Mintos adds commission-free stock trading to its investment platform

Mintos, a European investment platform best known for offering access to loans, bonds and other alternative assets, has launched commission-free stock trading. The addition lets existing users buy and sell shares alongside the platform's other investment products, joining a broader group of providers that no longer charge a flat commission on individual stock trades.

Commission-free trading has become a standard feature rather than a differentiator among many investing platforms over the past several years. When a provider announces zero-commission stock trading, it rarely means the service is free overall. Platforms typically still earn revenue through other channels, such as currency conversion charges on trades in foreign markets, spreads built into pricing, withdrawal fees, or charges on other account features like premium tiers or inactivity fees. For a platform like Mintos that already serves investors interested in diversifying beyond traditional stocks, adding share trading is also a way to keep users within one app rather than needing a separate brokerage account.

For someone comparing investing platforms, a headline claim of no commission is only one part of the picture. It is worth checking what markets and exchanges are actually covered, since a platform might offer free trading only on a limited set of shares or exchanges, while charging more to access others. It's also worth checking whether orders are filled at the market price or whether the platform takes a small spread, which can function similarly to a hidden fee even when there's no stated commission. Currency conversion costs matter too: an investor based in the eurozone buying US-listed shares, for example, may still pay a conversion charge on each trade even if the commission itself is zero.

Account structure and protections are also relevant. Investors should look at how shares are held, whether the platform is regulated in the jurisdictions it serves, and what investor compensation scheme, if any, applies if the platform were to fail. These factors tend to matter more over the long run than the initial appeal of paying no commission, particularly for people planning to invest regularly rather than make occasional trades.

As more platforms, including ones built around alternative assets like Mintos, move into zero-commission stock trading, the practical differences between providers increasingly come down to the total cost of actually using the service, not just the advertised commission. Comparing the full fee structure, including currency charges and any account-level costs, alongside the range of available markets, gives a more accurate picture than the commission-free claim alone. Readers can use a side-by-side comparison of investing fees to see how these costs can add up differently across platforms at FairAscent's investing fee calculator.

This article was drafted with AI assistance as part of our editorial process.

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