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
Aggregation of scores and classification
The scores for each category are aggregated to generate a cumulative total score. The maximum score is 100. The final score is then converted into stars (from 0 to 5) within the reviews.
| Category | Maximum score |
| Safety | 20 |
| Fees and Costs | 18 |
| 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 |
| Final score | Grade |
| Above 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: The main mission of Qualebroker.com is to provide objective and unbiased reviews, comparisons, opinions and analysis. Qualebroker.com does not provide any advice or solicitation for investments. The trading of financial instruments represents a high level of risk in which all the capital invested can potentially be lost. Only those who are aware of this risk should trade in the financial markets. Operating from an online business perspective, Qualebroker.com may be remunerated by third party advertisers. This remuneration should not be construed as an endorsement or recommendation by Qualebroker.com, nor will it affect our reviews, analyzes or opinions in any way. For more information please consult our disclaimer.
