Brokers
SBI Securities vs Rakuten Securities: what differs for NISA?
Both brokers offer NISA. The differences that tend to matter are the screen, the points ecosystem, the banking link, and whether your market can be bought on a contribution plan. Rates and campaigns are on each firm’s current pages.
Last reviewed: 2026-09-26
The difference in 30 seconds
- Which firm fits depends on points, your bank, U.S. stocks, the screen, contributions, and an account you already have.
- If points and a bank relationship matter most, you will read a different official page than someone who starts from U.S. stock trading.
- Commissions, point rates, credit-card rules, and product counts change. Read the current figures on each firm’s site.
What to verify
| Item | SBI Securities | Rakuten Securities |
|---|---|---|
| NISA support | Confirm account opening and quota purchases in the current guide | Confirm account opening and quota purchases in the current guide |
| Mutual funds | Check that your fund is offered, plus the contribution minimum | Check that your fund is offered, plus the contribution minimum |
| Japanese stocks | Read the current commission table and the NISA treatment | Read the current commission table and the NISA treatment |
| U.S. stocks | Check markets, FX cost, and trading hours on the official page | Check markets, FX cost, and trading hours on the official page |
| ETFs | Separate Japan-listed and overseas listings, then check NISA | Separate Japan-listed and overseas listings, then check NISA |
| Credit-card contributions | Card, cap, and reward rules are revised. Use the current terms | Card, cap, and reward rules are revised. Use the current terms |
| Points ecosystem | Look at V Points and the conditions for earning them | Look at Rakuten Points and the conditions for earning them |
| Bank link | See how SBI Sumishin Net Bank and related services connect | See how Rakuten Bank and related services connect |
| App and website | Try the order and contribution screens you will actually use | Try the order and contribution screens you will actually use |
| Contribution tools | Amount, frequency, bonus month, and quota selection | Amount, frequency, bonus month, and quota selection |
| Accounts for foreign residents | Confirm residence status, ID, language, and what happens if you leave Japan | Confirm residence status, ID, language, and what happens if you leave Japan |
| How to check cost | Open the fee table, FX cost, and the fund’s ongoing charge | Open the fee table, FX cost, and the fund’s ongoing charge |
People weigh different things
Someone already collecting Rakuten Points will read the same fee table differently from someone who cares first about U.S. stock tickets and a banking link. If you already have an SBI account, the first question is whether that screen can assign the NISA quota, not whether to open a second firm.
Nothing here says SBI is better, or that Rakuten fits everyone. Points, banking, U.S. stocks, the interface, contributions, and the accounts you already have each change the order of checks.
What foreign residents should confirm
Residence-card handling, My Number, languages other than Japanese, tax residence, and the notice required if you leave Japan differ by firm and can change. Use the broker’s own account-opening guide, not an affiliate roundup.
In principle one person has one NISA account. If another firm already holds it, read that firm’s transfer steps.
Where the costs actually live
Stock commissions, U.S. FX costs, fund ongoing charges, and credit-card point rules move with campaigns. A percentage typed here would go stale.
Open, in this order, the official fee table, the prospectus of the product you want, and the NISA purchase screen. Treat point rewards as separate from tax and from the product’s price path.
Easy to mix up
Often heard as
The cheaper commission produces the better investment
Read it as
Commission is one cost. The holdings and the ongoing charge are separate.
Often heard as
Pick the higher point rate
Read it as
Caps, cards, and eligible products change. Points do not help if the product is not available in NISA.
Often heard as
A famous broker means the same process for every nationality
Read it as
Identity and residence checks are individual. Read the current opening rules.
Often heard as
Terms stay put after you open the account
Read it as
Fees, points, and card-contribution rules are revised.
As a NISA account
A broker can support NISA and still not offer the fund, ETF, or stock you want inside that account. Match the product and the quota on the eligibility page and on that broker’s lineup.
Keep reading
Sort what you care about, then open the official page
Start from what you care about: points, your bank, U.S. stocks, the screen, and contributions. Then check those items on the official site.
SBI Securities · Rakuten Securities · FSA: About NISA · National Tax Agency: NISA
This is information for learning, not personal investment advice. Eligibility, fees, and broker terms can change. Check the current official information before you act.