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This article is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or investment advice. It is applicable only to clients of Trading 212 EU GmbH. The custody arrangements described below reflect the framework as of the date stated at the bottom of the page and may be subject to change. |
Trading 212 holds the client assets of its clients through two sub-custodians: Interactive Brokers LLC (IBKR) and Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (BNY).
Client assets are held in segregated accounts and are not mingled with Trading 212’s own assets. Clients hold a beneficial interest in the instruments – the legal title is held by the sub-custodian on the client’s behalf.
Which sub-custodian is used to hold a certain asset depends on the market on which the instrument is traded, as set out below.
Custodians & Depository
Interactive Brokers LLC (IBKR)
IBKR acts as a sub-custodian for instruments traded on various markets, including US (NASDAQ & NYSE), Canada and other European Markets. For these instruments, IBKR holds assets at the relevant central securities depository (CSD):
Market / Instrument Type |
Depository (CSD) |
Country |
|---|---|---|
| US Stocks & ETFs | The Depository Trust Company (DTC) | USA |
| Canadian Stocks | The Canadian Depository for Securities (CDS) | Canada |
| French Stocks & ETFs | Euroclear France | France |
| German Stocks & ETFs | Clearstream Europe AG | Germany |
| Netherlands Stocks & ETFs | Euroclear Nederland | Netherlands |
| Australian Stocks | Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) | Australia |
| Spanish Stocks | Iberclear | Spain |
| Swiss Stocks & ETFs | SIX SIS AG | Switzerland |
| UK Stocks & ETFs | Euroclear UK & International (CREST) | United Kingdom |
| Irish Stocks | Euroclear Bank SA/NV | Ireland |
| Portuguese Stocks | Interbolsa (Euronext Securities Porto) | Portugal |
| Norwegian Stocks | Euronext Securities Oslo (VPS) | Norway |
| Danish Stocks | VP Securities (Euronext Securities Copenhagen) | Denmark |
| Finnish Stocks | Euroclear Finland | Finland |
| Italian Stocks | Monte Titoli S.p.A. | Italy |
Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (BNY)
BNY also acts as sub-custodian for instruments traded on various markets, including European and non-US/Canadian Markets. For these instruments, BNY holds assets at the relevant central securities depository (CSD):
Market / Instrument Type |
Depository (CSD) |
Country |
|---|---|---|
| UK Stocks & ETFs | Euroclear UK & International (CREST) | United Kingdom |
| German Stocks & ETFs | Clearstream Europe AG | Germany |
| French Stocks & ETFs | Euroclear France | France |
| Swiss Stocks & ETFs | SIX SIS AG | Switzerland |
| Austrian Stocks | OeKB CSD GmbH | Austria |
| Dutch Stocks & ETFs | Euroclear Nederland | Netherlands |
| Belgian Stocks | Euroclear Belgium | Belgium |
IE/LU-domiciled ETFs
The majority of ETFs available on European exchanges (including those listed on Xetra, Euronext, London Stock Exchange) are domiciled in Ireland (IE ISIN prefix) or Luxembourg (LU ISIN prefix). Regardless of which exchange they trade on, these ETFs settle at Euroclear Bank (Ireland-domiciled) or Clearstream Luxembourg (Luxembourg-domiciled).
Instruments Custody
Your instruments are held in pooled (omnibus) accounts at the relevant sub-custodian. This means that the instruments of multiple Trading 212 clients are held together in a single account at the sub-custodian, rather than in individual accounts for each client. Trading 212 maintains records of each client’s individual entitlement.
Your instruments are always held separately from Trading 212’s own assets and the custodian’s own assets. In the unlikely event of Trading 212’s insolvency, your assets do not form part of the insolvency estate.
Because instruments are held in omnibus accounts, you hold a contractual right to delivery of your instruments against Trading 212 (Wertpapierrechnung), rather than a direct co-ownership right at the central instruments depository (CSD) level. In the unlikely event of a sub-custodian default where there is a shortfall in assets held in the omnibus account, clients may share in any such shortfall on a pro-rata basis.
📄 Note
For further information on the risks associated with the custody of your assets, please refer to the Disclosure Notice available here.
Country of custody for your holdings
The specific country in which your individual instruments are held (the country of custody) depends on the instrument, as detailed in the tables above.
Funds and asset protection
For full details on how your funds and assets are protected at Trading 212 EU GmbH, including regulatory obligations, protection schemes, and investor compensation, please see our dedicated Help Centre article: Trading 212 EU GmbH - Funds and asset protection