XTB strengthened its Middle East presence with a new Dubai office, while CMC Markets expanded to Bermuda after securing the regional regulatory license.
Meanwhile, Italy's financial space is changing, with new trends in the country's population shifting towards trading and investing.
Revolut is targeting young traders with a new crypto app, taking on Binance and Coinbase
Notably, the Israeli-based fintech giant also plans to introduce new services, including securities lending, to “expand existing recurring revenue sources.” If everything goes according to plan, it will be listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “ETOR.”
The latest SEC filing revealed that eToro is not badly off financially after all. By the end of 2024, it collected a total commission of $931 million, a yearly rise of 45.6%. Its net income jumped to $192 million in 2024, compared to $15.3 million in 2023 and a loss of $21 million in 2022.
Founded in 1995, Mehta Equities offers brokerage services for futures, options, and cash equities, portfolio management, investment banking, and custodian services. It holds memberships with major Indian exchanges, including the National Stock Exchange, Bombay Stock Exchange, and Multi Commodity Exchange.
“Dubai’s financial ecosystem is one of the most attractive in the world, and this regulatory approval allows us to reach out to the vast client base within the UAE, backed by full compliance with UAE regulations,” said the CEO of ICM.com, Shoaib Abedi, who further pointed out that the new license is part of the broker’s “global expansion strategy.”
Are Brokers and Prop Firms “Trading Trust”?
Away from the search for new opportunities, this week, we continued with our weeks-long series of Trustpilot saga and the review war rooms. Traders are increasingly valuing peer reviews over polished marketing, and firms are now under pressure to maintain strong ratings and swiftly address criticism.
Many firms have gone as far as assigning dedicated teams to respond to complaints and protect their public image—all while flaunting their Trustpilot Score, or TrustScore, as a signal of trustworthiness.
"Dealing with our Trustpilot profile became ridiculously time and resource-consuming," admitted one broker, "but we don't really have a choice."
Is Italy the Next CFD Hotspot?
Change is in the air for Italy’s financial sector, with investors showing a new appetite for risk. Italy’s financial landscape is buzzing. In a country of roughly 59 million people long known for its traditionally risk-averse investors, a visible transformation is underway in the trading and investment scene.
Italy is not particularly prominent among the most prominent global financial markets compared to Asia, North America, or even other European nations.
Nevertheless, over the last few years, the habits and trends of the Italian population towards trading and investing have been changing, showing clear signs of strength and growth, which could shape the Italian CFD industry over the coming decades.
Even as Italy experiences a quiet financial revolution, new research suggests that retail investors are becoming increasingly sophisticated and are playing a growing role in global capital markets, fighting the “dumb money” myth. The analysis by eToro has challenged the notion that individual investors are prone to impulsive and emotionally driven trading decisions.
More Companies Are Expanding Their Crypto Offerings
After launching a dedicated crypto trading platform for UK users last year, Revolut has expanded the offering with a new trading app, Revolut X. The move has positioned the fintech giant as a direct competitor to major exchanges like Binance and Coinbase. Revolut X, initially available to UK retail traders, offers over 100 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin.
At the same time, Interactive Brokers added four new cryptocurrencies to its trading platform: Solana (SOL), Cardano (ADA), Ripple (XRP), and Dogecoin (DOGE). The company's clients can now trade eight cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), and Bitcoin Cash (BCH).
The competition for crypto offerings extends beyond the financial sector. GameStop is also betting on Bitcoin to level up its balance sheet. Besides, GameStop has been angling toward a broader tech transformation for a while. It previously dipped its toes into NFTs and hired e-commerce veterans from Amazon and Chewy.
Robinhood Targets Traditional Banks
As everyone scrambles for a piece of the fintech space, Robinhood is reaching out to the traditional banking space. The cmpany, which disrupted the brokerage industry with its commission-free model, will roll out “checking and savings accounts with premium benefits” later this year, but only for its “Gold” subscribers, who pay a $5 monthly or $50 annual subscription fee.
“You get these incredible products, you get really high interest rates,” Deepak Rao, Vice President and General Manager of Robinhood Money, told Bloomberg in an interview. “Why don’t we do that but give it to everybody?”
klarna IPO Buzz
Bringing our news roundup to an end, With Klarna’s IPO on the horizon and a major DoorDash deal in its pocket, the BNPL leader is stirring hope for more fintech listings, including Ebury. Klarna, the Swedish Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) giant, has long been a disruptor in the payments industry, offering flexible installment plans to consumers who’d rather stretch their spending than face the harsh reality of credit card debt.
Notably, the Israeli-based fintech giant also plans to introduce new services, including securities lending, to “expand existing recurring revenue sources.” If everything goes according to plan, it will be listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “ETOR.”
The latest SEC filing revealed that eToro is not badly off financially after all. By the end of 2024, it collected a total commission of $931 million, a yearly rise of 45.6%. Its net income jumped to $192 million in 2024, compared to $15.3 million in 2023 and a loss of $21 million in 2022.
Founded in 1995, Mehta Equities offers brokerage services for futures, options, and cash equities, portfolio management, investment banking, and custodian services. It holds memberships with major Indian exchanges, including the National Stock Exchange, Bombay Stock Exchange, and Multi Commodity Exchange.
“Dubai’s financial ecosystem is one of the most attractive in the world, and this regulatory approval allows us to reach out to the vast client base within the UAE, backed by full compliance with UAE regulations,” said the CEO of ICM.com, Shoaib Abedi, who further pointed out that the new license is part of the broker’s “global expansion strategy.”
Are Brokers and Prop Firms “Trading Trust”?
Away from the search for new opportunities, this week, we continued with our weeks-long series of Trustpilot saga and the review war rooms. Traders are increasingly valuing peer reviews over polished marketing, and firms are now under pressure to maintain strong ratings and swiftly address criticism.
Many firms have gone as far as assigning dedicated teams to respond to complaints and protect their public image—all while flaunting their Trustpilot Score, or TrustScore, as a signal of trustworthiness.
"Dealing with our Trustpilot profile became ridiculously time and resource-consuming," admitted one broker, "but we don't really have a choice."
Is Italy the Next CFD Hotspot?
Change is in the air for Italy’s financial sector, with investors showing a new appetite for risk. Italy’s financial landscape is buzzing. In a country of roughly 59 million people long known for its traditionally risk-averse investors, a visible transformation is underway in the trading and investment scene.
Italy is not particularly prominent among the most prominent global financial markets compared to Asia, North America, or even other European nations.
Nevertheless, over the last few years, the habits and trends of the Italian population towards trading and investing have been changing, showing clear signs of strength and growth, which could shape the Italian CFD industry over the coming decades.
Even as Italy experiences a quiet financial revolution, new research suggests that retail investors are becoming increasingly sophisticated and are playing a growing role in global capital markets, fighting the “dumb money” myth. The analysis by eToro has challenged the notion that individual investors are prone to impulsive and emotionally driven trading decisions.
More Companies Are Expanding Their Crypto Offerings
After launching a dedicated crypto trading platform for UK users last year, Revolut has expanded the offering with a new trading app, Revolut X. The move has positioned the fintech giant as a direct competitor to major exchanges like Binance and Coinbase. Revolut X, initially available to UK retail traders, offers over 100 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin.
At the same time, Interactive Brokers added four new cryptocurrencies to its trading platform: Solana (SOL), Cardano (ADA), Ripple (XRP), and Dogecoin (DOGE). The company's clients can now trade eight cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), and Bitcoin Cash (BCH).
The competition for crypto offerings extends beyond the financial sector. GameStop is also betting on Bitcoin to level up its balance sheet. Besides, GameStop has been angling toward a broader tech transformation for a while. It previously dipped its toes into NFTs and hired e-commerce veterans from Amazon and Chewy.
Robinhood Targets Traditional Banks
As everyone scrambles for a piece of the fintech space, Robinhood is reaching out to the traditional banking space. The cmpany, which disrupted the brokerage industry with its commission-free model, will roll out “checking and savings accounts with premium benefits” later this year, but only for its “Gold” subscribers, who pay a $5 monthly or $50 annual subscription fee.
“You get these incredible products, you get really high interest rates,” Deepak Rao, Vice President and General Manager of Robinhood Money, told Bloomberg in an interview. “Why don’t we do that but give it to everybody?”
klarna IPO Buzz
Bringing our news roundup to an end, With Klarna’s IPO on the horizon and a major DoorDash deal in its pocket, the BNPL leader is stirring hope for more fintech listings, including Ebury. Klarna, the Swedish Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) giant, has long been a disruptor in the payments industry, offering flexible installment plans to consumers who’d rather stretch their spending than face the harsh reality of credit card debt.
CFTC Oversight Sees DraftKings Launch Prediction Markets Through CME Group
How FYNXT is Transforming Brokerages with Modular Tech | Executive Interview with Stephen Miles
How FYNXT is Transforming Brokerages with Modular Tech | Executive Interview with Stephen Miles
Join us for an exclusive interview with Stephen Miles, Chief Revenue Officer at FYNXT, recorded live at FMLS:25. In this conversation, Stephen breaks down how modular brokerage technology is driving growth, retention, and efficiency across the brokerage industry.
Learn how FYNXT's unified yet modular platform is giving brokers a competitive edge—powering faster onboarding, increased trading volumes, and dramatically improved IB performance.
🔑 What You'll Learn in This Video:
- The biggest challenges brokerages face going into 2026
- Why FYNXT’s modular platform is outperforming in-house builds
- How automation is transforming IB channels
- The real ROI: 11x LTV increases and reduced acquisition costs
👉 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe.
#FYNXT #StephenMiles #FMLS2025 #BrokerageTechnology #ModularTech #FintechInterview #DigitalTransformation #FinancialMarkets #CROInterview #FintechInnovation #TradingTechnology #IndependentBrokers #FinanceLeaders
Join us for an exclusive interview with Stephen Miles, Chief Revenue Officer at FYNXT, recorded live at FMLS:25. In this conversation, Stephen breaks down how modular brokerage technology is driving growth, retention, and efficiency across the brokerage industry.
Learn how FYNXT's unified yet modular platform is giving brokers a competitive edge—powering faster onboarding, increased trading volumes, and dramatically improved IB performance.
🔑 What You'll Learn in This Video:
- The biggest challenges brokerages face going into 2026
- Why FYNXT’s modular platform is outperforming in-house builds
- How automation is transforming IB channels
- The real ROI: 11x LTV increases and reduced acquisition costs
👉 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe.
#FYNXT #StephenMiles #FMLS2025 #BrokerageTechnology #ModularTech #FintechInterview #DigitalTransformation #FinancialMarkets #CROInterview #FintechInnovation #TradingTechnology #IndependentBrokers #FinanceLeaders
Executive Interview | Charlotte Bullock | Chief Product Officer, Bank of London | FMLS:25
Executive Interview | Charlotte Bullock | Chief Product Officer, Bank of London | FMLS:25
In this interview, we sat down with Charlotte Bullock, Head of Product at The Bank of London, previously at SAP and now shaping product at one of the sector’s most ambitious new banking players.
Charlotte reflects on the Summit so far and talks about the culture inside fintech banks today. We look at the pressures that come with scaling, and how firms can hold onto the nimble approach that made them stand out early on.
We also cover the state of payments ahead of her appearance on the payments roundtable: the blockages financial firms face, the areas that still need fixing, and what a realistic solution looks like in 2026.
In this interview, we sat down with Charlotte Bullock, Head of Product at The Bank of London, previously at SAP and now shaping product at one of the sector’s most ambitious new banking players.
Charlotte reflects on the Summit so far and talks about the culture inside fintech banks today. We look at the pressures that come with scaling, and how firms can hold onto the nimble approach that made them stand out early on.
We also cover the state of payments ahead of her appearance on the payments roundtable: the blockages financial firms face, the areas that still need fixing, and what a realistic solution looks like in 2026.
In this conversation, we sit down with Drew Niv, CSO at ATFX Connect and one of the most influential figures in modern FX.
We speak about market structure, the institutional view on liquidity, and the sharp rise of prop trading, a sector Drew has been commenting on in recent months. Drew explains why he once dismissed prop trading, why his view changed, and what he now thinks the model means for brokers, clients and risk managers.
We explore subscription-fee dependency, the high reneging rate, and the long-term challenge: how brokers can build a more stable and honest version of the model. Drew also talks about the traffic advantage standalone prop firms have built and why brokers may still win in the long run if they take the right approach.
In this conversation, we sit down with Drew Niv, CSO at ATFX Connect and one of the most influential figures in modern FX.
We speak about market structure, the institutional view on liquidity, and the sharp rise of prop trading, a sector Drew has been commenting on in recent months. Drew explains why he once dismissed prop trading, why his view changed, and what he now thinks the model means for brokers, clients and risk managers.
We explore subscription-fee dependency, the high reneging rate, and the long-term challenge: how brokers can build a more stable and honest version of the model. Drew also talks about the traffic advantage standalone prop firms have built and why brokers may still win in the long run if they take the right approach.
Executive Interview | Remonda Z. Kirketerp Møller| CEO & Founder Muinmos | FMLS:25
Executive Interview | Remonda Z. Kirketerp Møller| CEO & Founder Muinmos | FMLS:25
In this interview, Remonda Z. Kirketerp Møller, founder of Muinmos, breaks down the state of AI in regtech and what responsible adoption really looks like for brokers. We talk about rising fragmentation, the pressures around compliance accuracy, and why most firms are still in the early stages of AI maturity.
Ramanda also shares insights on regulator sandboxes, shifting expectations around accountability, and the current reality of MiCA licensing and passporting in Europe.
A concise look at where compliance, onboarding, and AI-driven processes are heading next.
In this interview, Remonda Z. Kirketerp Møller, founder of Muinmos, breaks down the state of AI in regtech and what responsible adoption really looks like for brokers. We talk about rising fragmentation, the pressures around compliance accuracy, and why most firms are still in the early stages of AI maturity.
Ramanda also shares insights on regulator sandboxes, shifting expectations around accountability, and the current reality of MiCA licensing and passporting in Europe.
A concise look at where compliance, onboarding, and AI-driven processes are heading next.
In this conversation, we speak with Aydin Bonabi, CEO and co-founder of Surveill, a firm focused on fraud detection and AI-driven compliance tools for financial institutions.
We start with Aydin’s view of the Summit and the challenges brokers face as fraud tactics grow more complex. He explains how firms can stay ahead through real-time signals, data patterns, and early-stage detection.
We also talk about AI training and why compliance teams often struggle to keep models accurate, fair, and aligned with regulatory expectations. Aydin breaks down what “good” AI training looks like inside a financial environment, including the importance of clean data, domain expertise, and human oversight.
He closes with a clear message: fraud is scaling, and so must the tools that stop it.
In this conversation, we speak with Aydin Bonabi, CEO and co-founder of Surveill, a firm focused on fraud detection and AI-driven compliance tools for financial institutions.
We start with Aydin’s view of the Summit and the challenges brokers face as fraud tactics grow more complex. He explains how firms can stay ahead through real-time signals, data patterns, and early-stage detection.
We also talk about AI training and why compliance teams often struggle to keep models accurate, fair, and aligned with regulatory expectations. Aydin breaks down what “good” AI training looks like inside a financial environment, including the importance of clean data, domain expertise, and human oversight.
He closes with a clear message: fraud is scaling, and so must the tools that stop it.
