Freight Investor Services Limited

What Freight Investor Services Limited does

Freight Investor Services Limited (FIS) is a privately held London-headquartered interdealer brokerage specialising in freight and commodity derivatives, founded in 2002 by John Banaszkiewicz. The firm operates across nine offices (London, Stamford, New York, Geneva, Dubai, Singapore, Shanghai, Mumbai, Athens) under regulated entities in the UK, Singapore, Dubai DMCC, and Switzerland, with subsidiaries FIS Hellas S.A. (physical dry cargo chartering, acquired June 2024 from GR8 Chartering Hellas) and FIS Dry SARL (physical shipbroking headquarters in Geneva). FIS is authorised and regulated by the FCA (FRN: 211452), is a member of the NFA, and achieved ISO 27001 certification in December 2025.

FIS provides brokerage execution across more than 15 freight and commodity markets — covering Dry FFA, Wet FFA, Container FFA, Air Freight, Iron Ore, Coking Coal, Steel & Scrap, Base Metals, Battery Metals (cobalt, lithium, spodumene), Aluminium Premiums, Oil Products, LPG, Physical Bunkers, Carbon, Ammonia, Pulp & Paper, and Fertilisers — and is present on all major global exchanges (SGX, CME, ICE, EEX, DCE, LME). The technology stack centers on the FIS Live App (award-winning mobile/desktop application launched in V2 in November 2024 with real-time pricing, customizable dashboards, price alerts, and technical charting) and FIS Live Web App Data Services (OHLC, intra-day, anonymized trade tape, and volume data delivered via app, API, or bespoke methods).

FIS generates revenue through brokerage commissions on executed trades (transaction-fee model) and recurring subscription revenue from Data Services, with pricing negotiated per client on multi-year contracts. The firm pursues sales-led go-to-market via expert brokers on dedicated product desks, complemented by ecosystem partnerships with exchanges (SGX, CME, ICE, Baltic Exchange, LME, NOREXECO) and pricing/index providers (Fastmarkets). The customer base spans dry bulk market participants, ferrous commodity traders, energy and oil hedgers, metals traders, fertiliser participants, environmental/carbon market participants, financial institutions, and physical shipping clients, with named counterparties including Baltic Exchange, Swiss Marine, Rio Tinto, Wogen, Wooray Commodities, and Ja Commodities.

Name

Freight Investor Services Limited

Legal name

Freight Investor Services Ltd

Website

https://freightinvestorservices.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Freight Investor Services is a London-headquartered interdealer broker and data provider in freight and commodity derivatives, executing trades across 15+ markets on global exchanges for shipowners, trading houses, miners, and financial institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight and Commodity Derivatives Brokerage

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Commodity Contracts Intermediation (523160)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Commodity Contracts Brokers & Dealers (6221)

akta.pro primary industry

Bulk & Commodity Freight Brokerage (Dry Bulk) (TLADAMAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Liquid Bulk / Tanker Freight Brokerage (TLADAMAL), Air Freight Brokerage (TLADAMAE)

Keywords

• Freight derivatives brokerage
• Commodity derivatives trading
• Shipbroking services
• Freight forward agreements
• Commodity market data

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Brokerage Commissions: Expert brokers connect buyers and sellers across freight and commodity derivatives markets, earning commissions on executed trades. Covers freight FFAs, ferrous, energy, environmental products, metals, fertilisers, and cross-commodities.
2. Data Services: Premium data and integration services including OHLC, intra-day, anonymised trade tape, volume data, and market reports accessible via FIS Live app, API, or bespoke delivery methods.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Freight Investor Services (FIS) is a global brokerage and service provider in freight and commodity derivatives. Expert brokers connect buyers and sellers across freight FFAs, ferrous (iron ore, coking coal, steel, scrap), energy (fuel oil, gasoil, LPG, physical bunkers), environmental products (carbon, ammonia, pulp), base and battery metals, fertilisers, and cross-commodity markets. The company complements brokerage with the FIS Live App (award-winning real-time pricing and analytics platform), Data Services (OHLC, intra-day, anonymised trade tape via API/app), Education courses, and physical dry cargo shipbroking through FIS Hellas.

Product overview

Freight Investor Services (FIS) operates as a world-leading brokerage and service provider in freight and commodity derivatives, offering a comprehensive platform of interconnected products and services. The core offering centers on the FIS Live App (award-winning mobile/desktop application providing real-time pricing across 15+ markets) and expert brokerage services across multiple market segments: Freight (Dry FFA, Wet FFA, Container FFA, Air Freight), Ferrous (Iron Ore, Coking Coal, Steel & Scrap), Base Metals, Battery Metals, Energy (Oil Products, LPG, Physical Bunkers), Environmental Products (Carbon, Ammonia, Pulp & Paper), and Fertilisers. Supporting services include Data Services (real-time pricing, reports via API/web-app) and Education offerings. Physical shipbroking is delivered through FIS Hellas (acquired GR8 Chartering). FIS pioneered markets in iron ore, FFA options, coking coal, cobalt, lithium, and container freight, maintaining dominant market share in dry bulk freight and key bulk commodities outside China for over a decade.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FIS Live: Award-winning mobile and desktop app providing real-time market pricing, expert broker market analysis, key product reports, and technical charting tools across freight and commodity markets.
• FIS Physical LTD
• FIS Hellas S.A.

Products and services

• Freight Derivatives Brokerage
• Ferrous and Metals Derivatives Brokerage
• Energy and LPG Derivatives Brokerage
• Environmental Products Brokerage (Carbon, Ammonia, Pulp)
• Fertiliser Derivatives Brokerage
• FIS Live App
• Data Services
• Education Services
• FIS Hellas Physical Dry Cargo Chartering

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3.5 million Dry FFA futures & options lots traded in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NOREXECOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFIS partnered with NOREXECO to develop pulp futures markets, enabling companies to hedge future exposure in paper/pulp commodities. FIS broke all listed NOREXECO contracts on both European and Chinese softwood and hardwood pulp contracts.
• FastmarketscoreTechnology or IntegrationFIS works closely with Fastmarkets on cleared battery metal futures contracts (lithium hydroxide, cobalt, spodumene) and pulp futures. FIS facilitated first Spodumene CIF China (Fastmarkets) futures trade on CME and was instrumental in developing Fastmarkets-based derivative contracts.
• CME GroupcoreTechnology or IntegrationFIS works with CME to offer cleared solutions for battery metal contracts, having brokered first Cobalt Hydroxide futures trade, first cleared CME Cobalt option trade, first Spodumene futures trade, and first listed CME fertilizer option trade. FIS continues to drive CME-cleared lithium hydroxide contract liquidity.
• Singapore Exchange (SGX)coreTechnology or IntegrationFIS is a dominant market participant on SGX, consistently winning top broker awards across dry bulk commodities, FFAs, and iron ore. FIS was the first to trade new 0.5% grade contracts and C5 options on SGX.
• ICE (Intercontinental Exchange)coreTechnology or IntegrationFIS is present on ICE for LPG, carbon, and ammonia derivatives. FIS completed 100% of ICE Ammonia Outright – Argus Ammonia NWE CFR Future volume since launch in January 2023.
• Baltic ExchangecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFIS is a long-standing active member of the Baltic Exchange. Founder John Banaszkiewicz was the first chairman of the FFA Brokers Association (FFABA) and helped launch the Independent FFA Association (IFFAA) in 2023.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Poten & Partners: Poten & Partners is a specialist FFA and tanker market broker, particularly strong in wet freight and tanker derivatives. Overlaps with FIS's wet FFA and LPG offerings.
• TP ICAP: TP ICAP operates one of the world's largest interdealer broking franchises across energy, commodities, and rates. The former employer of FIS's new CEO George Dranganoudis, TP ICAP competes head-on with FIS in oil products, FFA, and base metals voice brokerage.
• ED&F Man Capital Markets: ED&F Man Capital Markets is a leading voice broker in sugar, coffee, FX, and commodities with growing metals capability. Overlaps with FIS in cross-commodity brokerage and clearing relationships, particularly in London.
• Braemar (now part of LINK Group): Braemar is a leading shipbroker and FFA broker with strong dry cargo and tanker capabilities. Directly comparable to FIS in dry bulk physical and paper brokerage.
• StoneX Group: StoneX (formerly INTL FCStone) operates a global FFA, freight, and commodity derivatives brokerage alongside physical trading. Directly comparable to FIS in dry FFA and freight derivatives, and offers a public-market benchmark for the segment.
• Clarkson PLC (Clarksons): Clarksons is the world's largest shipbroking firm with a strong FFA and shipping-research franchise. Overlaps with FIS's expanding physical shipbroking capability (FIS Hellas, FIS Dry SARL) and competes in dry cargo chartering and freight intelligence.
• Simpson Spence Young (SSY, now Watermark Group): SSY is a top-tier global shipbroker covering tanker, dry, and offshore markets with FFA capability. Comparable to FIS in dry bulk FFA and physical chartering.
• Marex: Marex is the largest independent commodities broker globally with deep FFA, freight, metals, and energy franchises. Directly comparable to FIS — overlapping customers, products (FFAs, ferrous, energy), and voice-brokerage + data distribution model — and is the most relevant public-market comparable for FIS.

Broad incumbents

• BGC Group / GFI Brokers: BGC Group (which acquired GFI) operates a broad interdealer brokerage across rates, FX, credit, and commodities (energy and metals). Overlaps with FIS in commodity derivatives voice brokerage, but operates as a much broader incumbent across asset classes.

Others

• FIH (a part of Marex) / Freight Investor Holdings Heritage: Historical peer entities and former independent FFA shops that have consolidated into larger brokerage groups provide context for FIS's competitive positioning as an independent FFA specialist.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/freightinvestor
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@fis6395
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/freight-investor-services

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Freight Investor Services Limited