【May 2025 update】This account now has a referral bonus. The referred customer can receive up to $1,000: net funds transferred into the account within one year of opening can earn a 1% bonus after 12 months. The maximum qualifying transfer is $100,000, which earns a $1,000 bonus. If you already plan to invest with this account, the transfer effectively comes with an extra bonus, which is pretty nice. If you only want the 1% bonus, there’s a trick so you don’t have to leave the money there for that long. According to Planet users, you only need to move the funds in during month 11, then leave them there for about a month to get the 1% match bonus. That works out to a 12% annualized return!

Also, this account can be opened with a Chinese passport and address, so if you’re in China and want to open a U.S. brokerage account, Interactive Brokers is very convenient. According to feedback shared by Planet users, China-based brokerages such as Futu and Tiger may send customer information back to mainland China, and large account balances could potentially trigger tax scrutiny. It’s recommended to diversify part of your assets into IB; IB is a U.S. broker and has not yet shared user data with mainland China.

About Interactive Brokers (IB)

Interactive Brokers (IB) is a U.S.-based multinational brokerage firm. By average daily revenue trades, it operates the largest electronic trading platform in the United States. The company offers brokerage services for stocks, options, futures, cash-settled futures, futures options, forex, bonds, funds, and some cryptocurrencies. In terms of safety and professionalism, Interactive Brokers is a leader in the industry.

Here are some key numbers

  • IBKR: listed on Nasdaq
  • $12.2 billion in equity capital
  • 75.5% privately held
  • $9 billion in excess regulatory capital
  • 2.2 million client accounts
  • 2.05 million daily average revenue trades
  • 10 regulated entities worldwide

Some of Interactive Brokers’ notable advantages include

  • Invest in 150 markets across 33 countries using 26 currencies
  • Interactive Brokers offers low commissions and access to stocks, options, futures, currencies, bonds, and funds through a single integrated account
  • Access to U.S. and global markets
  • Fund your account in multiple currencies and trade assets denominated in multiple currencies
  • Market data access 24 hours a day, 6 days a week
  • No account minimum
  • No maintenance fees
  • Trade U.S. stocks without paying excessive foreign exchange fees

Sign Up

Interactive Brokers supports customers in more than 200 countries and regions, and they can trade stocks, options, futures, currencies, bonds, funds, and more across 150 markets worldwide through a single account.

The list of supported countries and regions is below

If you are a U.S. resident, you can open an account directly using your Social Security number (SSN), and tax treatment follows standard U.S. tax rules.

If you are in mainland China, you can also open the account directly with Interactive Brokers in the U.S. After registration, the W-8 series forms will be generated automatically.

If you are a resident of another Asian region other than India, Hong Kong, and Japan, and you choose to continue with your account application, your account will be opened with Interactive Brokers LLC in the United States. Interactive Brokers LLC is a member of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC), and is regulated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). If you choose to continue opening the account, you agree to the above terms.

They’ve already provided detailed instructions on the official website.

Fees

The trading-related fees for the U.S. market are shown below. If you’re an individual user, IBKR Lite is enough in most cases, and there are no platform fees.

There are still some third-party fees

Their biggest advantage is that the margin rate is very attractive. According to a 2021 report by StockBrokers.com, theirs was the lowest among all platforms.

Idle Cash Interest Rate

They’ve launched a new feature that lets idle funds in your account earn up to 4.58% APY. However, only the cash balance above $10,000 qualifies.

IBKR Trading Platform

Interactive Brokers’ trading platforms have a lot of features. If you really want to get serious about investing, this platform is a great fit. It has features for everyone from beginners to advanced investors.

It also offers a very comprehensive set of tools.

Summary

Compared with the investing platforms we’ve introduced before, Interactive Brokers’ advantages are its scale, professionalism, and reputation. But it doesn’t offer much in the way of sign-up bonuses. If you value a comfortable and professional investing experience, it’s a solid choice.

For introductions to other platforms and their sign-up bonuses, see the table below.

Stock Investing Basics

Below are a few commonly used U.S. stock brokerages and their signup bonuses

Overview Signup Bonus Quick Take
Moomoo (Futu) Get $1,030 in stock +8.1% APY Professional, no commissions, and free Level 2 market data. Good for both beginners and advanced users. Chinese-language customer service available. Requires SSN
TradeUp (Tiger Brokers) 50 shares of NVDA + chance to win 5 shares + 4% for three months No commissions, supports U.S. and Hong Kong stocks, and offers WebTrading. Chinese-language customer service available. Available globally.
Webull $100 Amazon +12 fractional shares +1 month of Premium membership No commissions, with frequent deposit-for-stock promotions
BBAE Up to $650 reward 0 commission, 0 fees; Chinese-friendly, and you can open an account without SSN/ITIN
Robinhood 1 free stock No commissions, with an interest-bearing cash account. Simple interface that is beginner-friendly
Interactive Brokers Up to $1,000 Wide product coverage. Professional, comprehensive trading platform, and high cash interest rates.
TradeStation $250 Professional trading platform with a full set of supporting tools
Schwab Up to $1,000 Professional and easy to use. Global ATM fee-free withdrawals, and $0 stock commissions
Fidelity Brokerage Account Sign-up link Well-established brokerage, no trading fees, and TurboTax included
BIT (formerly Matrixport) Deposit and trade to get $210 Supports direct crypto deposits and withdrawals, no China CRS, and you can register directly with an ID card
SoFi Invest Get $75 for opening an account No commissions, supports Stock Bits
WealthFront Manage up to $5,000 for free Automated investing and wealth management
M1 Finance Deposit funds and get $10 No commissions, with automatic investing based on your portfolio

If you do not have SSN/ITIN but still want to trade U.S. stocks, take a look at the brokerages/platforms below. All of them allow registration using a full set of Chinese documents, and you can sign up with just an ID card or passport. None of them participate in China CRS

  • BBAE: Chinese-friendly; you can open an account without SSN/ITIN.
  • BIT (formerly Matrixport): You can open an account with just an ID card, and approval can be completed within a few hours.
  • Bitget: Identity verification can be completed with an ID card/Chinese passport.

If you want to invest in U.S. stocks from mainland China, see this summary

Registration Link