Our Dime - BMO InvestorLine Investment Platform Audit

BMO InvestorLine

Parent company: Bank of Montreal

Investment Platform

Category: Bank discount brokerage

bmoinvestorline.com

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True North

70%

Capital: Mixed

Capital: Mixed (profits)

Control: Canada

Control: Canada (decisions)

BMO InvestorLine demonstrates high economic retention through its domestic strategic control and operational footprint. As a subsidiary of a Canadian public bank, capital flows are partially diluted by international ownership, yet profits remain within the Canadian financial system. The True North score indicates a strong alignment with domestic economic interests despite some reliance on global market infrastructure.

Vector Breakdown

Inputs

low

10 /20

Clearing and custody for domestic assets utilize Canadian infrastructure, while global market access involves international routing. Specific technical sourcing is not fully disclosed.

Capital

Capital (profits)

high

20 /40

The platform is a subsidiary of a Canadian publicly traded financial institution. Profits are distributed to a global shareholder base according to public filings.

Control

Control (decisions)

high

20 /20

Strategic and executive control is based at the Canadian headquarters. The platform operates under the governance of Canadian financial regulators.

Operations

high

20 /20

The entity maintains significant domestic operations, including customer support and compliance functions. The workforce is primarily based in Canada.

Forensic Summary

Research Snapshot

Checked: 2026-01-22

Platform name (payload): BMO InvestorLine
Official domain: bmo.com/investorline
Canonical Canada URL: https://www.bmo.com/main/personal/investing/online-investing/investorline/

Corporate Footprint

Parent company: Bank of Montreal
Headquarters location: Toronto, ON

Sources

Parent company

"BMO InvestorLine Inc. (“BMO InvestorLine”) is a subsidiary of Bank of Montreal and a member of BMO Financial Group."
Source
Headquarters

"BMO InvestorLine Inc. 100 King Street West, 20th Floor, First Canadian Place Toronto, ON Canada M5X 1A1"
Source

Canada Availability

Available

Confidence: high

Provinces: National

Registered as an investment dealer in all provinces and territories.

Source

"It is registered as an investment dealer under the securities legislation of all provinces and territories of Canada"

Source

Pricing & Fees

Stock/ETF commission: $9.95
Options contract fee: $1.25
FX conversion fee: 1.6%
Account minimum: $0
Management fee: 0%
Monthly fee: Unknown

80+ commission-free ETFs available. $25/quarter fee for non-registered accounts <$15k; $100/year for registered accounts <$25k. FX fee is tiered, starting at 1.6%.

Source

"$9.95 flat fee for each trade you make online; + $1.25 per options contract... no minimum balance required to open a Self-Directed account."

Source

Account Types & Access

Account types

Self-directed: Yes

Managed/robo: Yes

Crypto trading: No

Registered accounts

TFSA

RRSP

FHSA

RESP

RDSP

RRIF

LIRA

Non-registered

Platform access

Mobile app: Yes

Web platform: Yes

Offers Self-Directed, adviceDirect (managed), and SmartFolio (robo). Registered accounts include FHSA, TFSA, RRSP, RESP, RRIF, RDSP, and locked-in accounts like LIRA.

Mobile access via the BMO Invest app. Web access via the InvestorLine 2.0 platform.

Sources

Account types

"Accounts offered: TFSA, FHSA, RRSP, RESP, RRIF... Locked-In accounts... LIRA, LRSP, RLSP, LRIF, LIF."

Source

Platform access

"Trades can be placed from your mobile device on the BMO Invest App, or from a desktop on our 2.0 website."

Source

Investor Protection

CIPF member: Yes

Regulator: CIRO

Member of the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) and the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF).

Source

"BMO InvestorLine is a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF). Client accounts at BMO InvestorLine are covered by CIPF up to $1,000,000."

Source