IBUK-Service-Leitfaden

About Us

Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited ("IBUK") is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA") to conduct investment business in the United Kingdom.

We are part of the Interactive Brokers Group, a global network of brokers offering access to over 150 exchanges with advanced trading tools and low commissions.

IBUK provides non-advised (execution-only) online brokerage services to its clients.

For many services, we work with our US affiliate, Interactive Brokers LLC ("IBLLC").

IBLLC is regulated in the United States by the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC").

Understanding which Interactive Brokers Entity Serves your Account

When you open an account with IBUK, different parts of your service may be handled by IBUK or its US affiliate, IBLLC. Here is how it breaks down:

Principal Trading Account This is your main brokerage account for most products, including stocks, bonds and mutual funds.	Who provides the service? IBUK introduces you to services offered by IBLLC. IBLLC is the carrying broker and provides the core brokerage services – trade execution and custody (holding your assets). How it works: You enter into a three-way agreement with IBUK and IBLLC. Your day-to-day trading activity flows through IBLLC. Read the IBUK and IBLLC Client Agreement
Covered Products Account This account can be used to trade certain over-the-counter products, such as contracts for difference (CFDs) and precious metals, or non-US index futures and options.	Who provides the service? IBUK is the carrying broker. How it works: Your Covered Products account is linked to your principal trading account. It cannot be opened on its own. However, the agreement that applies to this account is between you and IBUK only (not IBLLC). Your Covered Products account and your principal trading account work together to help you maintain your positions. If there is not enough cash in either account, we can check for eligible collateral and may transfer funds or arrange margin loans on either of the two accounts to support your trading. Read the Client Agreement for Products Carried IBUK
Stocks and shares individual savings accounts (ISA) Tax free savings for individuals. ISA: For UK tax residents aged 18+. Invest up to £20,000 per tax year, tax-free Learn more about ISAs Junior ISA: For UK children under 18. Invest up to £9,000 per tax year, tax free. A parent/guardian opens the account; anyone can contribute. More about JISAs	Who provides the service? IBUK is the approved ISA manager and your carrying broker. IBLLC is not involved with this account. How it works: You can open a Stocks and Shares Individual Savings Account ("ISA") or Junior ISA without a principal trading account. The legal agreement that applies to an ISA or Junior ISA is between you and IBUK only. Read the IBUK General Terms of Business

Additional Account Features

Depending on your account type and subject to our eligibility criteria, certain additional account features may be available to you, including:

Margin-Enabled Account

What is margin trading?

When trading with us, “margin trading” means entering into transactions where:

• you are using borrowed funds to purchase financial instruments ("margin loan"); or
• the transaction involves leverage, either directly (e.g. CFDs, futures) or indirectly (e.g. options or leveraged ETFs).

In both cases, leverage allows you to gain exposure to a position that is larger than amount of cash you are investing. Because this increases your risk, you will usually need to provide collateral (such as cash or other assets) to cover potential losses.

If you open a margin account with us, the securities you buy are used as collateral. If the value of your securities (or futures contracts) falls, the value of your collateral falls too. To protect against losses, IB may take action, such as:

• Selling some of your securities or other assets held in any of your IB accounts, or
• Issuing a margin call (asking you to deposit more funds).

Important things to know about margin accounts with IB:

• We usually do not issue margin calls. If your account falls below required margin levels, we are likely to act without waiting for you to add more funds.
• We do not cover intraday margin shortfalls. If your margin levels fall during the trading day, we will not automatically top up your account.
• We generally sell assets without prior notice. If your margin falls below requirements, we will usually liquidate positions in your account immediately — without notifying you first, and without giving you the chance to decide what gets sold, when, or in what order.

You can learn more about the risks of using a margin-enabled account in our Margin Trading Risk Disclosure.

Connected Accounts - How Your IBUK carried and IBLLC carried accounts work together

If you have a Covered Products account with IBUK as well as a principal trading account with IBLLC, they are designed to work together seamlessly.

Not enough cash in your Covered Products account?

If your Covered Products account does not have enough cash to open or maintain a position, we will check your principal trading account for eligible collateral.

• If you hold assets in your principal trading account account that qualify as collateral, we may offer you a margin loan based on those assets.
• If you do not have eligible collateral in your IBUK account, we will check your IBLLC account. Depending on what’s available there:
  • If you have excess cash in your IBLLC account: We may transfer that cash to your IBUK account to cover the shortfall.
  • If you don’t have enough cash, but you do have eligible assets: IBLLC may give you a margin loan using those assets as collateral (based on the agreement you have with IBLLC). The loaned cash will then be moved to your IBUK account.

Note: Restrictions apply to CFDs trading, which means that you cannot use collateral from your IBLLC account to open or maintain positions in CFDs.

Support goes both ways

Your IBUK account can also be used to support your IBLLC account in the same way—by providing access to eligible assets or excess cash when needed.

Stock Yield Enhancement Programme

The Stock Yield Enhancement Program ("SYEP") enables you to earn extra income on the fully-paid shares of stock held in your account by allowing IBLLC to borrow shares from you in exchange for collateral. IBLLC then lends the shares to traders who want to sell them short and are willing to pay interest to borrow them. Each day that your stock is on loan, you will be paid interest on the collateral (U.S Treasury or cash) value for the loan based on market rates.

If you have a principal trading account with us, you may be able to enrol in the SYEP if you meet certain criteria. You can choose to enrol when opening an account with us or at a later stage.

If you are eligible and decide to enrol, you will be required to review and accept the terms of two additional agreements with IBLLC:

• Master Securities Lending Agreement for Interactive Brokers LLC's Fully-Paid Lending Program
• Securities Account Control Agreement

Protecting Your Money and Assets

Your money and assets with Interactive Brokers are protected differently depending on whether custody services on your IBUK account are provided by either IBUK or IBLLC.

Your principal IBUK trading account is “carried” by IBLLC, which means that IBLLC provides you with custody services. When IBLLC provides custody services to you, your money and assets are protected in accordance with US law, under either the U.S. Securities Investor Protection Act or the CFTC customer funds segregation rules.

If you either trade Covered Products and/or open an ISA/JISA with IBUK, it means that IBUK provides your custody services. When IBUK provides you with custody services, your money and assets are protected under the UK rules and your eligible assets will be protected under the UK Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

Read our guide How your assets are protected for a more detailed explanation of how your money and assets are protected in your different accounts.

Investing with IBKR

When you open an account with IBUK, we tell you about some of the risks applicable to different types of financial instruments and to the services that we make available to you, as well as more general risks associated with the investment markets. In addition to general risk disclosure, we deliver specific risk disclosures that are relevant to certain products or services, which apply to your account, as appropriate.

Our risk disclosures cannot cover every risk you should consider and other significant aspects of those instruments, services, or markets. You should ensure you are comfortable with the risks involved before using our services. You may wish to seek professional advice before investing.

The Fees You Will Pay

Commissions, fees, and interest rates for direct clients are as specified on the IBUK website. You might also be required to pay commissions, fees and interests that are charged to you by third parties (for example by a broker that introduces you to us or a financial advisor for your IBUK account).

For clients who use an intermediary, your intermediary may also retain some or all of the interest that would otherwise be payable to your account. You should check with your intermediary the level of fees applicable, and the rates of interest charged or paid.

Our Costs and Charges Guide provides more information on the commissions, fees and interest that we may apply to your account.

Data Privacy and Confidentiality

When you open an IBUK account or use our products, services, and/or applications, we will use your personal data to provide those services to you. We are committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of your personal data, and we have developed specific policies and practices as part of a global privacy program designed to protect the privacy and security of your personal data. For further details about how we process your personal data we refer you to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

How to Make a Complaint

Information about our complaints handling procedures is set out in the IBUK Complaints Handling Policy and Procedures Summary. You have the right to request further information in relation to those procedures. If you would like to make a formal complaint, the best way to contact us is by submitting a WebTicket in the Message Center in Client Portal on the IBUK Website. Alternatively, you can send a letter to us at Complaints Handling, Interactive Brokers, 20 Fenchurch Street, London EC3M 3BY or email ibukcomplaints@interactivebrokers.co.uk. You can also call IBUK Client Services using the telephone numbers provided on the IBUK website.

You also may potentially be able to complain to the UK Financial Ombudsman Service. Details of who is an eligible complainant, and the procedures to make a complaint can be found on the Financial Ombudsman Service website.

Changing Your Mind / Cancellation Rights

You have 14 days from the signing of your account application to change your mind. If you wish to cancel, you must inform us in writing using any of the methods listed in the agreement applicable to your account. There is no fee applicable to the exercise of your cancellation rights. However, you remain responsible for any transactions, shortfall or market movements that might have impacted your account before exercising cancellation rights. You are also responsible for paying any costs and charges related to any transaction or service we have provided. You can also close your account with us at any time (see below).

Closing Your Account

Unless we have informed you of restrictions that prevent you from closing your account, you can end your relationship with us at any time by using the “Close Account” page in the Client Portal. You will need to close or transfer out all open positions and withdraw any remaining balance before your IBUK Account can be closed. More information about how you can close your account is available in our Close Your Account guide. We will not charge you a fee for exercising your right to close your account(s) with us. a fee for exercising your right to close your account(s) with us.

Supporting Our Clients

Consumer Duty

The FCA Consumer Duty is a regulatory framework aimed at ensuring that financial firms prioritise the interests of their customers and provide them with fair treatment. It sets out a range of requirements and expectations for firms, including the obligation to consider the needs of vulnerable customers and provide appropriate support and assistance to deliver good outcomes.

IBKR is committed to adhering to the FCA Consumer Duty and has developed policies and procedures to support vulnerable customers and, where possible, provide them with appropriate support and accommodation.

You should refer to the Frequently Asked Questions webpage to learn more about the support available to our customers

Education

IBKR Campus was created by Interactive Brokers to provide a wide variety of financial education offerings to our clients and the public. You can learn more about trading, financial markets and Interactive Brokers trading tools by visiting IBKR Campus.

Accessibility

We are always trying to find ways to make our trading platforms and online services easier to use. Our accessibility options include, screen reader support, keyboard navigation and ARIA landmarks to help you navigate pages more easily. For more information refer to our Accessibility Frequently Asked Questions.

Protect Yourself Against Fraud and Scams

Anyone can be the target of financial fraud and scams. Your best defence is to stay informed, alert and secure. Our Warning on Frauds and Scams webpage has more information on how you can protect yourself.