Online trading company Plus500 Ltd (LON:PLUS) today announced that it has conditionally agreed to acquire Hedge Capital Markets Inc.

Hedge was founded in 2021 by Kyle Al-Rawi and Yash Khandelwal to serve a new generation of US retail investors and to offer access to exchange-listed securities, including stocks and ETFs. It is a registered broker-dealer with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (“SIPC”).

The acquisition marks Plus500’s entry into the SEC-regulated segment of the US market and strengthens the foundations for the expected launch of the Group’s US ‘super-app’ in Q1 2027.

The acquisition will complement the Group’s established US operations and will directly enhance client value by creating a truly integrated multi-asset ecosystem. Both new and existing US customers will benefit from a significantly broader suite of trading and investment solutions, while enabling the Group to drive cross-distribution synergies across a unified product offering.

Beyond reinforcing the current US business, the acquisition creates new strategic and operational value for the Group and its customers by enabling direct access to SEC-regulated US securities markets, the world’s largest pool of retail investment activity. As a result, Plus500’s US product suite will expand materially, with stocks, options, ETFs and other exchange-listed securities, alongside futures and prediction markets, providing customers with a single, seamless destination for their trading and investing.

The Acquisition will be funded entirely from the Group’s existing cash resources, which stood at over $860m as of 30 June 2026, reflecting the strength of Plus500’s balance sheet. The closing of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the expiration of the required notice period and approval by FINRA under Rule 1017.

Plus500 has set up a new hub in New York to work alongside its established Chicago operations in expanding the Group’s operational capabilities and supporting its strategic expansion across the US business-to-consumer landscape. Headed by senior executives with deep knowledge of the US market, the New York team will be reinforced by the highly skilled Hedge personnel joining the Group, who bring specialist securities expertise and an established regulatory footprint. Working together, the New York and Chicago operations create a strong strategic foundation, driving operational synergies to support the planned launch of Plus500’s unified multi-asset platform in Q1 2027.

The development of the ‘super-app’ represents a core strategic priority for the Group, supported by significant dedicated R&D resources. For customers, it will deliver an intuitive, richer, and frictionless experience: a wider range of investment opportunities, more sophisticated trading capabilities and advanced technology, with new features rolled out to US users on an ongoing basis.

For Plus500, the ‘super-app’ is expected to drive deeper engagement, drive higher retention and monetisation, and open access to new segments of the US retail market, broadening the Group’s total addressable market.

The acquisition provides the SEC-regulated foundation required to bring this integrated offering to US customers. Following the initial US launch, Plus500 intends to extend the ‘super-app’ to further geographies over time.

David Zruia, Chief Executive Officer of Plus500, commented:

“The Hedge acquisition marks a pivotal step in Plus500’s US journey. It strengthens the scaled, CFTC-regulated business we have built and provides, for the first time, direct access to the US securities market, the world’s largest retail investment market. With our new hub in New York and the experienced Hedge team joining us, we have the people, licences and technology to accelerate our growth and generate sustainable, long-term returns for our shareholders.

Above all, acquiring Hedge paves the way for the expected launch of our US ‘super-app’ in Q1 2027, one of Plus500’s most significant product developments. By bringing futures, prediction markets, stocks, options and ETFs together into one seamless experience, it will transform how our customers trade and invest, and represents a powerful new engine of value creation for the Group.”