Australian online investor numbers rise beyond lockdowns

Australian investors are defying global trends by continuing to pursue online investing beyond the COVID-19 lockdowns, according to the latest report from Investment Trends.

The latest Investment Trends Online Investing Report covering the second half of 2021 showed that online investor numbers continued to climb, albeit at a slower pace.

This represented good news for online investment platforms such as CommSec, Bell Direct and Superhero.

The report showed a 21.6% increase in online investor numbers in the second half of last year, compared to the 66.6% increase in 2020.

Investment Trends head of research, Irene Guiamatsia said the growth in Australia was materially higher than rates observed globally – 21% compared to 16% growth in the US.

Guiamatsia noted that Millennials and Zoomers continued to dominate the new investor cohort with their biggest motivators being lower brokerage/fees, access to offshore markets, and a mobile-first digital offering – all of which were strong points of the challenger brands.

“The report shows these younger investors have embraced the innovative product and pricing features on many emerging platforms,” noted Guiamatsia. “Features like fractional shares look set to receive a response similar to what we’ve witnessed in the US, being welcomed by three in five Australian online investors aged under 25 (Zoomers).”

Investment Trends measures online investor satisfaction with the main investor platforms twice a year across 16 key service areas.

Among full-functionality investment platforms – those that offer domestic and international equities – Superhero has the highest satisfaction in six of the 16 key areas measured, including overall satisfaction. Bell Direct and CommSec round out the top three for overall satisfaction.

In 2H 2021, the winners in each category are: