Stake was born after it’s founder Matt Leibowitz returned home to Australia after a stint in the US and realised just how tricky it was to trade international stocks.
A little bit of backstory please
Historically, it was incredibly difficult for retail investors in Australia to buy and sell international stocks.
Challenges included currency exchange, government regulations & the requirement for international accounts.
However, Stake came along on a mission to change all that, providing a US share trading platform that allows Australian investors access to the US markets without logistical headaches.
The amount of money moving through Apple stock is roughly twice the Australian market.
Why invest using Stake?
- Zero brokerage fees on all trades, an offering that is seriously rare on Australian shores
- A $10 minimum transaction amount means that it is easy to enter the markets
- The USA is a pretty exciting place to invest… for more, click here
How do they make their money?
Because Stake does not charge brokerage fees on transactions, they have turned their attention to other revenue streams…
- Currency exchange – they take a clip on money converted to/from USD
- Interest on cash sitting in trading accounts
- Subscription services that offer investors additional functionality on the platform
Are things going well for the company?
Life is pretty sweet for Stake at the moment, they just got a nice write-up in the Australian Financial Review and were expected to hit AUD $437m trading volume in June 2020.
They are good friends of ours, so if you have any interest in US investing check them out here.
