Earn interest on uninvested cash at your broker.

Brokers that pay interest on your free balance — automatically, or after opt-in. Rates verified from each broker's own site.

Most brokers let uninvested cash sit on the account without paying a penny. A few now pay interest on the free balance — some automatically, others after a one-time opt-in. Rates typically run between 2% and 4% AER depending on currency and regulation.

Below are the brokers we currently track for UK and EU clients. Rates are pulled directly from each broker's own rate page and the last review date is shown at the bottom.

XTB

XTB

FCA, KNF, CySEC
4.00% GBP
Top rate (AER)
USD 3.45% · EUR 2.30%

Interest on any balance. No minimum, no maximum, no activity required.

  • Paid monthly, calculated daily
  • Automatic — nothing to set up
  • Available to new & existing clients
XTB — Details
eToro

eToro

FCA, CySEC, ASIC
3.55% USD
Top rate (AER)

Up to 3.55% on USD cash. Club members only, tiered by balance.

  • Paid monthly, calculated daily
  • Opt-in via Club Dashboard
  • Withdraw anytime — no lock-in
eToro — Details

Rate disclaimer. Rates shown are Annual Equivalent Rates (AER) published by each broker and are variable — they can change without notice. Cash interest programmes are not the same as protected bank deposits; cover depends on how the broker holds your money (segregated account under CASS, QMMF, etc.). Interest income is taxable in most jurisdictions and declaring it is your responsibility. The brokers listed above also offer CFDs and other leveraged products on separate account types, which carry a high risk of losing money rapidly. We may earn affiliate commission from some brokers listed — this does not change the rate you receive.

How broker cash interest works

When you deposit money with a broker and don't invest it, the cash usually sits in a segregated account at a partner bank — in the UK under CASS rules, in the EU under the local equivalent — or in a Qualifying Money Market Fund. The broker earns interest on those balances and passes part of it on to you.

Interest is typically calculated daily and paid monthly. The rate is variable: it tracks the Bank of England base rate, the ECB main refinancing rate, or the Fed funds rate depending on currency. No broker guarantees a fixed long-term rate.

Activation differs. XTB pays interest automatically on any GBP, USD or EUR balance — no opt-in, no minimum. eToro requires a one-time opt-in through the Club Dashboard and tiers the USD rate by balance. Other brokers not currently listed here may have their own thresholds or activation steps.

The quoted figure is AER (Annual Equivalent Rate). That's what the rate would pay over a full year if it didn't change. In practice it will change, usually within weeks of a central-bank move.

How we verify rates

We don't run an automated affiliate feed. Every rate on this page is read directly from the broker's own public rate page and copied into the card above — not pulled from a press release or a cached third-party tracker.

Sources we read

What we don't publish

If we can't re-verify a rate against the broker's own page, we remove the card rather than leave an old figure up. For promotional boosts (5%+ short-term offers), we always name the post-promo rate so you know what the balance earns once the boost ends.

Affiliate disclosure

We have partner links with some brokers listed. The commission does not change whether a broker appears on this page, the order we list them in, or the rate we quote — the rate is verified independently from the broker's own site. Brokers without an affiliate programme are included on the same basis, just without the partner link.

Frequently asked questions

Is cash interest from a broker safe?
It depends on where the broker holds your money. Under UK CASS rules (or the EU equivalent), funds sit in segregated accounts at Tier 1 banks and are ring-fenced from the broker's own balance sheet. If the broker fails, investor compensation schemes typically cover up to £85,000 (UK FSCS) or €20,000 (EU Investor Compensation Scheme) — these are investor-compensation limits, not the higher deposit-guarantee limits that apply to bank savings accounts. If the broker places your cash in a Qualifying Money Market Fund instead, protection works differently. Always check the broker's terms for exactly how and where cash is held.
Do I pay tax on broker cash interest?
In most countries, yes — unless the cash sits inside a tax-wrapped account (for example a UK Cash ISA). UK residents have a Personal Savings Allowance that shelters part of the interest; anything above it is taxed at the normal income-tax rate. Other EU countries apply withholding tax or include interest in annual tax returns. Rules change and depend on your personal situation — check with your tax authority or an adviser.
Can I withdraw the cash at any time?
For the brokers listed here, yes. Cash interest on an uninvested balance is not a fixed-term deposit — there is no lock-in and no early-withdrawal penalty. You keep the same access to the money you'd have in a normal brokerage cash balance.
What happens to my cash if the broker goes out of business?
If the broker holds client money in properly segregated accounts, that money is not part of the broker's estate in an insolvency. In practice, clients recover funds through a combination of the segregated pool and the local investor-compensation scheme, but it can take weeks or months. This is why regulation (FCA, BaFin, CySEC) and transparent custody arrangements matter more than the headline rate.
Why are GBP rates higher than EUR rates?
Broker cash interest tracks the central-bank base rate for each currency. Bank of England has held its rate above the ECB for the past few years, so GBP rates on uninvested cash are usually meaningfully higher than EUR rates at the same broker. USD rates sit between the two and follow the Fed.
When can the rate change?
Any time. Brokers reserve the right to change the rate — typically in response to central-bank moves — and the terms usually allow them to do so with limited notice. Treat the rate you see today as a snapshot, not a guarantee. Before moving a large balance, re-check the rate on the broker's own page.

Last reviewed: April 17, 2026 · RewardHunter