Vested, Interactive Brokers (IBKR), and Paasa all enable global investing, but the way they do it and who they’re built for, is fundamentally different.
Vested is built as a simple alternative investment tool for Indian retail investors to access U.S. equities. It’s ideal for those moving beyond domestic mutual funds into managed U.S. portfolios, global mutual funds, private markets, and Indian bonds.
Interactive Brokers (IBKR), on the other hand, is a global brokerage infrastructure. It offers unmatched market depth, low-cost execution, and access to 170+ markets but expects users to handle compliance, remittance, and reporting on their own.
Paasa offers the best of both worlds. It combines IBKR’s global access with LRS, FEMA, and tax support built for Indian investors, from first-time global investors to HNIs and family offices.
Table of Contents
- Infrastructure Overview
- Feature Comparison
- FEMA Compliance
- Tax Reporting
- Technology Features
- Investor Fit
- Client Support
Infrastructure Overview
| Attribute | Vested | IBKR | Paasa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account Setup | ₹250 (one-time) | Free | Free |
| Trading infrastructure | Own U.S. broker-dealer (VF Securities, Inc.) | Industry-leading proprietary platform | Account in your own name, with Interactive Brokers as custodian |
| Market Access | US only | Global - US, Europe, UK, China and more | Global - US, Europe, UK, China and more |
| Custody of assets under client's name | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| FEMA & LRS Support | Basic | ❌ | Advance |
| Tax Reporting (India) | Tax module for ITR documents | ❌ | Advance |
| INR-based Returns & Analytics | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Human Advisory | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ (Apex plan) |
| Onboarding Support | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Remittance Integration | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| SIPC Insurance | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Note: Vested is built for small-ticket investing, whereas IBKR is pure infrastructure, fast and global, but leaves LRS and tax work to the investor. Paasa combines IBKR’s depth with an India-facing layer for remittance, compliance, and tax reporting.
Feature Comparison
| Attribute | Vested | IBKR | Paasa | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct trading | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Real-time execution | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Product Universe | US Stocks & ETFs | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Other markets (China, UK, Europe, etc) | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Managed Portfolios | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ (Apex plan) | |
| UCITS portfolios | UCITS mutual funds only (Global Funds) | UCITS ETFs only | ✅ | |
| AIFs | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | |
| Fractional Shares | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Auto-rebalanced UCITS portfolios | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ (Apex plan) | |
| Interest on uninvested cash | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Withdraw money to US bank account | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | |
Note: UCITS portfolios are preferred by many Indian investors for US estate tax protection and global diversification.
FEMA Compliance
| Attribute | Vested | IBKR | Paasa | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital remittance under LRS | Self-declaration templates for Indian banks | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Remittance support at low rates | Limited visibility, fixed margin | ❌ | ✅ | |
| Bank formalities & Holding Declaration | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | |
| Tracking and Confirmation | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | |
| Compliance queries | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | |
Note: FEMA compliance is critical when sending money abroad under LRS. Many Indian investors unknowingly use incorrect purpose codes during remittance which can lead to reporting issues, delays, or tax scrutiny later.
Note: Vested’s compliance support covers the standard LRS remittance flow. Paasa supports LRS documentation on every plan, and adds FEMA and tax advisory on its Apex plan.
Tax Reporting
| Attribute | Vested | IBKR | Paasa | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tax Analytics | Dividend Tax Tracking | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Capital Gains Tax Calculation (STCG/LTCG) | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | |
| Accumulating ETFs | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Tax Loss Harvesting | ✅ (Premium plan) | ❌ | ✅ (Apex plan) | |
| Year-End Tax Statement for Indian Investors | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | |
| UCITS portfolios for tax savings | UCITS mutual funds only | UCITS ETFs only | ✅ | |
Technology Features
| Attribute | Vested | IBKR | Paasa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile App & Web View | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Market and Limit | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Stop loss | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Trailing stop loss | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Withdraw funds to any bank account | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Mutual funds tracking | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| XIRR calculation for position | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Benchmarking & Backtesting | ❌ | Benchmarking only (PortfolioAnalyst) | ✅ |
| INR gain/loss computation (blended FX) | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Web dashboard for reporting | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Trader Workstation (TWS) for advanced traders | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Custom features (family offices, institutional needs) | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
Note: Vested is known for its ease of use, IBKR for its pro-level depth, while Paasa is valued for both its depth and its ability to accommodate custom feature requests as investors’ needs evolve.
Investor Fit
| Investor Type | Vested | IBKR | Paasa |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-time US investor | ✅ Easy Onboarding | ❌ Higher Friction | ✅ Easy Onboarding |
| SIP-style Retail Investor | ✅ Weekly/monthly SIPs | ❌ Not optimal for tiny flows | ✅ Suited |
| HNIs | Limited Tax/Remit control | Good but requires Tax & LRS know-how | Built for scale and customization + India-facing layer |
| Family Offices | No reporting or structuring tools | Good but lacks technical customisation + India-facing layer | Concierge, entity-level control + India-facing layer |
| Institutional Investors | Not built for complex needs | Good but lacks technical customisation + India-facing layer | Concierge, entity-level control + India-facing layer |
Client Support
| Attribute | Vested | IBKR | Paasa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onboarding Support | Self-serve & guided setup | Self-serve | Self-serve & guided setup |
| Dedicated relationship manager | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ (Apex plan) |
| Expert concierge (FEMA, Tax) | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ (Apex plan) |
| Custom Portfolio Structuring | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Customize features on request | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Exit or Migration Support | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
Conclusion
These platforms are not competing for the same investor, they are built around different needs.
If your goal is to simply access U.S. stocks with ease, Vested offers a retail-friendly entry point.
If you're a pro trader who wants raw access and low execution costs across markets, IBKR delivers but without the India-facing layers you may need.
And if you want global access along with the compliance and reporting built for Indian investors, whether you are making your first global allocation or managing a family portfolio, Paasa gives you the infrastructure stack to invest globally without the chaos.
Choosing the right platform is less about features and more about alignment, between your capital, your context, and your long-term approach to global investing.
About Paasa
Paasa is a global investing platform for Indian investors, from those making their first global allocation to HNIs and family offices. It helps them invest across the US, UK, Europe, and China with tools that simplify LRS, remittance, tax reporting, and cross-border complexity.
