Trading fees: these are charged when you trade; for instance, in the form of a commission, spreads, financing rates, margin rates or a conversion fee. In our article on brokerage fees, you can learn what these fees mean and what they entail.

Spread: The spread is the difference between the buy and the sell price, or in other words, the bid and the ask price.

Overnight fee: overnight rate (financing rate or swap fee) is a brokerage fee charged when you hold a leveraged position for more than a day. If the broker provides Islamic/swap-free account, then you don’t pay overnight fee, but usually you pay higher spread fees.

Non-trading fees: charges not directly related to trading, such as deposit/withdrawal fees or inactivity fees.

Deposit fee: this is charged when you send money to your trading account at a broker. The fee may differ depending on the method of transfer (i.e. bank card, bank transfer, e-wallets, etc.).

Withdrawal fee: an amount you need to pay when you withdraw money from your trading account, e.g. to your bank account.

Regulators: these are established by governments or other organizations to oversee the functioning and fairness of financial markets, including markets, exchanges and firms. They also oversee that investors are not fooled by scams, and in case of wrongdoing, they try to provide some level of financial and legal backing.

Investor protection: this means that up to a certain limit, you get your money back if the broker goes into bankruptcy or commits fraud. You can find out more about investor protection in our dedicated article.