Lightyear is a European investment platform that has expanded rapidly across the continent, now active in 25 markets and available in 10 languages. The product suite includes business accounts (launched in 18 countries), more than 6,000 tradable instruments, fractional European shares, and local tax wrapper products. The company recently introduced three AI-powered market intelligence tools—Why Did It Move, Bulls Say/Bears Say, and Lightning Updates—and plans to broaden its AI capabilities toward comprehensive wealth management tools for retail investors. Lightyear reported reaching $1 billion in customer assets, a milestone tied to recent growth across the UK and Europe. The team emphasizes removing barriers to investing in Europe’s fragmented regulatory and tax landscape and aims to increase retail participation across the region. Expansion into new markets, including Denmark, Sweden, and Bulgaria, is a stated near-term priority. Lightyear is a mobile-first stock-trading app that enables retail investors to buy, manage and track portfolios of major global companies. Founded in London in 2020 and launched from stealth in 2021, the company expanded into mainland Europe last summer. Its core product includes mobile trading, portfolio management and performance tracking; the newly launched web app brings big-screen access and most core features. The initial web release includes a chart-drag view for custom time frames but omits some mobile features—such as the personalized events calendar, analyst price targets and fund highlights—which the company says will be added over time. Lightyear plans additional web-only features in the long run. Financially, the company has secured about $35 million from institutional and angel backers including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Virgin Group and Taavet Hinrikus. Lightyear is a London-based fintech that offers commission-free trading on U.S. and European stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The company charges no account fees or per-trade commissions and relies on foreign-exchange fees, charging 0.35% on conversions above £3,000 ($3,500) per month. After users convert, they hold funds in a local-currency account and can trade without additional per-trade fees. Lightyear was built by early Wise employees Martin Sokk and Mihkel Aamer, and Wise co-founder Taavet Hinrikus is also an investor. The startup launched out of stealth in the U.K. last year and is now expanding into 19 new European markets. The company has raised $25 million to power that expansion and to scale operations amid a competitive field that includes incumbents like Freetrade and potential rivals such as Robinhood. Lightyear is a London- and Tallinn-based fintech founded by ex-Wise duo Martin Sokk and Mihkel Aamer. The company combines multi-currency accounts with access to global markets and has launched an MVP that provides access to more than 1,000 global stocks. Lightyear says it will onboard customers from its waiting list as it expands. The additional funding will be used to expand operations and support development and launch efforts. The company is targeting a pan-European launch in H1 2022. Earlier this summer Lightyear raised a $1.5M pre-seed from a cohort led by Taavet Hinrikus, Sten Tamkivi and Jaan Tallinn. Lightyear is building a mobile stock trading app focused on truly commission-free trading and lower FX fees. The app will offer 1,500 stocks and ETFs from multiple markets at launch and charges no account, trading, or FX fees up to £3,000 per month, after which a 0.35% FX fee applies. Lightyear has opened a waitlist and plans to roll out the product during the third quarter. The company was founded by ex‑Wise employees Martin Sokk (CEO) and Mihkel Aamer (CTO), who held senior roles at Wise. Lightyear has raised a $1.5M pre-seed round with participation from a new fund formed by Taavet Hinrikus and Sten Tamkivi, Jaan Tallinn via Metaplanet, and several business angels. The startup will compete with well-funded challengers like Trade Republic and established UK players such as Freetrade (which has 600,000 users).

Total raised

$93M

Funding rounds

5

Latest round

Series B

Latest activity

Jul 2025