Erste vs Lightyear

Lightyear’s fees are lower than Erste’s. With us, you can buy ETFs with no execution fee, whereas Erste charges 0.45% per order (min. 7 EUR). Stocks cost 1 EUR or max. 1 USD per order on Lightyear, compared with 0.45% per order (min. 7 EUR/USD) at Erste. A TBSZ account is free on Lightyear, while at Erste you pay a monthly account fee of 350 Ft plus a monthly fee of 350 Ft for the securities account.

This shows that Lightyear’s pricing is more favourable than Erste’s. It’s well worth bearing in mind when choosing a broker, as higher costs can significantly reduce your investment returns over the long term.

No, Erste doesn’t offer a multi-currency account, so each account can only ever be opened in a single currency. This means that if you deposit in a different currency (for example, you’re paid in forints but want to invest in euros), or want to spend your money in a currency other than the account’s when you withdraw (for example, you invest in euros but pay your expenses in forints), you’ll have to pay a currency conversion fee.

With Lightyear, on the other hand, you can open a multi-currency account and hold money in several currencies at once, such as EUR, USD and HUF. As long as you deposit or withdraw in the same currency you invest in, there’s no conversion fee to pay. It’s another way we help you invest at the lowest possible cost, so fees don’t eat into your returns.