If you have opened a securities account with IBUK, the account structure there differs from that of other types of securities accounts (e.g. opening a securities account in Ireland/EU). In order to be able to trade the various product groups on the global financial markets with your securities account, the system uses a combination of several sub-accounts.
Your securities account may consist of up to three separate, interlinked sub-accounts that are subject to different legal frameworks. Namely, these are the Securities account, the Commodities account and the UK Regulated account.
- Each securities account has a securities account. Since this account is used for regular deposits and withdrawals and is a mandatory part of your securities account, it is often referred to as "Main account". In the securities account, among other things, shares and foreign currencies are held and traded.
- The Commodities account is required in particular for trading futures and futures options.
- The UK Regulated account is required, among other things, for trading Dax options and Dax futures as well as CFDs. The UK Regulated account has a securities account number of the form UXXXXXXF. It is therefore also called an F-account. (Instruction internal cash transfer between main account and F account)
The sub-accounts are automatically opened for you when you apply for new trading approvals. Of course, there are no additional fees for you when opening sub-accounts.
Cash amounts can be transferred between sub-accounts. This transfer is automatic in certain situations (for example, to cover margin requirements). Otherwise, the transfer must be carried out manually by you. Please note that in this case there must be sufficient coverage on the respective sub-accounts.
| Function | Securites (main account) | Commodities | UK Regulated (F account) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tradable products | Equities (incl. penny stocks), ETPs, equity options, US index options, single-stock futures, warrants, structured products, certificates, forex | Commodity futures, US index futures, US futures options | Non-US index options, non-US index futures, non-US futures options, metals, CFDs |
| Custody account management type | Cash or margin deposit | Margin deposit | Margin deposit |
| Special Memorandum Account (SMA) | Yes | No | No |
| Automatic transfer of excess credit to the main account | - | Continuous bookings: Yes, provided this has been specified in the account management. If there is a margin shortfall on the other sub-accounts or on the main account, free settled credit is transferred | No, only a manual, internal cash transfer is possible. Further information on this can be found here If there is a margin shortfall on the other sub-accounts or on the main account, free settled credit is transferred |
| Margin calculation | Performed separately for each account. Further information on margin calculation can be found here. In addition, the "entirety" of the margin stakes must also be considered and adhered to. | Performed separately for each account. Further information on margin calculation can be found here. In addition, the "entirety" of the margin stakes must also be considered and adhered to. | Performed separately for each account. Further information on margin calculation can be found here. In addition, the "entirety" of the margin stakes must also be considered and adhered to. |
| Deposit/withdrawal | Deposits and withdrawals can only be made via the Securities account. Balances can be transferred between the Securities account and the UK Regulated account using an internal transfer. Only an automated decision can be made for the Commodities account. | Deposits and withdrawals can only be made via the Securities account. Balances can be transferred between the Securities account and the UK Regulated account using an internal transfer. Only an automated decision can be made for the Commodities account. | Deposits and withdrawals can only be made via the Securities account. Balances can be transferred between the Securities account and the UK Regulated account using an internal transfer. Only an automated decision can be made for the Commodities account. |