2025 Latest Ranking of Securities Firms in Taiwan and Comparison of Fees

As a retail investor who has been investing in Taiwanese stocks for a long time, I truly believe that choosing the right brokerage is more important than choosing the right stocks! After all, a bad brokerage can not only make you pay exorbitant fees but also leave you in tears when the system crashes.

In recent years, more and more investors in Taiwan have entered the market, from grandparents to young retail investors. However, many newcomers do not know that we cannot trade directly; we must go through a brokerage to buy and sell. This article will share my insights from years of changing jobs at different brokerages, organizing everything from mainstream brokerages in Taiwan to fee comparisons for you!

2025 Taiwan Securities Firm Rankings

There are many local brokers in Taiwan, but to be honest, some are just in it for the ride. I have selected 10 well-established brokerage firms, each with decades of operating history. Most of them can trade Taiwanese and American stocks, but be aware that the “sub-delegation” fees of local brokers are shockingly high!

According to last year's total transaction volume market share, here are the top ten domestic brokerages in Taiwan:

Top 10 local securities firms ranking by market share in Taiwan

Brokerage Fees Battle

In Taiwan, there are mainly two types of fees for trading stocks: “handling fees” and “transaction tax”. The standard handling fee is 0.1425%, charged for both buying and selling, with a minimum charge of 20 TWD if it is below 20 TWD; the transaction tax is only charged at 0.3% when selling stocks.

The reality is that competition among brokerages is fierce, and almost all can negotiate discounts now! Each brokerage offers different discounts based on your trading volume. However, the trading tax is paid to the government, and this part is non-negotiable.

Comparison of electronic order handling fees among various brokers

I initially compared it with TSMC, buying 5 shares at 430 dollars and selling at 450 dollars, and when the brokerage discount was 40%, the total trading cost actually reached 10,512 dollars! This made me seriously reconsider whether I should switch to other platforms…

How to Choose the Most Suitable Broker?

To be honest, at first, I only cared about low transaction fees, but ended up jumping into the pit and losing a lot of money unfairly. Now when I choose a broker, I look at these points:

1. The fee discount is not the only one.

Transaction fees are indeed important, but those ultra-low-cost brokers often have hidden costs. I once used a super cheap broker, and when the market was booming, the system crashed repeatedly, causing me to lose more than I earned. Therefore, system stability and order execution speed really cannot be compromised!

2. The ease of use of the trading software is crucial.

The first thing I do every morning when I wake up is check the stock market. A clumsy app is simply torturous! Each brokerage has its own trading platform, like Yuanta's “Investment Master” or KGI's “Mobile e-Strategy,” and the interfaces vary greatly. It's recommended to try out a few before deciding which one is the best for you.

3. The quantity of securities affects investment strategies

After I learned about short selling, I realized that the gap between large brokers and small brokers is really significant! Large brokers usually have sufficient stock availability and lower financing interest rates. If you plan to finance for buying stocks or short selling, large brokers are definitely the top choice. Initially, I tried to short sell a certain stock with a small broker, only to be told that “there is no stock available,” and I could only watch it drop without being able to profit.

Overseas brokers enable global investment

Buying foreign stocks through local brokers in Taiwan is really ridiculously expensive! Using “sub-delegation” to place orders is not only troublesome, but the costs are so high that it makes your efforts feel wasted. After trying several overseas brokers, I found that this is the correct way to invest in the international market!

These three are extremely popular in Taiwan:

1. Mitrade - A boon for retail investors

This platform focuses on CFD trading and is regulated in Australia. What attracts me the most is its ability for two-way trading, allowing profits from both long and short positions, and the leverage can be adjusted by the user. The best part is that in recent years it has strengthened its local services in Taiwan, allowing deposits and withdrawals directly in New Taiwan Dollars, with 24-hour customer service in Taiwan, which is super friendly for someone like me who trades late at night.

With just 50 dollars, I can enter the market, which is super considerate for someone like me who doesn't have much spare cash. Especially since I like short-term trading, the platform's 0 commission policy saves me a lot of costs.

2. InteractiveBrokers - preferred choice for retail investors

Interactive Brokers is a well-established international brokerage firm with a comprehensive range of products, including stocks from the US, UK, Germany, Japan, and South Korea, as well as bonds, ETFs, and more. The fee structure for large capital trades is relatively cost-effective, but the margin account must be maintained at over $2,000.

3. Firstrade - beginner-friendly platform

This American online brokerage attracts Taiwanese investors with zero commissions, making it especially suitable for investing in ETFs. The interface is simple and user-friendly; however, the withdrawal fees are relatively high at 25 USD each time, so it is best not to withdraw frequently.

Conclusion

Choosing the right broker can really make the investment journey much smoother! The advantage of local brokers in Taiwan is that they are convenient and safe, and the handling fees for buying Taiwanese stocks are not high, but overseas investments may not be so cost-effective.

In my personal experience, if you only buy Taiwanese stocks, you can choose a large brokerage to establish a long-term relationship and negotiate better discounts; if you want to invest in the global market, consider overseas brokerages to save a significant amount on transaction costs.

Remember to comprehensively compare factors such as transaction fees, system stability, ease of use, and source of tokens when selecting, and find the one that suits you best!