Trade Republic currently offers no affiliate program. To sign up visit trade-republic.com directly.
🏦 Trade Republic: Stocks + ETFs + Crypto in One App
Trade Republic is a German broker with €1 per trade on stocks, ETFs and crypto. BaFin regulated with integrated European IBAN.
📋 Quick Overview — Pros and Cons
✅ Advantages
- German Security: BaFin-regulated and MiCA-compliant since December 2024
- €1 Flat Fee: Transparent, uniform fee per transaction
- BitGo Cold Storage: 100% offline custody via regulated custodian (Frankfurt)
- 8M+ EU Users: One of the largest mobile investment apps
- Staking Available: On selected cryptocurrencies like Ethereum and Solana
- User-Friendly: Modern German interface, great on mobile devices
- Multilingual Support: Support available in multiple languages including English
❌ Disadvantages
- High Spread: 0.5–1.5% bid-ask spread means total fee of 1–2% per trade
- Only 50+ Coins: Significantly less than specialized exchanges like Binance (200+) or Bybit (700+)
- No Professional Trading: No futures, margin trading or advanced order types
- Neobroker, Not Exchange: Crypto data buried among stocks/ETFs — less specialized
- Limited Liquidity: Larger trades can suffer higher slippage
- No SEPA Deposits: Deposits only via credit card or bank transfer
🏦 What is Trade Republic?
Trade Republic is a neobroker — not a traditional cryptocurrency exchange. This means: Trade Republic offers access to stocks, ETFs, funds and now cryptocurrencies, all in a single app and account.
Neobroker vs. Dedicated Exchange
The business models are fundamentally different:
- Trade Republic (Neobroker): Focus on European retail investors who want stocks + crypto + savings plans in one app. User-friendly, but less specialized.
- Binance, Kraken, Bybit (Exchanges): Focus on traders and active investors with professional tools, leverage, hundreds of assets.
Who Founded Trade Republic?
Trade Republic was founded in 2015 by Christian Hecker, Marco Cancillieri and Thomas Pischon with headquarters in Berlin. The company has raised over €500M in funding and employs over 500 people.
Regulation & MiCA (2024)
In December 2024 Trade Republic received full MiCA license (Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation) from BaFin. This makes Trade Republic one of the few European neobrokers with complete crypto regulation.
💰 Fees & Costs
Order Fees
Trade Republic charges €1 per crypto transaction — whether you're buying Bitcoin or Ethereum, regardless of order size. This is extremely cheap compared to traditional brokers (€10–20), but there's a catch: the spread.
Spread: The Hidden Fee
The spread is the difference between the price you buy and the price you can sell. On Trade Republic the spread is typically:
- Bitcoin (BTC): 0.5–1.0%
- Ethereum (ETH): 0.75–1.5%
- Smaller Coins: 1.0–2.0%+
This means: Total fee per trade is roughly 1–2%, higher than pure exchanges:
- Binance Spot: 0.1% maker + taker
- Kraken: 0.16–0.26%
- Trade Republic: 1–2% (€1 + spread)
Other Costs
- Deposits: Free (via bank transfer or credit card)
- Withdrawals: Free
- Crypto Custody: Free (BitGo custody)
- Staking: Trade Republic takes a share of staking rewards as fee — exact rate unclear
- Inactivity: No inactivity fees
🔒 Security & MiCA Regulation
Cryptocurrency Custody
All cryptocurrencies you hold on Trade Republic are held by BitGo Europe GmbH — an independent, regulated custodian based in Frankfurt.
- 100% Cold Storage: All coins stored offline in cold wallets — not vulnerable to hacker attacks on online servers
- BaFin Regulated: BitGo itself has MiCA license and is subject to German oversight
- Separate Property: Your cryptocurrencies are not Trade Republic's property — protected as separate assets
- Insurance: Cryptocurrencies covered by insurance (up to certain limits)
Account Security
- Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): via authenticator or SMS
- Biometric Authentication: Fingerprint or Face ID on mobile devices
- Whitelisted Addresses: You can pre-approve withdrawal addresses
- Delayed Access: New security measures can be activated with delay
MiCA Regulation Since December 2024
Trade Republic received full MiCA license on December 1st, 2024. This means:
- ✅ Compliance with European standards for crypto custodians and exchanges
- ✅ Regular audits by BaFin
- ✅ Transparent fees and customer disclosure required
- ✅ Deposit protection for euro balances (up to €100,000 via compensation scheme)
- ✅ Use of controlled wallets (cold storage) required
For global investors, this is a major trust signal — Trade Republic meets the highest European security standards.
🪙 Cryptocurrencies & Offering
Available Coins (50+)
Trade Republic offers 50+ cryptocurrencies. The full list includes:
- Majors: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cardano, Solana, Polkadot, Ripple
- Layer 2: Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon
- DeFi: Uniswap, Aave, Compound, MakerDAO
- Staking Coins: Ethereum 2.0, Solana, Cardano, Polkadot (with staking support)
- Stablecoins: USDT, USDC, DAI
Staking Available
Trade Republic offers staking on select cryptocurrencies, particularly:
- Ethereum (ETH): Flexible staking with automatic daily rewards
- Solana (SOL): Delegated staking
- Other Assets: Offering regularly expanded
Note: Trade Republic takes a share of staking rewards as a fee. The exact rate is not transparent.
What's Missing
Trade Republic does not offer:
- Futures / Perpetuals (no leverage trading)
- Margin Trading
- Options
- Advanced Order Types (Trailing stop, OCO, etc.)
- API for automated trading
👥 Who is Trade Republic Suited For?
✅ Ideal For:
- European beginners who want crypto + stocks in one app
- Long-term investors who want to invest small amounts monthly
- Those who prefer English/multilingual support and European regulation
- Those seeking portfolio diversification (stocks + ETFs + crypto)
- Those interested in staking who want simple staking-as-a-service
❌ Not Ideal For:
- Active traders interested in leverage/futures
- Those wanting to make large volume trades (€50K+) — spreads too high
- Those needing access to 700+ altcoins
- Those needing SEPA deposits without fees
- Those wanting to do arbitrage or bot trading (no API)
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. You can withdraw cryptocurrencies anytime. Trade Republic provides you a recipient address (public wallet address) from which you can send your coins. However: there are withdrawal fees (network fees, e.g. ~0.001 BTC for Bitcoin).
The spread (difference between buy and sell price) is typically 0.5–1.5% for major coins like Bitcoin and Ethereum. For smaller coins the spread can be 2%+. It's higher than pure exchanges (Binance: 0.1%) but cheaper than traditional banks.
Yes. Staking rewards are taxable income in most countries. The amount depends on your personal tax situation. You should consult a tax professional about how to report staking rewards on your tax return. Trade Republic cannot provide tax advice.
Minimum investment: €1 (very low — you can start with small amounts). Maximum limits: Depend on your verification level and trading history. Large institutions might hit limits, but for retail investors typically no practical restrictions.
⚖️ Verdict & Conclusion
Trade Republic is the best choice for European beginners who want to buy cryptocurrencies and hold them long-term — within the context of a diversified portfolio of stocks, ETFs and crypto.
The strengths are clear: BaFin regulation, mobile-first design, low entry barrier (€1 fee). The weaknesses are also clear: the high spreads (0.5–1.5%) make Trade Republic expensive for active trading or large orders.
Recommendation: Use Trade Republic for regular savings (monthly plans on Bitcoin + Ethereum) or as a long-term hodl platform. For larger trades or advanced trading, switch to Binance, Kraken or Bybit. For your first crypto investment? Trade Republic is perfect.
Ready to Start Investing in Crypto?
Trade Republic makes it easy — multilingual interface, regulated, secure. Open your account now.
No Affiliate Link AvailableTrade Republic currently offers no affiliate program. Visit trade-republic.com directly.