Plus500, the FTSE 250 fintech trading group, has agreed to acquire Hedge Capital Markets, a US broker-dealer regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The deal gives Plus500 direct access to US securities markets for the first time, adding stocks, options and ETFs to its existing futures and prediction markets offering.
Hedge was founded in 2021 and is also a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC).
The acquisition will be funded entirely from existing cash, which stood at over $860 million as of 30 June 2026.
It paves the way for the planned launch of a US multi-asset trading platform, dubbed a "super-app", in the first quarter of 2027.
The app will consolidate Plus500's full US product range into a single application, targeting retail investors who currently use multiple providers to trade across different asset classes.
Plus500 has also opened a new hub in New York to sit alongside its existing Chicago operations, headed by senior executives with US market experience.
The group already has a substantial US presence through its Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)-regulated business, which it acquired in 2021.
Chief executive David Zruia said the deal represented a pivotal step in the group's US expansion and would create a powerful new engine of value creation.
Plus500 said the transaction remained subject to customary closing conditions, including approval from FINRA under Rule 1017.
The group intends to extend the super-app to further international markets following its initial US launch.
Full-year results are due on 24 November.
