XTB Fees Explained: The 0.5% Currency Conversion Fee and How to Avoid It

By Kestutis Balciunas·Reviewed August 26, 2026

XTB’s currency conversion fee is 0.5% of the converted amount, and it is the only fee most European ETF buyers ever pay there. Commission is 0% up to €100,000 of monthly turnover and 0.2% (minimum €10) above it — both figures read off XTB’s own published charges tables on 26 August 2026 (XTB Limited, XTB International).

You can make the 0.5% disappear entirely by buying the EUR-listed line of your ETF on Xetra and keeping the account in euros, so no conversion ever happens.

Every time I recommend XTB to a fellow European investor, the same follow-up lands in my inbox: “You said it was commission-free, so why did my broker note show a fee?” The honest answer is that XTB really is free on the headline that matters most, but there is one charge that trips people up because it hides inside the exchange rate. It is the currency-conversion fee, and if you buy the wrong line of an ETF, it quietly eats into every purchase and every dividend you receive. For more detail, see our guide: XTB vs Trading 212.

I have used XTB alongside a handful of other brokers for years, so this is not a brochure summary. My goal here is to show you exactly where XTB is genuinely free, where the roughly 0.5% conversion charge kicks in, and the two simple habits that make it disappear for most European buyers. Treat all the figures below as 2026-vintage and approximate. Fees change, so confirm the current numbers on XTB’s official pricing page before you act.

Is XTB really commission-free on ETFs?

Yes, up to €100,000 of turnover a month; 0.2% with a €10 minimum above it. That is XTB’s published rate, not an estimate, and almost no retail investor reaches the ceiling — it is €1.2m of trading a year.

The commission-free claim is real, with a threshold. XTB charges 0% commission on real stocks and ETFs up to a monthly turnover of €100,000. Above that, the rate is 0.2% with a €10 minimum per order. For the overwhelming majority of retail investors putting a few hundred or a few thousand euros to work each month, you will never come close to that ceiling, so buying and selling shares and ETFs costs nothing in explicit commission.

Methodology: this guide applies our broker review methodology, from safety-of-assets checks to total-cost math.

Ready to open an account? You can open an XTB account directly.

That is a strong starting point. Plenty of “zero-commission” brokers claw the money back through a wide spread or an inactivity fee. XTB’s spreads on liquid ETFs are competitive, and there is no ongoing custody fee on a normal-sized account. One correction to a claim this page used to make flatly: a custody fee does exist above a threshold. XTB Limited’s published table charges nothing up to €250,000 and 0.02% a year above that, with a £10 minimum. If your portfolio is under a quarter of a million euros it never applies; if it is over, it is 0.02% and worth knowing about. So the commission line really is €0 for normal use. The catch sits somewhere else entirely.

The XTB currency conversion fee, explained

Here is the mechanic that matters. Your XTB account has a base currency, usually EUR for a euro-zone investor. Whenever you trade an instrument that is denominated in a different currency, XTB converts your euros into that currency to settle the trade, and applies a currency-conversion fee of about 0.5% on the exchanged amount. Buy a US-dollar line of an S&P 500 ETF and you pay it on the way in. Sell it and you pay again on the way out.

The part people miss is that this fee also hits dividends. If you hold a distributing ETF or a US stock that pays in dollars, that dollar dividend has to be converted back to your euro base currency, and the same roughly 0.5% conversion charge applies to the payout. For a dividend-focused portfolio, that recurring drag adds up over a year in a way a one-off trade never does.

So the “free” broker can cost you 0.5% per conversion, and there is no line item that shouts “currency fee” during the order. It is baked into the converted amount. That is why I always tell people to think about the currency of the instrument, not just the currency of the ticker they searched for.

Why the same ETF can cost you nothing or 0.5%

A single UCITS ETF often trades on several European exchanges in different currencies. The exact same fund, same ISIN, can be listed in EUR on Xetra in Germany and in USD on another venue. The fund’s underlying holdings are identical. The only thing that changes is the trading currency of that particular listing, and that is precisely what decides whether XTB converts your money or not.

How do I avoid the XTB currency conversion fee?

Buy the EUR-listed line of the fund and keep your account in euros. There is then nothing to convert, so the 0.5% never applies. The same ETF, same ISIN, is usually listed in EUR on Xetra and in USD elsewhere; the fund is identical and only the trading currency of the listing differs.

The fix is refreshingly simple once you understand the cause. You have two clean options.

Buy the EUR-listed line. Choose the version of your ETF that trades in euros, typically on Xetra. When your base currency and the instrument’s trading currency both are EUR, no conversion happens, so there is nothing to charge 0.5% on. For most global and S&P 500 UCITS ETFs, a euro-denominated Xetra line exists, so you rarely have to compromise on the fund itself. This is the single most effective move, and it is the one I use.

Align your account currency. If you deliberately want to trade US-dollar instruments, you can hold and fund the account in the matching currency so XTB is not converting on every trade. This suits a smaller group of investors, but it is worth knowing. For a typical euro-zone buyer, sticking to EUR-listed lines on Xetra is the easier path and covers almost every UCITS ETF you would want.

One nuance worth stating plainly: even a EUR-listed ETF can hold US assets, and the fund itself deals with underlying currency exposure internally. That is normal and unavoidable, and it is not the same as XTB’s 0.5% conversion fee on your account. Choosing the EUR line removes the broker-level charge on your euros, which is the cost you actually control.

XTB fees at a glance

The spread, withdrawals and cash interest

Beyond commission and conversion, two smaller items are worth understanding. The spread is the gap between the buy and sell price, and it exists at every broker. On liquid ETFs traded on Xetra during core hours, XTB’s spreads are tight enough that they are a minor cost for a buy-and-hold investor. If you place orders when European markets are thin, spreads widen, so timing your buys during the main session helps.

Fee figures in this guide are cross-checked against our EU broker fee benchmarks, reviewed quarterly.

Withdrawals depend on which XTB entity holds your account, and the difference is larger than ‘a small charge’. XTB Limited’s published table shows withdrawals as simply free; XTB International’s shows them free above 50 USD and carrying a 30 USD fee below it — which on a 40-dollar withdrawal is most of the money. A euro-zone client normally contracts with XTB S.A. in Warsaw or a local branch, so read that entity’s table rather than either of these two. Either way, batch withdrawals rather than pulling out small amounts. XTB has also offered interest on uninvested cash balances, which is a genuine perk if you park an emergency buffer or dry powder in the account. The rate moves with central-bank policy, so check the current offer rather than assuming last year’s number.

Is XTB safe? Regulation and asset protection

Yes, on the structural measures that matter: a supervised broker, segregated client assets, and audited public accounts. XTB S.A. is regulated by the Komisja Nadzoru Finansowego (KNF), Poland’s financial supervisor, whose public register is where you verify any authorisation claim rather than taking a review’s word for it.

Safety is the question that should come before any fee discussion. XTB S.A. is a Polish broker headquartered in Warsaw, regulated by the KNF, the Polish Financial Supervision Authority, and it is a listed company on the Warsaw Stock Exchange — it publishes audited results and regulatory filings through its investor relations site, which is a level of disclosure most brokers never face. Its European entities also operate under local regulators across the markets it serves.

Client assets are held in segregated accounts, separate from the company’s own money, which is the standard protection designed to keep your securities yours if the broker fails. Investors are also covered by an investor-compensation scheme up to the applicable statutory limit. None of this removes market risk, and it is not the same as bank deposit insurance, but the structural protections are solid and in line with what I expect from a regulated European broker.

My verdict on XTB

XTB is an excellent broker for a European investor who buys euro-denominated ETFs. The 0% commission is real for normal-sized portfolios, the platform is clean, cash interest is a nice bonus, and the regulatory footing is sound. The one thing to watch is the roughly 0.5% currency-conversion fee. If you default to US-dollar lines and hold dollar-paying dividend stocks, that drag is real and recurring.

So my rule is simple. Buy the EUR-listed version of your fund on Xetra, keep your account in euros, and the conversion fee never touches you. Do that, and XTB behaves like the genuinely low-cost broker it advertises. If you want to see how it stacks up against rivals, I compare the numbers in our broker currency-conversion fee comparison and in the deeper look at why XTB stands out for European ETF investors. You can also run your own numbers with the EU broker fee comparator, browse the full European ETF broker hub, or check which listing to buy using the UCITS ETF comparison tool. For XTB’s exact current charges, always check the official XTB tables and charges page.

Frequently asked questions

Q: How much is the XTB currency conversion fee?
A: It is roughly 0.5% of the converted amount, applied whenever you trade an instrument denominated in a currency other than your account’s base currency. It is not shown as a separate line item because it is built into the exchange rate used for the conversion. Confirm the exact current percentage on XTB’s official charges page.

Q: Does the conversion fee apply to dividends too?
A: Yes. If you hold an ETF or stock that pays a dividend in a foreign currency, that payout is converted back to your base currency and the same roughly 0.5% fee applies. For dividend-focused portfolios this recurring cost adds up, which is a good reason to favour euro-denominated distributing funds.

Q: How do I avoid the XTB currency conversion fee entirely?
A: Buy the euro-listed line of your ETF, typically on Xetra, so no conversion happens between your euro base currency and the trade. Alternatively, hold your account in the same currency as the instruments you trade. For most euro-zone investors, choosing EUR-listed Xetra lines is the simplest fix.

Q: Is XTB really commission-free on ETFs?
A: Yes, up to a monthly turnover of about €100,000, XTB charges 0% commission on real stocks and ETFs. Above that threshold the rate is roughly 0.2% with a €10 minimum per order. Most retail investors stay well under the cap, so in practice commission is €0.

Q: Is XTB safe for European investors?
A: XTB S.A. is a Warsaw-listed broker regulated by Poland’s KNF, holds client assets in segregated accounts, and offers investor-compensation cover up to the statutory limit. These are standard, solid protections for a regulated European broker, though they do not remove ordinary market risk.

Q: Does XTB charge an inactivity fee?
A: Not according to its current published English charges tables. Neither XTB Limited’s nor XTB International’s account-information page lists an inactivity fee at all, and both describe account opening and maintenance as free for active clients. This is worth stating plainly because ‘xtb inactivity fee’ is one of the most-searched questions about this broker. Fee schedules differ by entity and change, so check the table for the entity that actually holds your account before assuming either way.

Q: Does XTB charge a custody fee?
A: Not on a normal-sized account. XTB Limited’s published table shows no custody fee up to €250,000 and 0.02% a year above that, with a £10 minimum. So a €300,000 portfolio pays about €10 a year on the excess, and a €50,000 portfolio pays nothing. It is a real charge, but it is not a reason to avoid the broker.

Q: What is the XTB SEC fee?
A: It is not an XTB fee at all. The US Securities and Exchange Commission levies a regulatory transaction fee under Section 31 of the Exchange Act on sales of US-listed securities, and every broker that routes those sales passes it through at cost. It is tiny, it applies only when you sell, and it never applies to a UCITS ETF traded on Xetra or another European exchange. If you are a euro-zone investor buying EUR-listed UCITS lines, as this guide recommends, you will never see it. (The SEC publishes the current rate on sec.gov, which blocks automated requests, so open it in a browser rather than expecting a link to work.)

Q: Is there a withdrawal fee at XTB?
A: Withdrawals are free above a modest threshold, around €50 or the local-currency equivalent, with a small charge on amounts below it. The practical approach is to withdraw in larger batches rather than pulling out small sums, which keeps withdrawals free.

Kestutis Balciunas
European UCITS/ETF investor with 11+ years building a global dividend and index portfolio, and founder of Financial Expert Class. I write every guide here from first-hand experience investing across EU brokers and tax regimes — not theory. More about me →