With big IPOs like Robinhood & Coinbase going public in 2021, why aren't retail investors taking part?
Finance Magnates
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have seen a widespread IPO frenzy dominate the world of investing. The second half of 2020 produced a record-breaking number of debuts as companies began to go public in a bid to cash in on a global push towards digital transformation. However, not everybody across the investing ecosystem had a ticket to the party.
Initial public offering volumes continued to rally into 2021, but much of the action was reserved for institutional investors, as opposed to the burgeoning retail investor landscape, despite similarly record-breaking numbers of new individual investors arriving on the market over the same time frame.
As the chart above shows, in the first three quarters of 2021 alone, the total number of IPOs eclipsed that of the past two years in their entirety. Additionally, the value of the proceeds taken in 2021 far exceeded those of 2019 and 2020, respectively.
With landmark IPOs like Robinhood, Rivian, Coinbase and DiDi Global all going public in 2021, there has been no shortage of major arrivals on stock exchanges all around the world. So, why are retail investors finding it so difficult to take part? Let’s take a deeper look at an investment ecosystem that still suffers from an inclusivity problem.
An Exclusive Club for Institutional Investors
Alongside the rise of IPO volumes, we have seen significant growth in the number of retail investors who are taking to the market.
As data from the Financial Times shows, retail investor growth has led to a significant increase in the US equity options that were traded, moving into 2021.
There are two key reasons for the increasing numbers of retail investors on the market. Firstly, the zero-commission payment-for-order-flow business model that was adopted by Robinhood and followed by a range of other online brokerages in late 2019 became a draw for new investors to take their first steps on the market. Secondly, the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic provided individuals with more government stimulus packages and the spare time they needed to fully embrace stock market investing.
However, these increasing numbers of retail investors have not been reflected across IPO investing, which is a side of the industry that is overwhelmingly dominated by institutions.
Maxim Manturov, the Head of Investment Research at Freedom Finance Europe, explains that IPOs have long been the vocation of institutions. “Historically, institutional investors get around 90% of all shares, with only around 10% left for retail trades. This is where allocation comes from: when the demand is high, the broker will have to reduce order amounts so as to at least partially fill all of them. The allocation ratio, meanwhile, depends on the investor trading activity and volume,” Manturov noted.
Dmytro Spilka, CEO and Founder of Solvid.
This highly skewed distribution is because the IPOs of most companies are generally offered to the public via an underwriting syndicate. These syndicates are comprised of underwriters who purchase the shares from the issuer to sell on. However, there is only a very limited number of brokerages that are invited into the syndicate as underwriters, and even then these brokers may not open the shares up to retail investors.
These underwriters also decide on the terms and structure of the IPOs before trading begins, and this includes the percentage of shares that go to institutions and those allocated to retail investors. Typically, underwriters target more institutional investors because they’re far more resourceful and thus capable of buying significantly large volumes of shares in one single transaction, making it far easier for underwriters to sell their allocation of shares.
The most notable move to generate a greater level of inclusivity among retail investors came in the form of Robinhood’s recent product, IPO Access.
IPO Access was developed as a portal to allow initial public offering participation among Robinhood’s large userbase. As part of the platform’s commitment to the democratization of finance, retail investors had the ability to participate in a number of IPOs regardless of their account balance or the volume of shares they were buying.
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have seen a widespread IPO frenzy dominate the world of investing. The second half of 2020 produced a record-breaking number of debuts as companies began to go public in a bid to cash in on a global push towards digital transformation. However, not everybody across the investing ecosystem had a ticket to the party.
Initial public offering volumes continued to rally into 2021, but much of the action was reserved for institutional investors, as opposed to the burgeoning retail investor landscape, despite similarly record-breaking numbers of new individual investors arriving on the market over the same time frame.
As the chart above shows, in the first three quarters of 2021 alone, the total number of IPOs eclipsed that of the past two years in their entirety. Additionally, the value of the proceeds taken in 2021 far exceeded those of 2019 and 2020, respectively.
With landmark IPOs like Robinhood, Rivian, Coinbase and DiDi Global all going public in 2021, there has been no shortage of major arrivals on stock exchanges all around the world. So, why are retail investors finding it so difficult to take part? Let’s take a deeper look at an investment ecosystem that still suffers from an inclusivity problem.
An Exclusive Club for Institutional Investors
Alongside the rise of IPO volumes, we have seen significant growth in the number of retail investors who are taking to the market.
As data from the Financial Times shows, retail investor growth has led to a significant increase in the US equity options that were traded, moving into 2021.
There are two key reasons for the increasing numbers of retail investors on the market. Firstly, the zero-commission payment-for-order-flow business model that was adopted by Robinhood and followed by a range of other online brokerages in late 2019 became a draw for new investors to take their first steps on the market. Secondly, the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic provided individuals with more government stimulus packages and the spare time they needed to fully embrace stock market investing.
However, these increasing numbers of retail investors have not been reflected across IPO investing, which is a side of the industry that is overwhelmingly dominated by institutions.
Maxim Manturov, the Head of Investment Research at Freedom Finance Europe, explains that IPOs have long been the vocation of institutions. “Historically, institutional investors get around 90% of all shares, with only around 10% left for retail trades. This is where allocation comes from: when the demand is high, the broker will have to reduce order amounts so as to at least partially fill all of them. The allocation ratio, meanwhile, depends on the investor trading activity and volume,” Manturov noted.
Dmytro Spilka, CEO and Founder of Solvid.
This highly skewed distribution is because the IPOs of most companies are generally offered to the public via an underwriting syndicate. These syndicates are comprised of underwriters who purchase the shares from the issuer to sell on. However, there is only a very limited number of brokerages that are invited into the syndicate as underwriters, and even then these brokers may not open the shares up to retail investors.
These underwriters also decide on the terms and structure of the IPOs before trading begins, and this includes the percentage of shares that go to institutions and those allocated to retail investors. Typically, underwriters target more institutional investors because they’re far more resourceful and thus capable of buying significantly large volumes of shares in one single transaction, making it far easier for underwriters to sell their allocation of shares.
The most notable move to generate a greater level of inclusivity among retail investors came in the form of Robinhood’s recent product, IPO Access.
IPO Access was developed as a portal to allow initial public offering participation among Robinhood’s large userbase. As part of the platform’s commitment to the democratization of finance, retail investors had the ability to participate in a number of IPOs regardless of their account balance or the volume of shares they were buying.
Dmytro is an experienced finance, crypto, forex and investing writer based in London. Founder of Solvid, Pridicto and Coinprompter. His work has been published in Nasdaq, Kiplinger, FXStreet, Entrepreneur, VentureBeat, Financial Express, InvestmentWeek, Finextra, and The Diplomat. He recently completed an ebook for Make Use Of on "Introduction to Cryptocurrencies". Dmytro is also a retail investor with open positions in NuBank, Duolingo, Disney, Verizon, HSBC and more.
Finseta Swings to Full-Year Loss as Expansion Costs Outrun Revenue Growth
Featured Videos
Buying The Deep: Digital Asset Adoption in APAC and Beyond
Buying The Deep: Digital Asset Adoption in APAC and Beyond
Buying The Deep: Digital Asset Adoption in APAC and Beyond
Buying The Deep: Digital Asset Adoption in APAC and Beyond
The persisting price drops test the industry's commitment to crypto adoption. While on-chain innovation is making headway across market mechanics, from stablecoins to tokenization, investors remains cautious.
This session brings together market structure experts and institutional investors to explore how a prolonged bear market affects their long-term strategy, and where the opportunities lie ahead of the next cycle.
Attendees will walk away with:
First-hand account of the bear market's impact on various industry players
Understanding of what custody, connectivity, and settlement gaps still hamper growth in APAC
Insight into how client mandates and operational readiness are shaping who moves and who waits
Perspective on what institutional investors need to move toward actual digital asset capital deployment
The persisting price drops test the industry's commitment to crypto adoption. While on-chain innovation is making headway across market mechanics, from stablecoins to tokenization, investors remains cautious.
This session brings together market structure experts and institutional investors to explore how a prolonged bear market affects their long-term strategy, and where the opportunities lie ahead of the next cycle.
Attendees will walk away with:
First-hand account of the bear market's impact on various industry players
Understanding of what custody, connectivity, and settlement gaps still hamper growth in APAC
Insight into how client mandates and operational readiness are shaping who moves and who waits
Perspective on what institutional investors need to move toward actual digital asset capital deployment
The persisting price drops test the industry's commitment to crypto adoption. While on-chain innovation is making headway across market mechanics, from stablecoins to tokenization, investors remains cautious.
This session brings together market structure experts and institutional investors to explore how a prolonged bear market affects their long-term strategy, and where the opportunities lie ahead of the next cycle.
Attendees will walk away with:
First-hand account of the bear market's impact on various industry players
Understanding of what custody, connectivity, and settlement gaps still hamper growth in APAC
Insight into how client mandates and operational readiness are shaping who moves and who waits
Perspective on what institutional investors need to move toward actual digital asset capital deployment
The persisting price drops test the industry's commitment to crypto adoption. While on-chain innovation is making headway across market mechanics, from stablecoins to tokenization, investors remains cautious.
This session brings together market structure experts and institutional investors to explore how a prolonged bear market affects their long-term strategy, and where the opportunities lie ahead of the next cycle.
Attendees will walk away with:
First-hand account of the bear market's impact on various industry players
Understanding of what custody, connectivity, and settlement gaps still hamper growth in APAC
Insight into how client mandates and operational readiness are shaping who moves and who waits
Perspective on what institutional investors need to move toward actual digital asset capital deployment
This panel explores the key insights and emerging trends shaping modern trading behavior, examining how user expectations are evolving across global markets and what these shifts mean for industry participants.
This panel explores the key insights and emerging trends shaping modern trading behavior, examining how user expectations are evolving across global markets and what these shifts mean for industry participants.
This panel explores the key insights and emerging trends shaping modern trading behavior, examining how user expectations are evolving across global markets and what these shifts mean for industry participants.
This panel explores the key insights and emerging trends shaping modern trading behavior, examining how user expectations are evolving across global markets and what these shifts mean for industry participants.
This panel explores the key insights and emerging trends shaping modern trading behavior, examining how user expectations are evolving across global markets and what these shifts mean for industry participants.
This panel explores the key insights and emerging trends shaping modern trading behavior, examining how user expectations are evolving across global markets and what these shifts mean for industry participants.
Funding & Exit in Singapore from Pre-Seed to Liquidity
Funding & Exit in Singapore from Pre-Seed to Liquidity
Funding & Exit in Singapore from Pre-Seed to Liquidity
Funding & Exit in Singapore from Pre-Seed to Liquidity
Funding & Exit in Singapore from Pre-Seed to Liquidity
Funding & Exit in Singapore from Pre-Seed to Liquidity
Singapore's capital infrastructure is wider than its reputation for stability suggests.
Sovereign backing from Temasek and GIC, a growing family office network, sector-specialized venture funds, and a public market pathway through the Singapore Exchange, the city-state supports capital formation at every stage of the lifecycle.
Held in partnership with 8Circle, this session gathers practitioners across the capital stack to examine how Singapore functions as both an investment and an exit destination.
Attendees will walk away with:
Understanding of what makes SGX a credible listing pathway for high-growth companies in 2026
Insight into alternative exit channels: private secondary markets, digital marketplace exits, and strategic acquisitions
Perspective on what founders and capital allocators should be doing at each stage to preserve exit optionality
Singapore's capital infrastructure is wider than its reputation for stability suggests.
Sovereign backing from Temasek and GIC, a growing family office network, sector-specialized venture funds, and a public market pathway through the Singapore Exchange, the city-state supports capital formation at every stage of the lifecycle.
Held in partnership with 8Circle, this session gathers practitioners across the capital stack to examine how Singapore functions as both an investment and an exit destination.
Attendees will walk away with:
Understanding of what makes SGX a credible listing pathway for high-growth companies in 2026
Insight into alternative exit channels: private secondary markets, digital marketplace exits, and strategic acquisitions
Perspective on what founders and capital allocators should be doing at each stage to preserve exit optionality
Singapore's capital infrastructure is wider than its reputation for stability suggests.
Sovereign backing from Temasek and GIC, a growing family office network, sector-specialized venture funds, and a public market pathway through the Singapore Exchange, the city-state supports capital formation at every stage of the lifecycle.
Held in partnership with 8Circle, this session gathers practitioners across the capital stack to examine how Singapore functions as both an investment and an exit destination.
Attendees will walk away with:
Understanding of what makes SGX a credible listing pathway for high-growth companies in 2026
Insight into alternative exit channels: private secondary markets, digital marketplace exits, and strategic acquisitions
Perspective on what founders and capital allocators should be doing at each stage to preserve exit optionality
Singapore's capital infrastructure is wider than its reputation for stability suggests.
Sovereign backing from Temasek and GIC, a growing family office network, sector-specialized venture funds, and a public market pathway through the Singapore Exchange, the city-state supports capital formation at every stage of the lifecycle.
Held in partnership with 8Circle, this session gathers practitioners across the capital stack to examine how Singapore functions as both an investment and an exit destination.
Attendees will walk away with:
Understanding of what makes SGX a credible listing pathway for high-growth companies in 2026
Insight into alternative exit channels: private secondary markets, digital marketplace exits, and strategic acquisitions
Perspective on what founders and capital allocators should be doing at each stage to preserve exit optionality
Singapore's capital infrastructure is wider than its reputation for stability suggests.
Sovereign backing from Temasek and GIC, a growing family office network, sector-specialized venture funds, and a public market pathway through the Singapore Exchange, the city-state supports capital formation at every stage of the lifecycle.
Held in partnership with 8Circle, this session gathers practitioners across the capital stack to examine how Singapore functions as both an investment and an exit destination.
Attendees will walk away with:
Understanding of what makes SGX a credible listing pathway for high-growth companies in 2026
Insight into alternative exit channels: private secondary markets, digital marketplace exits, and strategic acquisitions
Perspective on what founders and capital allocators should be doing at each stage to preserve exit optionality
Singapore's capital infrastructure is wider than its reputation for stability suggests.
Sovereign backing from Temasek and GIC, a growing family office network, sector-specialized venture funds, and a public market pathway through the Singapore Exchange, the city-state supports capital formation at every stage of the lifecycle.
Held in partnership with 8Circle, this session gathers practitioners across the capital stack to examine how Singapore functions as both an investment and an exit destination.
Attendees will walk away with:
Understanding of what makes SGX a credible listing pathway for high-growth companies in 2026
Insight into alternative exit channels: private secondary markets, digital marketplace exits, and strategic acquisitions
Perspective on what founders and capital allocators should be doing at each stage to preserve exit optionality
FM Daily Brief – 10 June 2026
FM Daily Brief – 10 June 2026
FM Daily Brief – 10 June 2026
FM Daily Brief – 10 June 2026
FM Daily Brief – 10 June 2026
FM Daily Brief – 10 June 2026
Today’s Wednesday, the 10th of June 2026, and these are our main stories: Bybit’s zero-fee stock CFD push, prop trading access to SpaceX shares, and TradeStation’s European expansion into US markets.
Today’s Wednesday, the 10th of June 2026, and these are our main stories: Bybit’s zero-fee stock CFD push, prop trading access to SpaceX shares, and TradeStation’s European expansion into US markets.
Today’s Wednesday, the 10th of June 2026, and these are our main stories: Bybit’s zero-fee stock CFD push, prop trading access to SpaceX shares, and TradeStation’s European expansion into US markets.
Today’s Wednesday, the 10th of June 2026, and these are our main stories: Bybit’s zero-fee stock CFD push, prop trading access to SpaceX shares, and TradeStation’s European expansion into US markets.
Today’s Wednesday, the 10th of June 2026, and these are our main stories: Bybit’s zero-fee stock CFD push, prop trading access to SpaceX shares, and TradeStation’s European expansion into US markets.
Today’s Wednesday, the 10th of June 2026, and these are our main stories: Bybit’s zero-fee stock CFD push, prop trading access to SpaceX shares, and TradeStation’s European expansion into US markets.
AI Getting Real for Brokers
AI Getting Real for Brokers
AI Getting Real for Brokers
AI Getting Real for Brokers
AI Getting Real for Brokers
AI Getting Real for Brokers
Brokers and providers moved from the noise phase to treating AI tools as a core product question, with implications on anything from hiring priorities to acquisition strategy.
This session gathers retail brokers, platform builders, and AI tool providers to examine how LLMs change affect client trust, results, and risk.
Attendees will walk away with:
A first-hand account of where AI-driven trading tools generate real client value
Insight into how institutional adoption is raising client expectations and what brokers need to do to keep pace
Clarity on the liability question: when an AI-driven recommendation leads to a bad trade, where does responsibility
Brokers and providers moved from the noise phase to treating AI tools as a core product question, with implications on anything from hiring priorities to acquisition strategy.
This session gathers retail brokers, platform builders, and AI tool providers to examine how LLMs change affect client trust, results, and risk.
Attendees will walk away with:
A first-hand account of where AI-driven trading tools generate real client value
Insight into how institutional adoption is raising client expectations and what brokers need to do to keep pace
Clarity on the liability question: when an AI-driven recommendation leads to a bad trade, where does responsibility
Brokers and providers moved from the noise phase to treating AI tools as a core product question, with implications on anything from hiring priorities to acquisition strategy.
This session gathers retail brokers, platform builders, and AI tool providers to examine how LLMs change affect client trust, results, and risk.
Attendees will walk away with:
A first-hand account of where AI-driven trading tools generate real client value
Insight into how institutional adoption is raising client expectations and what brokers need to do to keep pace
Clarity on the liability question: when an AI-driven recommendation leads to a bad trade, where does responsibility
Brokers and providers moved from the noise phase to treating AI tools as a core product question, with implications on anything from hiring priorities to acquisition strategy.
This session gathers retail brokers, platform builders, and AI tool providers to examine how LLMs change affect client trust, results, and risk.
Attendees will walk away with:
A first-hand account of where AI-driven trading tools generate real client value
Insight into how institutional adoption is raising client expectations and what brokers need to do to keep pace
Clarity on the liability question: when an AI-driven recommendation leads to a bad trade, where does responsibility
Brokers and providers moved from the noise phase to treating AI tools as a core product question, with implications on anything from hiring priorities to acquisition strategy.
This session gathers retail brokers, platform builders, and AI tool providers to examine how LLMs change affect client trust, results, and risk.
Attendees will walk away with:
A first-hand account of where AI-driven trading tools generate real client value
Insight into how institutional adoption is raising client expectations and what brokers need to do to keep pace
Clarity on the liability question: when an AI-driven recommendation leads to a bad trade, where does responsibility
Brokers and providers moved from the noise phase to treating AI tools as a core product question, with implications on anything from hiring priorities to acquisition strategy.
This session gathers retail brokers, platform builders, and AI tool providers to examine how LLMs change affect client trust, results, and risk.
Attendees will walk away with:
A first-hand account of where AI-driven trading tools generate real client value
Insight into how institutional adoption is raising client expectations and what brokers need to do to keep pace
Clarity on the liability question: when an AI-driven recommendation leads to a bad trade, where does responsibility
