Online investing platforms

An online investing platform is a website or mobile application used to invest within the financial markets.

Online platforms have made investing more accessible.  You can invest smaller amounts of money at relatively low cost and they’re easy to use.  They can be an opportunity to learn about investing by doing it. 

One of the ways that some platforms allow you to invest small amounts is through fractionalised investing, which allows you to buy portions of shares instead of purchasing an entire share.  This allows you to have access to more highly priced shares which you may normally not be able to afford.  There are platforms which also allow you to buy full shares.

Many of us are familiar with platforms that allow us to invest in shares, bonds, exchange traded funds (ETF) and other managed funds.  

Some platforms also offer investments that are higher risk, including derivatives like options trading and cryptocurrency.  Generally these types of investments are not suitable for the average investor and are best approached with caution.  To find out more see Understanding the risks. 

We have commissioned research about online investing platforms, to help understand the type and profile of investors in retail platforms, and the associated risks and behaviours. We will use the findings to help prioritise future activities and messages to reach new investors.

See the media release for an overview of the findings, or download the full research pack.

Download a larger PDF version. Based on Kantar Public research of 1900 investors using online investing platforms.