Trading 212

Trading 212 Group Limited[1]
Company type
Privately held company
IndustryFinancial services
PredecessorAvus Capital Group
Founded2004; 22 years ago (2004) in Sofia, Bulgaria
FoundersIvan Ashminov and Borislav Nedialkov
Headquarters
London
,
United Kingdom
ProductsForex, Stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), CFDs
ServicesStockbroker, Electronic trading platform
RevenueIncrease £194.140 million (2024)[2]
Increase £48.618 million (2024)[2]
Increase £42.965 million (2024)[2]
AUM£25 billion
Total assetsIncrease £249.545 million (2024)[2]
Total equityIncrease £205.203 million (2024)[2]
Number of employees
422[3] (2025)
Websitewww.trading212.com

Trading 212 is a European fintech brokerage group founded in Bulgaria in 2004 and headquartered in London, United Kingdom.

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 late 2020 – early 2021, Trading 212's platforms experienced several outages due to DDoS attacks.[12][better source needed]

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.[13]

In February 2021, Trading 212 was reported to be the most downloaded mobile application in the United Kingdom, [14] but it placed a one year onboarding freeze on new clients.[4]

In 2021, following Brexit, Trading 212 announced plans to reorganise client accounts. This reorganisation involved transferring certain EU clients from its UK entity to a newly established Cyprus entity, while the Bulgarian entity also planned transfers to either the Cyprus or UK entity.[5][15][independent source needed]

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]

See also

References

  1. ^ "TRADING 212 GROUP LIMITED". Companies House. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Group of companies' accounts made up to 31 December 2024". gov.uk.
  3. ^ a b Shome, Arnab (1 October 2025). "Trading212 Cyprus Doubles Its 2024 Revenue to £42 Million". Finance Magnates. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d Hodgson, Ramsay; Arnold, Martin (26 January 2026). "Trading 212 sold crypto-linked securities without authorisation". Financial Times. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  5. ^ a b "Trading 212 Parts Ways With Co-founder Borislav Nedialkov". FinanceFeeds. 3 February 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  6. ^ a b c Siddiqui, Adil (10 October 2014). "Exclusive: Bulgarian FX Broker Trading 212 Aka Avus Capital Lands UK Authorization". Finance Magnates. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  7. ^ Kuzmov, Slavcho. ""Трейдинг212": Еднорогът под прикритie". Capital Bulgaria. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  8. ^ Blackhurst, Chris (22 May 2025). "Meet Trading 212's Ivan Ashminov, the entrepreneur disrupting the world of UK finance". The Independent. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  9. ^ "Trading 212 UK Limited". Financial Conduct Authority. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  10. ^ Peyton, Antony (22 June 2017). "Brokers are jokers with Trading 212 zero commission service". Fintech Futures. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  11. ^ Dilworth, Miles (21 June 2017). "Trading 212: Fintech startup takes on brokers with first free UK share trading platform". Independent Co Uk. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  12. ^ Abdel-Quader, Aziz (11 March 2020). "UK Broker Trading 212 Restores Service after DDoS Attack". Finance Magnates. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  13. ^ Davies, Rob (28 January 2021). "GameStop shares plunge after ban by Robinhood app". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  14. ^ "Why the GameStop Frenzy Is Mostly a Made in U.S.A. Drama". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  15. ^ Erazo, Felipe (6 July 2021). "Trading 212 Starts a Gradual Onboarding of EU Residents into Its Platform". Finance Magnates. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  16. ^ Oladipupo, Solomon (2 February 2023). "Two Directors Resign from Trading 212's Boards". Finance Magnates. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  17. ^ Shome, Arnab (11 October 2023). "Non-UK Trading 212 Entities in 2022: Sharp Revenue Drop and Loss". Finance Magnates. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  18. ^ a b c Segal, Gerald (8 October 2024). "Trading 212 Group profits drop 35% in 2023, launches Australia branch". FX News Group. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  19. ^ Kirui, Jared (15 August 2024). "Trading 212 Acquires FXFlat in Expansion into Germany". Finance Magnates. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  20. ^ "Trading 212 Expands With Acquisition Of Germany's FXFlat Bank". FinanceFeeds. 15 August 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  21. ^ "Trading 212 Pushes into Private Pensions After Five-Year Wait". Finance Magnates. 18 March 2026. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  22. ^ "Trading 212 Hits The Headlines With No-commission Physical Equities - But Who Is Booking The Trades? We Investigate". FinanceFeeds. 26 June 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  23. ^ "Trading 212 Profit Halves Amid Revenue Slump". FinanceFeeds. 11 October 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  24. ^ "Trading 212 Surpasses £25 Billion in Client Assets and 4.5 Million Clients, Cementing Position as the UK's Fastest-Growing Saving and Investment Platform". Yahoo Finance. 21 May 2025. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  25. ^ Shome, Arnab (22 April 2026). "Trading 212 Continues to Grow in the UK: 2025 Revenue Jumps 72%, Profit Doubles". Finance Magnates. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  26. ^ "Contact us". Trading 212. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  27. ^ Kirui, Jared (13 January 2025). "Trading 212 Starts Onboarding New Users in Germany Through Acquired FXFlat Bank". Finance Magnates. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  28. ^ "Trading 212's Crypto Business Gets CySEC License". FinanceFeeds. 18 June 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  29. ^ "Decision Reference DRN-3353695" (PDF). Financial Ombudsman Service. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  30. ^ "Information for firms looking to offer crypto exchange traded notes". Financial Conduct Authority. 27 October 2025. Retrieved 2 March 2026.

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