“Can a social-first retail investing app build durable user retention by making investing a community activity rather than a solitary one?”
Founded in 2021, Shares launched as a social-first retail investing platform allowing users to buy and sell stocks while following friends' portfolios and engaging in community discussion. The company raised $50M in its first nine months, initially targeting UK consumers before planning European expansion. The embedded finance angle centers on a mobile-native investment experience built on top of third-party ledger infrastructure (Formance), differentiating on UX and social engagement rather than proprietary financial rails.
Shares discloses Treezor (wholly-owned subsidiary, acquired 2026-10-07) as its banking provider, according to the Embedded Finance Index 2026.
Shares does not disclose a bank charter of its own; its banking services are provided through Treezor (wholly-owned subsidiary, acquired 2026-10-07).
Shares's cards are issued through Treezor (wholly-owned subsidiary, acquired 2026-10-07).
Shares runs its ledger on Formance.
The Embedded Finance Index 2026 maps 3 layers in Shares's stack: Banking / BaaS (Treezor (wholly-owned subsidiary, acquired 2026-10-07)); Card issuing (Treezor (wholly-owned subsidiary, acquired 2026-10-07)); Ledger (Formance).
Shares is founded in 2021 and headquartered in Paris, France.
Shares has raised $50M in total (latest round: Series A, March 2022).
Get a read on where your own stack stands against Shares and the rest of its category — what they built versus bought, which providers they use, and where the gaps in your own strategy and competitive set actually are.