Vancouver, BC – October 03, 2026 -- Two independent research firms diverge on the size of the global online trading platform market, with Mordor Intelligence valuing it at $11.65 billion in 2025 and projecting $18.18 billion by 2031 (7.66% CAGR), while Fortune Business Insights puts 2025 value at $10.82 billion, rising to $18.50 billion by 2034 (6.00% CAGR). Mordor Intelligence attributes 69.59% of 2025 platform volume to retail investors and 63.42% of deployment to cloud-based infrastructure, underscoring smartphones as the primary entry point for individual traders.
Interactive Brokers reports 6% rise in daily trades, 35% jump in client accounts
Interactive Brokers Group (Nasdaq: IBKR) posted September 2026 metrics on October 1 showing 4.111 million daily average revenue trades, up 6% year over year but down 4% from August, alongside 5.576 million client accounts, up 35% year over year. Ending client equity reached $964.7 billion, up 27% year over year, while client margin loan balances climbed 36% to $105.2 billion. Average commission per cleared order stood at $2.57. On September 15, the broker launched an integration with X Cashtags offering new U.S. clients $100 for opening and funding qualifying accounts, serving over 5 million accounts globally.
Cboe's mini-SPX options volume sets monthly record as Q2 net revenue climbs 25%
Cboe Global Markets (Cboe BZX: CBOE) reported August 2026 average daily volume of 14,801 thousand contracts in multi-listed options and 5,743 thousand contracts in index options, with its mini-SPX (XSP) options hitting a monthly record of 241 thousand contracts. In second-quarter results on July 31, Cboe posted total revenue of $1,442.8 million and net revenue of $731.6 million, up 25%, with diluted EPS of $3.35, up 50%. Options net revenue reached a record $473.9 million, prompting Cboe to raise its 2026 organic net revenue growth target to "mid to high teens." The company is also divesting its Canadian business.
Block's Cash App drives 31% gross-profit growth, prompts raised 2026 outlook
Block (NYSE: XYZ) reported second-quarter 2026 gross profit of $3.17 billion, up 25% year over year, with Cash App gross profit rising 31% to $1.97 billion and adjusted diluted EPS up 65% to $1.02. Cash App primary banking actives grew 17% to 9.4 million users, leading Block to raise its 2026 outlook to $12.51 billion in gross profit and $4.02 in adjusted diluted EPS. Cash App expanded stablecoin support through a USDC integration, while bitcoin ecosystem gross profit fell 31% after a deliberate fee reduction on certain transactions.
Apple's App Store distribution remains key channel for investing apps
Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) reported fiscal third-quarter 2026 revenue of $109.4 billion, up 16% year over year, with diluted EPS of $2.02, up 29%, including a $0.11 benefit from tariff refunds. Services net sales rose to $30.739 billion from $27.423 billion a year earlier. In a June 4 announcement, Apple said the App Store facilitated over $1.4 trillion in developer billings and sales in 2025, with more than 850 million average weekly users across 175 countries, though it did not break out figures specific to finance or investing apps.
Quote Daddy launches free tracking dashboard, discloses publisher ownership link
Quote Daddy, a free stock-tracking application available via web, desktop and mobile, streams live U.S. stock and ETF quotes on NYSE and Nasdaq and covers Canadian listings on TSX, TSX-V and CSE with a 15-minute-or-greater delay. The platform surfaces SEC filings, Form 4 insider transactions, and 13F filings from major fund managers alongside disclosed congressional trades, though it warns that 13F and congressional data carry a roughly 45-day reporting lag and that one-year return figures on investor profiles are unverified approximations. Quote Daddy is owned by Market Equities Limited, the parent company of this publication, a disclosed conflict of interest; it is not a broker-dealer, does not execute trades, and states its AI-generated summaries "can occasionally get something wrong."