Selling International Stocks or Shares? Save Money on FX and Bank Fees when Repatriating Funds to Ireland

According to Charles Schwab’s June 2026 mid-year outlook global equities are being supported by solid earnings growth, while international markets have also outperformed US stocks since late 2024 by around 15% in some estimates.

For Irish investors abroad or Irish residents selling shares, this has created a timely opportunity to lock in gains and move cash home.

But when funds in USD, GBP or other non- euro currencies are sent back to Ireland, they often land into a euro account.

Why should this matter? Well, banks will typically convert your foreign currency automatically (if you do not hold an account in the foreign currency you are selling), often using an exchange rate with a significant margin built in.

Let’s look at the process of selling global stocks and shares to transfer to Ireland and why a specialist FX provider will save you time and money versus a traditional bank.

How do International Stock Sale Proceeds Reach Ireland?

When you sell shares on global trading platforms, the proceeds are typically held in USD or GBP.

If you are looking to transfer the funds to your Irish bank account, you can set up an international transfer instruction in the trading platform with your Irish Bank account details.

However, if you don’t hold an account in USD or GBP, on receipt of the USD or GBP funds, the receiving bank would automatically convert the funds into EUR and take a large margin. The customer has no ability to agree an FX rate with the Bank.

The Hidden Cost of Sending Money to a Euro Account

Traditional banks will often apply a wider FX spread than specialist transfer providers like Fexco International Payments, so the rate you get will typically be noticeably worse.

For example, if an Irish investor repatriates €300,000 in USD, a 2% FX margin would cost €6,000 before the money even arrives. Some traditional banks may charge more, and that is before any transfer fees are added.

Keep More of your Investments with Fexco

For larger sums, even a fraction of a percent saved can make a clear difference to the final amount arriving in your Irish account.

Here’s how a typical international money transfer with Fexco would work

• Execute FX Conversion (USD → EUR): Fexco agrees a competitive USDEUR FX conversion rate with significantly lower margin compared to traditional banks.
• Transfer to Fexco USD Account: The customer sends the USD funds directly from the trading platform into a dedicated Fexco USD account, avoiding automatic FX conversion by the receiving Bank.
• Fexco sends EUR via SEPA to customer’s Irish Bank Account: The converted euros are transferred same day value to the customer’s EUR Bank account at the agreed USDEUR FX rate

With Fexco, you are always in control of your funds transfer with full transparency over FX rates and fees. An easily accessible, dedicated account management and payments team reassures clients that any issues are resolved quickly by human support.

Irish owned and headquartered in Co Kerry, Fexco International Payments is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

Before you transfer your next dollar or pound, ask yourself one question: How much is my bank really charging me?

With Fexco International Payments, you can benefit from competitive exchange rates, lower transfer costs, and expert guidance throughout the process.

Contact our team today for a personalised FX review and discover a smarter way to bring your investment proceeds home.