Securities account

A securities account, sometimes known as a brokerage account, is an account which holds financial assets such as securities on behalf of an investor with a bank, broker or custodian. Investors and traders typically have a securities account with the broker or bank they use to buy and sell securities.^[1]

Securities accounts can be of different types, such as a share account, options account, margin account or cash account.^[2] Securities accounts are typically treated as client funds, keeping them separate from the firm's funds. This separation meets the financial regulations of most countries.