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.
| |
| Formerly | Avus Capital Group Limited (2016–2017)[1] |
|---|---|
| Type | Privately held company |
| Industry | Financial services |
| 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] | |
| £43.785 million (2024)[2] | |
| Total assets | £249.545 million (2024)[2] |
| Total equity | £205.203 million (2024)[2] |
Number of employees | 422[3] (2024) |
| 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 in multiple countries 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] and it paused the onboarding of new UK clients during the surge in demand.[4] Full UK client onboarding resumed in 2022.[14]
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.[15][16]
For the 2021 financial year, Trading 212 Group reported pre-tax profit of £86 million, up 473% from the previous year, and revenue of £138.7 million, an increase of 11.2%.[17] For 2022, pre-tax profit fell to £40.5 million from £86 million, while the group's Cypriot and Bulgarian entities together recorded a loss of approximately £10.3 million.[18]
It launched its Cash ISA savings product in 2024,[4] and introduced a multi-currency payment card for UK customers. In the same year, Trading 212 completed its acquisition of FXFlat Bank GmbH, a German financial services provider licensed by BaFin, for approximately €4 million.[19][20][21]
In February 2026, Trading 212 received authorisation from the Financial Conduct Authority to offer self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs).[22]
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.[23] For its stockbroking business, the group earns currency conversion fees, retains a portion of interest earned on client money, and has earned fees through a collateralised stock-lending programme.[19]
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.[24]
In May 2025, the company reported more than £25 billion in client assets under administration and approximately 4.5 million lifetime funded accounts globally.[25]
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 entity generated £161.7 million in revenue, of which £150 million came from investment brokerage services. 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.[26]
Regulations
Trading 212 is regulated in multiple jurisdictions. It is authorised by Bulgaria's Financial Supervision Commission (FSC),[27] the United Kingdom's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA),[6] the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin),[28] the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC),[29][30] and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).[19]
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.[31]
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.[32] 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]