Investors following retail brokerage stocks and platforms learned this week that Revolut’s Lithuania cross-border growth has turned a small Baltic hub into the second-largest source of cross-border retail investment clients in the European Union, while Plus500 added CME-listed single stock futures to its US offering and Coinbase rolled out equities trading for UK users.
How Revolut Lithuania Cross-Border Growth Became an EU Story
Lithuania’s cross-border retail investment client base grew from roughly 500 in 2022 to more than 2.5 million by the end of 2024, according to data from the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). ESMA attributed the expansion to a single firm, identified by Finance Magnates as Revolut Securities Europe UAB, which is authorised by the Bank of Lithuania and passports investment services across the European Economic Area under a MiFID II (the EU’s Markets in Financial Instruments Directive) licence.
The jump largely reflects the migration of more than 1.1 million EEA customers from Revolut’s UK investment entity after it launched Lithuanian investment services in 2023. Assets under administration at Revolut Securities Europe rose from more than €3 billion at the end of 2023 to €9.1 billion by the end of 2024. ESMA cautioned that the client figures represent cross-border relationships rather than unique individuals.
The scale puts Lithuania’s Revolut Lithuania cross-border growth in sharp relief against other EU jurisdictions. Germany ranked first in ESMA’s July 2026 peer review follow-up, with over 3.5 million retail clients using outbound cross-border services; Cyprus ranked third with more than 2 million. Lithuania alone accounted for 24% of all EU/EEA retail clients receiving cross-border investment services. Complaints linked to Lithuania’s cross-border business rose from zero to 1,562 over the same period, a figure that regulators will be watching as Revolut’s European book continues to scale.
Plus500 Joins CME’s Single Stock Futures Market
Plus500 announced the addition of CME Group-listed single stock futures to its US offering on 3 August 2026, with its H1 2026 interim results published on 10 August 2026, according to the company’s investor relations page. The contracts give retail traders leveraged exposure to individual US shares without owning the underlying stock.
The CME Group press release confirms the 27 July launch comprised 55 standard contracts, sized at 100 shares of the underlying stock, and 22 micro contracts using a 10-share multiplier, totalling 77 contracts in all. Both types settle in cash, so no physical share delivery or stock borrowing is involved. Tim McCourt, CME’s Global Head of Equities, FX and Alternative Products, said: ‘Our new Single Stock futures will simplify access to the most liquid U.S. stocks and enable traders to easily transition between broad market index hedging and targeted single-name exposure.’
The lineup includes contracts on SpaceX, Nvidia, Tesla and Apple, and according to CNBC, the futures trade for approximately 23 hours a day. CME also reported record equity derivatives activity in 2026, with futures and options averaging 8.6 million contracts daily and open interest reaching 11.7 million contracts.
For Plus500 holders, these products sit inside the non-OTC business unit, which contributed around 15% of group revenue in H1 2026. The company reported first-half revenue of $462.9 million, up 12% year on year, with EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) of $187.5 million. Reuters reports that new customer numbers rose 17% in H1 2026, though they fell 12% in the second quarter, and that Plus500 described the first half as a ‘genuine step-change’ for its US business. Customer income for the period reached $460.8 million, a five-year peak, according to Investing.com, with full-year 2026 analyst consensus pointing to revenue of $811.5 million and EBITDA of $365.1 million. Plus500 shares rose 6.36% to $3,994.93 following the results.
The Wider Shift: Brands, Coinbase and Broker Outages
Elsewhere in the week’s developments, IC Markets became the latest broker to drop the word ‘Markets’ from its name, joining Blueberry, KCM Trade and Admirals. IG Group made a similar move in 2012. Industry observers linked the trend to brokers expanding beyond forex and CFDs into crypto, payments and prop trading, where a narrowly descriptive name can feel limiting.
Coinbase began rolling out US stock trading for eligible UK users, adding access to nearly 4,000 US equities through its existing app. The service offers zero-commission trades and fractional shares from £1, funded in GBP or USDC. The launch follows the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) July 2026 authorisation allowing Coinbase to expand beyond crypto into equities and derivatives. Coinbase describes the ambition as building an ‘Everything Exchange’ combining crypto, stocks, derivatives and financial services.
Interactive Brokers users reported login and connectivity problems during US trading hours. A spokesperson later confirmed a technical issue affected ‘a fraction of a percent’ of clients, specifically those with accounts hosted in certain APAC data centres, with access restored within an hour.
The single stock futures market is the one to watch for Plus500 holders: CME is making its second attempt to establish the product in the US after an earlier effort failed to gain traction. Whether retail demand matches the product’s 23-hour trading window will shape how quickly the non-OTC unit grows beyond its current 15% revenue share.
