Our Methodology
The launch of QualeBroker.com in September 2018 was created at a time in which various individuals within the financial industry expressed their concerns about the inadequacy of metrics used in evaluating financial institutions (i.e. banks) and online brokers.
The lack of transparency for the evaluation criteria as well as the presence of conflicts of interest between the subjects in charge of reviewing and evaluating the various intermediaries meant that there was no institution in Europe to assess the above in an impartial manner. A web search proved that various reviews and comparisons of online brokers, which European investors can easily access, are the result of research that does not rely on clear methodology.
Rather, it is evident that various websites assign the highest rankings to those intermediaries who promise higher remuneration for each lead generated through their websites (i.e. so-called flirt sites). QualeBroker.com adheres to transparency and provides a well-defined methodology for the information provided on the website.
We maintain an innovative classification method that uses a combination of qualitative metrics (based on the results of our tests and analyses) and quantitative metrics (deriving from the collection of data).
The QualeBroker.com evaluation methodology uses a combination of 148 qualitative and quantitative metrics to assign a final judgment to over 20 banks and online brokers. Each metric is converted into a score based upon a series of well-defined criteria. QualeBroker.com analyzes and evaluates only the brokers authorized to operate in the United Kingdom by FCA. Therefore, unauthorized companies have been excluded and to collect data we are in direct contact with the brokers to be evaluated. We open live accounts to test trading platforms and apps. Every investor has different needs.
Novice investors may need a user-friendly platform and educational material. Conversely, options traders may need sophisticated tools. We are confident that our methodology for reviewing and ranking brokers meets the needs of all types of investors at any level, saving them valuable hours of research and study.
The ranking of brokers is defined by the following components and their relative weights:
| 1. | Safety |
| 2. | Fees and Costs |
| 3. | Products and Markets |
| 4. | Platforms |
| 5. | Mobile Trading |
| 6. | Ease of Use |
| 7. | Tax Management |
| 8. | Customer Service |
| 9. | Education |
| 10. | Banking services |
The scores for each category are aggregated to generate a cumulative total score. The maximum score is 100.
Category | Maximum score |
|---|---|
Safety | 20 |
Commissions and Costs | 18 |
Offering of products and markets | 12 |
Platforms and research | 12 |
Mobile trading | 6 |
Ease of use | 8 |
Tax management | 10 |
Customer Service | 6 |
Education | 4 |
Banking services | 4 |
Total cumulative score | 100 |
The components
The ranking of online brokers is defined by the following components and their relative weights:
| 1. | Safety |
| 2. | Fees and Costs |
| 3. | Products and Markets |
| 4. | Platforms |
| 5. | Mobile Trading |
| 6. | Ease of Use |
| 7. | Tax Management |
| 8. | Customer Service |
| 9. | Education |
| 10. | Banking Services |
Components Overview
Safety
20%
- Regulatory Body
- Investor Protection Scheme
- Customer Liquidity Management
- Segregation of Client Assets
- Negative Balance Protection
- Two-factor Authentication (2FA)
- Hacker attacks in the past 12 months
- Website Security Certificate
Fees and Costs
18%
- Trading Fees
- Account Maintenance Fee
- Financing Rates
- Platform Fee
- Real-time Data Fee
- Currency Conversion Costs
Products and Markets
12%
- Number of financial instruments offered
- Number of markets available
- Trading hours
- Access to non-regulated markets (OTC)
Platforms
12%
- Web platform
- Desktop platform
- Research
- Fundamental and technical analysis tools
- Customization
- Order execution speed
- Crashes detected
- Order types
- Additional tools
- External software and API
Mobile Trading
6%
- Proprietary app
- Mobile experience
- Research
- Fundamental and technical analysis tools
- Customization
- Order types
Ease of Use
8%
- Is it usable for novice investors?
- Intuitiveness of the platforms
- Are the conditions and costs clearly explained?
- Is the account opening process straightforward?
Tax management
10%
- Type of tax regime offered
- Quality of tax reports
- ISA account offered?
Customer Service
6%
- Channels through which customer service is offered
- Quality of assistance
- Quick problem solving
- Waiting time
Education
4%
- Educational material available on the website
- Organization of live events and seminars
- Tutorial on the use of platforms
Banking Services
4%
- Offering a checking account and credit/debit cards
- Financial advisory services
- Salary credit
- Loans
Aggregazione dei punteggi e classificazione
I punteggi per ogni categoria vengono aggregati per generare un punteggio totale cumulativo. Il punteggio massimo è 100. Il punteggio finale viene poi convertito in stelle (da 0 a 5) all'interno delle recensioni.
| Categoria | Punteggio massimo |
| Sicurezza | 20 |
| Commissioni e Costi | 18 |
| Offerta di prodotti e mercati | 12 |
| Piattaforme e ricerca | 12 |
| Trading da mobile | 6 |
| Facilità d’uso | 8 |
| Gestione fiscale | 10 |
| Servizio Clienti | 6 |
| Formazione | 4 |
| Servizi bancari | 4 |
| Punteggio cumulativo totale | 100 |
| Punteggio finale | Voto |
| Sopra 95 | |
| 85-95 | |
| 75-85 | |
| 60-75 | |
| 50-60 | |
| 40-50 | |
| 30-40 | |
| 20-30 | |
| 15-20 | |
| 10-15 | |
| <10 |
| Categoria | Punteggio massimo |
| Sicurezza | 20 |
| Commissioni e Costi | 18 |
| Offerta di prodotti e mercati | 12 |
| Piattaforme e ricerca | 12 |
| Trading da mobile | 6 |
| Facilità d’uso | 8 |
| Gestione fiscale | 10 |
| Servizio Clienti | 6 |
| Formazione | 4 |
| Servizi bancari | 4 |
| Punteggio cumulativo totale | 100 |
| Punteggio finale | Voto |
| Sopra 95 | |
| 85-95 | |
| 75-85 | |
| 60-75 | |
| 50-60 | |
| 40-50 | |
| 30-40 | |
| 20-30 | |
| 15-20 | |
| 10-15 | |
| <10 |
Disclaimer: La mission principale di Qualebroker.com è di fornire recensioni, comparazioni, opinioni e analisi obiettive e imparziali. Qualebroker.com non fornisce nessun tipo di consulenza né di sollecitazione agli investimenti. La compravendita di strumenti finanziari rappresenta un elevato livello di rischio in cui si può potenzialmente perdere tutto il capitale investito. Solo coloro i quali sono consapevoli di tale rischio dovrebbero negoziare nei mercati finanziari. Operando in un’ottica di business online, Qualebroker.com potrebbe essere remunerato da terze parti inserzioniste. Tale remunerazione non va interpretata come un’approvazione o una raccomandazione da parte di Qualebroker.com, né influenzerà in alcun modo le nostre recensioni, analisi e opinioni. Per maggiori informazioni si prega di consultare il nostro disclaimer.
