IG Group
IG Group is a London-headquartered, FTSE 250-listed online trading and investment platform serving over 820,000 active retail and professional clients across 19 countries with multi-asset access to over 21,000 instruments spanning CFDs, forex, options, futures, equities, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1974
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What IG Group does
IG Group Holdings plc is a London-headquartered, FTSE 250-listed (LSE: IGG) global online trading and investment platform founded in 1974. The company pioneered retail OTC derivatives trading and has grown to serve over 820,000 active clients across 19 countries on five continents with 2,416 employees as of May 2025. Its core product is a proprietary multi-asset trading platform offering access to over 21,000 instruments spanning CFDs, forex, options, futures, equities, ETFs, fixed income, mutual funds, and cryptocurrencies, supported by low-latency execution infrastructure and a content ecosystem that broadcasts over ten hours of daily live programming through Trade Live with IG, tastylive, and DailyFX.
IG generates approximately 90% of revenue from net trading activity (spreads and commissions on CFDs, forex, options, futures, and stock trading), with secondary revenue from net interest income on customer cash balances and a growing cryptocurrency trading stream (£2.4M in Q1 2026 from UK operations). Pricing is primarily transaction-based with zero-commission stock trading introduced as a competitive offering through the Freetrade subsidiary acquired in April 2025 for £160M. The company also earns revenue from execution quality, market-making activities across OTC derivatives and exchange-traded products, and from institutional liquidity provision.
The business operates through multiple brands and subsidiaries including IG.com, Freetrade (UK neobroker), tastylive and tastytrade (US options and futures), Spectrum Markets (European exchange), DailyFX (research), and Independent Reserve (Australian cryptocurrency exchange acquired for $72.4M/70% stake in January 2026). Distribution combines direct-to-consumer self-serve platforms with strategic fintech partnerships (Upvest for French stock trading, Bitpanda for European crypto) and decentralized product development launched in 2024. CY24 revenue was £1,123.4M (up 7% from £1,052.2M), Q1 2026 revenue grew 21% to £339.9M, and EBITDA margin reached 47% in FY25, with the company under a strategic review announced March 2026 evaluating a potential US listing, domicile change, and possible mergers or acquisitions.
IG Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- IG Group
- Legal name
- IG Group Holdings plc
- Website
- https://www.iggroup.com/
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1974
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- IG Group is a London-headquartered, FTSE 250-listed online trading and investment platform serving over 820,000 active retail and professional clients across 19 countries with multi-asset access to over 21,000 instruments spanning CFDs, forex, options, futures, equities, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
IG Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Retail Trading and Investment Brokerage
- NAICS
- Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage (5231), Investment Banking and Securities Intermediation (523150)
- SIC
- Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211), Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- iGaming Platform Providers (Turnkey/Casino & Sportsbook Platforms) (MPAEAKAA)
Keywords
Where IG Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices18 records
Markets served
IG Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Net trading revenue: Primary revenue driver from spreads and commissions on trading across CFDs, forex, options, futures, and stock trading. Includes execution quality revenue and market-making activities across OTC derivatives and exchange-traded products. Represents approximately 90% of total revenue.
- Net interest income: Interest earned on customer cash balances held in accounts. Secondary revenue stream from float income on customer deposits.
- Cryptocurrency trading: Spot crypto trading revenue, generating £2.4 million in Q1 2026 from UK operations. Growing revenue stream following FCA crypto license and Independent Reserve acquisition.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Hybrid | Pay-as-you-go | Zero-commission stock trading proposition |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | CFD and derivatives trading |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
IG Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
IG Group provides a proprietary online trading and investment platform that gives retail and professional clients access to over 21,000 instruments, including CFDs, forex, indices, commodities, options, futures, shares, ETFs, mutual funds, and cryptocurrencies. Revenue is generated primarily from spreads and commissions on client trading activity and from interest on client cash balances, delivered through the IG.com platform and a portfolio of sub-brands including tastytrade, tastylive, Freetrade, Independent Reserve, DailyFX, and Spectrum.
Product overview
IG Group is a global trading and investment platform providing online trading and investment services through multiple product lines. The core offering includes an OTC derivatives platform (CFDs, forex, options) offering access to over 21,000 instruments, complemented by stock trading and investment services through IG and Freetrade (acquired April 2025). The company has expanded into cryptocurrency trading via IG Crypto (UK, launched May 2025), IG Markets Australia (June 2026), and IG Europe via Bitpanda partnership. US operations include tastylive for options trading and futures/options services. The product portfolio spans CFDs, forex, equities, ETFs, options, futures, mutual funds, and digital assets, supported by educational content through DailyFX and tastylive. A unified multi-asset platform called Spectrum is planned for mid-2026.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- tastylive: Live trading education platform providing market commentary, trading ideas, and educational content through daily broadcasts.
- tastytrade
- DailyFX
- Spectrum Markets
- Freetrade
Products and services
- IG Trading Platform
Quantifiable outcome
- Record FY25 revenue of £1,123.4m, up 7% year-over-year
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use IG Group
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
IG Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability8 records
Feature5 records
IG Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- BitpandacoreIG Group partnered with Austria-based cryptocurrency exchange Bitpanda to expand spot crypto trading services from the UK across Europe. Bitpanda provides MiCA-authorized infrastructure including liquidity, trading connectivity, and market data. The partnership enables IG to offer digital asset access to European investors without building its own crypto infrastructure amid heightened MiCA compliance requirements.
- Forward (formerly Forward Networks)supportingForward (formerly Forward Networks) launched Forward Predict, a network digital twin capability, with IG Group as a beta customer. IG uses Forward Predict to test proposed network changes before deployment, reducing risk of service disruption and compliance issues. Forward's platform models behavior across every device and vendor from network to application layer.
- AdclearsupportingIG Group partnered with Adclear to deploy AI-powered financial promotion compliance platform across its UK and Ireland marketing operations and expanding crypto business. The platform enables faster approval of promotional materials, with 87% of assets now approved within target timeframes and improved first-time approval rates. Supports compliance with tightening FCA financial promotion rules.
- Independent ReservecoreIG Group completed acquisition of Independent Reserve, an Australian cryptocurrency exchange, bringing AUSTRAC-registered exchange infrastructure, ISO 27001 security certification, and 500,000 customers into the group. IG paid $72.4 million for a 70% stake. The acquisition enables crypto trading services in Singapore, Australia, and UAE in the second half of 2026.
- UpvestcoreIG Group partnered with Berlin-based fintech Upvest to offer stock and ETF trading to customers in France. Upvest's Investment API handles trading infrastructure and back-office operations, enabling IG to expand beyond traditional CFD and forex offerings to compete with newer fintech entrants like Trade Republic and Revolut. Upvest processes over 100 million orders annually and counts Revolut, N26, and bunq among its clients.
- Kraken (Payward Inc)coreIG Group sold its Small Exchange business to Payward Inc (parent of Kraken) for $100 million ($32.5M cash and $67.5M Kraken stock). IG retains a partnership with Kraken to distribute new crypto products. The sale includes a significant post-tax gain and increases IG's regulatory capital while enabling Kraken to expand US derivatives capabilities.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights7 records
IG Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Plus500: Israel-headquartered, London-listed retail CFD broker offering a self-trading platform across multiple asset classes with a similar spread-based revenue model. Directly competes with IG in CFDs and retail derivatives across Europe and Australia.
- Robinhood Markets: US-listed retail trading platform offering commission-free stock, options, ETF, and crypto trading. Comparable multi-asset retail offering and go-to-market model, particularly as IG pursues US listing and expands Freetrade-style commission-free offerings.
- OANDA: Global retail forex and CFD broker with a long-standing platform serving active traders. Directly comparable to IG in retail FX/CFD execution, spreads, and platform technology.
- eToro: Multi-asset retail trading platform offering stocks, ETFs, crypto, and CFDs with a strong social/copy-trading proposition. Comparable to IG across CFDs, stock trading, and crypto offerings, with overlapping retail customer base.
- CMC Markets: UK-listed CFD and spread betting provider offering leveraged trading across forex, indices, commodities, and shares to retail and professional clients globally. Closest direct competitor to IG's core OTC derivatives franchise.
Broad incumbents
- Interactive Brokers: Large, established multi-asset broker serving retail, professional, and institutional clients globally with deep product breadth across 150+ markets. Overlaps with IG's professional and institutional segments and multi-asset strategy, but with a much broader, lower-touch client mix.
- Saxo Bank: Denmark-headquartered online trading and investment specialist serving retail, affluent, and institutional clients across forex, CFDs, stocks, and funds. Overlaps with IG's professional/affluent trading proposition and platform-based offering, though more focused on traditional asset classes.
Emerging players
- Trade Republic: Berlin-based European neobroker offering commission-free stock and ETF trading plus savings products. An emerging competitor to IG's Freetrade and IG Stock Trading (France) offerings targeting younger European retail investors.
- Revolut: Global fintech super-app offering commission-free stock, ETF, and crypto trading alongside banking services. Increasingly competes with IG across European retail trading and investment products, particularly with younger, mobile-first customers.
Regional players
- Hargreaves Lansdown: UK's largest direct-to-consumer investment platform offering funds, shares, ETFs, and SIPPs/ISAs. Comparable to IG's Freetrade and IG Smart Portfolios offering for UK retail investors, though primarily a long-only investment platform rather than leveraged trading.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
IG Group social profiles
Digital presenceIG Group compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
IG Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
IG Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
IG Group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries17 records
IG Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
IG Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A8 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about IG Group
What does IG Group do?
IG Group provides a proprietary online trading and investment platform that gives retail and professional clients access to over 21,000 instruments, including CFDs, forex, indices, commodities, options, futures, shares, ETFs, mutual funds, and cryptocurrencies. Revenue is generated primarily from spreads and commissions on client trading activity and from interest on client cash balances, delivered through the IG.com platform and a portfolio of sub-brands including tastytrade, tastylive, Freetrade, Independent Reserve, DailyFX, and Spectrum.
Is IG Group a public or private company?
IG Group is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was IG Group founded?
IG Group was founded in 1974. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is IG Group based?
IG Group is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does IG Group make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Net trading revenue is the primary driver. The others are net interest income and cryptocurrency trading.
Who are IG Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Plus500, Robinhood Markets, OANDA, eToro and CMC Markets. Broad incumbents are Interactive Brokers and Saxo Bank. Emerging players are Trade Republic and Revolut. Hargreaves Lansdown is listed as a regional player.
Does IG Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for IG Group.
What industry is IG Group in?
IG Group's product category is Online Retail Trading and Investment Brokerage. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAEAKAA, iGaming Platform Providers (Turnkey/Casino & Sportsbook Platforms). Its NAICS code is 5231 and its SIC code is 6211.