Our Dime - Scotia iTRADE Investment Platform Audit

Scotia iTRADE

Parent company: Bank of Nova Scotia

Investment Platform

Category: Bank discount brokerage

scotiaitrade.com

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True North

70%

Capital: Mixed

Capital: Mixed (profits)

Control: Canada

Control: Canada (decisions)

Scotia iTRADE demonstrates high domestic retention through its integrated operations and control within a major Canadian bank. While capital is diluted by public ownership, the platform's strategic and operational core remains firmly within Canada, resulting in a robust True North score.

Vector Breakdown

Inputs

low

10 /20

The platform utilizes a combination of domestic clearing infrastructure and global market connectivity for its operations.

Capital

Capital (profits)

high

20 /40

The entity is a division of a major Canadian publicly traded financial institution. Profits flow to a diversified global shareholder base via the Canadian-domiciled parent.

Control

Control (decisions)

high

20 /20

Strategic control and executive leadership for the platform are based within the parent company's headquarters in Canada.

Operations

high

20 /20

The platform maintains a significant physical and operational footprint in Canada, utilizing domestic support and compliance teams.

Forensic Summary

Research Snapshot

Checked: 2026-01-22

Platform name (payload): Scotia iTRADE
Official domain: scotiaitrade.com
Canonical Canada URL: https://www.scotiaitrade.com

Corporate Footprint

Parent company: Scotia Capital Inc. (wholly-owned subsidiary of The Bank of Nova Scotia)
Headquarters location: Toronto, Ontario

Sources

Parent company

"Scotia Capital Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank)."
Source
Headquarters

"The head office of Scotia iTRADE is in Ontario. ... SCI is a subsidiary of The Bank of Nova Scotia."
Source

Canada Availability

Available

Confidence: high

Provinces: National

Scotia iTRADE is a division of Scotia Capital Inc., which is registered nationally.

Source

"We are registered with the securities regulators in all provinces and territories in Canada."

Source

Pricing & Fees

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

Standard commissions are not explicitly stated in public snippets; $4.99 is the 'as low as' rate. A $25 quarterly fee applies to low-activity accounts under $25,000.

Source

"Trade as low as $4.99. ... The Low Activity Account Administration Fee ('LAAA Fee') is charged on a per account basis each calendar quarter... $25.00."

Source

Account Types & Access

Account types

Self-directed: Yes

Managed/robo: No

Crypto trading: No

Registered accounts

TFSA

RRSP

FHSA

RESP

RRIF

LIRA

LIF

LRSP

RLIF

Non-registered

Platform access

Mobile app: Yes

Web platform: Yes

Scotia iTRADE is an order-execution only service; managed portfolios are offered through other Scotiabank divisions.

Mobile app available for iOS and Android; web trading available via Scotia OnLine.

Sources

Account types

"Choose from various types of registered accounts... First Home Savings Account (FHSA); Life Income Fund (LIF); Locked-In Retirement Savings Plan (LRSP); Locked In Retirement Account (LIRA)."

Source

Platform access

"Whether you're a first-time investor or someone with more experience, you'll enjoy the flexibility to trade stocks, ETFs, options, and more from your desktop or mobile."

Source

Investor Protection

CIPF member: Yes

Regulator: CIRO

Formerly regulated by IIROC; now under the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO).

Source

"SCI is regulated by the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization and is a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund."

Source