Assessment
Lightyear runs a brokerage for consumers and businesses in many European countries, with stocks and cash held in one app. US securities are held with its partner Alpaca, a US broker, and are covered by SIPC, the US scheme that protects brokerage customers if a firm fails. EU assets are covered by Estonia's investor-protection scheme up to €20,000. It suits an investor who wants published fees, multi-currency accounts, and broad ETF and stock access without dealing with a traditional full-service broker.
For the year 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, Lightyear Europe AS reported fee and commission income of €4,241,182 and net trading income of €518,838 in its interim report. Its homepage and pricing pages advertise €0 commission on many ETF trades, €0 account fees, and FX fees that differ by market (0.1% on the UK pricing page and 0.35% on the Estonian one, in comparison tables dated early June 2026).
Lightyear fits a retail or small-business investor in supported European countries who wants clear fees and multi-market access. It is a weaker fit for someone who needs deep US options, futures, or custody and reporting tools for a financial-advice firm.
Rating by criterion
Each of the eight criteria below is scored out of 100.
Sector criteria
Customers can hold stocks and funds across US, UK, EU, and Baltic markets, with fractional shares where available, UK government bonds (gilts) in sterling accounts, crypto on some EU pricing pages, and savings balances in money market funds from managers such as BlackRock and J.P. Morgan Asset Management. Business accounts, and in the UK the tax-free Stocks & Shares ISA, are offered in supported countries. Customers can choose ready-made plans or pick investments themselves.
Lightyear's product is a mobile-first investor app with multi-currency balances, savings, AI-assisted features marketed as Lightyear AI, and education content. It is built for investors and business owners and has no billing or household reporting tools for advisory firms.
Customers fund accounts by local bank transfer or by card, and card deposits carry a published percentage fee. Older launch notes mentioned open-banking partners. Lightyear has used Alpaca as its broker partner for US securities. It sells its own consumer app and does not focus on brokerage APIs for other companies.
Lightyear Europe AS is authorised by the Estonian Financial Supervision Authority and uses that licence to operate across the EU, a right known as passporting. Lightyear UK Ltd is FCA-authorised (FRN 987226). US securities are held with Alpaca (FINRA/SIPC). Lightyear describes EU portfolio cover of up to €20,000 through the Estonian Investor Protection Sectoral Fund. Customer cash is kept separate from company money, at authorised banks and in money market funds. Lightyear's help pages say crypto is excluded from some protection schemes.
Vendor criteria
Lightyear has added countries, business accounts, Baltic stocks, savings in money market funds, fractional shares, and a UK ISA. Fee and commission income in the March 2026 interim report points to a growing brokerage business. The founders led product and engineering work at Wise, the international money-transfer company, and that background shows in the multi-currency design.
Customers in supported countries sign up on their own in the app. Help centre articles cover protection, withdrawals, and fees. Lightyear does not publish response times for chat. The Estonian pricing page lists the fee for a legal entity identifier (LEI), which a business needs in order to invest.
Lightyear publishes market-specific pricing pages. UK page (data noted as of 3 June 2026): £0 commission on US/UK/EU stocks and ETFs in the comparison table, £0 account fee, 0.1% FX, 0.6% card deposit, USD wire receive fee capped around $8.50. Estonia/EU page: 0.35% FX, US stocks 0.1% capped at $1 (min $0.10), UK stocks £1, EUR-denominated stocks €1, ETFs free, account fee free, crypto 0.45% where offered, business LEI €48 + VAT.
Ordinary accounts open under standard customer agreements accepted online, with nothing to negotiate. Fees can differ by country entity. The published UK and Estonian fee pages show no annual platform subscription for standard investing.
Against its peers
These are the other companies in wealth and brokerage platforms, with their ratings.
Fact file
| EU licence | Lightyear Europe AS, Estonian FSA |
|---|---|
| UK licence | Lightyear UK Ltd, FCA FRN 987226 |
| Fee & commission income | €4,241,182 for 1 Apr 2025-31 Mar 2026 (company interim report) |
| US custody partner | Alpaca (SIPC for US securities, company-stated) |
| EU investor cover | Up to €20,000 Estonian Investor Protection Sectoral Fund (company-stated) |
Competitive landscape
European retail brokers and investing apps a fee-sensitive investor would compare with Lightyear.
Lightyear: 80
- Lightyear80
- Trading 212Not reviewed
- Interactive BrokersNot reviewed
- Revolut InvestNot reviewed
- Alpaca77
- DriveWealth73
Comparisons
Key leadership
Martin Sokk
Martin Sokk and Mihkel Aamer co-founded Lightyear and lead it as chief executive and chief technology officer.
Martin Sokk - Co-founder and chief executive. Sokk is known as a product builder in European fintech. He joined TransferWise (now Wise) as its first product hire and later led product work there before starting Lightyear. Earlier he worked at Swedbank, the Nordic and Baltic bank. He began shaping Lightyear with Aamer in summer 2020 after they agreed that investing in Europe was still too expensive and fragmented. He leads the company and writes regularly on launches and strategy.
Mihkel Aamer - Co-founder and chief technology officer. Aamer is known for engineering leadership in financial technology. He met Sokk while building engineering teams at Wise, and before that he worked at UBS. At Lightyear he is responsible for the technology behind trading in many markets, multi-currency accounts, and partner connections, which have included Alpaca for US shares.