Rakuten Trade, First in Malaysia to Amalgamate Brokerage Fees for Both MY and US Trades

Malaysia’s first fully digital stockbroker, Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd (Rakuten Trade), announced today the rollout of its groundbreaking new service - US amalgamated brokerage fees. From beginner to savvy NYSE/NASDAQ traders, this first-in-market service streamlines the trading process and simplifies the fee structure.

With this new service, investors can optimize trading cost efficiencies by combining multiple trades for the same stock on the same day into a single fee. With brokerage fees starting at RM1 (USD0.20*) and capped at RM100 (USD25), this strategic approach minimizes transaction costs, allowing investors the opportunity to get more out of trading US equities. This also means that investors who engage in high-value day trades will have their trades consolidated and will benefit from the stamp duty fee cap.

Simulation #1

Rakuten Trade CEO Kazumasa Mise said, “We’re excited to introduce this pioneering service, which we believe will be well received by investors. With a similar experience already offered for Bursa Malaysia trades, retail investors will find it easy to transition and trade US securities with the same efficiencies.

“US retail investors who trade frequently are often charged brokerage fees, and in some cases, platform fees, multiple times a day.  High brokerage along with hidden costs like platform and settlement fees act as deterrents for retail traders. By combining the fees into a single, transparent structure, Rakuten Trade offers greater clarity and a more straightforward experience when trading US equities.”

Rakuten Trade Head of Equity Sales Vincent Lau noted that more local investors are trading and making regular investments in the US markets. “With great performance and returns, it is no surprise that the US markets are a favorite among retail investors. Despite global uncertainty and economic headwinds, the AI-induced market rally and strong corporate earnings have presented ample opportunities for investors despite high valuations”, Lau said.

“We remain positive on the overall outlook of the US markets such as the Magnificent 7 and Bitcoin-related stocks. The recent weakness, with the NASDAQ falling almost 10% from all-time highs, has created a buying opportunity for retail investors. Alternatively, investors can adopt a dollar-cost averaging strategy by regularly investing via Raku-Invest to minimize risk when the stock market prices fluctuate.”

As the go-to gateway for Malaysian investors to the US stock market, Rakuten Trade offers a range of exclusive services to facilitate seamless trading on the NYSE and NASDAQ. This includes a regular savings plan named Raku-Invest, designed based on Rakuten Securities’ (Tokyo, Japan) Tsumitate product. It’s an auto-debit facility that allows you to schedule trades for US stocks on a weekly or monthly basis to minimize the impact of share price volatility.

Rakuten Trade followed up this service with a Program aimed at rewarding new US investors with a fixed brokerage fee of RM1 (USD0.20), activated upon their first trade on the NYSE or NASDAQ for up to 90 days.

Rakuten Trade’s commitment to uplifting retail investors extends to educational resources and licensed analysts trading calls from their Equity Sales Team and Research Team, including but not limited to daily reports for market opportunities and webinars for exclusive insights into local companies.

*up to 90 days for new US traders