvesting/article-9985949/Lightyear-app-Wise-backed-trading-app-battle-rivals.html) ## Protection and regulation Trusting us with your investments is something we don’t take for granted. ### Regulated and insured - Regulated by the FCA: We're authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority ([FRN 987226](https://register.fca.org.uk/s/firm?id=0014G000034WTPOQA4)). - FSCS protection: Lightyear is protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). FSCS deposit protection applies to client money only where held with UK banks, not where held in QMMFs. [Learn more here](/help/deposits-conversions-and-withdrawals/how-are-my-assets-protected). ### Safeguarding your assets - We safeguard your cash: Customer funds are held in a mix of Citibank and NatWest bank deposits and AAA-rated Qualifying Money Market Funds. Your money is always kept separate from ours. FSCS protection applies to client money only where held with banks, not where held in QMMFs. [Learn more here](/help/deposits-conversions-and-withdrawals/how-are-my-assets-protected). - Your assets are yours, no one else's: You are the beneficial owner of all your investments, and your assets are held in separate accounts. Your assets can't be touched by our creditors and in the unlikely event of Lightyear's insolvency, everything is returned to you. ## Questions a curious investor might ask ### How do you keep my money safe? Trusting us with your money is not something we take for granted. Lightyear UK Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and as such is bound by strict regulatory obligations in how we handle and protect your money. Customer money always sits separately to our own and is held in Citibank, Natwest and Qualifying Money Market Funds. There’s no way for creditors - in the unlikely event of anything happening to Lightyear - to get hold of the investments or cash that you hold with us. FSCS does not cover losses due to poor investment performance. FSCS protection applies to client money only where held with UK banks, not where held in QMMFs or non-UK banks. Read more about [how your assets are protected](/help/deposits-conversions-and-withdrawals/how-are-my-assets-protected) in our help centre. ### What do I need to know before I invest? **Do you have cash reserves?:** It’s generally good practice to have easily accessible cash available to cover your ongoing short term expenses, as well as an emergency fund for any unforeseen sudden expenses (e.g. needing to replace your washing machine), before investing extra money you might have. It may also be sensible to pay off debts with available money, rather than investing it. **Can you accept losses?:** All investing contains an element of risk; your investment value can go down as well as up, so you could get back less than you invested, or in some cases, you may lose your entire investment. Generally the more risk you take gives you the opportunity for higher returns, but also increases the potential for greater losses. You should also think about how long you plan to invest for, and therefore whether you have the time to wait for any losses to recover. Don’t invest more than you can afford to lose. [See explanations](https://lightyear.com/en-gb/risk-disclosures) of the types of risk each investment type provided by Lightyear might be exposed to here. This can be complicated, so please let us know if you need help. Free, impartial guidance covering cash reserves, losses and more, is available at [MoneyHelper](https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk) & [InvestSmart (FCA)](https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart) including: [A beginners guide to investing](https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/savings/investing/investing-beginners-guide), [5 questions to ask before you invest](https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart/5-questions-ask-you-invest), [Make sure you understand the risks](https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/savings/investing/thinking-about-investing-make-sure-you-understand-the-risks), [Is it the right investment for you](https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart/right-investment-you). ### Is Lightyear a bank? Lightyear is not a bank. We’re an investment platform, so there are a couple of key differences. The protection schemes are slightly different for investment platforms [(see here)](/help/deposits-conversions-and-withdrawals/how-are-my-assets-protected). With regards to customer funds, we cannot use customer money in the same way a bank does by lending it out. You have instant access to your Lightyear assets because of this. ### Why are your fees so reasonable? How do you make enough money? We couldn’t agree more - our fees are very reasonable. We’re one of the most competitively priced investment platforms on the market and that's how we like it. Low cost, transparent pricing is in our DNA. Check out our full pricing information [here](https://lightyear.com/en-gb/pricing). Building a sustainable business that’s here to serve customers in 10, 20 and 100 years is something that’s paramount. ### How easy is it to withdraw my money? Easy. We ensure you always have access to your money and we've made the process pretty painless for when you need to withdraw. Once requested, withdrawals may take up to 2 business days to be sent out to your requested bank account. Once sent out, the transfer time depends on the payout method: - For GBP, your funds should typically arrive within 0-2 business hours. - For EUR, your funds should arrive within 0-2 business days. - For USD, your funds will arrive after 3-5 business days. As it's a [SWIFT payment](/help/deposits-conversions-and-withdrawals/swift-payments) it may take longer, so contact your receiving bank for an estimation. ### Do I need financial advice? Lightyear doesn't offer investment advice. We don't assess if our services or instruments are suitable for you, but we do provide info about what we offer – our Target Market Matrix (which can be found on our Risk Disclosure page [here](https://lightyear.com/en-gb/risk-disclosures#risk-disclosure)) describes investor types based on their investment experience, financial objectives and how much risk they're comfortable with – to help you decide what investments might work best for you. You'll need to make sure your investment decisions meet your needs and amount of investment risk you're happy to take. If you don't feel you have the necessary knowledge and experience to make those decisions for yourself, you may want to get independent financial advice instead. --- Canonical: https://lightyear.com/en-gb