FNG Exclusive… FNG has learned that Investa, the recently launched financial app looking to make options trading easier for retail traders, has received a license from the UK FCA. Investa Markets Ltd was formally granted an FCA license on Friday, April 17. Since its launch in 2024, Investa has acted as an appointed representative of FCA regulated broker Richdale Brokers.

The Investa app was built by a team of former Citi options brokers and the co-founder of Freetrade, Ian Fuller. It was created to address the access gap in options trading for UK investors. The app is now available only for iOS (in the Apple App Store), with plans to launch on Android in the months ahead. Investa is run from London by its co-founders CEO Alec Beasley and COO Ross Lynch. Freetrade co-founder Ian Fuller serves as CTO.

Investa has financed itself to date via money from its founding group, alongside two crowdfunding rounds on Crowdcube which have brought in just over £1 million.

According to Investa, under 2% of UK retail investors have traded an option, compared with nearly 20% in the US, a gap Investa believes is driven by high costs, complex platforms and limited access. Addressing these challenges, the Investa app offers a streamlined experience designed around education, clarity, accessibility and transparency. Early feedback from the soft launch has been built into the app’s final features and interface.

Investa sent a note over the weekend to its clients, which included the following:

Three years ago, when Investa was no more than an idea and the two of us were working from a garage, we set our sights on a few massive milestones. One of our biggest was becoming directly authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

We are delighted to share, as of today Investa Markets Ltd. (“Investa”) (FRN: 1037289) is directly authorised by the FCA! This is an enormous fundamental change and comes after years of hard work by the entire team.

As part of this transition, we will no longer operate as an Appointed Representative of Richdale Brokers & Financial Services Ltd (FRN: 769876).

You do not need to do anything to accept the new Terms and your day-to-day use of the app remains unchanged. If you do not wish to accept these terms, you will need to close your account with us, which you can initiate in your Profile tab in the Investa App.

Thank you once again for being part of our journey.

Kind regards,

Alec & Ross
Co-Founders