All new and existing CMC Markets Invest accounts which have a linked cash account have this feature enabled by default and can be traded on both our desktop platforms and mobile apps. You will not be required to open an additional account to trade International shares.
Please note, this feature is not available to phone only or margin lending accounts.
Placing an international shares order is much like placing one for domestic shares.
To place an international shares order, open an order ticket in the usual way, enter the stock code, select either Buy or Sell and fill in the required information as you would for domestic stocks.
This function is available on both our standard and Pro platforms. For further assistance you can contact our Client Services support team online with live chat.
All international share orders placed on our share trading platforms are executed by Morgan Stanley.
When trading with CMC Markets, your international securities are held in a custody arrangement between CMC Markets Invest and BNP Paribas SA, a wholly owned subsidiary of the BNP Paribas Group, a leading global custodian and securities services provider.
About BNP
BNP Paribas SA is a multi-asset servicing specialist and best-in-class custodian with over USD 11 trillion in assets under custody.
BNP Paribas Group and one of the highest-rated asset servicing banks in the industry.
BNP Sub Custodians
International securities are held on your behalf by BNP Paribas SA’ sub-custodians as detailed below
Your securities are held distinctly and separately from the assets of the custodian (BNP or its nominee) and protected from claims of third parties against the custodian in the event of the custodian’s insolvency.
The nominee entity BNP Paribas Nominees Pty Limited is used to hold client securities at the Central Securities Depository (CSD) level. The nominee entity is a special purpose vehicle whose sole corporate objective is to hold client assets in trust for the benefit of BNP Paribas SA’ custody clients. Securities at the CSD level are typically held within an omnibus account opened in the name of BNP Paribas Nominees Pty Limited for all of BNP Paribas SA’ custody clients.
The exchange rate for international transactions is calculated at the time of execution and is based on the best available bid/offer exchange rates, plus a spread of just 0.60%.
The 2% Foreign Exchange (FX) buffer is not an additional fee
The buffer acts as a cushion against currency movements ensuring there are sufficient available funds in your account to fill your order
When your order fills, excess funds are automatically added back to your ‘available funds’ value on the platform
Buffer funds are not withdrawn from your settlement account, but only locked in the ‘available funds’ calculation until your order has filled
The buffer only applies to ‘buy’ orders
Impact
For international buy orders, a 2% FX buffer is added to the trade value at the time the order is placed. This ensures you have sufficient funds in your account to cover any foreign exchange fluctuations between the time your order is ‘placed’ and when it is ‘filled’ on the international market.
Any excess buffer will be unlocked on the execution or cancellation of that order.
The FX conversion rate is determined as the order fills on the overseas stock exchange in real-time.
*The FX buffer currently applied to international buy orders is 2% of the trade value and is subject to change.
Example
Jane submits an order to buy US$1,000 of US shares at 10:30 am Sydney time.
At the time she places her order the exchange rate is 1.489 and the US market is closed. The estimated AUD value of the order is $1,489.00 + $0.00 brokerage = AUD $1,489.00.
The trading platform applies a buffer of AUD 30.17 (2%) to the order as protection against exchange rate fluctuations.
By the time the US market opens the exchange rate has moved to 1.481 and the order is submitted and executed immediately. The AUD value of the order at execution is $1,481.00 + $0.00 brokerage = AUD $1,481.00
The buffer is now released from Jane’s "Available to Trade value" on the trading platform.
All share certificates will need to be dematerialised (where physical records are replaced with a paperless computerised system) prior to being transferred in. We cannot accept share certificates.
US, UK, Canadian and Japanese listed products on online orders:
All
$0 Brokerage*
*Minimum trade value of AUD$1000 (for buy trades only) across all international markets
Online orders for listed products outside Australia, US, UK, Japan and Canada:
Value Of Shares (AUD)
Brokerage fee/rate (AUD)
All
$59.95 or 0.59%*
*Brokerage is the greater of the dollar value or the percentage amount shown. Minimum trade value of AUD$1000 (for buy trades only) across all international markets.
Exchange fees including stamp duty, transaction taxes, clearing and trading fees will be displayed on the order ticket where applicable.
Other fees charged by CMC Markets for trading international share can be found in the CMC Markets Invest Financial Service Guide located on our share trading legal page.
| Exchange | Code | Local time at exchange |
|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong Stock Exchange | HKEX | 12:00 – 13:00 |
| Singapore Exchange | SGX | 12:00 – 13:00 |
| Tokyo Stock Exchange | TSE | 11:30 – 12:30 |
By selecting the country drop down within the standard platform you will be able to see if the exchanges for that country are open or closed.
The minimum order size for international shares is AUD$1,000 on each buy order you place. This buy minimum is applicable to all international markets available on CMC Markets platforms.
The limit price should be the maximum price that you are willing to pay (for buy orders) or the minimum price that you are willing to receive (for sell orders). Orders placed with a limit price considered too far away from the prevailing market price may be rejected by our broker. If the order is placed when the relevant international market is closed then the time of any rejection will be on the market open. Please regularly check the status of your orders by checking 'Order History' or 'Messages' on the platform.
