Share-trading platforms: trade barriers and light regulation

Trading platforms have not attracted much attention from the Financial Markets Authority. (Image: Getty)

Wed, 26 Jun 2024

When online share-trading platforms exploded into the zeitgeist amid a shower of digital confetti, financial regulators were, as usual, late to the party.But fin-cops are wising up to platform games even if they have little power, or inclination, to turn the music off yet.Last week, for example, the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published the results of a large-scale experiment that tested how retail investors respond to some of the digital ‘nudges’ common in online trading apps.Based on the observed behaviour of more than 9,...

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