Interactive Brokers Team Up
“Can a global electronic broker become an all-in-one financial platform by embedding spending, FX, and cash management directly into the brokerage account?”
Founded1978
HQGreenwich, Connecticut, USA
FoundersThomas Peterffy
Latest roundIPO (Nasdaq: IBKR)
IndustryFintech / Investment
The story
Interactive Brokers began as a market-making operation in the late 1970s before pivoting to electronic brokerage for retail and institutional clients globally. Over the past decade it has expanded beyond pure brokerage into cash management — integrating Wise Platform for cross-border deposits (2023) and partnering with Karta to issue a Visa charge card linked directly to client brokerage balances (2025). The strategic direction is consolidating trading, saving, FX, and spending into a single account, positioning IBKR as a full financial-services platform rather than a pure-play broker.
Last 12 months
Product timeline
1978
Thomas Peterffy founded Timber Hill Group, the predecessor to Interactive Brokers, as a market-making firm.· pivot
1993
Interactive Brokers LLC incorporated and began offering electronic brokerage services to external clients.· banking
2007
Interactive Brokers Group completed its IPO on Nasdaq (ticker: IBKR).· ipo
2023
Integrated Wise Platform to allow clients to fund brokerage accounts in multiple currencies at mid-market rates without leaving the IBKR platform.· banking
2025
Launched the Karta Visa Infinite Charge Card, enabling IBKR clients to spend directly from their brokerage account balances globally.· card
Regulated entities
Broker-dealer
US
Interactive Brokers LLC
FCM
US
Interactive Brokers LLC
Investment firm
UK FCA
Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited
Investment firm
EU (Hungary)
Interactive Brokers Central Europe Zrt.
The stack
Accounting gap: minor