Trading 212 is a British

financial services Financial services are service (economics), economic services tied to finance provided by financial institutions. Financial services encompass a broad range of tertiary sector of the economy, service sector activities, especially as concerns finan ...

company headquartered in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, United Kingdom. It operates an

electronic trading platform In finance, an electronic trading platform, also known as an online trading platform, is a computer software program that can be used to place orders for financial products over a network with a financial intermediary. Various financial products ...

that enables trading in

stock Stocks (also capital stock, or sometimes interchangeably, shares) consist of all the Share (finance), shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided. A single share of the stock means fractional ownership of the corporatio ...

exchange-traded fund An exchange-traded fund (ETF) is a type of investment fund that is also an exchange-traded product, i.e., it is traded on stock exchanges. ETFs own financial assets such as stocks, bonds, currencies, debts, futures contracts, and/or comm ...

s (ETFs) and

contracts for difference In finance, a contract for difference (CFD) is a financial agreement between two parties, commonly referred to as the "buyer" and the "seller." The contract stipulates that the buyer will pay the seller the difference between the current value o ...

(CFDs). The company also provides

debit card A debit card, also known as a check card or bank card, is a payment card that can be used in place of cash to make purchases. The card usually consists of the bank's name, a card number, the cardholder's name, and an expiration date, on either ...

s and other banking services alongside a financial news website. Trading 212 serves clients worldwide, with operations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region. As of 2025, the company reports having approximately 4.5 million registered users.

History

Trading 212 was founded in Bulgaria in 2004 under the name Avus Capital. Initially, the company specialised in

forex The foreign exchange market (forex, FX, or currency market) is a global decentralization, decentralized or Over-the-counter (finance), over-the-counter (OTC) Market (economics), market for the trading of currency, currencies. This market det ...

trading and developed proprietary trading software. The company later expanded its product offerings and geographic reach, establishing a presence in several regulatory jurisdictions. It relocated its headquarters from Bulgaria to London after establishing its operations in the United Kingdom. In February 2021, Trading 212 was reported to be the most downloaded

mobile app A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a smartphone, phone, tablet computer, tablet, or smartwatch, watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop appli ...

lication in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. In 2023, following

Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...

, Trading 212 announced plans to reorganise its 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. In 2024, the company introduced a

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. The company derives revenue primarily through

currency conversion In finance, an exchange rate is the rate at which one currency will be exchanged for another currency. Currencies are most commonly national currencies, but may be sub-national as in the case of Hong Kong or supra-national as in the case of ...

fees when transactions are conducted in a currency different from the account's base currency, and through participation in a collateralised stock

lending In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the debt ( ...

programme. Regarding its

(CFD) products, Trading 212 initially employed a spread‐based

revenue In accounting, revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of product (business), goods and services related to the primary operations of a business. Commercial revenue may also be referred to as sales or as turnover. Some compan ...

model. Between January 2021 and May 2021, the company generated revenue from the difference between the prices offered to clients and the hedging prices established via a back-to-back hedging arrangement with an affiliated entity. In May 2021, Trading 212 discontinued this internal hedging arrangement and subsequently adopted a risk management strategy whereby exposures were hedged externally with third parties. A Cash ISA is described as a tax-free savings option that can be accessed when needed, potentially making it suitable for emergencies or short-term goals.

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

’s money writer, Marc Shoffman, notes that returns on Cash ISAs are typically lower than those of stocks and shares ISAs but may be a reasonable choice for individuals seeking to minimise risk.

Regulations

Trading 212 is regulated in multiple jurisdictions. It is authorised by the United Kingdom's

Financial Conduct Authority The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is a financial regulatory body in the United Kingdom. It operates independently of the UK Government and is financed by charging fees to members of the financial services industry. The FCA regulates financi ...

(FCA), the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).

References

{{reflist Financial services companies of the United Kingdom Financial services companies based in London Financial technology companies Financial derivative trading companies Foreign exchange companies 2004 establishments in Bulgaria Online brokerages