Directory · Guides
Guides
Short, practical answers to the questions readers actually search — how a resident of one country invests abroad, and how a foreigner reaches a specific market. Each one routes into the detailed country and broker pages.
What a global broker costs — compared
The multi-market brokers a foreigner actually chooses between, under one standardised scenario: a non-US individual, EUR account, buying a single large-cap real share (no leverage). The US columns show the same buy at $1k / $5k / $10k, to expose how each broker's pricing scales (flat fee vs percentage); per-share brokers (IBKR, EXANTE) assume a ~$150 share. EU is a €5,000 Xetra blue-chip. "EM / frontier" is a coverage indicator, not a single fee — emerging- and frontier-market pricing varies too much by market to standardise. All figures are one side of a trade; indicative as of June 2026, and they change and vary by your country/entity — confirm before choosing.
| Broker | US $1k | US $5k | US $10k | EU (€5k) | EM / frontier | FX (EUR→USD) | Min · ongoing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interactive Brokers | ~$1 | ~$1 | ~$1 | ~€3 (0.05%) | Many EM; some frontier | 0.002%, min $2 · hold USD | $0 · no custody/inactivity |
| DEGIRO | ~$2 | ~$2 | ~$2 | ~€4.90 | Limited EM; no frontier | ~0.25% auto-convert | €0.01 · €2.50/yr per foreign exchange |
| Saxo | ~$1 | ~$4 | ~$8 | ~€4 (0.08%) | Several EM; little frontier | ~0.25% | €0 · custody ~0.12–0.15%/yr |
| EXANTE | ~$1 | ~$1 | ~$1.50 | ~€2.50 (0.05%) | Strong EM (Turkey, JSE, Tadawul, UAE, CEE) | Small spread · hold USD | €10,000 · €50 idle, ~€30 withdrawal |
| Lightyear | $1 | $1 | $1 | €1 flat | Developed + Baltics; no frontier | 0.35% | €0 · none |
| Trading 212 | €0 | €0 | €0 | €0 | Developed only | 0.15% (each way) | €1 · none |
| Revolut (free plan) | ~$2.50 | ~$12.50 | ~$25 | Limited EU; ~0.25% | Developed only | 0.5% (after allowance) | ~€1 · none (1 free trade/mo) |
| eToro | $1–2 | $1–2 | $1–2 | $1–2 (limited EU) | Developed only | 0.75% on trades | ~$50 · $10/mo idle, $5 withdrawal |
How to read it. The US columns show the scaling: flat-fee brokers (IBKR, DEGIRO, Lightyear, Trading 212, eToro) barely move from $1k to $10k, while percentage brokers (Saxo, Revolut) climb with order size. But the headline commission is rarely the whole story. For a EUR account buying US stock, FX is the real battleground: IBKR's ~0.002% is by far the cheapest, then Trading 212 (0.15%), DEGIRO/Saxo (~0.25%), Lightyear (0.35%), Revolut (0.5%) and eToro (0.75%) — and brokers that let you hold USD (IBKR, EXANTE, Lightyear, partly DEGIRO) convert once instead of on every trade. The other cliff is reach: only IBKR, Saxo and EXANTE go meaningfully beyond developed markets, and frontier is essentially IBKR/EXANTE plus the specialist brokers elsewhere in this directory — the app-brokers (Trading 212, Revolut, eToro, Lightyear) are developed-markets-only. EXANTE is cheap per trade but gated by a €10,000 minimum; IBKR is the cheapest all-round but the fiddliest to set up.
Hard markets at a glance
How a foreign individual reaches each market — the quick comparison. Tap a market for the full guide.
| Market | Buy directly? | Remote onboarding? | Local ID needed? | Simplest route | Offshore alternative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh (DSE) | Yes — local broker | Mostly — custodian KYC varies | Yes — NITA + CDBL BO | Comm. Bank of Ceylon → BRAC EPL | None (Beximco GDR suspended) |
| Indonesia (IDX) | Yes — HK/SG broker | Yes — HK/SG KYC | No | Boom Securities (HK) | EIDO ETF |
| Kazakhstan (KASE) | Yes — but rarely needed | Depends on broker | IIN, or none (AIFC brokers) | Buy Halyk/Kaspi abroad | HSBK, KAP, KSPI |
| Mongolia (MSE) | Yes — FRC-licensed broker | Yes — courier (Standard Investment) | No — passport + ID | Standard Investment (courier) | MMC (HKEX); Entrée, Steppe Gold (TSX) |
| Nigeria (NGX) | Via mystocks.africa (BVN blocks local brokers) | Yes — mystocks.africa | BVN for local brokers; none via mystocks | mystocks.africa | Airtel Africa, Seplat, GTCO (LSE) |
| Saudi Arabia (Tadawul) | Yes — via IBKR | Yes — no Saudi visit | No | IBKR (enable Saudi Exchange) | KSA / FLSA ETFs |
| Uzbekistan (UZSE) | Yes — local broker (verified) | Yes — video sign + post (~4 wks) | No (Uzbek phone for Jett only) | Freedom Finance Uzbekistan | UzNIF (LSE GDR: UZNF) |
| Vietnam (HOSE/HNX) | Yes — local broker | Claimed, unverified | Yes — STC + VND account | TCBS, or VOF/VEIL funds | VOF, VEIL, VinFast (VFS) |
-
Can I buy Saudi stocks (Tadawul) on Interactive Brokers?
Can I buy Saudi (Tadawul) stocks on Interactive Brokers?
Yes — since October 2024 Interactive Brokers offers foreign individuals direct Saudi Exchange (Tadawul) access via SNB Capital. How to enable it, whether you can buy Aramco, and the ETF alternative.
-
How to buy Bangladeshi stocks as a foreigner
How does a foreign individual buy Bangladesh (DSE) stocks?
The route a foreign individual uses to buy Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) stocks: the three accounts you need — NITA, a CDBL BO account, and a broker — which custodian bank to start with, and why there's no clean offshore alternative.
-
How to buy Kazakhstan stocks as a foreigner
How does a foreign individual buy Kazakhstan stocks?
The route a foreign individual uses to buy Kazakhstan stocks: why the cleanest path skips local brokerage entirely (Halyk, Kazatomprom and Kaspi are listed in London and New York), the IIN question for local KASE access, and the Freedom Finance broker to avoid.
-
How to buy Mongolian stocks (MSE) as a foreigner
How does a foreign individual buy Mongolian (MSE) stocks?
The route a foreign individual uses to buy Mongolian Stock Exchange (MSE) stocks: remote, courier-based onboarding through an FRC-licensed broker (no Ulaanbaatar visit), and the Hong Kong/Toronto-listed Mongolia names that need no local account.
-
How to buy Nigerian stocks (NGX) as a foreigner
How does a foreign individual buy Nigerian (NGX) stocks?
The route a foreign individual actually uses to buy Nigerian Exchange (NGX) stocks: why BVN blocks the local-broker route, why mystocks.africa is the practical answer, and the London-listed Nigerian names that need no local account.
-
How to buy Saudi stocks (Tadawul) as a foreigner
How does a foreign individual buy Saudi (Tadawul) stocks?
The practical route a foreign individual uses to buy Saudi Exchange (Tadawul) stocks: Interactive Brokers' direct access via SNB Capital since 2024, the 2026 CMA opening, whether you can buy Aramco, and the KSA/FLSA ETF shortcut.
-
How to buy Uzbekistan stocks (UZSE) as a foreigner
How does a foreign individual buy Uzbekistan (UZSE) stocks?
The route a foreign individual uses to buy Tashkent (UZSE) stocks: remote onboarding (video signing + posted documents) with a local broker, the clunky fondbozori.uz platform, and UzNIF — the London-listed GDR that needs no local account.
-
How to buy Vietnamese stocks as a foreigner
How does a foreign individual buy Vietnam-listed stocks?
The route a foreign individual uses to buy Vietnam-listed (HOSE/HNX) stocks: the three-step local setup (trading code + VND investment account + broker), what 2026's Circular 08 and the FTSE upgrade do and don't change, and the London/Nasdaq funds that need no local account.
-
Which broker gives a foreigner access to Indonesian (IDX) stocks?
Which broker can a foreigner use to buy Indonesian stocks?
The brokers that actually let a foreign non-resident trade Indonesia's IDX — the verified route, what works for US residents, and the offshore alternative. No local account needed.
-
How to invest in US stocks from India (as a resident)
How does a resident Indian invest in US stocks?
The legal routes a resident Indian uses to buy US and foreign stocks: the LRS $250,000 limit, the 20% TCS, and whether to use INDmoney/Vested, Interactive Brokers, GIFT City, or rupee ETFs.
Broker access updates
Join FrontierViking for frontier-market investing notes plus occasional broker-registry updates: new country pages, coverage changes, reader reports and warnings.
You'll confirm on Substack. No spam; unsubscribe anytime.