A trading platform is a structure which facilitates the exchange of assets. Today the term is primarily used to denote digital online services which allow investors to trade over the Internet. Trading platforms may operate as independent entities or they may be offered by banks or brokers. Typically, services are provided in exchange for brokerage fees.
Up until the turn of the 1990s, trading platforms were primarily represented by the trading floors or “parquets” of brick-and-mortar exchanges. Dealers and brokers gathered on trading floors to conduct trades in stocks, currencies, commodities and bonds – among other assets and securities. In most exchanges, retail investors and private traders were not able to trade on trading floors. Instead, they placed orders with banks or brokers which then forwarded the orders to brokers on the trading floors of the relevant exchanges. This process was relatively slow and expensive, so the hurdles for small investors looking to participate in securities markets were larger than they are with today’s online trading platforms.
This changed with the advent of online trading platforms which enabled investors to participate in markets in real time.
The online trading comparison on moneyland.ch is the most comprehensive comparison of the fees and capabilities of Swiss online trading platforms. There are notable differences between trading platforms, so comparing offers is important.
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Swiss trading platform comparison
