Interactive Brokers Group (NASDAQ: IBKR) reported a strong performance in April 2025, driven by a sharp rise in trading activity and continued growth in client accounts and assets. The online brokerage giant recorded 3.818 million Daily Average Revenue Trades (DARTs) during the month up a remarkable 63% compared to April of last year and 10% higher than in March. This spike highlights increased investor participation and activity across its platform.
Client Equity on the Rise
Client equity reached $588.1 billion by the end of April, marking a 28% increase year over year and a 3% climb from the previous month. This growth reflects both an expanding user base and an overall appreciation in market value, suggesting robust investor sentiment and capital inflows.
The total number of client accounts also saw healthy growth, rising to 3.71 million up 32% from April 2024 and 3% above March. The steady month on month climb shows continued interest in Interactive Brokers’ trading services from both retail and institutional clients.
Margin Loans Dip but Remain Elevated Year on Year
Despite the upbeat numbers, margin loan balances declined 9% from March, settling at $58.2 billion. However, the figure still stands 15% higher than a year ago, indicating that while some investors may be reducing leverage in the short term, borrowing activity remains strong overall.
Consistent Trading Costs for IBKR PRO Clients
Interactive Brokers reported that its IBKR PRO clients paid an average of 4.1 basis points on U.S. Reg-NMS stock trades in April, calculated against the trade money and benchmarked to the daily volume-weighted average price (VWAP). Over the past 12 months, the average cost has been slightly lower at 3.9 basis points, showing relative stability in trading fees.
Global Expansion and Tech Upgrades
In a move to broaden its global reach, Interactive Brokers recently added the Ljubljana Stock Exchange to its list of tradable markets. This addition allows users to buy and sell Slovenian equities alongside more than 160 global exchanges all accessible through the firm’s unified trading platform. The expansion underlines Interactive Brokers’ ongoing commitment to offering a diverse range of investment options across asset classes, including stocks, options, futures, forex, bonds, and funds.
On the technology front, the broker has integrated Pirum’s CoacsConnect solution to streamline and automate its corporate actions management. This tool centralizes voluntary actions and income claims and helps process a massive $3.8 billion worth of corporate actions daily, enhancing operational efficiency for global clients.
