Trade Republic: how the referral works

What is Trade Republic?

Trade Republic is a German online broker that started in 2019 as a commission-free mobile app for trading EU and US stocks, and that has since grown into a full bank: it received a German banking licence from BaFin, which means it can hold customer cash on its own balance sheet rather than parking it at a partner bank. That distinction is structural — Trade Republic customers are bank customers as well as brokerage customers, and the cash side of the account benefits from the standard €100,000 deposit guarantee under the German statutory scheme.

The product is built around three things. First, commission-free buying and selling of European and US stocks, ETFs, and a curated list of crypto, all settled on regulated EU venues such as LS Exchange. Second, savings plans — recurring purchases of fractional shares or ETFs from one euro upwards, on a schedule the user controls. Third, real-time interest on cash sitting idle in the account, paid up to a published cap; the rate tracks the ECB deposit facility and is updated as the policy rate moves.

How the referral works

The link on this page enters you into Trade Republic’s standard referral flow. After sign-up and BaFin-compliant identity verification, the app shows a welcome screen with a qualifying step — typically a first deposit — and once that step is met, a free welcome share is credited to the user’s portfolio after the standard T+2 settlement cycle. The share’s identity is drawn randomly from a published list, so the value is variable: usually in the order of a few euros, occasionally higher. It is a real share you own outright, not a voucher or an in-app credit.

The qualifying deposit is whatever the in-app screen displays on the day you sign up. There is no separate code to enter; the link carries the attribution. As with most broker referrals, the bonus is paid only once per onboarded user.

Who Trade Republic is for

Trade Republic suits readers who want a simple, mobile-first way to build long-term positions in stocks and ETFs without paying per-trade commissions, and who are happy with a curated rather than universal product range — the broker carries thousands of stocks and ETFs but does not, for example, support every obscure exchange-listed instrument. The savings-plan feature is the standout for buy-and-hold investors who want to dollar-cost average into a few core ETFs from a euro upwards.

It is less of a fit for active traders who need depth-of-book, complex options strategies, or specialised order types beyond market and limit orders. The Trade Republic order book is intentionally simple.

Regulatory posture

Trade Republic Bank GmbH holds a full German banking licence supervised by BaFin and the Deutsche Bundesbank. Cash deposits are protected by the German statutory deposit guarantee scheme up to €100,000 per depositor. Securities are held in custody under MiFID II rules and are segregated from the bank’s own balance sheet, which means that even in a hypothetical insolvency the customer’s shares belong to the customer, not to the creditors of the bank.

The German licence passports across the EEA under standard Single Market arrangements, which is the legal basis for serving customers in Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, and the rest of the EEA without separate local licences.

Things to watch for

• Tax handling. For German residents, Trade Republic withholds and reports German Abgeltungsteuer automatically. For non-German EEA residents, the broker provides a year-end statement that you submit to your home tax authority — that is your responsibility, not the broker’s.
• Cash interest is paid up to a cap that has changed over time; the in-app rate page is the binding figure.
• The crypto module operates under specific MiCA-aligned rules; the asset list is curated and limited compared with a dedicated crypto exchange.

Conclusion

Trade Republic earns a place on this list because it pairs commission-free EU and US stock and ETF investing with a real banking licence and real deposit protection on cash. The welcome-share mechanic is honest about being a small randomised perk rather than a fixed amount, and the underlying product is sober and well-built. Tap the link, complete the in-app onboarding, fund the account, and the free share lands in the portfolio after settlement.