We at iHodl.com have been covering finance and investments for six years now, which is why this year we decided to create our own award — Investment Innovations Awards (IIAwards). Today we are happy to congratulate the winners of our award.
Best Online Broker — EXANTE
About nomination
The "Best Online Broker" provides clients with an extensive and versatile offering of investing tools and excellent order executions. The winner has to be persistently working towards perfecting its state-of-the-art trading technology across various devices.
About the winner
EXANTE is an international investment company established in 2011. It offers global multi-asset financial services, including direct access to 50+ financial markets in the US, European Union and Asia-Pacific.
Best Broker Innovation — Interactive Brokers
About nomination
The "Best Broker Innovation" award celebrates excellence in servicing professional investors and recognises brokers who position innovation at the core of their development strategy. The winner has to provide tailored, dedicated services and support, delivering seamless access to the global capital markets for private individuals and institutional partners.
About the winner
Founded in 1977, Interactive Brokers has been the first choice destination for institutional investors and sophisticated, active traders around the globe. Being based in the US, the broker is widely recognised due to its low per-share pricing, state-of-the-art trading platform and extensive offer of tradable securities that also includes foreign stocks.
Best for Millennials — E-trade
About nomination
"Best for Millennials" celebrates brokers who enable their clients to advance their trading efforts and make the leap from novice to professional trader. The winner offers an advanced trading platform and innovative account opening strategies to assist the onboarding process.
About the winner
ETrade is one of the oldest and most reputable online brokerages in the United States, with a history going back to 1982. It is regulated by top-tier regulators like the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). The company had 4.9 million active accounts at the end of 2018 and averaged well over a quarter of a million daily trades. It offers competitive pricing and powerful web and desktop trading platforms.
Best for Beginners — London Capital Group
About nomination
The "Best for Beginners" broker understands that financial markets can be intimidating at first. It's key to have an online broker that realises beginners' challenges and dedicates resources to address them. The winner has to put in significant effort to describe every technical aspect of the trading process and offer a convenient and intuitive interface to novice users.
About the winner
London Capital Group (LCG) is a UK based broker that was founded in 1996. It offers traders the opportunity to trade using state-of-the-art technology. It is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. LCG provides access to a broad selection of CFDs and spread betting instruments across several asset classes. Like many forex brokers, LCG does not accept U.S. traders.
Best for Crypto Trading — e-Toro
About nomination
The "Best for Crypto Trading" broker not only provides trading access to a wide range of cryptocurrencies, but also ensures transparency, reliability and efficiency, being at the forefront of digital security systems.
About the winner
eToro is a social trading broker established in 2007 in Israel. In recent years, it has actively expanded in the US and European markets. eToro is one of the key players in the global cryptocurrency and CFDs trade. It’s regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK and Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) in Australia.
Next Generation Stock Exchange — Hong Kong Exchange
About nomination
The "Next Generation Stock Exchange" builds on the principles of transparency, liquidity and efficiency. The winner has to provide trading solutions suitable to long-term investors and tech-savvy short-term traders alike. Besides technological superiority, it has to offer well-rounded access to a vast variety of stocks.
About the winner
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) operates a stock market and futures market in Hong Kong. The Group also operates four clearing houses in Hong Kong. With a total market capitalisation of over HK$42.55 trillion, HKEX is one of the largest exchanges in the world by market capitalisation of listed companies. As of the end of August 2020, there were 2,509 companies listed on HKEX's securities market.
Best Crypto Exchange — Bitstamp
About nomination
The "Best Crypto Exchange" has to combine superior functionality with transparency of traditional forex markets. In the face of growing competition, superior crypto exchanges have to shift towards institutional-grade enterprises, offering secure infrastructure and a wealth of investment options. The winner has to be at the forefront of using crypto within the global payment system.
About the winner
Founded in 2011 in Luxembourg and headquartered in the UK, Bitstamp is one of the oldest cryptocurrency exchanges in operation. It caters to beginners and more experienced traders alike and allows users to exchange bitcoin (BTC), XRP, ether (ETH), litecoin (LTC), and bitcoin cash (BCH) with each other and against fiat currencies (USD, EUR, GBP). It also lets customers deposit and withdraw fiat currencies using their credit and debit cards.
Best Crypto Enabler — STASIS
About nomination
The 'Crypto Enabler' aims to shake off the investor skepticism against stablecoins and popularise the digital currency segment. By positioning compliance and transparency as its main aims, the winner has to establish its crypto product as a standout option for investors around the globe.
About the winner
STASIS is a crypto enabler platform founded in 2017. The company aggregates solutions from licensed financial intermediates to provide an institutional-grade link between the decentralised finance world and the off-chain market. Since its launch, STASIS has functioned as the most transparent and institutional-friendly part of the European blockchain ecosystem. The project’s team has provided help in crafting the Maltese legal framework a few years ago.
Cutting Edge Bank — Saxo
About nomination
The "Cutting Edge Bank" has to be at the forefront of customer-centric technological advancements. Using the latest tech and customer insights, the winner has to offer a highly personalised service.
About the winner
Founded in 1992, Saxo Bank is a Danish investment bank that provides online trading and investments. The company is regulated by several financial authorities globally, including the Danish Financial Services Agency (FSA) and the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). It classifies itself as "a leading Fintech specialist focused on multi-asset trading and investment and delivering ‘Banking-as-a-Service’ to wholesale clients." The company embraced the technological advancements of the late 90's in launching one of the first online trading platforms in 1998.
Crypto Community Enhancement — Reddit
About nomination
The winner of "Crypto Community Enhancement" has to take the lead in news coverage, delivering authentic and novel insights into the entire cryptocurrency industry.
About the winner
Founded in 2005, Reddit is an American social media/news aggregation website. Structuring its content around forums dedicated to particular topics, registered users can debate and dispute the issues concerning a forum’s particular focus. A true behemoth in the world of online discussion, the site currently ranks as the 17th most-visited website in the world with an estimated company valuation of $3 billion.
You can find a full list of winners and participant reviews on the website Investment Innovations Awards