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HSBC investment platform review: Features and fees
Disclaimer: The information in this article is for reference purposes only. Wise does not offer to buy or sell stocks, and all information on this page should not be considered financial advice. All investment decisions should be made after thorough research and consultation with a qualified financial advisor. Remember that investments, even in low-risk funds, are never guaranteed and your capital is at risk.
Thinking of investing with HSBC? One of the UK’s biggest banks, HSBC offers a couple of different options for investing in funds, stocks, shares and other products. This includes the HSBC Global Investment Centre and the InvestDirect platform.
Here in our comprehensive HSBC investment platform review, we’ll cover everything you need to know to get started. This includes info on how to invest with HSBC, how each of its platforms work, features, fees, eligibility and much more.
So, let’s dive right in.
How does the HSBC investment platform work?
HSBC offers two different options for investors:
- Global Investment Centre (GIC) - for fund investing
- InvestDirect platform - for stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), investment trusts and gilts.
The GIC is primarily an online fund platform, designed for more confident or experienced investors. You’ll make your own decisions on what to invest in, although you can also choose from one of the bank’s ready-made portfolios.
There’s a wide range of funds available, from fund managers ranging from BlackRock Investment Management Ltd to JPMorgan Funds Limited. You can also invest in funds from HSBC Asset Management Ltd, including the following:
- HSBC FTSE 250 fund
- HSBC Small Cap fund
- HSBC Equity Savings fund
- HSBC European Index fund
The other investment platform from HSBC is InvestDirect, which is an online share dealing account. This lets you buy and sell UK and US equities, UK government bonds, investment trusts and UK ETFs. It’s designed for investors who like to do their own research and make their own decisions.
To access either platform, you’ll need to have an HSBC current account.
For the Global Investment Centre, you’ll need to open a Stocks and Shares ISA or general investment account with the bank. For InvestDirect, you can choose one of two InvestDirect accounts.
Once you’re up and running, you can manage your investments online or via the HSBC mobile banking app.
Who is the HSBC investment platform best for?
Both HSBC investment platforms are suitable for experienced investors, as they let you choose your own investments and manage your own portfolio.
But if you’re new to investing, there’s also a choice of 5 ready-made portfolios available.
You’ll need to open an HSBC Stocks and Shares ISA or general investment account, then you can choose a portfolio based on your attitude to risk.
Who can open an account?
To open any kind of investment account with HSBC, you’ll need to meet the following requirements:1
- You’re a UK tax resident (you’ll also need a permanent UK residential address if you want to access the HSBC Global Investment Centre)
- You’re at least 18 years old
- You’re not a US citizen, national or resident
- You have a HSBC current account or savings account.
What currencies are supported?
HSBC doesn’t say whether any currencies other than GBP are supported within its investment platforms. It’s likely though that your account will be denominated in British pounds (GBP), and all trades will be carried out in GBP.
You can buy international investments (if you’re buying shares, you’ll need the InvestDirect Plus account to buy international shares) but currency conversion costs may apply.
HSBC investment platform features
Now, let’s take a quick look at the features on offer with each investment platform:
| Feature | Global Investment Centre1 | InvestDirect platform2 |
|---|---|---|
| DIY or managed | Both - a choice of ready-made portfolios available | DIY |
| Choice of investments | Funds - OEICs, unit trust funds, index trackers | UK/US equities, UK government bonds, investment trusts, UK ETFs |
| Online/app management | Yes | Yes |
| Min. investment | £50 | N/A |
| Access to your money | Within 4 working days once investments are sold | Within 4 working days once investments are sold |
| Account needed | HSBC Stocks & Shares ISA or General Investment Account | HSBC InvestDirect or InvestDirect Plus account |
| Transfers in allowed | Yes | Yes |
| Additional features | Research tool to compare up to 5 funds |
|
HSBC investment platform fees
Before you start investing with any kind of platform or account,you’ll need to know exactly how much it’s going to cost you.
Here are the main fees you need to know about for HSBC’s investment platforms:
| Fee | Ready-made portfolios | Global Investment Centre (funds) | InvestDirect (UK share dealing) | InvestDirect Plus (worldwide share dealing) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Account fee | 0.25%/year1 | 0.25%/year1 | £10.50/quarter2 | £10.50/quarter2 |
| Fund management fee | Varies1 | Varies1 | N/A | N/A |
| Withdrawal fee | None | None | None | None |
| Trading fees | N/A | None3 | £10.50/trade2 | £10.50/trade2 |
Does the HSBC investment platform have an account fee?
Yes, both HSBC investment platforms have an account fee. This varies depending on which account you have and which platform you use:
- Global Investment Centre (GIC), with an HSBC Stocks and Shares ISA or General Investment Account - 0.25% per year¹
- InvestDirect platform, with an InvestDirect or InvestDirect Plus account - £10.50 per quarter.2
Trading fees with the HSBC investment platform
If you use the Global Investment Centre to buy and sell funds, you won’t pay any trading fees. It’s all covered under the account and fund management fees.
To buy and sell on the InvestDirect platform, you’ll pay a flat fee of £10.50 per transaction. However, there’s a discount available with the InvestDirect Plus account, where you get reduced trading fees of £7.95 per transaction after your 9th trade in a calendar quarter.2
How much does the HSBC investment platform charge for UK stocks or funds?
When you buy or sell UK stocks using the HSBC InvestDirect share dealing account, you’ll pay trading fees of £10.50 per transaction.2
HSBC investment platform withdrawal fees
HSBC doesn’t charge a fee for cash withdrawals from its investment accounts, so you can withdraw freely, whenever you want.
HSBC investment platform commission fees
HSBC generally doesn’t charge commission fees, as it's all covered under the fixed trading fee, platform fees or fund management charges.
How to invest or buy stock with the HSBC investment platform
Before you can start trading or buying funds, you’ll need to make sure your investment account is adequately funded. Your HSBC current account should be linked, so check your balance there before getting started. Here’s how to send money with HSBC.
To buy stock on the HSBC InvestDirect platform, simply follow these steps:4
- Sign into your InvestDirect account online
- Select ‘buy’ on the toolbar
- Choose your nominated HSBC current account to fund the trade, via the ‘trade from account’ dropdown box
- Enter the company code or stock company name (for example, you might want to search for HSBA.LON to find HSBC stock)
- Select ‘Get price’
- Enter either the number of shares you want to buy
- Set a limit price - this is the maximum price you’re willing to pay
- Preview the order and check the price
- Select ‘Place order’ to confirm.
- You’ll get a confirmation of your order in the ‘Messages’ section.
To invest in funds via the Global Investment Platform, you simply need to sign in and start searching for the available funds. Select ‘Investing’ and then ‘Discover Funds’.5
To buy a fund, you’ll need to enter your order instructions, select your chosen investment account and payment account, then the amount you’d like to invest.5
Read more about how to buy shares, and how to sell them too.
How to withdraw from the HSBC investment platform?
You can withdraw money from your HSBC investment account at any time simply by logging in to your online account (or using the HSBC mobile banking app). It may take up to 4 working days for the money to arrive in your bank account.1
Remember that if the money is tied up in an investment, you’ll need to sell it first.
Buying stock in another currency?
Buying or selling a stock or shares that aren’t traded in your local currency? Don’t let the currency conversion trip you up. Convert your stocks or shares into any currency with our handy tool, and you’ll always know what you’re getting.
Check out our international stock ticker tool.
Explore international stocks 🌍
Disclaimer: Wise's international stock ticker provides information for reference purposes only. This tool and platform does not offer to buy or sell stocks, and the data displayed here should not be considered financial advice. All investment decisions should be made after thorough research and consultation with a qualified financial advisor. We make no guarantees regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information provided, and users should exercise caution and seek professional guidance when making investment choices.
How is the HSBC investment platform mobile app?
You can use the HSBC mobile banking app for managing all of your investments.
It’s available for both Android and iOS devices, and lets you check and manage your portfolio at any time.
HSBC investment platform customer service
If you need help with your account or the investment platform you’re using, you can contact HSBC customer services by phone.
Call HSBC Investor Services on 800 358 3011 - this line is available Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm.6
Alternatives to the HSBC investment platform
Of course, HSBC isn’t the only bank or other provider offering an online investment platform. There are plenty of others available in the UK, such as:
Save money when investing in international stocks
Considering buying or selling international stocks and funds listed abroad? You might be hit with extra costs for cross border money transfers.
But if you use Wise for international transfers, you can avoid hidden currency exchange markups.
Open a Wise account online and you’ll be able to conveniently manage your money in up to 40+ currencies. This means you can convert your money into other currencies when the time is right for you at the mid-market rate for only a small, transparent conversion fee*.
Simply select your chosen currency in your account then under ‘Options’, select ‘Earn’ and choose ‘Stocks’ or ‘Interest’.
If you select the ‘Stocks’ option, we’ll invest some or all of your money (you can choose to allocate all or part of your chosen currency) in the index tracking fund we’ve chosen.
And if you opt for Wise Interest you can choose to give us permission to invest all or some of your money in the interest-earning fund we’ve chosen, this will depend on the currency.
Wise Interest can help grow your international money and start earning a return on the pounds, euros and dollars in your account. When you use Wise Interest, you can send and spend your money whenever you want, including your gains and you can transfer up to 10,000 GBP (or equivalent) each day from Interest currencies. Anything above will add a processing time of up to 2 working days.
To protect your account, we may occasionally need to temporarily limit the amount of money you can withdraw, send, or spend daily. In this case you’d still get full access to your money within 2 working days.
We invest your money in government-backed asset funds. This means that when the central bank rates change, your return does too. You can check the 7 day past performance on the Wise Interest page. Past performance doesn't guarantee future growth. Capital at risk.
Consider turning on Wise Interest, which could help grow your money.
Learn more about Wise Interest
Capital at risk. Growth not guaranteed. Wise Assets UK Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority with registration number 839689. When facilitating access to Wise investment products, Wise Payments Ltd acts as an Introducer Appointed Representative of Wise Assets UK Ltd. Please be aware that we do not offer investment advice, and you may be liable for taxes on any earnings. If you’re uncertain, we urge you to seek professional advice. To find out more about the Funds, visit our website.
Sources used for this article:
1. HSBC - Global Investment Centre
2. HSBC - InvestDirect
3. Which? - HSBC investment platform review
4. HSBC - buying shares on InvestDirect
5. HSBC - buying funds
6. HSBC Asset Management - contact
Sources last checked on 23-May-2025
*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.
This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.
We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.
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