International Yacht Brokers Association (IYBA)

What International Yacht Brokers Association (IYBA) does

The International Yacht Brokers Association (IYBA), founded in 1987 as the Florida Yacht Brokers Association and rebranded in 2019, is a U.S. non-profit trade association headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with 26 employees. Itself governed by an elected member board, IYBA serves more than 2,000 professional yacht brokers and charter industry professionals globally, making it the world's largest association in the segment. Its core product is YachtBroker.org, the only industry-owned multiple listing service for yachts, operated jointly with YBAA, MYBA, and CYBA and providing listing, search, charter search, event search, and MLS data feed services. Adjacent offerings include the CPYB (Certified Professional Yacht Broker) certification program in development since 1999, the COMPASS Magazine quarterly publication (a Neptune Award recipient), an industry-standard contracts and forms library curated by member maritime attorneys, a member directory and job board, and a legislative affairs program monitoring and sponsoring industry-relevant regulation. In 2024, IYBA launched Yachtr, a buyer-facing transaction platform built on YachtBroker.org MLS technology with secure transaction processing.

IYBA operates a subscription- and membership-driven revenue model. Primary revenue streams are annual membership dues across multiple tiers, recurring MLS access fees paid by professional brokers, event registration and corporate sponsorships tied to Sales Summits, Charter Summits, webinars, golf tournaments, open houses, and the Annual Meeting, and content/advertising revenue from COMPASS Magazine. Distribution is largely direct via the IYBA website portal and MLS login, supplemented by physical presence at major industry events including FLIBS, Miami Boat Show, Palm Beach Boat Show, and Monaco Yacht Show. Geographic reach spans the United States, the United Kingdom, Monaco, the Bahamas, Japan, and Ecuador. The association's sponsorship base includes legal firms (Robert Allen Law, Alley Maass, Becker & Poliakoff), insurance and advisory (Willis Towers Watson), marine technology providers (Dockmate), and yacht manufacturers (Benetti), reflecting a diversified commercial ecosystem serving the marine brokerage vertical.

Name

International Yacht Brokers Association (IYBA)

Legal name

International Yacht Brokers Association

Website

https://iyba.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The International Yacht Brokers Association (IYBA) is a 2,000+-member U.S. non-profit trade association headquartered in Fort Lauderdale that operates the industry-owned YachtBroker.org MLS and provides certification, contracts, advocacy, and events to professional yacht brokers and charter professionals worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Yacht Brokerage Industry Association

NAICS

Boat Dealers (441222)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Yacht & Luxury Boat Charters (With Crew) (THAJALAE)

Keywords

• Yacht brokerage association
• Marine industry MLS
• Professional yacht certification
• Charter industry networking
• Yacht sales standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Lauderdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: IYBA generates revenue through membership subscriptions. The association offers various membership tiers with benefits including seminars, professional development, legal advocacy, networking events, open houses, and legislative representation.
2. MLS Access Fees: Revenue from the YachtBroker.org MLS platform used by professional yacht brokers for listing and searching vessels for sale.
3. Event Registration and Sponsorships: IYBA hosts educational and networking events throughout the year including Sales Summits, Charter Summits, Golf Tournaments, and Annual Meetings. Revenue generated through event fees and corporate sponsorships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IYBA is a non-profit trade association that sells membership subscriptions to yacht brokerage and charter professionals. Members gain access to the industry-owned YachtBroker.org MLS for listing and searching vessels, the CPYB professional certification program, a standardized contract and forms library, the quarterly COMPASS Magazine, networking events and summits, and legislative advocacy. The association is governed by its member-elected board and is the largest yacht brokerage and charter industry body worldwide.

Product overview

IYBA operates as a professional association platform with multiple interconnected services for the yacht brokerage and charter industry. The core offerings include a Yacht Broker MLS for listing and searching vessels, COMPASS Magazine as a quarterly industry publication, and the CPYB certification program. Additional services include a Member Directory, Document Library with industry-standard contracts, Charter Services, Events programming, Job Board, and Legislative Affairs advocacy. These products work together to serve the marine industry through professional development, networking, and industry standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Yacht Broker MLS: The industry-owned multiple listing service for yachts, operated by IYBA in partnership with professional yacht broker associations (YBAA, MYBA, CYBA).
• COMPASS Magazine
• CPYB (Certified Professional Yacht Broker) Program
• Yachtr

Products and services

• IYBA Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,000 members served

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• YachtBroker.orgcoreTechnology or IntegrationYachtBroker.org is the only industry-owned Multiple Listing Service for active Professional and Charter members of professional yacht broker associations including IYBA, YBAA, MYBA and CYBA. It is exclusively for yacht sales professional use and provides data about vessels for sale.
• YBAA (Yacht Brokers Association of America)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner association in the YachtBroker.org MLS platform collaboration. YBAA is one of the leading professional yacht broker associations.
• MYBA (Mediterranean Yacht Brokers Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner association in the YachtBroker.org MLS platform collaboration. MYBA represents Mediterranean-based yacht brokers.
• CYBA (California Yacht Brokers Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner association in the YachtBroker.org MLS platform collaboration representing California-based yacht brokers.
• CPYB (Certified Professional Yacht Broker)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe CPYB certification program was in development since 1999 with the objective of setting a performance baseline for professional yacht brokers nationwide.
• Robert Allen LawminorOthersRobert Allen Law is featured as a sponsor and advises clients in all facets of the yachting business including brokerage houses, brokers, buyers, sellers, dealers, manufacturers, banks, lenders, and crew members.
• Alley MaassminorOthersFirm with 15 attorneys representing individual and corporate clients with practice areas including estate, trust and will planning; maritime; commercial and residential real estate; business and corporate matters; and banking law.
• Becker & PoliakoffminorOthersFounded in 1973, Becker & Poliakoff is featured as a sponsor providing legal services to the marine industry.
• Willis Towers WatsonminorOthersLeading global advisory, broking and solutions company with 45,000 employees serving more than 140 countries. Provides risk management and insurance solutions.
• DockmateminorOthersOffers the world's most advanced, affordable and safest wireless remote control system for boats' engines, pods, thrusters, anchor and horn.
• YachtrcoreTechnology or IntegrationYachtr is described as today's most technically advanced and accurate platform for buying and selling yachts and boats, using the latest YachtBroker.org MLS technology with secure transaction processing.
• LIG (Life Insurance Members)minorOthersIYBA member benefit partner providing health coverage options for IYBA members.
• BenettiminorOthersItalian yacht manufacturer featured as a sponsor on the IYBA website.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQKrJaBt3e0OMqqkma2kBBg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iyba

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 International Yacht Brokers Association (IYBA)