Interactive Brokers

Interactive Brokers is an American multinational brokerage firm that ranks among the world's leading electronic trading platforms. Headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut, and operating in more than 20 countries, it serves individual investors, hedge funds, financial advisors, and institutional clients. The firm processes millions of trades daily and holds hundreds of billions of dollars in customer assets. Its competitive edge rests on low costs, advanced technology, and broad global market access, clients can trade stocks, options, futures, forex, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds, and cryptocurrencies across 150 markets in 33 countries from a single account.

The company traces its roots to 1978, when Hungarian-born computer programmer Thomas Peterffy founded T.P. & Co., a technology-focused market maker that pioneered computerized trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Peterffy created one of the first automated trading systems, replacing floor traders with algorithms. The firm rebranded as Interactive Brokers in 1993 and launched its retail brokerage platform soon after. It went public on the Nasdaq in 2007 under the ticker IBKR and has remained consistently profitable, reporting net revenues of roughly $4.5 billion for fiscal 2024.

Interactive Brokers is known for its engineering-driven culture and lean operations. Its flagship platform, Trader Workstation (TWS), offers sophisticated charting, algorithmic trading tools, and a powerful API for custom strategies. In recent years the company introduced IBKR Desktop, a simpler interface aimed at attracting less experienced investors. It also operates the Interactive Brokers Asset Management (IBAM) robo-advisor, launched through the 2018 acquisition of Covestor. Despite occasional criticism over limited phone support and a steep learning curve for beginners, the firm maintains high customer retention among active and professional traders who prioritize low margin rates, deep liquidity, and direct market access.[edit]