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Lightyear vs Sarwa: fees, markets and protection

Facts for both companies from their official pages; each was checked on the date shown in its review.

Facts verified on October 18, 2026

Key differences

Only Lightyear lists Euronext, London Stock Exchange, and Xetra (Deutsche Börse).
Only Lightyear is licensed by EFSA and FCA.
Only Sarwa is licensed by FSRA (ADGM).

Criterion	Lightyear	Sarwa
Rating	4.6/5 on other platforms 5.5K ratings	4.6/5 on other platforms 5.3K ratings
Regulators	EFSA, FCA	FSRA (ADGM)
Markets	US exchanges (NYSE, Nasdaq), Euronext, London Stock Exchange, Xetra (Deutsche Börse)	US exchanges (NYSE, Nasdaq)
Products	stocks, ETFs, fractional shares, bonds, funds	stocks, ETFs, fractional shares
US stock or ETF order	0.1% of the order, minimum $0.10, maximum $1	0.25% of the order, minimum $1
Currency conversion fee	0.35%	—
Investor protection	Estonian Investor Protection Sectoral Fund, SIPC (US securities held with Alpaca)	—
Deposits and withdrawals	Bank transfer, Visa / Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay	Bank transfer
Available only in	Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark +20	—
Minimum deposit	—	$500
	Read review	Read review

Which regulators license Lightyear and Sarwa?

Lightyear is licensed by EFSA and FCA; Sarwa by FSRA (ADGM).