Interactive Brokers Reports Strong January Trading Activity as Client Assets Rise

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. opened 2026 with a notable increase in trading activity and client balances, according to its January operating metrics. Daily Average Revenue Trades (DARTs) reached 4.411 million during the month, representing a 27% increase from a year earlier and a 30% rise compared with December.

The broker reported continued growth in its client base, with total accounts climbing to 4.539 million, up 32% year on year and 3% month on month. Client equity ended January at $814.3 billion, marking a 38% annual increase and a 4% gain from the previous month. Annualized average cleared DARTs stood at 211 per client account.

Margin lending and cash balances also expanded. Client margin loan balances rose to $91.2 billion, up 41% from January 2025 and 1% from December, while client credit balances reached $162.6 billion, including $6.2 billion in insured bank deposit sweeps. This reflected a 35% increase from a year earlier and a 2% monthly rise.

Across products, the average commission per cleared commissionable order was $2.62 in January, inclusive of exchange, clearing, and regulatory fees. For IBKR PRO clients, the average U.S. Reg NMS stock trade size was $21,785, with total execution and clearing costs amounting to approximately 1.9 basis points of trade value for the month, compared with a 2.6 basis-point rolling twelve-month average.

Interactive Brokers also noted that the value of its GLOBAL currency basket, designed to diversify net worth across 10 major currencies, increased by 0.27% in January.

The update comes against a mixed backdrop for the broader retail trading sector. Retail forex deposits at major U.S. brokers declined 0.8% in November 2025 to $495.7 million, the third consecutive monthly drop, and were down 3% from November 2024. During that month, Interactive Brokers recorded a 20% decline in retail forex client deposits, falling to $25.7 million from $31 million in October.

Separately, the company reported fourth-quarter 2025 revenue of $1.64 billion and earnings per share of $0.65, exceeding analyst expectations. Revenue rose from $1.39 billion a year earlier, while pre-tax net income increased to $1.30 billion from $1.04 billion in the prior-year period.