What Sino AG does

Sino AG is a Düsseldorf-based, publicly listed German online broker (Aktiengesellschaft, WKN 576550) founded in 1998 by Ingo Hillen and Matthias Hocke, specializing in high-end brokerage services for a narrow segment of professional retail traders it terms 'Heavy Traders.' The company serves approximately 300 active depot customers in Germany, each with average portfolio volume exceeding 700,000 EUR, via its proprietary sino MX-PRO trading platform — a high-performance terminal capable of up to 50 orders per second with sub-millisecond routing latencies and 99.999% platform stability, connected to 40+ national and international exchanges. Supporting products include the GRID ladder-trading module for futures, the X2GO mobile app (iOS/Android), programmable APIs (Excel-RTD, DDE) for algorithmic trading, an ESMA Compliance Monitor, and the sino Akademie training program; underlying platform technology is developed in partnership with minority-owned tick Trading Software AG.

The business model combines monthly platform subscriptions (250 EUR/month private, 398 EUR/month professional, waived if quarterly trading fees exceed 1,000 EUR), per-transaction commissions across multi-venue securities and futures trading, securities lending/short-selling services, and dividend income from a portfolio of fintech equity investments held through wholly-owned sino Beteiligungen GmbH. Clearing and custody are provided by Baader Bank AG under a long-term partnership that began in October 2022, replacing HSBC Trinkaus. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the MX-PRO platform and mobile app, supported by dedicated account managers, a freemium demo, content marketing, webinars, and investor-conference presence; the company operates from a single Düsseldorf headquarters with a 23-25 person team.

Sino AG is also a notable fintech investor: it was an early backer of Trade Republic Bank GmbH, holding approximately 1.77% of the company — valued at roughly 221 million EUR on the December 2025 12.5 billion EUR valuation mark, of which 15 percentage points were monetized in December 2025 for 38.4 million EUR after tax. Additional minority investments include QUIN Technologies, getquin, Sub Capitals, and tick Trading Software AG. For FY 2024/2025, consolidated net profit was 996 TEUR (+12.13% YoY) with 0.43 EUR EPS and a 1.46 EUR proposed dividend, while Q1 2025/2026 net profit jumped to 673 TEUR from 53 TEUR in the prior-year quarter, reflecting sharp growth in trading activity (May 2026 orders of 137,199, +54% YoY).

Name

Sino AG

Legal name

sino Aktiengesellschaft

Website

https://sino.de

Company type

Public

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sino AG is a Düsseldorf-based, publicly listed online broker founded in 1998 that serves a niche of ~300 German "Heavy Trader" retail customers via its proprietary MX-PRO platform, generating revenue from platform subscriptions, multi-exchange trading commissions, and securities lending.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Brokerage

NAICS

Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage (5231)

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

Card-Not-Present / eCommerce Acquirers (FSAMABAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cross-Border & FX Payments Platforms (BPAMAFAK)

Keywords

• Online brokerage services
• Heavy trader platform
• Multi-exchange trading
• Securities trading terminal
• Professional trading software

Headquarters

HQ city

Düsseldorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Transaction/Trading Fees: Commission-based revenue from executed trades. Customers pay per-trade fees for securities transactions, futures contracts, and other financial instruments. Volume varies based on trading activity.
2. Platform Subscription Fees: Monthly subscription fees for platform usage. Private customers pay 250 EUR/month, professional customers pay 398 EUR/month, unless total trading fees exceed 1,000 EUR per quarter (then platform is free).
3. Securities Lending/Short Selling: Revenue from securities lending services enabling short selling activities for customers, including both intraday and overnight short positions.
4. Dividend Income from Investments: Income from equity stakes in portfolio companies including Trade Republic Bank GmbH and other fintech investments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Sino AG provides high-end online brokerage services for active, heavy retail traders via the proprietary sino MX-PRO trading platform, which connects customers to 40+ national and international exchanges with up to 50 orders per second and low single-digit millisecond latencies. The offering is bundled with the X2GO mobile app, The GRID ladder-trading module, a programmable API for algorithmic trading, dedicated account managers, and the sino Akademie training programs. Customers pay a monthly platform fee (250 EUR private / 398 EUR professional) plus transaction-based commissions, with a 25,000 EUR minimum deposit.

Product overview

Sino AG offers a unified High End Brokerage platform centered on the sino MX-PRO trading terminal, a modular architecture comprising the core multi-exchange trading platform with integrated add-on modules (The GRID for futures ladder trading), mobile applications (X2GO App), API access for algorithmic trading, and structured training programs. The platform connects to over 40 national and international exchanges including gettex, enabling securities trading, short selling, and cryptocurrency trading with professional-grade execution speeds of up to 50 orders per second and 99.999% stability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• sino MX-PRO: The company's flagship trading platform for Heavy Traders, offering access to over 40 national and international exchanges with high-speed execution (up to 50 orders per second) and 99.999% stability
• X2Go
• The GRID

Products and services

• sino MX-PRO High-performance multi-exchange trading terminal offering up to 50 orders per second, single-digit millisecond latencies, 99.999% stability, and access to over 40 national and international exchanges; for heavy retail traders.
• sino X2GO App Mobile trading application for iOS and Android enabling customers to monitor trading activities and execute trades on mobile devices with real-time push quotes and full trading functionality.
• The GRID
• sino MX-PRO Demo
• sino MX-PRO Training (sino Akademie)
• sino API
• sino x gettex Trading Venue Access Access to the gettex exchange operated by Bayerische Börse AG with Baader Bank as market maker, offering fee-free trading for new customers in 2026 and cryptocurrency limit orders.

Quantifiable outcome

• System stability of 99.99% (long-term average)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Baader Bank AGcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 October 2022Baader Bank AG serves as the clearing and custodial bank for sino AG customers. This partnership, which started October 1, 2022, handles all custody and account administration. Baader Bank is a leading full-service bank for securities and banking services in Europe with approximately 550 employees.
• tick Trading Software AGcoreTechnology or Integrationtick Trading Software AG developed the sino MX-PRO trading platform and continues to maintain and enhance it. The company is a software provider for trading platforms used by international banks, brokers, and trading houses for millions of transactions daily.
• gettex (Bayerische Börse AG)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with gettex, a trading platform of Bayerische Börse AG with Baader Bank as market maker. Sino offers fee-free trading at gettex for new customers through December 2026.
• HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt AG (Historical)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHistorical partnership from 1998 until September 2022. HSBC Trinkaus served as the original clearing partner and was a major shareholder through Gesellschaft für Bankbeteiligungen mbH.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Trade Republic Bank GmbH: Germany's largest neobroker and the dominant retail brokerage in Sino's home market. Although Sino holds a ~1.77% stake and they share clearing and market-maker relationships (Baader Bank), they are now the principal competitive threat in active trading — and the single largest driver of Sino's investment-portfolio value.
• flatexDEGIRO AG: One of Europe's largest retail online brokers, operating brands including flatex, DEGIRO, and justTRADE. Competes head-on with Sino for German heavy traders via multi-exchange access, low commissions, and professional trading platforms.
• Interactive Brokers Ireland/Ltd: Global leader in professional-grade retail brokerage with extensive multi-exchange access, advanced order types, and algorithmic trading via API. Captures the same heavy-trader segment Sino targets, particularly in Germany, and sets the benchmark for execution quality.
• Smartbroker AG: German online broker offering multi-exchange access at low commissions, recently taken private and pivoting toward active trader features. Competes in the same heavy-trader segment as Sino with similar fee structures.
• DEGIRO: Pan-European low-cost online broker (now under flatexDEGIRO) with broad exchange access. Competes with Sino for German and EU heavy traders, particularly on commission pricing and platform simplicity.

Broad incumbents

• Baader Bank AG: Sino's clearing and custody partner since 2022 and operator of the gettex exchange where Sino offers fee-free trading. As a full-service bank for securities services to brokers and banks across Europe, Baader is both a critical infrastructure partner and a potential competitor in professional trading.
• Comdirect / Commerzbank: Incumbent German direct bank with a large retail brokerage franchise. Less focused on heavy/professional traders than Sino, but its scale, product breadth, and parent-bank backing make it a structural competitor in German securities trading.

Emerging players

• Scalable Capital: Munich-based neo-broker offering flat-fee and prime-brokerage tiers with API connectivity for active traders. Directly competes for Germany's heavy-trader customer pool with a more modern product experience.
• Lang & Schwarz Aktiengesellschaft: German bank and exchange operator (LS Exchange) offering proprietary trading and direct market access. Karsten Müller (Sino's co-CEO) previously built options trading at Lang & Schwarz, making it a direct comparable in the heavy-trader and derivatives space.

Others

• tick Trading Software AG: Vendor and minority-held affiliate that developed and maintains the MX-PRO trading platform on which Sino's entire brokerage offering runs. Functions as Sino's core technology supplier rather than a competitor, but its roadmap directly drives Sino's product differentiation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sino.ag.highend.brokerage
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sino-ag

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments6 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sino AG