Best French broker: which one is it? With so many companies on the market today, finding the right one is not easy. In this article, we look at the best French brokers and the criteria to use when choosing a French broker.
French Brokers at a Glance
This is not a ranking of French brokers, simply a list of French brokers to give you some examples.
- Fortuneo: Its remarkably easy-to-use website is a benchmark in France.
- Hello Bank: Its customer service is among the best in France.
- Saxo Bank: Investors have access to just over 30,000 financial instruments.
- Boursorama: This French broker is the most widely consulted source of stock market information.
- Easy Bourse: Investors appreciate the absence of hidden fees and its clear pricing.
- ING Direct: This French online broker offers several funds and investment vehicles, and account maintenance, opening and closing are free.
Fortuneo
Fortuneo is best known as an online bank, but few people realize that this French broker started out as a bank. In its bid to become the best French broker, it acquired several companies over the years, including Ibourse, Comdirect France and Direct Finance. Its remarkably easy-to-use website is a benchmark in France. Today, the online broker has nearly half a million clients, who can choose between four offers suited to every profile. Read our full Fortuneo review.
Hello Bank
Hello Bank is one of the youngest French brokers: it has existed for five years, following a merger with Cortat Consors. It is also a young online bank, on the market for less than ten years. For now, its pricing is the least competitive on the market, and its range of offers is not yet the best either, since Hello Bank only offers two: Active and Start. However, this French online broker makes up for it with its customer service. Read our full Hello Bank review.
Saxo Bank
Internationally, Saxo Bank has already proven itself. This Danish online broker has been around since the 1990s, but it only opened its doors in France fairly recently, in 2008. Drawing on its international experience, the broker focuses on wealth management services and market products such as stocks, CFDs, Forex and bonds. Investors also have access to just over 30,000 financial instruments. However, if you are a small investor, this broker is not the right fit for you. Read our full Saxo Bank review.
Boursorama
Boursorama is one of the oldest well-known French brokers on the market. It opened in the mid-1990s under the name Fimatex. Today, this French broker is the most widely consulted source of stock market information. Over time, the broker decided to expand into online banking, which allowed this French broker-dealer to offer more products to its clients and to pass the one-million-client mark in 2016. That number keeps growing. Read our full Boursorama review.
Easy Bourse
This French broker opened in 2005. It was a stock trading platform before being acquired by La Banque Postale three years later. Although this French online broker does not offer the lowest prices, investors appreciate the absence of hidden fees and its clear pricing. Moreover, whatever their profile, investors at Easy Bourse are sure to find an offer that suits them. Read our full Easy Bourse review.
ING Direct
ING Direct first opened in Canada in 1997, before setting up in France in 2000. This French broker does not have the lowest prices on the market, but it still has some advantages: account maintenance, opening and closing are free. In addition, the French online broker offers several funds and investment vehicles: certificates, trackers, warrants and more. Its platform is also among the best performing, as is its customer service. Read our full ING Direct review.
Other Brokers Operating in France
- XTB
DEGIRO is a Dutch online broker that has been present in France since 2014. Its specialty? Order execution, which it has fully mastered. Its prices are also competitive, making it one of the cheapest brokers in France. Brokerage fees are close to zero, and several charges, such as custody fees and penalties, are not applied at all. Investors also have access to a wide choice of the world’s largest stock exchanges. The only drawback is that the broker only offers securities accounts.
- Bourse Direct
Bourse Direct was founded in 1996, on the back of the spread of the internet. Over the years, this online stockbroker has gone through numerous acquisitions and mergers. Its offer is very competitive: at Bourse Direct, there are no custody fees, account maintenance fees, subscription fees or inactivity fees. Its customer service has also improved significantly, which had been the main weakness highlighted by many investors. As for investment vehicles, the broker offers several: Forex, CFDs, options markets and more.
- Binck
Originally from the Netherlands, this online broker is one of the five largest brokers in Europe. Investors particularly appreciate its competitive pricing, with regular promotions and low brokerage fees. Its platform has evolved over the years and now offers analysis tools and stock market news. Novice investors can also take advantage of stock market training.
How to Choose the Best French Broker: Key Criteria
To avoid ending up with an incompetent French broker, you need clear criteria. With them, you can find the right French forex broker.
Choose a Regulated Broker
This is the first criterion to consider! A French broker must be regulated and authorized by the AMF in France. A broker based in London may also be regulated by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority, or by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority in Germany. In short, if an online broker is not regulated or authorized, it is not worth working with. To check, visit the Regafi website or the AMF’s blacklist of online brokers.
If we run a French broker comparison on regulation and supervision alone, it is clear that Vantage enjoys a solid reputation in France and in other European countries.
The French broker Fortuneo is also well placed, as it is authorized by two French bodies: the Autorité de Contrôle Prudentiel et de Résolution and the Comité des Etablissements de Crédits et des Entreprises d’Investissements.
Diversifiez votre patrimoineInvestissez dans l’artDes tableaux originaux, pièces uniques signées par l’artiste. Un actif tangible, loin des écrans et des cotations.Voir les tableaux →Make Sure Your Funds Are Safe
When investing in the stock market, clients want to be sure that their money is safe and can be withdrawn at any time. You should therefore check that the French broker holds your money in accounts separate from the brokerage firm. That way, your funds remain safe even if the online broker runs into difficulty or goes bankrupt.
On this criterion alone, all of these brokers can be recommended. But if we had to choose, Vantage and Saxo Bank are the online brokers we would recommend: knowing that they work with authorized banks is a guarantee that you can recover your funds whatever happens. We also recommend brokers that have taken out insurance, such as ING Direct. Even if you do not recover all of your funds, at least you know you will not lose everything.
Get to Know the Markets and Instruments Available
Which markets do you plan to trade? Which instruments do you intend to use? If you are a beginner, it is best to seek advice from your French broker. To avoid limiting your options, choose a French broker that offers a wide range of trading products.
All of these French brokers offer instruments and markets where every investor can find something to trade. AvaTrade and Saxo Bank stand out, however, offering 8,000 and 30,000 financial markets respectively.
Assess the Quality of Order Execution
This is an important factor when choosing a French broker. Investors need to be sure that when they place an order, it is executed as quickly as possible and at the requested price.
On this criterion, the MT4 broker Vantage is clearly the best. There are no preconditions for fast execution: everything is automatic, and the investor’s order is filled in less than a second.
Which Trading Platforms Are on Offer?
The best option is to choose a broker that offers a demo account. This gives you the opportunity to test the platforms and is an excellent way to find out whether the broker has a platform suited to your profile.
As you can see, each company offers different services and uses different tools on its platform to satisfy clients. However, only the brokers AvaTrade and Saxo Bank offer prospective investors demo accounts, so they can run all their simulations before opening an account.
Which Trading Strategies Are Allowed in November?
Trading strategies vary from one French broker to another. Some online brokers prohibit strategies such as hedging and scalping, so if you want to use these strategies, be careful.
While some brokers prohibit certain risky strategies such as hedging and scalping, at Vantage nothing is off limits. Investors can choose the strategy that suits them and that they feel comfortable with. For beginners and seasoned traders alike, this is the broker for you. Saxo Bank, on the other hand, is more cautious, particularly with beginners, who are offered a very simple strategy they can use safely.
Understand Spreads and Brokerage Fees
Looking for a cheap French broker is good. Looking for a French broker with competitive pricing is even better. Bear in mind, though, that the spread displayed by an online broker may hide other costs, such as currency conversion fees or withdrawal fees.
In terms of brokerage fees, eToro is the most competitive on the market. Spreads start from 0.1 pip, and you pay no trading fees on certain account types. The broker is one of the few on the market to charge no commission on stocks.
Evaluate the Broker’s Training Offer
Good support is important for a novice investor, so check what training the French broker you are considering offers. Some brokers tailor their training offers to the client’s profile, so choose a French broker that can give you the help you need.
While some French online brokers do not see training as important, at Saxo Bank and Vantage it is essential. Both companies believe investors need a solid foundation to learn to trade without an intermediary. Beginners can also practice on the demo account.
Assess the Quality of Customer Service
This could easily have been at the top of the list, because the strength of a French broker lies above all in its ability to support its clients, with professionals who can be reached at any time.
Apart from ING Direct, Saxo Bank and Easy Bourse, all the other brokers offer quality customer service. They are available on weekdays and even at weekends, especially Saturdays, and can be reached through several channels.
Know the Account Types on Offer
Which accounts can the French broker offer you? In most cases, brokers offer several account types depending on the investor’s profile.
Most French online brokers offer several account types, but AvaTrade goes further by offering accounts tailored to each investor’s needs and trading level.
Vantage: The Broker We Recommend in France
Based on the above, it is clear that Vantage largely dominates the trading market in France. This broker is a real gold mine for anyone interested in trading. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced trader, Vantage has offers perfectly suited to your needs, along with a wide choice of financial instruments on the main global markets.
Conclusion: The Best French Broker
There are a great many brokers in France, with a wide variety of services, so choosing the best French broker can be a Herculean task. In this article, we have reviewed some of the best French brokers, and one stood out: Vantage, a broker with extensive experience in France and around the world. Its service is high quality and its multiple regulatory licenses make it a safe broker. Ultimately, it all depends on your requirements as a trader, but whichever broker you choose, make sure it is not a scam.