IG
IG Group Holdings plc is a UK-listed FTSE 250 online trading platform offering CFDs, forex, vanilla options, and share dealing to 742,100 retail, professional, and corporate clients across Europe, Asia Pacific, and North America.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1974
- HeadquartersMelbourne, Australia
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What IG does
IG Group Holdings plc is a UK-headquartered, FTSE 250-listed online trading platform founded in 1974 that offers leveraged and commission-free trading products to retail, professional, and corporate clients globally. Its core platform delivers contracts for difference (CFDs), spread betting, forex trading, and share dealing, with the product surface expanded in 2026 to include vanilla options for corporate-account holders in Japan across stock indices, commodities, and volatility indices. The platform serves a distributed client base of 742,100 active customers (as of the most recent full-year report) across Europe (UK, France), Asia Pacific (Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore), North America, and Africa/Middle East, supported by educational content via IG Academy and market insights via DailyFX.
The company operates a transaction-fee revenue model across CFD/spread betting, vanilla options, and share dealing streams, complemented by interest income on client cash balances. GTM motion is hybrid: a self-serve online platform serves retail and SMB clients, while a direct sales channel targets higher-value corporate accounts in regulated markets such as Japan. Distribution has been broadened through the Freetrade acquisition (commission-free retail), the TradingView integration (broker availability on a third-party charting platform), and the Upvest partnership (European investment infrastructure expansion starting with France). The most recent full-year revenue is £1.12 billion, up 7% year-over-year, with Q1 2026 guidance of approximately £300 million supported by heightened market volatility.
Strategic direction emphasizes evolving from a single-product CFD broker into a multi-product OTC derivatives platform with diversified geographic and customer-segment exposure. The company has signaled capital discipline with a £125 million share buyback alongside record revenue, while continuing offensive moves into new products (vanilla options), new geographies (France via Upvest), and new segments (corporate accounts in Japan). Underlying technology is a proprietary online trading platform with web and mobile access; no specific AI/ML capabilities are disclosed in the available data.
IG firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- IG
- Legal name
- IG Group Holdings plc
- Website
- https://ig.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1974
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- IG Group Holdings plc is a UK-listed FTSE 250 online trading platform offering CFDs, forex, vanilla options, and share dealing to 742,100 retail, professional, and corporate clients across Europe, Asia Pacific, and North America.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
IG industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Retail Brokerage
- NAICS
- Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage (5231), Commodity Contracts Intermediation (52316)
- SIC
- Commodity Contracts Brokers & Dealers (6221), Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Derivatives & Futures Brokerage (FSAEACAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Equity Derivatives Trading (Options/Single-Stock & Index) (FSACAFAF), Listed Derivatives Execution Platforms (Futures/Options) (FSAFANAD)
Keywords
Where IG is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Melbourne
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
IG business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- CFD and Spread Betting: Core revenue from contracts for difference and spread betting services, enabling leveraged trading across asset classes including forex, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies.
- Vanilla Options: OTC vanilla options offered across stock indices, commodities, and volatility indices with daily, weekly, and monthly maturities, settled by cash difference at expiry. Expanded to corporate accounts in Japan with higher leverage (up to 100x FX, 200x certain index/commodity CFDs).
- Share Dealing: Commission-free UK share and ETF trading, generating revenue through competitive interest rates on uninvested balances and other platform services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Monthly | Commission-free UK share and ETF trading with competitive interest rates |
| Transaction based/ take rate | One time/ perpetual license | 5% cashback promotion for new UK investors |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
IG product offering
Product offeringCore offering
IG operates an online trading platform offering CFDs, forex, vanilla options, and share dealing services to retail and corporate clients globally. Its product mix spans leveraged derivatives across stock indices, commodities, currency pairs, and volatility indices, alongside commission-free share and ETF dealing via the acquired Freetrade platform.
Product overview
IG is a multi-product OTC derivatives trading platform offering CFDs, forex trading, and vanilla options across multiple markets. The core offering is the IG Trading Platform, complemented by the acquired Freetrade brand for commission-free share dealing. The platform serves both retail and institutional clients (including corporate accounts in Japan) with products spanning forex, stock indices, commodities, and volatility indices. The strategy emphasizes moving beyond traditional CFDs and spread betting into a broader multi-product platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Freetrade: Commission-free share and ETF trading platform acquired by IG Group.
- Upvest
Products and services
- IG Trading Platform Self-described award-winning online trading platform offering CFDs, forex trading, vanilla options, and share dealing to retail and institutional clients across Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and Africa/Middle East.
- CFDs (Contracts for Difference) Leveraged derivative products enabling clients to speculate on price movements of underlying financial instruments without owning them, with leverage up to 200x on certain index and commodity CFDs.
- Forex Trading Forex trading service enabling clients to trade currency pairs with leverage, marketed as a world-class offering.
- Vanilla Options OTC options contracts across stock indices, commodities, and volatility indices with daily, weekly, and monthly maturities, settled by cash difference at expiry. Available to retail and corporate clients in Japan with up to 100x leverage on FX and 200x on certain index/commodity CFDs.
- Share Dealing Account UK share dealing account providing commission-free trading of UK-listed shares and ETFs, with revenue generated via competitive interest rates on uninvested balances.
- Freetrade Commission-free UK share and ETF trading platform acquired by IG Group, expanding the company's retail investor base across the UK and Europe.
- Spread Betting Spread betting service allowing clients to speculate on price movements of financial instruments with leverage, primarily available in the UK market.
Quantifiable outcome
- 174% increase in active clients to 742,100 following Freetrade acquisition
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use IG
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
IG technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
IG partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- UpvestcoreIG partnered with Upvest, a European investment infrastructure company, to expand its investment services across Europe starting with France. The collaboration leverages Upvest's Investment API to enhance trading infrastructure and provide more products to European clients.
- TradingViewcoreIG became available on the TradingView platform, expanding distribution to TradingView's user base of active traders. TradingView provides charting and trading tools, with IG integrated as a broker option for executing trades.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
IG competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CMC Markets: CMC Markets is a UK-listed CFD and spread betting broker offering leveraged trading across forex, indices, commodities, and shares. Directly comparable to IG in product mix, retail/professional client base, and revenue model.
- Plus500: Plus500 is an Israeli-headquartered, London-listed CFD provider offering leveraged trading on shares, forex, commodities, and indices via a proprietary platform. Closely comparable to IG's core CFD business and target active trader segment.
- eToro: eToro is a multi-asset retail trading platform offering CFDs, stocks, crypto, and copy-trading. Comparable to IG across the retail CFD and share-dealing overlap, especially following IG's Freetrade acquisition.
- Pepperstone: Pepperstone is an Australia-headquartered FX and CFD broker serving retail and professional clients globally. Comparable to IG in product offering (forex, indices, commodities CFDs), regulatory footprint, and active-trader focus.
- OANDA: OANDA is a global retail FX and CFD broker with strong institutional heritage. Overlaps directly with IG's forex and CFD core, including multi-jurisdictional regulatory coverage and similar platform economics.
- Saxo Bank: Saxo Bank is a Danish multi-asset broker offering FX, CFDs, stocks, options, and futures to retail and institutional clients. Directly comparable to IG in product breadth, professional client focus, and global regulatory model.
Broad incumbents
- Interactive Brokers: Interactive Brokers is a large, established multi-asset broker offering trading in stocks, options, futures, forex, and CFDs globally. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the same multi-product retail/professional brokerage space, though with a wider portfolio and not specializing in CFDs.
- Robinhood: Robinhood is a US commission-free retail trading platform offering stocks, ETFs, options, and crypto. Comparable to IG's Freetrade-acquired retail franchise and share-dealing offering as a broader incumbent in retail trading.
Emerging players
- Trading 212: Trading 212 is a commission-free CFD and share-dealing platform focused on European retail investors. Comparable to IG's UK retail and Freetrade franchise, particularly on commission-free share trading and CFD distribution.
Regional players
- Hargreaves Lansdown: Hargreaves Lansdown is the UK's largest direct-to-consumer investment platform for shares, funds, and ETFs. Comparable to IG's UK share-dealing offering through Freetrade, though primarily UK-focused and not active in leveraged CFDs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
IG social profiles
Digital presenceIG financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
IG leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
IG subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
IG funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
IG M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about IG
What does IG do?
IG operates an online trading platform offering CFDs, forex, vanilla options, and share dealing services to retail and corporate clients globally. Its product mix spans leveraged derivatives across stock indices, commodities, currency pairs, and volatility indices, alongside commission-free share and ETF dealing via the acquired Freetrade platform.
Is IG a public or private company?
IG is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was IG founded?
IG was founded in 1974. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is IG based?
IG is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does IG make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. CFD and Spread Betting is the primary driver. The others are vanilla Options and share Dealing.
Who are IG's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CMC Markets, Plus500, eToro, Pepperstone, OANDA and Saxo Bank. Broad incumbents are Interactive Brokers and Robinhood. Trading 212 is listed as an emerging player. Hargreaves Lansdown is listed as a regional player.
Does IG have an API?
No public API is recorded for IG.
What industry is IG in?
IG's product category is Online Retail Brokerage. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAEACAL, Derivatives & Futures Brokerage, with a secondary code of FSACAFAF, Equity Derivatives Trading (Options/Single-Stock & Index). Its NAICS code is 5231 and its SIC code is 6221.