List of Online Stock Brokers in the Philippines

I am sure, you are now itching to open your very own account with a stock broker. It's always the most exciting part-- to be able to start buying BDO, BPI, Metrobank, Jollibee, SM, Ayala Corporation, PLDT, San Miguel Corp., Universal Robina, and so on. While it is practical and ethical that you buy shares from the companies you yourself patronize and trust, it is not always the safest way towards successful investing. But I guess talking about when to buy what stock would make for a good topic next time. This time, I am going to introduce the brokers that you may want to partner with in your journey towards investing.

There are many online stock brokers out there that a beginning investor can try. It's also good that many of them have trial accounts--some for 5 days, some for 3. Aside from that, they would often provide free seminars about market outlook, financial wellness and other things important to their investors. These seminars are very good programs to set your expectations in line with reality, as you should very well know, stock market investing is not like in the movies. So here there are:

Because I am a Truly Rich Club Gold Member, Bro. Bo Sanchez recommended COL Financial, since it has an Easy Investment Plan (EIP). The COL EIP is an easy and simple way to start investing in the stock market. For as low as Php 5,000, you can start building your personal wealth while minimizing your risk and maximizing your returns through the time-tested strategy of peso-cost-averaging.

The interface of COL is relatively user-friendly. There are many tutorial videos available online on how how to go about using its system. This online broker also provides daily technical and investment guides for its clients. It also has a monthly newsletter which is supposed to orient the investors about what to expect in the short-term and long-term headwinds.


Accord Capital (Philstocks.Ph) is my second online broker. My cousin Mark (who I blogged about last week) also subscribes to Accord. What made us like it so damn much is its console. It has real-time ticker which does not lag; you can choose 12 stocks that you can monitor closely (it turns red if its price gets lower, black if it's unchanged, and green when it's higher); and there is also a day chart with volume below it. It's the best one I've tried out there.

The minimum investment that you need to open at account at Accord is Php 5,000. It does not offer, though, many technical and fundamental researches for its clients. But there are many internet sites to gather fundamental information from (you can also ask me, if you want), so it would not be much of an issue. But I tell you, if you want a user-friendly interface, this is your best bet. It would also help if you have an Android device because it already has an app which you can download for free from the App Store.

My third online broker is First Metro Securities. It is stock brokerage feature of Metrobank.

I can't say a lot of good things about it aside from the fact that it also has its own application downloadable from the Apple AppStore and Android Googleplay.

Aside from its being slow, it does not also give very useful researches to its clients. Its interface is kind of antiquated; it is hell hard to use! But I chose it as my third broker because it is very easy to move funds to-and-from my Metrobank Direct Online Banking. If you feel like your money is sleeping in your savings account, move it to your First Metro Sec account, and do some stock trading on the side. and if you feel like you will need the money in the next three days, return the fund in your savings. It's actually fun.

BPI Trade is very much similar to First Metro Sec, but the only difference is that it does not require a minimum fund to invest as long as you are a BPI customer. It is also relatively easy to get your trading account up and going, according to my friends who use it.

Because of curiosity, I experienced using its trial account for 5 days, and I can say that its researches are very good. The only reason why I chose First metro Sec is because BPI branches all over Baguio are extremely congested. SLU pays its employees through BPI checks. It would take me an hour at least just to get my check encashed, and this is not a hyperbole.

[All of us in the family (extended family members included) are loyal BDO customers even before the merger of BDO and Equitable-PCI Bank. And since we kind of established a special rapport with the management, I would just go directly to the manager (without queuing) and encash my BPI check there. She would just deposit the amount in my BDO account like it's just a swap. Oh, I love BDO. I trust no other bank as much.]

The last one that I got the chance to try, through the recommendation of my good friend Nikki Yu, is Wealthsec. One needs at least Php 10,000 to open an account with this brokerage firm according to her but it is worth it. What I love best about Wealth is its very good research, and its friendly fund managers.

According to its site, Wealth Securities Inc. is among the leading stock brokerage companies in the Philippines. It has ranked among the top 20 brokerages in the Philippines since its incorporation in November 1986. In 2000, Wealth received the Euro Money Award for Excellence as the "Best Domestic Securities House in the Philippines". Wealth caters to both retail and institutional clients in the Philippines and overseas. With over 25 years of experience in equity securities, its research team is often quoted in local newspapers and journals for their stock picks and coverage of mid-to-large cap stocks. Over the years, Wealth has developed a reputation for having a keen eye in spotting small companies with sound fundamentals and strong growth potential.

The newest online stock broker out there is MakeTrade. According to its site, eager to grow and expand its brokerage and investment banking business, in 1988, ATR Holdings partnered with Kim Eng, one of Southeast Asia’s leading securities and investment broker. Through the alliance, the ATR Kim Eng Financial Corporation (ATRKE) was able to expand its domestic and foreign client base, solidify its capability to initiate deals, and promote its products abroad. By offering exceptional execution capabilities and providing excellent research with timely calls and recommendations to clients, Maybank ATR Kim Eng Securities, Inc., continues to help realize its parent company’s vision to be a regional powerhouse by 2015. In 2013, Maybank ATR Kim Eng Securities, Inc. launched its online trading service called MakeTrade, extending its reach to retail investors.

There are many other online brokers out there. I just did not have the time to try all of them, partly because I think I am very contented with the ones I already have. But just for the sake of information, here are the online brokers that you may want to try so you can share what their strengths and weaknesses are. The table was borrowed from www.pinoymoneytalk.com, one of the sites I often read when it comes to personal finance.