More than a year after entering the Canadian market, moomoo Canada is betting that the country’s retail investors are more sophisticated than many financial platforms have assumed.
The digital brokerage, led in Canada by CEO Michael Arbus, has positioned itself around professional-grade tools, market data, options trading, investor education, and access to U.S. markets. That strategy reflects what Arbus says moomoo has learned since launch: Canadian self-directed investors are not simply looking for cheaper trading, but for deeper functionality, better information, and platforms that can keep pace as their investing needs evolve.
In a market long dominated by bank-owned brokerages on one end and simplified trading apps on the other, moomoo is trying to carve out space with a platform built for active, engaged investors. The company has also leaned into community and education, including its Yorkville location and Trade Academy in Toronto, while exploring how AI can help investors analyze earnings, identify signals, and better understand market-moving developments.
Earlier this year, moomoo partnered with Nasdaq on Canada’s Top Trader, a real-money national trading competition designed to test investor decision-making under actual market conditions. Looking ahead, Arbus says Canadians can expect more account options, deeper AI tools, broader education initiatives, and a crypto offering currently in development.
Fintech.ca spoke with Arbus about what moomoo has learned from Canadian investors, where he sees gaps in the self-directed investing market, and why he believes access, education, AI, and community will shape the next phase of retail investing in Canada.
Moomoo has been operating in Canada for more than a year now. What have you learned about Canadian retail investors that surprised you most?
MA: The biggest surprise has been how sophisticated Canadian retail investors really are. There’s a perception that Canadians are more conservative than Americans when it comes to investing. For example, buy-and-hold strategies, dividend stocks, mutual funds, that sort of thing. What we’ve actually seen, particularly among self-directed investors, is a highly engaged and informed community. Canadians are trading options, analyzing earnings, investing in U.S. equities alongside Canadian names, and looking for institutional-grade data and tools that many legacy platforms simply don’t provide.
What that told us is that the gap in the market isn’t about investor sophistication. It’s about access. Canadian investors are ready for more advanced tools, they haven’t always had access to them in one place.
Canada’s self-directed investing market is increasingly crowded. Where does moomoo see the biggest gap in the market, and how are you trying to fill it?
MA: The biggest gap is the disconnect between what’s offered by traditional bank-owned brokerages and what serious self-directed investors actually need.
For decades, Canadians have effectively had two choices: pay higher fees on a bank platform with aging technology, or use a low-cost app that sacrifices depth and functionality. Neither option fully serves investors who want access to Level 2 market data, advanced charting, options analytics, extended-hours trading, and global markets from a single platform.
That’s where we’re focused. We’re not trying to be the least expensive app on someone’s phone. We’re building a platform that investors can grow with, one that continues to meet their needs as they become more sophisticated, without ever feeling they’ve outgrown it.
Moomoo has emphasized professional-grade tools, market data, AI-driven insights, and investor education. How do you balance giving retail investors more powerful tools with making sure they understand the risks?
MA: It’s a responsibility we take very seriously.
The reality is that powerful tools and investor education can’t exist on separate tracks, they need to go hand in hand. Every feature we introduce, whether it’s options trading, margin, or AI-driven analytics, is supported by educational content that explains not only how it works, but when it’s appropriate to use and what risks investors should understand.
That’s exactly why we invest so heavily in our Trade Academy, in-app learning resources, and live educational sessions. A new investor shouldn’t be handed a professional-grade toolkit without guidance on how to use it responsibly.
We would much rather see someone take the time to understand an options strategy than rush into a trade they don’t fully comprehend. Sophistication without context isn’t empowerment, it’s risk. Our role is to ensure education evolves alongside the tools we provide.
Earlier this year, moomoo partnered with Nasdaq to launch Canada’s Top Trader, a live real-money national trading competition. What was the strategy behind using real market conditions instead of a paper-trading format?
MA: We absolutely see value in paper trading. It’s a great way for investors to learn the mechanics of trading, test strategies, and build confidence without risking capital, and it’s something we’ll continue to support.
But for a national competition like Canada’s Top Trader, we wanted to capture the element that matters most in investing: how people make decisions when real money is on the line.
The psychology of investing changes when the stakes are real. Managing a drawdown, taking profits, sizing positions, and staying disciplined all feel very different when actual capital is involved. By partnering with Nasdaq, we were able to create a competition that reflects the realities of investing, with real markets, real decisions, and real consequences.
At the same time, we wanted to elevate the conversation around retail investing. Rather than gamifying trading through simulated environments and leaderboards, we wanted to showcase genuine skill, discipline, and decision-making. We believe that’s a healthier model for the industry and a more meaningful experience for participants.
You’ve spoken before about AI and community as important parts of the future of trading. What does that look like in practice for Canadian investors using moomoo?
MA: On the AI side, it’s about giving investors access to analytical capabilities that were once reserved for institutional desks. Our tools can summarize earnings calls, surface unusual options activity, identify technical signals across watchlists, and help investors cut through market noise in minutes instead of hours.
The goal isn’t to replace investor judgment, it’s to strengthen it.
On the community side, we’ve always believed investors learn faster together than they do alone. Within the platform, Canadians can exchange ideas, follow experienced traders, ask questions, and engage with market discussions in real time. When you combine that with our Trade Academy programming and in-person events, you create an ecosystem where education, data, and peer insights reinforce one another.
AI provides depth. Community provides context. Together, we believe that’s what the future of retail investing looks like.
Many Canadians are investing across borders, especially in U.S. stocks and ETFs. How important is cross-border access to moomoo’s Canadian growth strategy?
MA: It’s central to our strategy because it reflects how Canadians actually invest.
The TSX is an excellent market, but it’s heavily concentrated in sectors such as financials, energy, and materials. Investors seeking exposure to areas like technology, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and broader growth sectors often need access to U.S. markets.
That’s why cross-border investing isn’t a nice-to-have feature, it’s a fundamental requirement for any serious self-directed investing platform.
Our focus has been on removing the friction that has traditionally made cross-border investing more difficult, whether that’s foreign exchange costs, settlement delays, limited access to extended-hours trading, or cumbersome account management. Clients can hold both Canadian and U.S. dollar balances and access U.S. equities and options during extended trading sessions, all from a single account.
Moomoo has also leaned into in-person education and community through its Yorkville store and Trade Academy in Toronto. Why does a digital investing platform need a physical presence?
MA: Because investing is ultimately built on trust, and trust is still formed most effectively through human connection.
When someone is deciding where to invest their savings or open a margin account, being able to walk into a space, meet the team, attend an educational session, or have a conversation face-to-face matters. That’s especially true in Canada, where financial institutions have spent generations building trust through physical branch networks.
As a newer entrant, we recognize that trust has to be earned. The Yorkville location and Trade Academy give us an opportunity to build those relationships in a way that no digital notification ever could.
It also reflects the type of investors we serve. Serious investors want opportunities to learn, exchange ideas, and engage with others who share their interests. Our space hosts everything from beginner education sessions to advanced options workshops and industry guest speakers.
The digital platform is where investing happens. The physical space is where education, community, and trust come to life. The two work together, and we believe that’s an important part of how Canadians make financial decisions.
Looking ahead, what should Canadians expect next from moomoo – new products, new account types, deeper AI tools, or broader education initiatives?
MA: To be honest, it is all of the above.
On the account side, Canadians can expect additional tax-advantaged account offerings as we receive the necessary regulatory approvals. It’s one of the most frequently requested features from our clients, and it’s a major area of focus for us.
From a product perspective, you’ll continue to see innovation, particularly around agentic AI. The next evolution isn’t simply better screeners or faster earnings summaries. It’s AI that can act as a true research partner, helping investors challenge their assumptions, better understand portfolio risk, and stay informed about market-moving developments in a more meaningful way.
We’re also very excited about a crypto offering that’s currently in development. While I can’t share many details yet, I can say that Canadians looking for a thoughtful, well-designed crypto experience within a trusted brokerage environment will have something to look forward to.
On the education and community front, expect continued expansion of the Trade Academy and more opportunities for investors to engage with us in person across Canada. Yorkville was just the start. Our goal is to bring that same combination of education, community, and investor support to more markets across the country.
The underlying mission remains the same as it was when we launched in Canada: give investors access to the tools, data, education, and markets they need to compete globally, and trust them to use those resources well.
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