Professional account

Traders with appropriate experience may be eligible to reclassify
as an elective professional to waive regulatory protections designed
for less experienced traders.

Apply for professional status

1) Create an account if you don’t have one

2) Log in to our platform and go to main menu > Your account > Account status > Request professional status

3) Complete the simple form and submit any supporting information

  • How to qualify

    If you meet at least two of the following criteria, you may be eligible to reclassify as an elective professional client:

    • Have a financial portfolio that exceeds €500,000*
    • Placed at least 10 relevant trades in significant sizes over the last four quarters
    • Work, or have worked, in the financial sector for at least one year

    Read about the qualification criteria in detail

How to qualify

If you meet at least two of the following criteria, you may be eligible to reclassify as an elective professional client:

  • Have a financial portfolio that exceeds €500,000*
  • Placed at least 10 relevant trades in significant sizes over the last four quarters
  • Work, or have worked, in the financial sector for at least one year

Read about the qualification criteria in detail

Elective professional protections

Industry-wide regulations have been introduced and are designed to protect less experienced traders. However, if you’d like to waive these protections and trade with greater flexibility, you can apply for elective professional status.

Please read the following information carefully and note the protections you’ll waive as a professional.


  • Protections you’ll keep

    • Money you hold with us will remain in a segregated client bank account, unless we inform you otherwise
    • As an individual you’re eligible for FSCS protection for up to £85,000 that you hold with us
    • If you are trading in a personal (‘consumer’) capacity, you should be eligible to use the FOS. If you are unsure whether its services will apply to you, contact the FOS directly
    • We must take all reasonable steps to obtain the best possible results for clients when executing orders or when placing orders with, or transmitting to, a third party
    • You retain the right to request a different categorisation – for example, if you wish to be afforded a higher level of regulatory protection

  • Protections you’ll waive

    • Leverage restrictions applicable to retail clients do not apply to professionals. But remember, with increased leverage comes increased risk
    • You will not have negative balance protection. Should your account fall into a negative balance, you will be obliged to make additional payments – meaning losses can exceed deposits
    • As you understand the risks associated with trading complex financial products, we will not impose product restrictions upon you
    • We may not provide you with any standardised risk warnings as you already understand the associated risks
    • We may use more sophisticated language when communicating with you. However, we’ll always communicate in a clear, fair and not misleading way

    Protections you’ll waive

    • Leverage restrictions applicable to retail clients do not apply to professionals. But remember, with increased leverage comes increased risk
    • You will not have negative balance protection. Should your account fall into a negative balance, you will be obliged to make additional payments – meaning losses can exceed deposits
    • As you understand the risks associated with trading complex financial products, we will not impose product restrictions upon you
    • We may not provide you with any standardised risk warnings as you already understand the associated risks
    • We may use more sophisticated language when communicating with you. However, we’ll always communicate in a clear, fair and not misleading way

    Protections you’ll keep

    • Money you hold with us will remain in a segregated client bank account, unless we inform you otherwise
    • As an individual you’re eligible for FSCS protection for up to £50,000 that you hold with us
    • If you are trading in a personal (‘consumer’) capacity, you should be eligible to use the FOS. If you are unsure whether its services will apply to you, contact the FOS directly
    • We must take all reasonable steps to obtain the best possible results for clients when executing orders or when placing orders with, or transmitting to, a third party
    • You retain the right to request a different categorisation – for example, if you wish to be afforded a higher level of regulatory protection

    Professional client margin rates

    FX (majors)1.50%66:1
    FX (minors)2.00%50:1
    Index (majors)2.50%40:1
    Index (minors)3.00%33:1
    Gold3.00%33:1
    Equity10.00%10:1
    Commoditymin. 4%25:1

    As a Professional client you are able to take advantage of the portfolio-based margin model. You can read more about the model and how to apply here. For more information on professional margin rates, please see margin information for Professional clients.


    Use securities as collateral

    As a professional client, you can use a percentage of your shareholdings as
    collateral for margin trading. Find more information here.

    Why open an account with Saxo?

    Global market access

    Access over 71,000 instruments, across all asset classes, from a single cross-collateralised account and hold and deposit funds in 18 currencies.

    Powerful platforms

    Place and manage orders in the blink of an eye with SaxoTraderPRO, our most powerful platform yet, or trade on the move with SaxoTraderGO.

    Industry-leading prices

    Benefit from market-leading entry prices and get tighter spreads and lower commissions when you upgrade your trading tier.

    Expert support

    Receive best-in-class digital support as standard and unlock even better personal service with our premium trading tiers.

    Frequently asked questions

    To qualify for a professional account, you must meet at least two of the following criteria:

    • Have a financial portfolio that exceeds €500,000*
    • Have placed at least 10 relevant trades in significant sizes over the last four quarters
    • Work, or have worked, in the financial sector for at least one year

    Size of portfolio

    The size of your investment portfolio (held with Saxo and/or other providers), is defined as including cash deposits and financial instruments, exceeds EUR 500,000.

    *Acceptable examples of an investment portfolio can include: cash savings, stock portfolio, stocks and shares ISA, trading accounts, mutual funds, SIPP (excluding non-financial instruments).

    Unacceptable examples include: company pension, non-tradeable assets, property, luxury cars, jewellery. If a portfolio is held outside of Saxo, we may ask you for scanned copies of statements from other providers.

    Trade size and volume

    You must have carried out transactions, in significant size, in a relevant product with an average frequency of at least 10 per quarter during the previous four quarters (with Saxo and/or other providers).

    Relevant products include: CFDs / FX (Spot / Forwards / Options), Futures, Options and Leveraged Exchange Traded Products.

    Significant size is deemed as a minimum notional value of, for example, €100,000 on forex, €50,000 on indices, €10,000 on single stock CFDs.

    The average frequency of trades can be at one provider, or a combination of. We will ask you for scanned copies of statements for any trade activity outside of Saxo.

    Professional experience

    You work or have worked in the financial sector for at least one year in a professional position that requires knowledge of relevant products.

    We will ask you for details of your role and how it has provided you with sufficient knowledge and experience and may require you to provide evidence of this if necessary.

    Account statuses are based on the knowledge of the underlying account holder. If you do not meet the professional account qualification criteria, we cannot upgrade your account.

    If you didn’t find what you were after, contact us directly and we’ll be pleased to help.

    Apply for professional status

    Open an account

    Create a Saxo account in less than five minutes

    Go to platform

    In our platform, go to Account > Other > Professional Status

    Submit request

    Complete the form and submit any supporting information

    Already a Saxo client?

    In our platform, go to Account > Other >  Professional Status. Log in now

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