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Lightyear vs Saxo: 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 Saxo lists Toronto Stock Exchange, SIX Swiss Exchange, Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), and Hong Kong Exchanges (HKEX).
Only Lightyear is licensed by EFSA.
Only Saxo is licensed by Danish FSA, CBUAE, MAS, FINMA, Kanto LFB, and CONSOB.

Criterion	Lightyear	Saxo
Rating	4.6/5 on other platforms 5.5K ratings	4.2/5 on other platforms 9.9K ratings
Regulators	EFSA, FCA	Danish FSA, CBUAE, FCA, MAS, FINMA, Kanto LFB, CONSOB
Markets	US exchanges (NYSE, Nasdaq), Euronext, London Stock Exchange, Xetra (Deutsche Börse)	US exchanges (NYSE, Nasdaq), Toronto Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange, Xetra (Deutsche Börse), Euronext +3
Products	stocks, ETFs, fractional shares, bonds, funds	stocks, ETFs, bonds, options, funds
US stock or ETF order	0.1% of the order, minimum $0.10, maximum $1	0.08% of the order, minimum $1
Currency conversion fee	0.35%	0.25%
Investor protection	Estonian Investor Protection Sectoral Fund, SIPC (US securities held with Alpaca)	Danish Guarantee Fund (cash deposits), Danish Guarantee Fund (securities not returned)
Deposits and withdrawals	Bank transfer, Visa / Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay	Bank transfer, Visa / Mastercard
Available only in	Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark +20	Australia, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark +36
Minimum deposit	—	No minimum
Founded	—	1992
Headquarters	—	Denmark
	Read review	Read review

Which regulators license Lightyear and Saxo?

Lightyear is licensed by EFSA and FCA; Saxo by Danish FSA, CBUAE, FCA, MAS, FINMA, Kanto LFB, and CONSOB.