SoFi, a FinTech unicorn from the U.S. recently acquired Hong Kong’s homegrown online securities firm, 8 Securities – SoFi subsequently launched a new securities trading app called SoFi Hong Kong (“SoFi HK”).
The new SoFi HK app features the same commission-free U.S. and Hong Kong stock trading as 8 Securities app, with additional features in the pipeline, including margin financing and fractional share U.S. stock trading.
HK Market
US Market
Robo Advisors
Futubull
Other Fee
N/A
Avg. Trade Cost
HKD 15
Welcome Offer: Enjoy up to HK$1,900 from March welcome offer
Register a new account through Planto and receive an exclusive HKD 200 cash coupon (directly deposited into Futu account)
Open an account, deposit HK$10,000, and complete specific requirements can get 1 out of 2 rewards:
First level gift (1 out of 2):
- Deposit a total of HK$10,000 or above into the Futu HK account.Maintain 60 days daily average asset* of HK$10,000 or above.
1) Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) - 1 share or 2) HK$400 e-supermarket gift certificate
Second level gift::
- Deposit a total of HK$80,000 or above into the Futu HK account by 15:00 29th February 2024. Maintain 60 days daily average asset* of HK$80,000 or above.
Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) – 1 share
The first reward and the second reward can be stacked. As of the closing price on December 19, 2023, Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) stock price was US$74.390/share. As of the closing price on December 18, 2023, Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) stock price was US$137.19/share.
Asset calculation method: Sum of the everyday assets/60 days; Including Cash/ Stocks/ Funds/ Options/ Futures
Investment involves risks. The fund price may move up or down. Investor should thoroughly study the funds' offering documents and other related documents (including risk disclosure statements).
Transaction Fees: For HK stocks, there are no commissions - just HKD 15 / trade as a platform fee.
For a HKD 10,000 trade, that's: HKD 15 per transaction (excl. mandatory costs by the HK Exchange, etc.).
Tiered pricing also available for people with larger number of trades (min. HKD 1 / trade)
Futu will provide users with free LV1 real-time streaming quotation services (including Hong Kong stocks, options, and futures)
Products Available: HK, US and China stocks and ETFs. Selected funds available via Futu MoneyPlus.
Margin Trading: Annual interest rate as low as 3.98% (for advanced investors)
License: Registered member of the HKEX and licensed by the SFC (Type 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9)
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Futubull
Other Fee
N/A
Avg. Trade Cost
HKD 15.5
Welcome Offer: Enjoy up to HK$1,900 from March welcome offer
Register a new account through Planto and receive an exclusive HKD 200 cash coupon (directly deposited into Futu account)
Open an account, deposit HK$10,000, and complete specific requirements can get 1 out of 2 rewards:
First level gift (1 out of 2):
- Deposit a total of HK$10,000 or above into the Futu HK account.Maintain 60 days daily average asset* of HK$10,000 or above.
1) Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) - 1 share or 2) HK$400 e-supermarket gift certificate
Second level gift::
- Deposit a total of HK$80,000 or above into the Futu HK account by 15:00 29th February 2024. Maintain 60 days daily average asset* of HK$80,000 or above.
Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) – 1 share
The first reward and the second reward can be stacked. As of the closing price on December 19, 2023, Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) stock price was US$74.390/share. As of the closing price on December 18, 2023, Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) stock price was US$137.19/share.
Asset calculation method: Sum of the everyday assets/60 days; Including Cash/ Stocks/ Funds/ Options/ Futures
Investment involves risks. The fund price may move up or down. Investor should thoroughly study the funds' offering documents and other related documents (including risk disclosure statements).
Transaction Fees: For US stocks, commissions of US$0.0049 per share (min. US$0.99), and platform fees of US$0.005 per share (min. US$1).
For a US$1,000 trade with 5 shares, that's about: US$2 (excl. mandatory costs by the SEC, etc.).
Tiered pricing also available for people with larger number of trades
Products Available: HK, US and China stocks and ETFs. Selected funds available via Futu MoneyPlus.
Margin Trading: Annual interest rate as low as 3.98% (for advanced investors)
License: Registered member of the HKEX and licensed by the SFC (Type 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9)
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LONGBRIDGE
Other Fee
N/A
Avg. Trade Cost
HKD 15
Welcome Offer: On or before 31 March 2024, apply via Planto, successfully open an account and transfer net asset worth HK$1,000,000, retain for 90 days and execute 60 transactions, to receive an iPhone 15 Pro Max 512G; you are still eligible if you open an account before 21 February but have not yet transferred the assets.
Deposit HK$10,000, you can receive up to HK$1,600 worth of rewards:
Planto exclusive HK$200 supermarket coupon
Total worth of HK$600 cash coupons (retain assets for 60 days)
Total worth of HK$800 cash coupons (retain assets for 60 days and execute 10 transactions)
HK Lv1 live stocks quote upon successful registration
Life-time free commission on US and Hong Kong stocks upon successful registration
Selected money market funds of up to 5.66% 7-day annualised rate of return upon successful registration
0 handling fee for Hong Kong IPO
NASDAQ basic quotes
Terms and conditions
Pros & Cons
Basic Info
Transaction Fee: For HK stocks, commissions of 0.03% per trade (min HK$3), and platform fees of HK$15 per trade (0 commission during promotion period)
For a HKD 10,000 trade, that's: HKD 15 per transaction (excl. mandatory costs by the HK Exchange, etc.).
Product available: HK and US stocks and ETFs
Margin trading: Annual interest rate of 6.5%
License: Licensed by the SFC (Type 1, 4, 9)
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LONGBRIDGE
Other Fee
N/A
Avg. Trade Cost
HKD 8
Welcome Offer: On or before 31 March 2024, apply via Planto, successfully open an account and transfer net asset worth HK$1,000,000, retain for 90 days and execute 60 transactions, to receive an iPhone 15 Pro Max 512G; you are still eligible if you open an account before 21 February but have not yet transferred the assets.
Deposit HK$10,000, you can receive up to HK$1,600 worth of rewards:
Planto exclusive HK$200 supermarket coupon
Total worth of HK$600 cash coupons (retain assets for 60 days)
Total worth of HK$800 cash coupons (retain assets for 60 days and execute 10 transactions)
HK Lv1 live stocks quote upon successful registration
Life-time free commission on US and Hong Kong stocks upon successful registration
Selected money market funds of up to 5.66% 7-day annualised rate of return upon successful registration
0 handling fee for Hong Kong IPO
NASDAQ basic quotes
Terms and conditions
Pros & Cons
Basic Info
Transaction Fee: For US stocks, commissions of US$0.0049 per share (min. US$0.99), and platform fees of US$0.005 per share (min. US$1) - 0 commission during promotion period.
For a US$1,000 trade with 5 shares, that's about: US$2 (excl. mandatory costs by the SEC, etc.).
Product available: HK and US stocks and ETFs
Margin trading: Annual interest rate of 4.8%
License: Licensed by the SFC (Type 1, 4, 9)
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Tiger Brokers
Other Fee
0
Avg. Trade Cost
HKD 0
Welcome Offer: Successfully open an account through Planto’s exclusive link then complete certain tasks from Jan 18th to March 15th 2024 to enjoy up to HK$1,720 worth of reward:
- Exclusive HK$400 supermarket vouchers from Planto after depositing HK$10,000 , plus:
1. Commission-Free Rewards
- Permanent 0 commission for Hong Kong stock trading
- 0 platform fee for Hong Kong stock trading
- 0 commission for US stock options trading
- US Stock Options Real-time Quotes
- NYSE Arca Level 2 Deep Quote streaming for US stocks
- 3 months of HK Stock Lv1 Real-time Streaming Quote
2. . Tiger Vault 6.6% opening reward; claim rewards up to HK$1,320
New clients buy any fund, including Tiger Vault and other public funds, and enjoy a 6.6% account opening reward*. Funds credited to your account within 60 days!
Note: The reward amount is determined as 6.6% of the initial purchase amount.
Total earnings=the actual returns from the held funds + the reward amount.
Tiger Vault is an exclusive solution for Tiger Brokers' clients to manage their idle cash, to invest in "money market funds" with stable returns, low risk, and high liquidity. MMF average return 4.73%^.
^The average return is calculated by taking the average of the 7-day annualized return (since its inception to 29/12/2023) of each USD MMF (ISIN:HK0000862265;HK0000862273;HK0000934320) that has been in existence for more than 6 months within Tiger Vault. It is based on the past performance of these USD MMFs in the 7-day period and does not represent actual one-year returns. The assumptions involved in the calculation of the 7-day annualized returns and the average return are hypothetical. Historical performance of each MMF was listed in 5.6 of the T&C.
*The campaign is subject to terms and conditions. The reward applies to funds in Tiger Vault and Tiger Trade. Investment involves risk. For details, please refer to T&Cs.Commission free rewards valid within promotion period and subject toT&Cs.
Welcome Offer: During the promotion period, new customers who apply via Planto, successfully open a Webull account, and complete some simple tasks can enjoy rewards valued up to HK$1,000:
- Successfully open an account, deposit HK$10,000, and retain it for 60 days to receive a HK$1,000 supermarket voucher. (Complete Planto reward redemption to receive the offer)
Terms and conditions apply.
Pros & Cons
Basic Info
Transaction Fees: No commissions - just a HKD 10 platform fee per trade.
For a HKD 10,000 trade, that’s: HKD 10 per transaction
Products Available: Hong Kong and US stocks, A shares, ETFs, warrants, IPOs and odd lot shares
Real-time market information: Free real-time quotes for Hong Kong stocks (BMP quotes) and quotes from major global exchanges
Margin Trading: Unavailable
License: Licensed with the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong (CE No. BNG700) for carrying out type 1 regulated activity (“dealing in securities”).
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Webull
Other Fee
N/A
Avg. Trade Cost
HKD 0
Welcome Offer: During the promotion period, new customers who apply via Planto, successfully open a Webull account, and complete some simple tasks can enjoy rewards valued up to HK$1,000:
- Successfully open an account, deposit HK$10,000, and retain it for 60 days to receive a HK$1,000 supermarket voucher. (Complete Planto reward redemption to receive the offer)
Terms and conditions apply.
Pros & Cons
Basic Info
Transaction Fees: No commissions - just a HKD 10 platform fee per trade.
For a HKD 10,000 trade, that’s: HKD 10 per transaction
Products Available: Hong Kong and US stocks, A shares, ETFs, warrants, IPOs and odd lot shares
Real-time market information: Free real-time quotes for Hong Kong stocks (BMP quotes) and quotes from major global exchanges
Margin Trading: Unavailable
License: Licensed with the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong (CE No. BNG700) for carrying out type 1 regulated activity (“dealing in securities”).
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uSMART Securities
Other Fee
N/A
Avg. Trade Cost
HKD 8
Welcome Offer: March special offer, Open an account with uSmart to earn:
• 2024 promotion : US$1.5 transaction fee per trade for US stock, 0 commission and platform fee for HK stock
• Real-time streaming quotation for HK stocks (Terms and conditions apply)• Lifetime free U.S. stock commission (only for standard accounts)
• HK$20 cash coupons X8
#For HK stocks, you can enjoy 0 commission and platform fee by trading the designated 16 ETF. For US stocks, you can enjoy US$1.5 transaction fee per trade when the value of each trading of main board stocks equals or higher than US$100.
Transaction Fees: 0% commission rate per US stock transaction for Standard Account users only, with a fixed US$0.005 platform fee per share
Investment product available:: HK, US and China stocks, ETFs and warrants. Selected funds available via Smart Fund platform.
Investment service available:: Discretionary Investment Management Account, Professional Investment Advisory
Margin Trading: 2.98% margin rate
License: Licensed by the SFC (Type 1, 4, 9)
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uSMART Securities
Other Fee
N/A
Avg. Trade Cost
0.03%(min. HKD 12)
Welcome Offer: March special offer, Open an account with uSmart to earn:
• 2024 promotion : US$1.5 transaction fee per trade for US stock, 0 commission and platform fee for HK stock
• Real-time streaming quotation for HK stocks (Terms and conditions apply)• Lifetime free U.S. stock commission (only for standard accounts)
• HK$20 cash coupons X8
#For HK stocks, you can enjoy 0 commission and platform fee by trading the designated 16 ETF. For US stocks, you can enjoy US$1.5 transaction fee per trade when the value of each trading of main board stocks equals or higher than US$100.
Transaction Fees: 2 transaction models are available:
1. HK$0 platform fees with commission as low as 0.03%
2. HK$0 commissions within 30 days with HK$8 per trade as platform fee
Investment Products Available: HK, US and China stocks, ETFs, US stock options and warrants. Selected funds available via Smart Fund platform.
Investment service available:: Discretionary Investment Management Account, Professional Investment Advisory
Margin Trading: 3.98% margin rate (The HK Stock margin rate is 3.98%, which is calculated as P+0.98%, P refers to the best lending rate)
License: Licensed by the SFC (Type 1, 4, 9)
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Saxo Hong Kong
Other Fee
N/A
Avg. Trade Cost
0.05%
(min. HKD 18)
Welcome Offer: Enjoy up to 4.27%* on cash deposits amount US$10,000 or higher
*the interest rate figure is for reference, it could change with the market condition
Pros & Cons
Basic Info
Transaction Fees: For HK stocks, there is a 0.05% commission, with a minimum fee per trade of HKD$ 18. However there is no other trade or platform fee involved.
For a HKD$ 10,000 trade, that’s HKD$ 18 per transaction as HKD$ 18 minimum is higher than HKD$ 10,000 * 0.05% (excl. mandatory costs by the HK Exchange, etc.)
Custodian Fee: No custodian fee will be applied to Hong Kong client owning Hong Kong stocks
Products Available: 40,000+ investment instruments including stocks, ETFs, bonds, mutual funds etc. across 37 global exchanges such as Hong Kong, U.S., U.K., Japan, Singapore and many more
Margin Trading: From Hibor+1.62%
License: Licensed by the SFC (Type 1, 2, 3)
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Saxo Hong Kong
Other Fee
N/A
Avg. Trade Cost
From HKD 0.039 / share
(min. from HKD 23)
Welcome Offer: Enjoy up to 4.27%* on cash deposits amount US$10,000 or higher
*the interest rate figure is for reference, it could change with the market condition
Pros & Cons
Basic Info
Transaction Fees: For US stocks, there is a USD$ 0.005 - 0.008/share fee, with a minimum fee per trade of USD$3 (depending on your Saxo account tier). However there is no other trade or platform fee involved.
Charge is based on the number of US stocks you buy, regardless of how much they were bought for. (excl. mandatory costs by US stock exchanges, etc.)
Custodian Fees: There is no custodian fee
Products Available: 40,000+ investment instruments including stocks, ETFs, bonds, mutual funds etc. across 37 global exchanges such as Hong Kong, U.S., U.K., Japan, Singapore and many more
Margin Trading: From Libor +1.5%
License: Licensed by the SFC (Type 1, 2, 3)
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Syfe
Account Funding Requirements
HKD 10,000
Fees
0.35%-0.65% AUM
Pros & Cons
Basic Info
Minimum investment amount: No minimum investment requirement
Fees: 0.35% to 0.65% of total assets (annual)
Portfolio creation: U.S., China stocks and ETFs, including direct indexed and thematic portfolios
Account opening: 100% online account opening through Syfe mobile app
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Stashaway
Account Funding Requirements
HKD 10,000
Fees
0.2%-0.8% AUM
Welcome Offer: New customers who successfully open a StashAway account via Planto’s link can enjoy 3 months of free management for up to HK$50,000.
Pros & Cons
Basic Info
Minimum investment amount: No min investment amount
Fees: 0.2-0.8% of the total assets (Annual)
Portfolio creation: 12 types of portfolios, covering 33 US ETFs, 14,000 securities assets and 20 different markets
Account opening: 100% online
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Aqumon
Account Funding Requirements
HKD 10,000
Fees
0.5%-0.8% AUM
Pros & Cons
Basic Info
Minimum investment amount: USD 10 for Safe Haven Portfolio
Fees: 0 commission, 0 platform fee. Advisory fee based on AUM
Portfolio creation: HK and US ETFs
Account opening: 100% online
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Open an SoFi HK account in 5 minutes using online application and e-signature
Fill in basic information such as your name, phone number, address, work, financials, investment preference etc.
Upload proof of address and identity (HKID/Passport)
Provide e-signature through your mobile, deposit HK$10,000 via bank transfer then upload your transfer proof
The account will typically be opened within 2 to 3 working days, you will be able to start investing immediately afterward
Some consumers have inquired about the validity and necessity of the HK$10,000 deposit during the account opening process – this is actually a requirement by the SFC as a standard practice for opening a securities account online so it is a common practice and there is nothing to worry about!
SoFi HK app, the newly introduced SoFi points and soon-to-come fractional share trading
The SoFi HK app’s interface is similar to the 8 Securities’ app, however the color theme has been changed to SoFi’s refreshing sky blue but you can still pick between light and dark modes.
Within the app, users can choose to trade from 15,000+ U.S. stocks, Hong Kong stocks as well as ETF funds – with $0 commission, $0 platform fees and no other hidden fees.
If you are an existing 8 Securities’ app user, you will notice a newly added section within the SoFi HK app called “SoFi Points”, a newly introduced reward system where users can earn points by completing various tasks within the app including open an account , log-in daily, invite friend, open an account through referral etc.
SoFi Points can be used to redeem free shares. If you are an active app user who keeps a close eye on the stock market, you would be able to earn a few free shares throughout the year – a rewarding experience for loyal or active users which is uncommon in Hong Kong where most securities platforms only give out rewards to new users. Although the users should keep in mind that SoFi points will expire at the end of each year.
Additionally, SoFi HK was the first player in Hong Kong to announce fractional share trading as part of their future pipeline, this feature will allow investors in Hong Kong to invest in U.S. stock with as little as US$10 (or HK$78). U.S. stocks are typically traded on a per share basis, however even 1 blue chip share could be worth as much as HK$10,000 – for example 1 share of Alphabet (GOOGL), the parent company of Google, is worth more than US$2,100 or approximately HK$16,302 as of 11 March 2021.
The fractional share trading feature will allow a “fraction” of 1 share to be purchased and sold. In other words, even with just tens of US dollars, you can become a shareholder of one or multiple blue chip companies in the U.S. such as Amazon (AMZN), Tesla (TSLA) and Apple (AAPL).
However, SoFi HK’s fractional share trading is still subject to regulatory approval, this means SoFi HK’s users will have to wait a little longer before they can enjoy this feature.
Other useful services
US dollar exchange: SoFi users can seamlessly exchange their HKD into USD within the mobile app. One point to note is that the exchange rate displayed on the app is for reference only, the actual exchange rate may differ slightly from the displayed value. Users can also purchase U.S. stock directly without exchanging currencies in advance
Leaderboard: SoFi’s anonymous leaderboard allows its users to learn or follow investment strategies of the most successful investors within the platform
Academy: Investment academy feature provides multiple videos to answer questions like “What is a stock”, “What is asset allocation”, “What is diversification” and many more
In terms of fees, SoFi HK is undoubtedly the best in Hong Kong market, however if you are looking for functionality, some of the popular features like streaming quotes or news and analysis features may still be lacking.
There are other online brokerages like uSMART and Futu that offers more features so one strategy you could consider is to make use of 2 platforms – one for tracking, analysis and alert features while another is primarily for making trades – this way you could take the most advantage of SoFiHK’s low cost trading without missing out or anything.
Existing 8 Securities customers are required to update their old mobile app
If you are one of 8 Securities’ existing customers, you can start using the new SoFi HK app immediately after a quick update which will replace your old 8 Securities app with the new SoFi HK app.
SoFi HK stated that during this transition period, users may receive notifications or other forms of communications from 8 Securities Limited or “8 SL”, but this will eventually become SoFi Securities (Hong Kong) Limited or “SoFi HK” in the future.
The parent company, SoFi in the U.S. has more than 5 million users
Mike Cagney, a Stanford University business school student founded SoFi in 2011. Headquartered in San Francisco, SoFi was selected by Forbes as one of the top 5 fintech companies in the U.S.. The company has a valuation of over US$4.4 billion (approximately HK$34.4 billion), with many renowned investors like Softbank and Qatar Investment Authority as its shareholders. SoFi’s acquisition of 8 Securities was their first step into international market expansion.
Key fees and charges
While SoFi HK offers trading at 0 fees and commissions, the users will still need to pay taxes and other fees to the government (this is the same across all brokerages).
Hong Kong stock exchange and government fee
U.S. stock exchange and government fee
Stamp duty: 0.1% (fees lower than HK$1 will be rounded up to HK$1)
Securities commission fee (sell): 0.00221% (minimum of US$0.01)
Transaction levy: 0.0027% (round to nearest cent)
Transaction levy (sell): US$0.000119 per share (minimum of US$0.01 and maximum of US$5.95)
HKEX transaction fee: 0.005% (round to nearest cent)
Clearing and settlement fee: 0.002% (minimum of HK$2 and maximum of HK$200)
Trading tariff: HK$0.5 per trade
Other charges
Other charges
Hosting fee: free
Hosting fee: free
Stock transfer fee: HK$0.2 per lot
Dividend fee: 0.5% (minimum of HK$28)
Dividend fee: free
Bonus share entitlement: HK$1 per lot (minimum of HK$28)
IPO: HK$0
Deposit / withdraw: Free for HSBC / BOC HK$15 or US$2 for non HSBC / BOC Overseas transfer at cost (min US$35)
Deposit / withdraw: Free for HSBC / BOC HK$15 or US$2 for non HSBC / BOC Overseas transfer at cost (min US$35)
Investment involves risks. This information is intended to be educational and is not tailored to the investment needs of any specific investor. This information does not constitute investment advice and should not be used as the basis for any investment decision nor should it be treated as a recommendation for any investment or action. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. The value of investments and the income from them can go down as well as up, so you may not get back what you invest.
#SoFi Hong Kong
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