Weekly Roundup: Retail Brokers Drop 'Markets'; Revolut Drives Lithuania's 2.5M Cross-Border Clients

Retail brokers spent the week repositioning themselves across asset classes, with several firms dropping "Markets" from their brand names while others launched stock and crypto products or adjusted payment infrastructure.

IC Markets became the latest to drop the "Markets" suffix, following Blueberry, KCM Trade and Admirals; IG Group did the same in 2012. ThinkMarkets and easyMarkets have kept it. Observers said the shorter names reflect expansion beyond forex and CFDs into crypto, prop trading and payments, though a rebrand alone does not replace execution quality and client service.

Product launches and corporate moves

QRS Global, a CFD broker linked to an alleged forex trading scandal in Thailand, has been acquired and rebranded as Brex Capital. Sophie Squillacioti is now CEO, and the firm retains the same trading infrastructure and client accounts, so existing users need not re-register. Brex Capital remains registered in Comoros and holds a South African financial services provider licence with the same FSP number previously associated with another broker. The rebrand follows a June investigation by Thailand's Department of Special Investigation into QRS Education Co Ltd, whose CEO was arrested over allegations including fraud, unlicensed operations, false data and money laundering.

Coinbase has started rolling out US stock trading for eligible UK users, with access to nearly 4,000 US equities through its app. The service offers zero-commission trades, fractional shares from £1 and five-day-a-week extended trading, with funding via GBP or USDC. The launch follows the FCA's July 2026 authorisation to expand beyond crypto into equities and derivatives, part of Coinbase's "Everything Exchange" strategy. eToro also offers combined crypto and equity services to UK retail investors.

XTB launched spot crypto trading in Chile with 46 digital assets, 24/7 availability and a $2 minimum transaction. Chilean clients previously accessed crypto through CFDs and exchange-traded notes. The rollout follows XTB's securities agent licence from Chile's Financial Market Commission in February 2025. CEO Omar Arnaout said XTB plans to expand spot crypto to Europe, after similar services in Cyprus in 2026 and with Spain expected next, subject to regulatory approvals.

Lithuania's cross-border retail investment client base grew from roughly 500 in 2022 to more than 2.5 million by end-2024, according to ESMA, with the rise attributed to Revolut Securities Europe UAB. The unit launched investment services in 2023 under MiFID II and passports services across the EEA, after more than 1.1 million EEA customers migrated from Revolut's UK entity. Assets under administration rose from over €3 billion at end-2023 to €9.1 billion by end-2024; ESMA said the figures count cross-border relationships, not unique individuals.

Plus500 added CME Group-listed single stock futures, including micro-sized contracts, to its US offering. CME launched 77 contracts on 27 July covering companies such as Nvidia, Tesla and Apple. Plus500 did not disclose the number of contracts or trading terms, saying additions depend on demand. The products sit in Plus500's non-OTC business, which contributed around 15% of first-half 2026 group revenue; H1 revenue rose 12% to $462.9 million, with EBITDA of $187.5 million.

Interactive Brokers reported login and connectivity issues during US market hours. The company said a technical issue affected "a fraction of a percent" of clients, specifically accounts hosted in certain APAC data centres, and access was restored within an hour. Meanwhile, Australia has become a testing ground for broker payments: Pepperstone and Trade Nation introduced real-time payments via Volt, and Volt data showed nearly 73% of CFD top-ups through the New Payments Platform occurred outside banking hours, with 21% at weekends.

The week's developments continued to blur the line between brokers and exchanges. Crypto services require specialist liquidity, custody, settlement and 24/7 access, and clients increasingly expect wallets, staking and tokenised products. Tokenised real-world assets could shift ownership and settlement onto blockchain networks, although brokers are expected to keep an edge in research, financing and regulatory support.