Kicking off our first API Chronicles livestream of 2025, we brought together an expert panel from Visa, Trading212, and bitsul to dive into the fast-evolving world of trading and investing. Thanks to Mattia Calvosa, Kaloyan Yanchev and Jas Shah for joining us to share their insights.
With tech innovation, seamless UX, and the growing convergence of financial services, the industry is undergoing a seismic shift, and we unpacked what’s happening now, and what’s next.
One of the most transformative innovations in the trading and investing space? Card programs. The integration of payment cards into these platforms is helping to redefine how users access, manage, and grow their wealth.
Democratizing Investment Access
Traditional investing often required users to transfer lump sums from their bank accounts into their trading platforms, a process that felt cumbersome and detached from everyday financial habits. Platforms like Trading 212 (T212) are breaking down these barriers by allowing users to invest in fractional shares, making even the most expensive stocks accessible to all.
T212’s innovative 'pies' feature helps users invest and save in a structured manner, creating an effortless habit of wealth-building. Commission-free trading has become the industry baseline, but the real differentiation lies in how these platforms educate their users and provide AI-powered bespoke investment guidance. The introduction of payment cards takes this one step further by creating a seamless, all-in-one financial experience, combining savings, crypto, investments, and everyday spending into a single ecosystem.
Spending as a Wealth-Building Tool
A prime example of how trading platforms are rethinking money management is the idea of spending as an investment strategy. Imagine buying a new iPhone for £700 and automatically investing 20% of that spend into Apple stock. This concept of hedging your spending revolutionizes how consumers think about their money. By integrating payment cards, platforms can turn everyday purchases into micro-investments, fostering a mindset of financial growth.
Beyond investing, these cards offer real-time access to money, budgeting tools, and enhanced savings habits. The ability to manage working capital instantly, without relying on traditional banks, puts users in control of their financial future.
The Power of Payments Data
Payment cards also provide valuable data insights that were previously inaccessible to trading platforms. This data helps companies better understand customer behaviour, refine product offerings, and create personalized financial experiences. More importantly, by keeping transactions within a closed-loop system where the card is directly linked to the trading app, platforms reduce reliance on banks and gain more control over customer relationships, allowing users to have access to their money independent of any market disruption.
Strategic Considerations for Card Programs
Launching a payment card isn’t as simple as adding a company logo to a piece of plastic or metal. Companies need to be clear about their goals. Whether it’s growth, customer acquisition, revenue generation, or access to spend data. Choosing the right partner is critical, as different regions have unique regulatory concerns and operational complexities.
Key Takeaways for Trading/Investment Platforms Considering a Card Program:
- Understand the card type you need: Debit, credit, or prepaid. Each serves a different function, and selecting the wrong type could hinder the program’s success. Have professionals advise you if you’re unsure.
- Make your card design stand out: craft something fun, unique and eye-catching so that cardholders will love showing it off, whether in their physical or digital wallet!
- Technical infrastructure matters: A modern, API-driven infrastructure helps to ensure an optimal experience for both the program build and launch as well as ongoing growth and scale.
- Test and iterate: Not all programs are successful from day one. Learning from data and customer feedback and refining the offering is key. Work with partner agile enough to support dynamic changes.
- Market-specific strategies: Expand wisely. Establish a strong presence in one market before attempting multiple geographies and choose partners who can support expansion where you need to go. Each region has its own regulatory requirements, issuer relationships, and customers with nuanced behaviors and expectations.
- Cards as a branding tool: Unique card designs such as Trade Republic’s mirror card can generate significant hype and drive sign-ups.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Trading and Payments
The integration of payments and investing is just the beginning. The future will bring even greater financial flexibility and automation. Our panel mentioned:
- Investments as collateral: Using portfolios to back loans without selling assets.
- Fractional shares and micro-investments: Continued growth in low-barrier investing.
- Tokenization of assets: Enabling ownership of alternative investments like art and collectables.
- Automated investing strategies: AI-powered portfolio management, auto-roundups, and set-and-forget investment rules.
- Embedded finance: More platforms offering holistic financial solutions beyond investing. Linking pensions, loans, and real-world assets into a single dashboard.
Ultimately, most people aren’t full-time traders; they have careers and responsibilities outside of finance. The evolution of trading platforms, supported by seamless spend management solutions, equips users with the tools to build wealth without having to micromanage every transaction.
Card programs are not just a payment tool; they’re a strategic lever for growth, engagement, and financial empowerment. Trading and investing platforms that successfully integrate card programs into their ecosystem could not only drive revenue but also help redefine how modern investors interact with their money.
For more insights on the transformative power of card programs for trading platforms, watch the full livestream here.
