The European Retail Online Trading Market: Trends in Europe and the Nordic Region

My upcoming Q1 report, The European Retail Online Trading Market: Trends in Europe, and the Nordic Region endeavors to identify trends in the retail online trading industry across Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and the Nordic region. The European retail online trading market remains dynamic in nature due to challenging economic conditions, stringent regulatory reformations, varying client expectations, and narrow commissions and interest rates. Retail investors continue to be a diverse group with differing affluence levels, investment knowledge and skills, and trading preferences. Technology continues to play a significant role in how businesses will expand their existing client base and access new clients in the current environment. The following countries are included in this report: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. This report will begin with a market overview of the European retail online trading market, including market and technology trends, followed by market sizing of each of 15 European countries including a further segmentation of each country’s self-directed investor market. Celent will then review investor product preferences and product availability, as well as channel development as it relates to digital strategies. This study examines the online brokerage market, looking specifically at drivers, technology, challenges and opportunities as they relate to retail investor online trading. Investment product preferences and availability across Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and the Nordic region vary slightly from one another due to cultural and historical investment preferences, sophistication of the country’s financial market and impact of the financial crisis on the market and investor confidence. Technology continues to play a significant role in how businesses will expand their existing client base and access new clients in the current environment. With the proliferation of the internet and affordability of smartphones, the way in which clients prefer to perform banking or trading activities is evolving. Firms continue to outsource and partner with external vendors in the current cost controlled environment in which they currently operate. The continued enhancement and development of online trading platforms, mobile apps, social media presence, and social trading platforms are at the forefront of firms’ strategic plans. The degree to which European firms respond to these investor preferences varies between country and region.