Bitpanda, the European investment platform that just recently reached unicorn status at a valuation of $1.2B, has launched a new product called Bitpanda Stocks, which offers investing in fractional shares, with the unique possibility of 24/7 access to investing.
For the first time in Europe, everyone is able to invest in their favourite brands from as little as €1, with zero commissions and tight spreads, even outside of trading hours. Existing and new users with a verified Bitpanda account can start investing in fractional shares starting from today.
Over the last seven years, Bitpanda has been working on enabling the public to easily invest in cryptocurrencies, precious metals and digital assets by building a successful investment platform used by millions across Europe. Now, that experience and knowledge have been applied to another part of the investment world. Bitpanda is opening the door to stocks investing for anybody, giving everyone access to their investments whenever they want. As a fully regulated derivative product, all stocks and ETFs are fully backed by our custody bank partners BNP Paribas, and are also secured through a pledge agreement. Plus, when it comes to being commission-free with tight spreads, Bitpanda has no service charges and no recurring fees.
As of 9 AM CET today, investors will be able to access simple, commission-free derivatives investing in the first beta selection of stocks and ETFs. Hundreds of assets will be added continuously in the next months and in order of investor demand, covering both the stock and ETF markets and offering thousands of brands more by the end of this year.
Eric Demuth, Bitpanda CEO and co-founder commented: “This is a really exciting day for Bitpanda. We founded the company on the idea that everyone would have the same access to the financial world. Investing should be simple, accessible and available to everyone - and that’s what Bitpanda Stocks is about.
Historically, the financial system has been too complex and too restrictive. We want everyone to be able to access and manage their portfolios at a time that suits them, not the market. No matter their financial means, everyone should be able to make their money work harder. We even added the new product to our existing Bitpanda Savings feature, allowing people to save up with their preferred asset, without stress or high app usage.”
All of the assets added to the platform will also be able to take advantage of the recently-launched Bitpanda Card, allowing users to make purchases with any of the assets they hold in their portfolio. Users can switch the linked asset at any time via the Bitpanda iOS and Android app, allowing them to choose whether to make a purchase with a fraction of Starbucks, Amazon or Nike, Bitcoin or gold, or even traditionally with EUR.
Eric Demuth, continued: “Fractional investing is such an important part of this product. If users want to access tech giants or blue chips, they shouldn’t be prevented from doing so due to a lack of capital. Our platform means that anyone can access and invest in digital assets, including the companies and sectors that they really believe in - without barriers. It’s Wall Street without the walls, even when Wall Street closes.”
The launch follows the founding of the daughter company Bitpanda Financial Services and its recent approval for a MiFID II licence from the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA).
To coincide with the launch, Bitpanda has also unveiled a new brand alongside its new website and app, including improvements to make it easier for investors to engage with their finances at a glance.