Finanzen.net ZERO is designed primarily for long-term investors seeking a simple, low-cost investment platform. It offers commission-free investing, a broad selection of UCITS ETFs, shares and mutual funds, together with free ETF and share savings plans. However, the platform is almost entirely reliant on gettex for trade execution, does not offer multicurrency accounts or access to multiple exchanges, lacks advanced trading tools, and remains available only in German.
Finanzen relies on Baader Bank to provide its brokerage infrastructure, including custody, banking and execution. Following the PFOF ban, it is likely that commercial compensation continues through broader service agreements rather than explicit payment for order flow. As a result, Finanzen.net ZERO remains closely tied to Baader and the gettex exchange, limiting its ability to seek better execution from competing venues without fundamentally changing its brokerage infrastructure. This may not be advantageous to investors.
Passive Investors: Somewhat Suitable. Commission-free investing, a broad UCITS ETF selection and free savings plans make the platform suitable for basic long-term investing. However, all savings plans are executed via gettex, the platform is German only, and investors have no choice of execution venue.
Semi-Active Investors: Not Suitable. Trading is restricted to gettex, with no multicurrency accounts, no choice of execution venue.
Active Investors: Not Suitable. The platform lacks advanced trading functionality, including API access, margin lending, listed options and futures, direct market access and professional-grade trading tools.
Pros & Cons And Suitability
▶ Pros & Cons
No custody fees
BaFin regulation
No trading commissions but higher spreads may apply
Private Company
100% Through Single Market Maker Exchange
Poor user feedback
Unproven business model
▶ Suitability
Passive
Somewhat SuitableFine for basic investing but GETTEX EXCHANGE ONLY
🤔
Semi-Active
Not SuitableNo exchanges apart Gettex, unproven business model
😕
Active
Not SuitableLack of Advanced investing features
😕
Featured Broker GuideCommission-Free Brokers in 2026: PFOF is Dead. Long Live Conflict of Interest (It’s Worse).
Although finanzen.net ZERO accepts clients from across the European Union and Switzerland, its website, mobile app, customer support and contractual documentation are currently available only in German. As a result, the platform remains best suited to German-speaking investors despite its wider geographic availability.
Check if Finanzen.net Zero - Read This Before Investing is available in your country. Select a country to see local regulatory details.
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Iceland
Liechtenstein
Norway
United Kingdom
Switzerland
Aland Islands
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Antarctica
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Australia
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
British Indian Ocean Territory
British Virgin Islands
Brunei Darussalam
Burkina Faso
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Chad
Channel Islands and Jersey
Chile
China
Colombia
Comoros
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Cote d'Ivoire
Curacao
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Falkland Islands
Faroe Islands
Fiji
French Guiana
French Polynesia
French Southern Territories
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Ghana
Gibraltar
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala
Guernsey
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hong Kong
India
Indonesia
Iraq
Israel
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Macao
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico
Micronesia
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
Norfolk Island
North Macedonia
Northern Mariana Islands
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Palestine
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Pitcairn
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Republic of the Congo
Reunion
Russia
Rwanda
Saint Barthelemy
Saint Helena
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Martin
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Sint Maarten
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Georgia
South Korea
South Sudan
Sri Lanka
Suriname
Swaziland
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Thailand
Togo
Tokelau
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks and Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Republic of Tanzania
United States
United States Minor Outlying Islands
United States Virgin Islands
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vietnam
Wallis and Futuna Islands
West Bank and the Gaza Strip
Western Sahara
Zambia
Broker Snapshot
Why Is Finanzen.net ZERO a Tier 2 Broker?
Finanzen.net ZERO qualifies as a Tier 2 broker due to its relatively limited scale, geographic reach and feature set. The broker focuses on commission-free investing for European retail investors, offering access to a broad range of ETFs, shares, funds and exchange-traded products through a simple digital platform. However, it lacks many of the advanced capabilities found at Tier 1 brokers, including multicurrency accounts, margin lending, sophisticated trading tools, API access and broad international market coverage. With approximately €3 billion in client assets and more than 200,000 customers, Finanzen.net ZERO remains significantly smaller than Europe's largest online brokers.
Privately Owned with Indirect Regulation
Finanzen.net ZERO was launched in 2020 and is operated by Finanzen.net Zero GmbH, a privately owned company backed by Inflexion Private Equity and the founders of finanzen.net. As a privately held company, it does not publish detailed financial statements and carries no public credit rating. While the broker is supervised by BaFin, brokerage, custody and banking services are provided through Baader Bank AG, which holds the relevant banking licence and acts as the executing broker and custodian. This arrangement is common among German neobrokers but means Finanzen.net ZERO does not operate under its own full banking licence.
▶ Company Info
Inception Year: 2020 (Finanzen.net Group: 2000)
Headquarters: Karlsruhe, Germany
Key Owner: Inflexion Private Equity and finanzen.net founders
Bank Affiliated: No
Listed on Stock Exchange: No
Parent Rating: No
Net Income: Not Disclosed
▶ Regulation
Key Regulators: BaFin
EU Entity: Finanzen.net Zero GmbH
EU Regulator: BaFin
EU Guarantee: €20,000
No Custody Fees but Heavy Reliance on a Single Trading Venue
Finanzen.net ZERO charges no custody or commission fees via gettex and offers competitive foreign exchange fees. However, the broker relies heavily on a single market maker-based trading venue for execution. While this helps keep explicit trading costs low, it limits investors' choice of execution venue potentially resulting in wider spreads or less favourable execution than on more competitive exchanges.
▶ Features Overview
Base Currencies: EUR
ETF Availability: Very High (8,000+)
Multicurrency: No
Cash Interest: No
Margin Loans: No
SMM/Systematic Internaliser Reliance: High
Exchanges: Second Tier Exchanges
▶ Fee Structure
Custody Fees: None
Inactivity Fees: None
ETFs Dealing Fees: None (Gettex spreads)
FX Fees: 0.25%
Deposit Fees: None
Withdrawal Fees: None
Security Lending: Not Available
Company ⓘ
We rate the company 2 out of 5. Finanzen.net ZERO is a relatively young broker, having launched in 2020, and operates under the privately owned Finanzen.net Group. Unlike many established brokers, it does not hold its own banking or investment services licence, instead relying on Baader Bank AG to provide brokerage, custody and banking services. The broker also offers limited financial transparency, as neither Finanzen.net ZERO nor the privately owned Finanzen.net Group publish financial statements comparable to those of publicly listed brokerage groups.
Business Profile
Finanzen.net ZERO is a German online broker operated by Finanzen.net Zero GmbH, a subsidiary of the Finanzen.net Group. Launched in 2020, the platform focuses on commission-free investing, offering access to ETFs, shares, funds and exchange-traded products through a simple digital interface. The broker primarily serves German-speaking investors, although it is available to residents across the European Union and Switzerland. Finanzen.net ZERO does not hold its own banking licence. Instead, brokerage, custody and banking services are provided by Baader Bank AG, which supplies the underlying regulatory infrastructure and executes client transactions on the platform's behalf.
Ownership and Transparency
Finanzen.net ZERO is part of the privately owned Finanzen.net Group. The business was previously majority-owned by the German media company Axel Springer before, in 2024, the group was acquired by Inflexion Private Equity together with the founders of finanzen.net. As a privately held company, Finanzen.net ZERO does not publish detailed financial statements or carry a public credit rating.
Finanzen.net ZERO operates under the Finanzen.net Group, which was acquired in 2024 by private equity firm Inflexion and the company's founders in a transaction reportedly valued at approximately €400 million. Based on the latest publicly available financial information, the Group generated approximately €80 million in revenue and around €30 million in EBITDA in 2023, indicating profitability. Finanzen.net ZERO itself manages around €3 billion in client assets and has a growing customer base of over 200,000 users. Finanzen.net ZERO itself manages around €3 billion in client assets and serves more than 200,000 customers. As the business is privately owned, detailed information on its balance sheet and debt position is not publicly disclosed.
Finanzen.net ZERO is regulated by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and provides investor compensation of up to €20,000. Under the German Investor Compensation Scheme, investors are covered for up to 90% of eligible claims, subject to a maximum of €20,000 per investor. While this level of protection is standard among most EU brokers, it is relatively low compared with investor protection available in some other jurisdictions. Cash deposits are held with partner banks and are protected separately under the German Deposit Guarantee Scheme up to €100,000 per depositor, per bank.
Finanzen.net Zero partners with Baader Bank, a German financial institution, to manage its clients’ cash and securities accounts. Baader Bank is responsible for account and custody account management. While this arrangement is common among German neobrokers, it creates a high degree of operational dependence on a single provider and may give rise to potential conflicts of interest, particularly as Baader Bank also operates the gettex trading venue used for most client orders.
Finanzen.net ZERO has maintained a generally clean regulatory record, with no significant enforcement actions or fines by BaFin against the broker. However, the platform has received recurring customer complaints relating to customer support, account transfers and promotional payments, although these have not resulted in any material regulatory action.
Fee Structure ⓘ
We rate Finanzen.net ZERO's fees 3 out of 5. While the broker offers commission-free trading and competitive foreign exchange fees, trading is largely restricted to gettex. The lack of execution venue choice means investors may not always receive the most competitive prices, reducing the overall attractiveness of its pricing structure.
Related Broker Methodology SectionExplicit costs are rarely high for Neobrokers. Read our methodology to understand how we account for hidden costs.
There are no custody fees. There are no trading commissions; however, all trades are executed via gettex.
Currency Exchange Fees
Finanzen.net ZERO charges a 0.25% foreign exchange fee on transactions settled in currencies other than euros.
Our calculator for traditional brokers is not suitable for this broker.
No explicit trading commissions are charged by this broker — the broker’s revenue model relies on spreads on opaque single market maker exchanges or similar setup. Undisclosed spread data cannot be assessed independently. For smaller trades, this may be acceptable but it is very problematic for larger transactions and serious investors.
Finanzen.net ZERO does not charge any fees for opening or closing an account, or for transferring securities into or out of the platform. However, the transferring broker may apply its own charges for outbound transfers.
Platform & Features ⓘ
We rate Finanzen.net ZERO's platform 1.5 out of 5. While the platform is intuitive and supports recurring investing, it is extremely basic. Investors are restricted to gettex for trade execution, with no multicurrency accounts, no exchange choice and virtually no advanced trading or portfolio management features.
Finanzen relies on Baader Bank to provide its brokerage infrastructure, including custody, banking and execution. Following the PFOF ban, it is likely that commercial compensation continues through broader service agreements rather than explicit payment for order flow. As a result, Finanzen.net ZERO remains closely tied to Baader and the gettex exchange, limiting its ability to seek better execution from competing venues without fundamentally changing its brokerage infrastructure. This may not be advantageous to investors.
Account Opening Process
Opening an account with finanzen.net ZERO is a fully digital process that typically takes just a few minutes. Applicants complete an online registration, verify their identity using VideoIdent or eID (where available), and provide the required personal and tax information. Once approved, clients can fund their account and begin investing.
UCITS ETFs Availability
Finanzen.net ZERO offers a broad range of UCITS ETFs listed on German and other European exchanges. As the platform is designed primarily for the German market, ETF documentation is generally provided in German. As a result, investors across the EU generally have access to the same broad ETF universe, provided they are comfortable using German-language Key Information Documents (KIDs).
Client orders are routed almost exclusively through gettex. Unlike traditional brokers offering access to multiple exchanges, investors cannot choose their execution venue.
Finanzen relies on Baader Bank to provide its brokerage infrastructure, including custody, banking and execution. Following the PFOF ban, it is likely that commercial compensation continues through broader service agreements rather than explicit payment for order flow. As a result, Finanzen.net ZERO remains closely tied to Baader and the gettex exchange, limiting its ability to seek better execution from competing venues without fundamentally changing its brokerage infrastructure. This may not be advantageous to investors.
Features
Desktop PlatformMobile AppShare TransferAutomated InvestingMulticurrencyMargin LoansCRESTSecurity Lending – CompensatedRobo AdvisoryCash InterestFamily & Friends Sub-accountsElective Professional Investor Status
Large selection of ETFs from providers including Amundi, iShares, Vanguard, Xtrackers and Invesco.
Desktop platform and mobile apps for Android and iOS.
Free automated investing through ETF and share savings plans.
Share transfers are supported.
Customer support is available via email, telephone and chat. User feedback is mixed, with some investors reporting slow response times and delays in resolving account-related issues.
The platform is designed with simplicity in mind and does not include advanced features typically found in brokers catering to professional traders.
Finanzen.net ZERO does not offer securities lending.
Finanzen.net ZERO routes virtually all client orders through Baader Bank for execution on gettex, the electronic trading venue of Börse München. This reliance on a single execution venue limits investors' ability to choose between competing exchanges and may result in less competitive pricing than brokers offering direct access to multiple trading venues. Historically, the broker's low-cost model relied on Payment for Order Flow (PFOF), although this practice is being phased out under new EU regulations.
Finanzen.net ZERO does not currently offer interest on uninvested cash balances.
Finanzen.net ZERO does not offer access to US Domiciled ETFs.
Finanzen.net ZERO does not offer margin accounts.
Finanzen.net ZERO offers warrants (Optionsscheine) and certificates (Zertifikate), but does not provide listed options, futures or CFDs.
User Satisfaction ⓘ
Finanzen.net ZERO receives mixed sentiment overall. Users appreciate the commission-free trading model and ease of entry for German retail investors, but recurring concerns exist around platform quality, reliance on a single market maker (Gettex), and poor user feedback scores on independent review sites. The broker appears best suited for cost-conscious German-speaking investors doing simple ETF or stock trades, but draws criticism for limitations that more active or sophisticated investors find restrictive.
Mixed
40+ mentions · over past 12 months
What Users Like
Commission-free stock and ETF trading (for orders over €500) with no custody or inactivity fees
Easy onboarding and accessible for beginners with small investment amounts
Backed by a regulated German bank, providing a degree of institutional credibility
Good fit for passive German-language investors seeking low-cost ETF exposure
No non-trading fees such as inactivity charges or custody fees
Common Complaints
Reliance on a single market maker exchange (Gettex) raises concerns about execution quality and spread costs
High fees for crypto trading, out of step with the zero-fee positioning elsewhere
Poor overall user feedback flagged by multiple independent review sources
Active impersonation scams on social media targeting prospective users, damaging brand trust
Limited appeal for non-German-speaking or internationally diversified investors
⚠️ This sentiment analysis is based on our proprietary algorithm relying on sentiment from public user reviews and discussions. This section does not represent the view of Banker on Wheels.
Country Considerations
Finanzen.net ZERO does not currently offer traditional tax wrappers. However, it plans to introduce the new German Altersvorsorgedepot from 2027, a government-supported retirement investment account designed to replace Riester products and provide tax advantages for eligible German residents. No equivalent tax-advantaged wrappers are available for investors outside German
Available Tax Wrappers
No tax wrappers available.
Tax Reporting
Finanzen.net ZERO provides account statements, trade confirmations and transaction histories that investors can use for tax reporting. However, it does not offer country-specific tax reporting tools or pre-filled tax forms for most international clients, who remain responsible for complying with the tax rules applicable in their country of residence.
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Germany Investors
Steuereinfach
For German tax residents, tax handling is considerably more streamlined. Through its banking partner Baader Bank AG, Finanzen.net ZERO automatically withholds German capital gains tax (Abgeltungsteuer) where applicable, supports exemption orders (Freistellungsauftrag) and provides an annual tax certificate (Steuerbescheinigung) for use in German tax returns.
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