uSMART Securities Review: Top Investment Features You Need to Know

In recent years, more investment brokers have launched in Hong Kong, which is fantastic for consumers! Many of them have made investing very affordable, offer powerful stock research tools, and help you invest smarter. uSMART Securities has done all of the above—it helps you invest in HK and US stocks with low fees, uses big data to analyze stocks, and gives strategies to follow. On top of that, the app is simple to use and easy to get started with.

🎁Endowus: Enjoy Access to Institutional-Grade Fund Investment Opportunities! 100% Sales Commission Cashback

Users can enjoy institutional-grade fund rates and 100% sales commission cashback, saving up to 70% on fund investment costs.

🎁Futu Securities: Up to $1,800 Welcome Rewards

What’s great about uSMART?

Low trading fees in the market for HK and US stocks
Monthly investment plan available
Fund platform where you can buy equity, bond or money market funds with ease
AI-based stock screening tool
Easy account opening (3 minutes to get started!)
Simple app user interface
IPO stock subscription available
Licensed by the SFC for Type 1, 4 and 9 (your investments are protected!)

Opening uSMART Account in 3 Minutes

Opening a uSMART securities account is simple:

Download the app and receive a verification code via SMS; (or log in with your Facebook or Google account)
Use your phone to take pictures and upload your ID card and address proof
Fill in some basic information such as name, contact, financial status, etc.
Deposit funds and start investing

Deposit

Support eDDA instant deposit (HSBC, Hang Seng Bank, Bank of China, DBS Bank, Bank of Communication, Chong Hing Bank, China Merchants Bank, CITIC Bank, China Minsheng Bank, Wing Lung Bank)
FPS
Bank account transfer

Stock Investment Tools and Research

On top of having really low fees, uSMART also provides you with stock research functionality that can be quite powerful. The key features are:

Smart Advisor: This is an AI / Big Data driven stock screener that can help identify stocks based on various metrics including growth potential, price/earnings ratio and more. The performance is backtested but real-life performance over the long term remains to be seen – but it could still be a great tool to get ideas.
Stock analysis: For individual stocks, aside from providing the price quote, uSMART provides intelligent scoring based on various factors of the company e.g. profit, growth, industry prospects, dividend yield, etc., and ranks them to help investors make more informed decisions.

Smart Fund Platform

The funds on uSMART Securities platform are divided into four types: money market, bond, balanced and equity. Each fund has a chart to clearly show the performance trend, and lists the minimum investment amount and handling fee, which makes it straightforward for investors to choose what fund they are interested in.

Money Market Funds: These have the lowest risk and invest mainly in Treasury bills, commercial paper, etc. Many investors may opt to use money market funds as a substitute for time deposit plans.
Bond funds: The risks can be high or low, depending on the fund because bonds can have various risk levels (government bonds being lower risk, corporate and junk bonds being higher risk).
Balanced funds: These funds are diversified across bonds, stocks and other products. The risk is variable depending on the holdings of the fund and thus reward is also variable.
Equity funds: These have higher risk (and higher returns). The investments include various types of stock assets which also makes it an easy way to diversify risk.

Summary

The uSMART mobile app is powerful, affordable and easy to use. The Smart Advisor functionality is interesting but lacks real-life historical data to see if it really works and may take a while before it can be considered a replacement to robo-advisors.

The good news is, even if we exclude the smart advisor and analysis features, uSMART’s app is really good. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced investor with a bank already, you’d want to give it a try yourself.

Discover the Best Investment Account Fees and offers

HK Market

US Market

Robo Advisors

Futubull

Other Fee

N/A

Avg. Trade Cost

HKD 15

Welcome Offer: Enjoy up to HK$1,800 welcome offer Register a new account on or before 30th September 2024 by using Planto exclusive promo code “PLANTO” can enjoy the below rewards: 1. Planto exclusive offer : Enter promo code “PLANTO” BEFORE account opening can enjoy HK$200 cash coupons 2. Lifetime commission-free for HK stocks and US stock LV2 real-time streaming quotation services 3. Open an account, 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 to receive : Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) - 1 share or HK$400 supermarket e-voucher or HK$600-equivalent BTC 4. Open an account, deposit a total of HK$80,000 or above into the Futu HK account. Maintain 60 days daily average asset* of HK$80,000 or above to receive : Nvidia (NYSE:NVDA) – 1 share or HK$1,000 equivalent BTC Redemption procedures : Download Futu app; Register an account and go to Activity Centre; Enter “PLANTO” in redemption centre before account opening. Detailed procedures can refer to: https://www.planto.hk/zh/blog/futu-brokers-review/ All rewards can be stacked. As of the closing price on 11 June 2024, Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) stock price was US$77.97/share As of the closing price on 15 May 2024, Nvidia (NYSE: NVDA) stock price was US$125.2/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).

Terms and conditions apply

Pros & Cons

Basic Info

Transaction Fees: Commission-free for HK stocks and Cryptocurrency. HKD 15 / trade as a platform fee only. 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 and Crypto Currency. Selected funds available via Futu MoneyPlus.
Cryptocurrency: support direct trade with HKD and USD without USDT exchange before trading
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)

Read full review

Futubull

Other Fee

N/A

Avg. Trade Cost

HKD 15.5

Terms and conditions apply

Pros & Cons

Basic Info

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)

Read full review

Webull

Other Fee

N/A

Avg. Trade Cost

HKD 10

Welcome Offer: New customers can receive up to HK$1,888 worth of Apple stock by successfully opening a Webull account through the Planto website link! - Successfully open an account, deposit HK$10,000, and maintain the funds for 60 days to receive Apple stocks worth HK$600. - Successfully open an account, deposit HK$80,000 and maintain the funds for 60 days to receive extra Apple stocks worth HK$1,288. - Trade 50 or more option contracts to enjoy 0 commission and 0 platform fees on option trading. 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”).

Read full review

Webull

Other Fee

N/A

Avg. Trade Cost

HKD 0

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”).

Read full review

Tiger Brokers

Other Fee

Avg. Trade Cost

HKD 0

Welcome Offer: Successfully open an account through Planto’s exclusive link then complete certain tasks until 30th September 2024 to enjoy up to HK$2,300 worth of reward: - Exclusive HK$400 supermarket vouchers from Planto after depositing HK$10,000 , plus: 1. Time-limited Commission-Free Rewards* - 0 Commission for HK stock trading (Lifetime) - 0 Platform fee for HK stock trading (until 30th September 2024) - NYSE Arca Level 2 Deep Quote streaming for US stocks (until 30th September 2024) - 0 Commission for US stock option trading (until 30th September 2024) - US Stock Option Lv1 Real-time Quotes (until 30th September 2024) 2. New clients account opening awards, fund more for 45 consecutive days to get more (please refer to T&Cs for detailed quolifications) - Net deposit* HK$10,000 or US$1,500 or above : to activate HK$300 stock voucher (3x HK$100 vouchers) and 3-month free HK Stock Lv1 streaming quote - Net deposit* HK$50,000 or above : to activate HK$600 stock vouchers (6x HK$100 vouchers) - Net deposit* HK$100,000 or above : to activate HK$1,200 stock vouchers (12x HK$100 vouchers) 3. Complete 5 non-forex trades with each trade amounting to or exceeding HK$100 within 60 days after successful account opening (applicable to both Hong Kong and US stocks) : to activate HK$700 stock voucher (7x HK$100 vouchers) * Net deposit = deposit amount - withdrawal amount, excluding the part of asset increase or decrease due to normal transactions. ^Daily cumulative net deposits = (from the account opening date) cumulative deposit amount - (from the account opening date) cumulative withdrawal amount, excluding asset fluctuations caused by normal trading activities

*Subject to T&Cs

LONGBRIDGE

Other Fee

N/A

Avg. Trade Cost

HKD 15

Welcome Offer: On or before 30 September 2024, apply via Planto and use the promo code「614701」, successfully open an account and deposit HK$10,000 to receive up to HK$2,100 worth of rewards: Planto exclusive HK$200 supermarket coupon and HK$100 stock cash coupon Choose from one of the below 2 offers : A. Up to HK$1,400 : 1) APR offer for deposit with 6% + 5% (up to HK$1,200) and 2) total worth of HK$200 stocks cash coupon) B. Total worth up to HK$1,800 : 1) Total worth of HK$800 stocks cash coupon and 2) Total worth of HK$1,000 cash rebate (upon 15 tradings) New customers who transfer the stock to LongBridge can get an iPad mini 6 or the newest model of iPhone * Total worth of HK$1,000 cash rebate (upon 15 tradings) 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)

LONGBRIDGE

Other Fee

N/A

Avg. Trade Cost

HKD 8

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)

uSMART Securities

Other Fee

N/A

Avg. Trade Cost

HKD 8

Welcome Offer: April 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.

* Terms and conditions

Pros & Cons

Basic Info

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)

Read full review

Interactive Brokers

Other Fee

N/A

Avg. Trade Cost

0.05% of Trade Value

Welcome Offer: Earn up to 4.83% annual interest rate on positive settled cash balance for accounts with total NAV of US$100,000 or higher. *Accounts with NAV of less than US$100,000 receive interest at rates proportional to the size of the account **Interest rate if for reference only, it may change any time according to market condition

Interactive Brokers

Other Fee

N/A

Avg. Trade Cost

US$0.005 / share

(min. from US$0.35)

Pros & Cons

Basic Info

Transaction Fees: For US stocks, commission fee of US$0.005 / share to US$0.0005 / share
Product available: Stocks, options, futures, currencies, bonds from 150 exchanges in 34 regions including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Israel, Germany, Netherlands, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and India
Margin Trading: as Low as 5.3%
Hong Kong SFC license: SFC license Type 1,2,3

Syfe

Account Funding Requirements

HKD 10,000

Fees

0.35%-0.65% AUM

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.

Aqumon

Account Funding Requirements

HKD 10,000

Fees

0.5%-0.8% AUM

Important information:

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.