AJ Bell Signs Up 152,000 Customers as Trading Brokers Push Into UK Investing

AJ Bell has added 152,000 customers, a figure reported as trading-focused brokers step up their push into the UK retail investing market. The platform is one of the established British names now competing for retail assets with firms whose businesses were originally built around contracts for difference and spread betting.

The customer gain was disclosed alongside a broad round of brokerage news, in which firms across the retail trading sector set out expansion plans, reported trading volumes and responded to operational and regulatory developments.

Wider broker news

IG Group is seeking a UK gambling licence as part of plans to enter prediction markets, a move that would take the derivatives broker beyond its core business. In Japan, OANDA has suspended client withdrawals following a server hack, an incident that raises immediate questions about operational resilience at the retail FX firm.

NAGA reported falling earnings against a backdrop of rising marketing costs. Plus500 bought a Brazilian broker, extending its consolidation strategy into Latin America, while Google opened the door to CFD advertising in Denmark and Chile, potentially widening client acquisition channels for brokers in those markets.

Capital.com said its UAE clients traded $1 trillion in the first half of the year, and Saxo Bank signed nine athletes as part of a marketing campaign. Revolut obtained a crypto licence in Gibraltar, while eToro rolled out a new desktop trading terminal.

In the prop-trading segment, MyForexFunds outlined details of its Evolution relaunch and what it describes as a no-conflict model, and Goat Funded Trader reported $26 million in payouts. Prediction market operator Kalshi also set out its pitch to brokers.

On the staffing side, FinTop Consulting shared its 2026 salary surveys covering Dubai, London and Cyprus.

The items together point to a sector balancing customer growth and product expansion against cost pressure, cyber risk and shifting advertising and licensing rules across markets.