About RockFlow

I recently came across a newer investment platform called the RockFlow APP, and it seems pretty interesting, so I wanted to give everyone a quick introduction. Overall, it is better suited for Chinese users who have overseas or Hong Kong bank accounts, and you can sign up even without an SSN!

RockFlow was founded in July 2021 and aims to become the Robinhood of Asia by providing a one-stop global investment platform. RockFlow is an AI fintech company based in Singapore, focused on offering young investors around the world an all-in-one investing and wealth management platform across multiple markets and asset classes. Starting from a simple and fun AI-First app for trading U.S. and Hong Kong stocks, it uses cross-industry innovation to make investing more accessible and enjoyable, turning investing into a lifestyle.

RockFlow is a licensed and regulated broker for U.S. and Hong Kong stocks, with headquarters in Singapore. Client funds are kept separately from company accounts in segregated custody and are subject to bank and government oversight. RockFlow currently holds a New Zealand license. It is not only registered as a New Zealand FSP, but is also a Reporting entity on file with the FMA. Major New Zealand brokers are generally both FSPs and FMA reporting entities. Tiger, Snowball, Longbridge, and RockFlow all hold the same type of license in New Zealand, so compliance and security should not be a major concern.

This investment account also has SIPC coverage, which provides an added layer of protection for client assets.

The insurance for money is up to 500,000 USD, protected by SIPC (Securities Investor Protection Corporation) .

Sign Up

Sign up for RockFlow now and complete the funding task to earn up to an $80 deposit bonus, plus a chance to receive Tesla stock.

Make an initial deposit of more than $1,000 to receive a $10 stock reward. Make an initial deposit of more than $3,500 to receive a $40 stock reward. Make an initial deposit of more than $10,000 to receive an $80 stock reward.

In addition, if you sign up through our referral link, you can receive a random amount of Tesla stock for free.

Also, if you register using our referral code, you can get priority access to the smart wealth management waitlist mentioned later, and early access to free trials of upcoming AI advisory and personalized features.

Registration Process

Here is a quick walkthrough of the app registration process. Note that this app is currently relatively friendly to Chinese users and overseas Chinese. If you have a Chinese ID card or passport, registration is very easy, and the entire process does not require an SSN. If you only have a U.S. passport, you will not be able to register, so keep that in mind.

  • Select your region. If you are in Mainland China, it will direct you to the domestic APP Store; choosing International will take you to the overseas APP Store.
  • After downloading the app, register an account and then complete identity verification. You can only officially fund and trade after verification. If you have a Chinese ID card, that alone is enough; just upload the front and back to complete verification. A Chinese passport works as well. So if you still have valid Chinese identification documents, it is best to use them directly.
  • After registration is completed, your application will enter review, and once approved you can receive a $2 trial bonus

Deposits and Withdrawals

RockFlow supports multiple funding methods, including credit cards, debit cards, and wire transfers. However, the fees vary by method (official fee details).

If you use a local Hong Kong USD account to make a deposit, there is a HK$15 fee. If the deposit is greater than $1,000, RockFlow can reimburse the HK$15 fee. Log in to your Hong Kong bank account, fill in the recipient information, and add your RockFlow account number in the memo field.

If you use an international wire transfer to deposit into the Singapore bank account, there is no additional fee. Just fill in the recipient information and include your RockFlow account number in the memo field.

If you fund via credit card or debit card, a fee will apply. This fee is charged by the payment processor and already includes foreign exchange conversion fees.

  • USD Deposits: 5.99% 3.99% (limited-time discounted fee)
  • GBP Deposits: 5.99%
  • EUR Deposits: 5.99%
  • JPY Deposits: 5.99%
  • KRW Deposits: 5.99%

Withdrawal fees are shown below.

Trading Features

Direct Trading

Tap the stock you like and buy it directly. You can also trade fractional shares.

Copy Trading

You can choose experienced traders or accounts you follow and copy their trades.

If you have not completed identity verification yet, you will not be able to see the specific stocks. They will appear after verification is complete.

Trading GPT

Trading GPT appears to be one of RockFlow’s standout features. It recommends stocks that may be worth buying, and you can use the generated strategy as a reference when making purchases.

Smart Wealth Management

RockFlow also offers cash management and wealth management yields, allowing you to buy the products you prefer and earn relatively high interest.

RockFlow Pros and Cons

Pros

Diverse professional products and services:

  • Smart Wealth Management Section: Conservative, steady products with annualized returns of 5~6%. Underlying investments include money market funds and U.S. Treasuries. Using AI algorithms combined with quantitative financial mathematics indicators, the platform seeks to finely balance returns and risk, maintain strategy stability, and keep risk under control while delivering strong profit potential.
  • Quantitative strategies and curated stock lists: RockFlow targets market trends by combining macro and industry data, price/volume data for specific securities, company operating data, and market sentiment to curate trending investment ideas. This helps users more clearly identify the securities they want to trade. These include popular segments such as hard tech, new energy, and U.S.-listed Chinese stocks. This is suitable for investors seeking diversification.
  • Regular online sessions and professional research content: These cover professional investment research, market trends, and investing strategies. RockFlow regularly invites industry experts and experienced investors to share their insights and experience, helping users better understand market developments and make more informed investment decisions. The platform also provides the latest research reports and analysis to help users gain a deeper understanding of different investment opportunities and risks. The goal is for these events to provide valuable investing information and guidance.

SmartAItrading experience:

  • At RockFlow, users can access a highly AI-driven trading experience. RockFlow has already launched multiple AI features for users to access free of charge. For example, its TradeGPT feature uses large-model algorithms represented by ChatGPT to analyze market information and data in real time. Combined with RockFlow’s financial big-data analysis capabilities and AI quantitative algorithms, it matches market themes with relevant stocks or options and generates immersive trading opportunity cards in real time. In the future, it plans to build personalized models based on users’ risk profiles and trading behavior preferences, giving a new generation of investors a true AI trading experience.

Social features and gamified experience:

  • One-click auto copy trading: On RockFlow, users can automatically copy other people’s trades. Users only need to set their copy-trading parameters, and the system will execute trades automatically, eliminating the hassle of manual operation. At the same time, users can review top traders’ historical trade records, current holdings, and other data to identify traders who better fit their own needs and improve trading efficiency. This one-click auto copy-trading feature is especially convenient and practical for users who want to follow someone else’s trading strategy or who lack trading experience.
  • Fortune-style trading experience: Daily fortune slip (uses the birth date provided when opening the account to judge which securities may be suitable for the user that day), zodiac stock lists (personalized stock lists designed for each zodiac sign based on its traits), and the MBTI investment advisor (coming soon, a personalized AI investment advisor based on popular MBTI profiles).

Convenient deposits/withdrawals and relatively low trading costs

  • Deposits and withdrawals: Users can fund accounts via Hong Kong bank card FPS and local Singapore bank transfers to reduce transfer loss. Wire transfers and card payments are also supported.
  • Trading commissions: Hong Kong stock fees are generally among the lowest on the market, and U.S. stock fees are currently 30~40% lower than other competing platforms. If your deposit exceeds $10,000, you can enjoy commission-free U.S. stock trading during the promotional period.

Cons

  • An ultra-professional version of the product has not yet launched. The current product is very beginner-friendly, so advanced traders may need time to adjust.
  • It has relatively low brand awareness, but its security is backed by proper licensing and regulatory compliance as a licensed brokerage.

Comparison with other brokerages

The comparison here mainly focuses on the fee rates available across different platforms for users registering with Chinese nationality/identity.

Commission comparison:

Comparison when commission-free offers are available

Comparison of wealth management products

Summary

This RockFlow account is part of a newer investment platform. Its AI trading strategies, copy trading from top traders, and social features all align fairly well with the investing preferences of younger users. Based on fee structure, registration requirements, and deposit/withdrawal rules, it is still better suited for Chinese users who have overseas bank accounts. In particular, for international students who have only recently arrived in the U.S., do not yet have an SSN, but want to invest in U.S. stocks, registration on this platform is especially friendly and convenient, and there are no tax issues. If you have any questions, you can also join the consultation group for more detailed help.

If you have U.S. status or an SSN, you can directly consider U.S. stock brokerages instead. Deposits and withdrawals can be handled via ACH with no fees, which is more convenient, and commissions are also very low. You can compare and choose among the brokerages we have introduced.

Stock Investing Basics

Below are a few commonly used U.S. stock brokerages, along with their signup bonuses.

Overview Signup Bonus Quick Take
Moomoo $1,030 in stock + 8.1% APY Professional platform, no commissions, and free Level 2 market data. Good for both beginners and advanced traders. Chinese-language customer service available. Requires SSN.
TradeUp 50 shares of NVDA + chance to win 5 more shares + 4% for three months No commissions, supports both U.S. and Hong Kong stocks, and offers WebTrading. Chinese-language customer service available. Available globally.
Webull $100 Amazon + 12 fractional shares + 1 month of Premium membership No commissions, with frequent deposit bonuses that give free stock.
BBAE Up to $650 bonus 0 commission, 0 fees; Chinese-friendly, and you can open an account without an SSN/ITIN.
Robinhood 1 free stock No commissions, with an interest-bearing cash account option. Simple interface that works well for beginners.
Interactive Brokers Up to $1,000 Broad market access. Professional, comprehensive trading platform with high interest on cash balances.
TradeStation $250 Professional trading platform with a full set of supporting tools.
Schwab Up to $1,000 Professional and easy to use. Global ATM fee rebates and $0 stock commissions.
Fidelity Brokerage Account Sign-up link Well-established brokerage with no trading fees, plus TurboTax included.
BIT (formerly Matrixport) $400 in stock Supports direct crypto deposits and withdrawals, does not participate in China CRS, and allows registration directly with an ID card.
SoFi Invest $75 for opening an account No commissions and supports Stock Bits.
WealthFront $5,000 managed free Automated investing and wealth management.
M1 Finance $10 for depositing funds No commissions, with automatic investing based on your portfolio allocation.

If you do not have an SSN/ITIN but still want to trade U.S. stocks, take a look at the brokerages/platforms below. All of them allow registration using a full set of Chinese documents, and you can sign up with just an ID card or passport. None of them participate in China CRS.

  • BBAE: Chinese-friendly; you can open an account without an SSN/ITIN.
  • BIT (formerly Matrixport): You can open an account with just an ID card, and approval can be completed within a few hours.
  • Bitget: Identity verification can be completed with an ID card/Chinese passport.

Registration link