Matt Leibowitz: Empowering Kiwi & Aussie Traders To Get In The Big Game
While the stock game was once a place only for rich, powerful Wall Street types in expensive suits to flex their financial muscle, the massive developments in digital technology has resulted in a significant increase in access, dramatically opening the door for the masses to make their mark.
Here in Australiasia, the door has been opened to markets all over the world, including the massive opportunities on the US market. Pushing more Aussie’s and Kiwi’s into the game is Matt Leibowitz, founder, and CEO of Stake. Stake is a digital brokerage which is aimed at breaking down barriers for those in Australiasia who are keen to play in the big leagues and trade US Stocks and ETF. The platform is the first of its kind in this area of the world, offering users commission-free trading, allowing them to get involved without being disuaded by crippling additional fees.
Leibowitz launched the brokerage in 2017, bringing with him a bounty of experience in the stock game. After originally studying to be a lawyer, Leibowitz changed course and decided to cut his teeth in stock trading, signing on with Australian trading firm Optiver. There, he began his tenure as trader and senior partner before separate stints in charge of Index Trading in their US office in Chicago and their Institutional Trading desks in Sydney.
In 2017 Lebowitz made the leap of faith in leaving in his high-salary position at Optiver to create something of his own, a stock trading app that would finally allow Australians to access the big game on the other side of the world, the US stock market. It was an expensive journey to launch, costing Lebowitz and his investors an estimated $1.4 million AUD to get the platform rolling, but the platform has gone from strength to strength in its four years in operation. 2020 was an interesting year for the brokerage, as the effects of coronavirus pandemic created an increasingly unpredictable US market and sparked a new level of interest in trading among the public. The increase in market volatility undoubtedly played a part in a sudden, rapid growth Stake’s user-base, as the brokerage shot past the 100,000-user mark in June of last year. What started at a domestic business has gone global, with Stake now available in New Zealand, Brazil and the United Kingdom, with the company poised to make its debut in Europe over the next few months.
Leibowitz’s game-changing platform saw him selected by newspaper The Australian as one of their Top 100 Innovators for 2021.
We at M2 are delighted to have the pleasure of including Matt Leibowitz as one of the nine speakers at our upcoming M2 Summit. Check out the M2 Summit website for more info and to grab your tickets.