How to start trading in the Philippines

From there, most beginners choose between two paths: buying shares listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), or using a broker that also offers access to US-listed companies.

A PSE-listed share is ownership in a company that trades on the Philippine Stock Exchange, in Philippine pesos, during PSE market hours. This is the traditional route most local brokers are built for, and it is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission Philippines.

Accessing US-listed shares works differently. Instead of trading directly on the New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq, you use a broker or app that routes your order to those markets on your behalf, usually priced in US dollars behind the scenes even if you fund the account in pesos. Not every Philippine platform offers this, so it is worth checking before you open an account if global companies are what you actually want.

For a fuller explanation of what a share is and how a trade actually executes, see Stocks explained: how to trade them, a companion piece to this guide. And if you want the breakdown of common shares, preferred shares, and ETFs you will encounter along the way, see Types of stocks.

Every broker and trading app, whether it looks like a bank app, an e-wallet feature, or a standalone platform, works through a licensed broker behind the scenes. For the fuller mechanics of what a broker actually does and why you cannot skip it, see What is an online broker — this guide builds on that specifically for the Philippine market.

Once your account is open, you fund it. Most Filipino traders do this from a bank account or an e-wallet such as GCash or Maya, either by linking the wallet directly to the broker or by transferring pesos into the account first.

GCash funds directly from your GCash wallet balance: on the GStocks PH dashboard, tap "Cash In," enter the amount, and the funds move from your wallet. This is usually instant, though it can occasionally take up to 2 business days.

Maya works differently depending on which broker partner sits behind it: with Philstocks, you need to pre-fund by transferring from your Maya Wallet into Philstocks Buying Power before you can trade, while with 2TradeAsia or DragonFi, no pre-funding is required and trades buy directly from your Maya Wallet balance.

Realistic starting amounts vary by platform. Some brokers set a minimum initial deposit, while others let you begin with a smaller amount and buy fewer shares or fractional amounts instead.

As of publish, minimums vary widely: COL Financial requires ₱25,000 for its Wealth Builder/Starter plan (since August 2025), or ₱1,000 for its EIP plan. GCash Invest (GStocks PH) states no account minimum and lets you trade from ₱50. Maya Stocks lets you start from ₱50. BPI Trade is ₱0 to open, but a Settlement Account (SETA) with a ₱500 average daily balance is required before your first trade, and it requires an existing BPI deposit account.

Fees and charges as of 27 July 2026. Check each provider's current pricing page before acting on these figures.

Once you place an order, it does not settle instantly. The broker sends it to the exchange, the trade is matched with a buyer or seller, and the shares are transferred into your account after a settlement period.

The PSE currently settles on a T+2 cycle, which took effect 24 August 2023 when the Securities Clearing Corporation of the Philippines (SCCP) migrated to it, following SEC approval on 10 August 2023.

This is a factual look at what each one is built for, not a ranking or a recommendation.

COL Financial: A long-running local broker focused on PSE-listed shares, with research tools aimed at investors who want to pick individual local companies.

GCash Invest: The investing feature inside the GCash e-wallet, giving GCash users a way to buy PSE-listed shares and mutual funds without leaving the app they already use for payments. GCash (G-Xchange Inc.) is BSP-regulated and is not a stock broker or dealer itself; PSE share access is executed by AB Capital Securities Inc. (ABCSI), the licensed PSE trading participant.

Maya: A digital bank app that combines savings, mutual funds, and crypto buying alongside its payment features, aimed at users who want several products in one place.

First Metro: A local broker offering PSE-listed share trading, generally accessed through its own trading platform or linked bank accounts.

BPI Trade: A brokerage linked to BPI bank accounts, built for PSE-listed share trading with straightforward bank-to-brokerage funding.

As of publish: COL Financial charges 0.25% commission plus 12% VAT, a 0.005% PSE fee, and a 0.01% SCCP fee. GCash Invest (GStocks PH) charges a flat 0.25% commission, with the previous ₱20 minimum removed under a 2024 SEC directive. Maya Stocks charges 0.25% or a ₱20 minimum, whichever is higher, plus 12% VAT and PSE/PCD fees. BPI Trade charges 0.25% or a ₱20 minimum, whichever is higher, plus 12% VAT and PSE/SCCP fees.

Fees and charges as of 27 July 2026. Check each provider's current pricing page before acting on these figures.

When you sell listed shares in the Philippines, a percentage tax is deducted automatically by your broker at the point of sale, separate from ordinary income tax and applied regardless of whether the trade was profitable.

The current rate is 0.1% of the gross selling price, cut from 0.6% and effective 1 July 2025 under RA 12214 (CMEPA). It applies regardless of whether the trade was profitable, and the broker withholds it automatically.

If you want tokenized stocks alongside crypto and other asset classes in a single account, rather than juggling a separate broker for each, that is where a platform like Cronos app fits.

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