IG Group has reported record full-year revenue of £1.12 billion, up 7 per cent, as the online trading platform continued to attract new customers at a pace.
Net trading revenue rose 10 per cent to just over £1 billion.
However, EBITDA margins dipped to 47.3 per cent from 49.9% a year earlier, with the group citing lower interest income as rates fell and increased spending on marketing, product development, and strategic initiatives aimed at longer-term growth.
EBITDA edged up 1% to £531 million, while adjusted earnings per share rose 5 per cent to 115.3p, helped by ongoing buybacks. A new £125 million share buyback programme was announced alongside the results.
The buyback may be one of the key drivers in IG’s 5% rally in early trading on Thursday.
Investors will also be interested to see that active clients surged 174% to 742,100, though the bulk of that jump came from the Freetrade acquisition.
On an organic basis, active customers grew 6 per cent. First trades leapt 81% to 128,800 on a reported basis, suggesting IG is pulling in new users well beyond the Freetrade book.
IG’s 742,100 active customers as of 31 December 2025 put it ahead of AJ Bell’s 644,000. For context, AJ Bell generated £317.8 million from this client base in the year to September 2025.
IG’s momentum has continued into 2026. Revenue for the three months to February came in at £274 million, up 2%, with active customers climbing to 753,000. Assets under administration on the platform reached £19.5 billion.
IG has also been busy on product, launching zero-commission mutual funds and SIPPs through Freetrade and rolling out a spot crypto offering in Australia following its January acquisition of the exchange Independent Reserve.
IG expects total revenue of around £300 million for the quarter to March, up roughly 7% year on year, driven by heightened volatility around the conflict in the Middle East.