Company:Trading 212

From HandWiki
Trading 212 Group Limited[1]
TypePrivately 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, originally under the name Avus Capital.[4][5][6] 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.[7]

Initially, the company specialised in forex trading and developed proprietary trading software.[5] Trading 212 UK Limited has been authorised by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).[8]

In 2017, it launched commission-free share dealing in the UK.[9][10]

In late 2020 – early 2021, Trading 212's platforms experienced several outages due to DDoS attacks. In January 2021, it temporarily halted the on-boarding of new clients during GameStop short squeeze.[11]

In February 2021, Trading 212 was reported to be the most downloaded mobile application in the United Kingdom.[12]

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.[4][13]

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.[14] 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.[15]

In 2024, the company 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.[16][17][18]

In March 2026, Trading 212 received authorisation from the Financial Conduct Authority to offer self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs).[19]

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.[20] 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.[16]

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.[21]

As of 2025, the company reports having approximately 4.5 million users with funded accounts.[22]

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]

Regulations

Trading 212 is regulated in multiple jurisdictions. It is authorised by Bulgaria's Financial Supervision Commission (FSC),[23] the United Kingdom's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA),[5] the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin),[24] the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC),[25] and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).[16]

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.[26]

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.[27] 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.[28]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "TRADING 212 GROUP LIMITED". https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/10014283. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Group of companies' accounts made up to 31 December 2024". https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/10014283/filing-history/MzQ4MjkyNDkyNmFkaXF6a2N4/document?format=pdf&download=0. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Shome, Arnab (2025-10-01). "Trading212 Cyprus Doubles Its 2024 Revenue to £42 Million". https://www.financemagnates.com/forex/trading212-cyprus-doubles-its-2024-revenue-to-42-million/. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Trading 212 Parts Ways With Co-founder Borislav Nedialkov". FinanceFeeds. 3 February 2023. https://financefeeds.com/trading-212-parts-ways-with-co-founder-borislav-nedialkov/. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Siddiqui, Adil (2014-10-10). "Exclusive: Bulgarian FX Broker Trading 212 Aka Avus Capital Lands UK Authorization". Finance Magnates. https://www.financemagnates.com/forex/brokers/bulgarian-fx-broker-trading-212-aka-avus-capital-lands-uk-authorisation/. 
  6. ↑ Kuzmov, Slavcho. ""Трейдинг212": Еднорогът под прикритie". Capital Bulgaria. https://www.capital.bg/biznes/kompanii/2023/06/09/4489534_treiding212_ednorogut_pod_prikritie/. 
  7. ↑ Blackhurst, Chris (2025-05-22). "Meet Trading 212’s Ivan Ashminov, the entrepreneur disrupting the world of UK finance". The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/trading-212-ivan-ashminov-savings-investment-b2756103.html. 
  8. ↑ "Trading 212 UK Limited". https://register.fca.org.uk/s/firm?id=001b000000NMi1QAAT. 
  9. ↑ Peyton, Antony (2017-06-22). "Brokers are jokers with Trading 212 zero commission service". Fintech Futures. https://www.fintechfutures.com/fintech/brokers-are-jokers-with-trading-212-zero-commission-service. 
  10. ↑ Dilworth, Miles (2017-06-21). "Trading 212: Fintech startup takes on brokers with first free UK share trading platform". Independent Co Uk. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/indyventure/trading-212-fintech-startup-app-brokers-first-free-uk-share-trading-platform-a7799511.html. 
  11. ↑ Abdel-Qader, Aziz (2021-01-29). "Trading 212 Shuts Out New Accounts Amid Massive Influx of Redditors". Finance Magnates. https://www.financemagnates.com/forex/brokers/trading-212-shuts-out-new-accounts-amid-massive-influx-of-redditors/. 
  12. ↑ "Why the GameStop Frenzy Is Mostly a Made in U.S.A. Drama". Bloomberg.com. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-02/why-the-gamestop-frenzy-is-mostly-a-made-in-u-s-a-drama-for-now. 
  13. ↑ Erazo, Felipe (2021-07-06). "Trading 212 Starts a Gradual Onboarding of EU Residents into Its Platform". Finance Magnates. https://www.financemagnates.com/forex/brokers/trading-212-starts-a-gradual-onboarding-of-eu-residents-into-its-platform/. 
  14. ↑ Oladipupo, Solomon (2023-02-02). "Two Directors Resign from Trading 212’s Boards". Finance Magnates. https://www.financemagnates.com/executives/trading-212-uk-sacks-twodirectors/. 
  15. ↑ Shome, Arnab (2023-10-11). "Non-UK Trading 212 Entities in 2022: Sharp Revenue Drop and Loss". Finance Magnates. https://www.financemagnates.com/forex/non-uk-trading-212-entities-in-2022-sharp-revenue-drop-and-loss/. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Segal, Gerald (2024-10-08). "Trading 212 Group profits drop 35% in 2023, launches Australia branch". https://fxnewsgroup.com/forex-news/retail-forex/trading-212-group-profits-drop-35-in-2023-launches-australia-branch/. 
  17. ↑ Kirui, Jared (2024-08-15). "Trading 212 Acquires FXFlat in Expansion into Germany". Finance Magnates. https://www.financemagnates.com/forex/trading-212-acquires-fxflat-in-expansion-into-germany/. 
  18. ↑ "Trading 212 Expands With Acquisition Of Germany's FXFlat Bank". FinanceFeeds. 2024-08-15. https://financefeeds.com/trading-212-expands-with-acquisition-of-germanys-fxflat-bank/. 
  19. ↑ "Trading 212 Pushes into Private Pensions After Five-Year Wait". 2026-03-18. https://www.financemagnates.com/forex/trading-212-pushes-into-private-pensions-after-five-year-wait/. 
  20. ↑ "Trading 212 Hits The Headlines With No-commission Physical Equities - But Who Is Booking The Trades? We Investigate". FinanceFeeds. 26 June 2017. https://financefeeds.com/trading-212-hits-headlines-no-commission-physical-equities-booking-trades-investigate/. 
  21. ↑ "Trading 212 Profit Halves Amid Revenue Slump". FinanceFeeds. 2023-10-11. https://financefeeds.com/trading-212-profit-halves-as-revenue-drops-31/. 
  22. ↑ "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". 21 May 2025. https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/trading-212-surpasses-25-billion-110400111.html?guccounter=1. 
  23. ↑ "Contact us". https://www.trading212.com/about-us. 
  24. ↑ Kirui, Jared (13 January 2025). "Trading 212 Starts Onboarding New Users in Germany Through Acquired FXFlat Bank". https://www.financemagnates.com/forex/trading-212-starts-onboarding-new-users-in-germany-through-acquired-fxflat-bank/. 
  25. ↑ "Trading 212's Crypto Business Gets CySEC License". FinanceFeeds. 18 June 2024. https://financefeeds.com/trading-212s-crypto-business-gets-cysec-license/. 
  26. ↑ "Decision Reference DRN-3353695". https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/decision/DRN-3353695.pdf. 
  27. ↑ "Information for firms looking to offer crypto exchange traded notes". 2025-10-27. https://www.fca.org.uk/news/statements/information-firms-offer-crypto-exchange-traded-notes. 
  28. ↑ "Trading 212 sold crypto-linked securities without authorisation". Financial Times. 2026-01-27. https://www.ft.com/content/aa086b23-f87c-41d9-a9a8-19758bad918c. 



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