Trading 212
European fintech broker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Trading 212 is a European fintech brokerage group founded in Bulgaria in 2004 and headquartered in London, United Kingdom.
| |
| Type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Financial services |
| Predecessor | Avus Capital Group |
| Founded | 2004 in Sofia, Bulgaria |
| Founders | Ivan Ashminov and Borislav Nedialkov |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Forex, Stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), CFDs |
| Services | Stockbroker, Electronic trading platform |
| Revenue |  £194.140 million (2024)[2] |
| £48.618 million (2024)[2] | |
| £42.965 million (2024)[2] | |
| AUM | £25 billion |
| Total assets | £249.545 million (2024)[2] |
| Total equity | £205.203 million (2024)[2] |
Number of employees | 422[3] (2025) |
| Website | www |
The group operates an electronic trading platform that offers commission-free investing in listed equities and ETFs, alongside contracts for difference (CFDs). In 2024 the company introduced a debit card product.
Trading 212 serves clients worldwide, with operations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region.
History
Trading 212 was co-founded by Ivan Ashminov and Borislav Nedialkov in Bulgaria in 2004,[4] originally under the name Avus Capital.[5][6][7] As recalled by Ashminov, he purchased the domain name Trading 212 for £10 and himself wrote the code for the first version of their investing platform.[8]
Initially, the company specialised in forex trading and developed proprietary trading software.[6] Trading 212 UK Limited has been authorised by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).[9]
In 2017, it launched commission-free share dealing in the UK.[10][11]
In January 2021, during the GameStop short squeeze, along with Robinhood Markets, the company prevented users from buying GameStop shares and only allowed them to sell their existing shares.[12]
In February 2021, Trading 212 was reported to be the most downloaded mobile application in the United Kingdom, [13] but it placed a one year onboarding freeze on new clients.[4]
In 2021, following Brexit, Trading 212 began onboarding EU residents through Trading 212 Markets Ltd, its Cyprus-regulated entity licensed by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission in March 2021.[14][15]
In February 2023, the Group reported a 473% growth in pre-tax profit for the 2021 FY, as well as over 11.2% year-over-year total revenue increase, reaching £138.7 million.[16] However, already in November 2023 the figures revealed a major decline of more than 50%, reporting a pre-tax profit of £40.5 mln down from the previous year's £86 mln. Both the Cypriot and Bulgarian branches ended the year with losses of more than £10 mln.[17]
It launched its tax-free cash ISA savings product in 2024,[4] and introduced a multi-currency payment card for UK customers. In addition, in the same year Trading 212 acquired FXFlat Bank GmbH, a German financial services provider licensed by BaFin, for €4 million.[18][19][20]
In February 2026, Trading 212 received authorisation from the Financial Conduct Authority to offer self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs).[21]
Business model
Trading 212 operates a commission-free model for its stock trading services, meaning that clients are not charged commissions or custody fees for holding assets on the platform.[22] The company derives revenue primarily through currency conversion fees when transactions are conducted in a currency different from the account's base currency, and through participation in a collateralised stock lending programme.[18]
In 2021, Trading 212 changed how it hedged risk on its CFD business, moving from an internal back-to-back arrangement to hedging exposures with external counterparties.[23]
As of 2025, the company reports having approximately 4.5 million users with funded accounts.[24]
For the year ended 31 December 2024, Trading 212 Group generated revenue of more than £194 million and net profit of £43.8 million. Its UK operations contributed £150 million in revenue. Advertising and marketing costs exceeded £65 million, staff costs were £27.7 million, and the group had 422 employees at year-end.[3] In 2025, Trading 212 UK Limited reported revenue of £277.6 million, up 72% from the previous year, and net profit of £92.2 million. Of its revenue, almost £257 million came from trading, £20.6 million from client interest income, and £1.68 million from debit cards.[25]
Regulations
Trading 212 is regulated in multiple jurisdictions. It is authorised by Bulgaria's Financial Supervision Commission (FSC),[26] the United Kingdom's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA),[6] the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin),[27] the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC),[28] and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).[18]
Controversies
During the GameStop short squeeze in January 2021, Trading 212 temporarily restricted some customers from placing buy orders in certain stocks; the UK's Financial Ombudsman Service later published decisions relating to complaints about the restrictions.[29]
In October 2025, the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) lifted its ban on retail access to certain crypto exchange-traded notes (cETNs) and said firms should ensure they had the correct permissions before offering such products to consumers.[30] The Financial Times reported that Trading 212 allowed UK retail customers to buy crypto ETNs between October 2025 and January 2026 before obtaining the relevant permission; it later applied for permission after being contacted by the FCA and its status on the FCA register was updated in January 2026.[4]