What would happen if Freetrade IPO'd?

Is there any law in the UK that would prohibit Freetrade customers from buying shares in Freetrade when it goes public, on the FT app itself? I know E-Trade in US are public and AFAIK you can buy their stock on their platform.

Would previous investors in FT then have their shares moved onto the platform?

I know this is far ahead thinking but I think this is a positive way of thinking. Believing in FT and spreading the word will get us all there!

No, there is no such law. HL’s stocks, for example, can be sold on HL’s platform, so will Freetrade’s if it IPOs.

It is certainly hard to gauge at this stage what the IPO process will be. Freetrade could be sold to a larger entity, it could liquidate (:crossed_fingers: this will never happen), it can IPO the normal way by issuing shares (like most companies get into the stock exchange) or it can list directly, which will avoid dilution, the lockup period, but will not raise additional funds.

In the latter two cases, which have a higher likelihood (especially the penultimate one), you will still keep your shares and there is no reason why they should not simply appear on your app. You may be tied up to a lockup period (which may or may not depend on your stake Freetrade), which could delay your ability to sell by up to 6 months.

Of course, I have omitted pesky details since this is a very simplistic overview but there may be additional covenants and conditions by the time Freetrade gets to the IPO stage which will be duly communicated to all investors in due time.

6 Likes

Like Vlad and other investors I’d love to see FT go public, but I’m not sure it’s at the stage yet where we could say that an ipo is its most likely destination. But full steam ahead! :racehorse::rocket:

3 Likes

Ye but it’s not ludicrous to think. They’ve done virtually no advertising. They’re virtually unknown outside the UK unless you’re into Fintech. FT has a loyal following and I think that will continue across Europe

Spoiler: also an investor!

4 Likes

How would our free trade shares become sellable ?
Would we be contacted or would they just appear in an account somewhere.

You’d be contacted in the case of any liquidity event.

For example, I’m moving house next Wednesday. Where would I update my contact details.

Crowdcube I’d imagine?

Log in to the Crowdcube website and go here:

You’d just need to send an email to hello@freetrade.io, along with your Date of Birth for security reasons and they will change your address. The email should be same address you use on FT acc.

1 Like