please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . learn how and when to remove these template messages a major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject . it may require cleanup to comply with wikipedia s content policies particularly neutral point of view . please discuss further on the talk page . december 2013 learn how and when to remove this template message this article needs additional citations for verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . december 2013 learn how and when to remove this template message learn how and when to remove this template message virtual brokers type private industry financial services founded 2009 founder bardya ziaian headquarters toronto ontario canada key people bardya ziaian chairman ceo and founder services investing online online brokerage services parent bbs securities inc http www.bbssecurities.com website http www.virtualbrokers.com virtual brokers a division of bbs securities inc. is an online brokerage provider . the company is headquartered in toronto canada and provides trade execution services for stocks bonds options exchange traded fund etf and mutual funds associated with major banks and online brokers . the company was awarded the best online investment broker in canada in 2012 by the canadian business journal . 1 the company also won best online broker in 2012 2013 and 2015 and ranked 2 in 2011 and 2014 as ranked by the globe and mail . contents 1 history 2 vb webtrader 3 awards 4 references 5 external links history edit founded in 2009 virtual brokers began as a division of bbs securities inc. virtual brokers is an online trading service enabling trade execution of equities options warrants bonds debentures etfs and mutual funds . since its introduction virtual brokers has led changes in the online brokerage industry in canada . they were responsible for revolutionizing commission rates for online brokerages in canada as they launched equity trades for as low as 0.99 in 2011 . the competition followed which led virtual brokers to reduce their commission rates to as low as 1 per trade on november 13 2013 . on november 6 2012 virtual brokers acquired the canadian arm of optionsxpress a retail online brokerage firm headquartered in chicago . these clients were quickly integrated into the virtual brokers base and the firm continues to grow and service these clients . on november 13 2013 virtual brokers introduced two new services first in canada designed to offer clients high levels of flexibility and efficiency in their investment strategies . the kick start investment program automatically purchases up to 5 securities each month commission free . it is ideal for students or recent graduates as there are no annual account fees for this group . virtual brokers also introduced a dividend investment plan unique in canada . the self directed dividend purchase plan is unlike regular dividend reinvestment plans in that the dividends are not required to be reinvested into the securities from which the dividends were received . virtual brokers self direct dividend purchase plan allows clients to use cash from dividends to buy most securities without commission costs . continuing this trend on january 12 2016 virtual brokers introduced another first of its kind in canada the commission free trading account where clients can trade equities commission free . unlike other major brokerage firms in canada which use 3rd party clearing systems bbs securities bbs and its division virtual brokers uses a proprietary clearing system pario . this gives virtual brokers higher margins and in turn the benefit is conferred to its clients . bbs securities inc. virtual brokers is registered in all provinces and territories of canada and is a member of investment industry regulatory organization of canada iiroc and the canadian investor protection fund cipf vb webtrader edit virtual brokers developed the web based trading platform vb webtrader . this software currently v3 .8 allows trading of equities options bonds and mutual funds from a single interface . vb webtrader is equipped with real time buying power and account information real time streaming quotes real time charts real time watchlists news and alerts . other trading features include anonymous iceberg and insider markers . it comes integrated with research tools including fundamental and technical analyzers stock screeners etf etn screener bond screener mutual fund screener and analyst recommendations . 2 awards edit year association award category nominee result reference 2011 the globe and mail 13th annual globe and mail online brokers survey most innovative brokerage firm virtual brokers won 1 2011 the globe and mail 13th annual globe and mail online brokers survey lowest costs brokerage firm virtual brokers won 1 2011 the globe and mail 13th annual globe and mail online brokers survey best online broker virtual brokers 2nd 3 2011 the globe and mail 13th annual globe and mail online brokers survey best interface virtual brokers 2nd 3 2012 the globe and mail 14th annual globe and mail online brokers survey best online broker virtual brokers won 4 2012 the globe and mail 14th annual globe and mail online brokers survey lowest costs brokerage firm virtual brokers won 4 2012 the globe and mail 14th annual globe and mail online brokers survey most innovative brokerage firm virtual brokers won 4 2012 the globe and mail 14th annual globe and mail online brokers survey best trading brokerage firm virtual brokers won 4 2013 the globe and mail 15th annual globe and mail online brokers survey the best online broker in canada virtual brokers won 5 2013 the globe and mail 15th annual globe and mail online brokers survey the lowest cost online broker in canada virtual brokers won 5 2013 the globe and mail 15th annual globe and mail online brokers survey best trade experience and product range virtual brokers won 5 2013 the globe and mail 15th annual globe and mail online brokers survey the most innovative online broker in canada virtual brokers won 5 2014 the globe and mail 16th annual globe and mail online brokers survey best online broker virtual brokers 2nd 6 2014 the globe and mail 16th annual globe and mail online brokers survey lowest costs brokerage firm virtual brokers won 6 2015 the globe and mail 17th annual globe and mail online brokers survey best online broker virtual brokers won 7 references edit a b c innovative online investment broker canadian business journal december 26 2011 1 vb webtrader version 3.8 a b 13th annual globe and mail online brokers survey globe and mail november 15 2011 a b c d 14th annual globe and mail online brokers survey . globe and mail . november 20 2012 . a b c d 15th annual globe and mail online brokers survey globe and mail november 19 2013 a b 16th annual globe and mail online brokers survey globe and mail november 26 2014 17th annual globe and mail online brokers survey globe and mail december 4 2015 external links edit virtual brokers website bbs securities corporate website retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title virtual brokers & oldid 734943583 categories companies established in 2009companies based in torontoonline brokeragesinvesting onlinestock brokerages and investment banks of canadahidden categories wikipedia articles with possible conflicts of interest from december 2013articles needing additional references from december 2013all articles needing additional references navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact page tools what links 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