KBC Equitas Review 2023

How we ranked fees

We ranked KBC Equitas's fee levels as low, average or high based on how they compare to those of all reviewed brokers.

First, let's go over some basic terms related to broker fees. What you need to keep an eye on are trading fees and non-trading fees.

• Trading fees occur when you trade. These can be commissions, spreads, financing rates and conversion fees.
• Non-trading fees include charges not directly related to trading, like withdrawal fees or inactivity fees.

In the sections below, you will find the most relevant fees of KBC Equitas for each asset class. For example, in the case of stock investing the most important fees are commissions.

We also compared KBC Equitas's fees with those of two similar brokers we selected, Interactive Brokers and Random Capital. This selection is based on objective factors such as products offered, client profile, fee structure, etc. See a more detailed rundown of KBC Equitas alternatives.

To have a clear overview of KBC Equitas, let's start with the trading fees.

KBC Equitas trading fees

KBC Equitas trading fees are average.

Stock fees and ETF fees

There are three fee plans to choose from. In this review, we'll show you the fees for the 'Foreign markets' ('Külföld') package, because it has the lowest fees for trading on international stock exchanges. However, if you mostly trade Hungarian equities, the "Profi" plan is a better fit.

KBC Equitas has generally average stock and ETF commission.

There is a discount if your trade is considered a daytrade (i.e. you open and close a trading position on the same day). Note that the 'Foreign' fee package has higher fees for the Hungarian market.

Fund fees

KBC Equitas fund fees are low when it comes K&H mutual funds - the transaction costs are in the $2 / HUF 500 range per deal. However, for other funds, there is a 1%-1.5% charge when you buy.

Bond fees

At KBC Equitas you can invest only in Hungarian Government Bonds (MÁP Plusz, 1MÁP). Buying is free of charge.

Futures fees

You can only trade BUX futures contracts at KBC. The BUX index is the official index of blue-chip shares listed on the Budapest Stock Exchange.

The commission charged is HUF 275/contract, which is markedly higher than what Random Capital, a Hungarian competitor broker, offers (HUF 75/contract).

KBC Equitas futures fees are .

Crypto fees

Non-trading fees 

KBC Equitas has average non-trading fees.

No inactivity fee is charged by KBC Equitas.

On the other hand, there is an account fee of HUF 399 per month.

Unlike at IB and Random Capital, you also need to pay a custody fee every month. The custody fee works out to 0.15% of the value of your total assets per year; however, there is a monthly cap of HUF 4,900.

The withdrawal fee is 0.25% with a minimum of HUF 500 and maximum of HUF 20,000. However, it's free if you transfer to your K&H bank account.

Can you open an account?

Visit broker

What is the minimum deposit at KBC Equitas?

The required KBC Equitas minimum deposit is $0.

Account types

KBC Equitas offers both individual and corporate accounts, which can be opened only in person at a physical office.

Hungarian individuals can also open tax-advantaged accounts (NYESZ and TBSZ). The annual fee of a NYESZ account is HUF 2,000, as prescibed by Hungarian law.

How to open your account

The account opening at KBC Equitas is not fully digital: you have to visit a branch in person to applt for an account, then complete additional steps online. Individual and corporate accounts are available for Hungarians only.

We had to go to their office, but they did not open the account, only booked an appointment for the following week, which was very time-consuming and inconvenient. Next week we opened the account in person and set a username, which took around 30 minutes. The online registration was quicker, and they verified the account within a day.

The 9 steps of KBC Equitas account opening:

1. Go to any KBC or K&H Bank office and verify your identity and residency by providing these documents:
   • National ID
   • Address card
   • Tax card
2. Sign the contracts of account opening in person.
3. Download the KBC MobilBroker app.
4. Log in with the username and the Digipass generated password.
5. Set a PIN code.
6. Read the contracts.
7. Go to www.kbcequitas.hu and click on 'WebBroker belépés'.
8. Use KBC MobilBroker's QR reader to log in to the WebBroker and finalize your account opening:
   • acceptance of contracts
   • compliance test
   • choose fee package
9. Deposit funds to your account.

Account base currencies

At KBC Equitas, you can choose from 11 base currencies.

This selection is average compared to competing brokers.

This selection is better than what Hungarian competitors offer, but can be considered average in an international comparison. Note however that you can only convert currencies when you give a buy or a sell order for a stock or a mutual fund. You cannot convert currency with the purpose of speculating on currency movements. For example, you can only convert HUF to USD by giving a buy order for a USD-denominated asset. The conversion cost is around 1%, which is considered high.

Remember that if you fund your trading account in the same currency as your bank account or you trade assets in the same currency as your trading account base currency, you don't have to pay a conversion fee.

A convenient way to save on currency conversion fees is by opening a multi-currency bank account at a digital bank. These usually offer bank accounts in several currencies with great currency exchange rates, as well as free or cheap international bank transfers. Opening an account only takes a few minutes on your phone.

Compare digital banks

Deposit fees and options

KBC Equitas charges no deposit fees.

A bank transfer can take several business days, while payment with a credit/debit card is instant.

You can only deposit money from accounts that are in your name.

KBC Equitas withdrawal fees and options

Domestic HUF withdrawals cost 0.25%, with a minimum fee of HUF 500 and a maximum of HUF 20,000. Withdrawal to your K&H bank account is free. International withdrawals and withdrawals in foreign currency cost 0.15%, with a minimum of HUF 5,000 and a maximum of HUF 60,000. It is also free if the withdrawal is made to your K&H bank foreign currency account.

How long does it take to withdraw money from KBC Equitas? We tested the credit card/bank transfer withdrawal and it took 1 business day.

You can only withdraw money to accounts in your name.

How do you withdraw money from KBC Equitas?

• Open the WebBroker platform.
• Go to 'Pénz műveletek' (Cash transactions).
• Click on 'Kiutalás/Átvezetés' (Withdrawal).
• Fill in the form.
• Click on 'Utalási megbízások elküldése' (Send transfer).

KBC provides its own self-developed web trading platform called WebBroker. It is available only in Hungarian.

Unfortunately, we encountered some bugs when testing both the web and the mobile platforms: sometimes, after placing a limit order, we needed to wait as much as 40 seconds to get confirmation that the order was sent. We don't know if it really took 40 seconds to send the order to the exchange (which would be pretty bad) or there was just a problem with the platform showing the confirmation.

On another occasion, we wanted to modify a pending order and the system returned an unspecified error message even though the exchange was open at the time. We were only able to modify the order after waiting 10 minutes.

If you're a long-term investor, this isn't that big of a problem, because a small change in the price while you wait won't mean much. However, if you're a short-term trader these are serious problems and you should consider using another broker.

Look and feel

The KBC Equitas web trading platform is user-friendly. There is also a WebBroker Pro service available within the WebBroker platform, which is more suitable for advanced traders. However, its customizability is limited, you cannot easily move the tabs.

Login and security

KBC Equitas provides a safer, two-step login which gives you more security.

Search functions

The search functions are good, the products are categorized in the menu.

Placing orders

You can use the following order types:

• Limit
• Market
• Stop
• Iceberg (for buying in bigger volume)

To get a better understanding of these terms, read our overview of order types.

There are also order time limits you can use:

• Good 'til Canceled (GTC)
• Day 'Til Canceled (DTC)

Alerts and notifications

You can set price alerts and notifications.

Portfolio and fee reports

KBC Equitas has clear portfolio and fee reports.

Visit broker

KBC provides its own self-developed web trading platform called MobilBroker. It is available only in Hungarian.

Unfortunately, we encountered some bugs when testing both the web and the mobile platforms.

Look and feel

The KBC Equitas mobile trading platform is user-friendly and easy to use.

Login and security

KBC Equitas provides only a one-step login for its mobile platform.

You can log in using biometric authentication, which is a convenient feature.

Search functions

The search functions are good, you can easily categorize your favorite stocks.

Placing orders

You can use the following order types:

• Limit
• Market
• Stop

There are also order time limits you can use:

• Good 'til canceled (GTC)
• Good 'til time (GTT)

Alerts and notifications

You can set alerts and notifications on the KBC Equitas mobile platform.

Visit broker

Visit broker

This selection is average compared to competing brokers.

Stocks and ETFs

At KBC Equitas you can trade on 27 markets with more than 20,000 stocks.

Funds

KBC Equitas offers 45 funds from 5 providers.

This selection is average compared to competing brokers.

Bonds

At KBC Equitas you can buy only Hungarian Government Bonds (MÁP Plusz, 1MÁP).

This selection falls behind competing brokers. Both Interactive Brokers and Random Capital list more bonds.

Futures

You can only trade the BUX futures contracts at KBC Equities. The BUX index is the official index of blue-chip shares listed on the Budapest Stock Exchange.

This selection is average compared to competing brokers.

Cryptos

You can trade several listed certificates, ETNs and ETPs in the crypto space.

This selection is average compared to competing brokers.

Trading ideas

KBC Equitas provides trading ideas and they also publicly share their results on these trading positions.

Fundamental data

KBC Equitas offers fundamental data on assets within its analyses.

Charting

KBC Equitas's charting tools could be better. WebBroker does not have any technical indicators, while on WebBroker Pro you can use 38 different indicators.

Compare research pros and cons

You can contact KBC Equitas via:

• phone
• email

KBC Equitas phone support was slow but we received relevant answers.

Via email, we got quick and relevant answers.

We missed a live chat option and 24/7 availability.

Visit broker

At KBC Equitas you can learn in the following ways:

• Platform tutorial videos
• General educational videos
• Webinars
• Quality educational articles

Visit broker

Is KBC Equitas regulated?

Yes, it is regulated by the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) and the National Bank of Belgium (NBB).

Is KBC Equitas safe?

To be certain if a brokerage is safe, we highly advise that you check two facts:

• how you are protected if something goes wrong
• what the background of the broker is

How you are protected

KBC Equitas clients are covered by the Belgian Compensation Scheme.

KBC Equitas does not provide negative balance protection. Ultimately, we don't think this would be a concern as KBC Equitas is not a CFD/forex broker.

Background

KBC Equitas is based in Hungary and was founded in 1994. The longer track record a broker has, the more proof we have that it has successfully survived previous financial crises.

KBC Equitas is a member of Belgium's KBC Group, which has a banking license. This is a good sign, as it can be considered as a safety net. Even if it’s not required by law that a struggling broker be saved by its parent bank, in most cases you can count on this happening, so a banking parent adds another layer of security.

KBC Equitas's parent, the KBC Group, is listed on the stock exchange, which is a big plus for safety as it means KBC Equitas releases financial statements regularly and transparently.

Being a member of an international group that has a banking license, is listed on a stock exchange, and publishes financial statements are all great signs for KBC Equitas's safety.

Find your safe broker

We recommend KBC Equitas for long-term investors from Hungary who want access to a variety of markets.

Below you can find links to all aspects of KBC Equitas in this comprehensive collection.

Lower fees, lower costs?

We detailed this in our KBC Equitas fees article.

What about the minimum deposit?

Our ultimate guide to the KBC Equitas minimum deposit is updated regularly.

How to start your KBC Equitas account?

Look no further than our evaluation of the KBC Equitas account opening.

How's their trading app?

Here's our expert view after checking the KBC Equitas trading app.

Is the quality of customer service satisfactory?

All you need to know about the KBC Equitas customer service.

Legit or scam?

Is KBC Equitas legit features all the key aspects you need to look at to see if a broker is safe and legit.

Free or premium? Or both?

A glance at actual costs and whether KBC Equitas is really free.

Is this broker good for beginners?

We checked it in Is KBC Equitas good for beginners.

Should you buy your silver bullets on KBC Equitas?

Research for silver bugs in the Silver buy on KBC Equitas guide

I want to trade options, are they available at KBC Equitas?

We explored the topic in Can you trade options on KBC Equitas?

What is the minimum account balance at KBC Equitas?

Check out the current account balance requirements at KBC Equitas in our What is the minimum account balance at KBC Equitas article.

Looking for commission and fees data for KBC Equitas?

We collected them in KBC Equitas commission and fees.

How do you withdraw money from KBC Equitas?

We tested it and collected the options and costs in How to withdraw money on KBC Equitas.