- About one-fifth of new customers with deposits are from Australia and New Zealand, indicating growing local recognition
- Average net deposit of newly acquired clients surpasses US$11,000 in Singapore, a sign of deepening trust
Live: Tiger Brokers Q3 2022 Earnings Conference Call
Singapore and New York, November 23, 2022 — UP Fintech Holding Limited ("UP Fintech" or the "Company", Nasdaq: TIGR, and all its subsidiaries and consolidated entities), an online brokerage with a focus on redefining global investing with technologies for the next generation, announced its unaudited financial results for the three months ended September 30, 2022.
During the period, the company's revenue reached US$55.41 million, with the net income attributable to UP Fintech turning positive to US$3.34 million, and non-GAAP net income reaching US$6.63 million, up 91.3% quarter-over-quarter.
During the third quarter, the number of new customer accounts increased by 35,400, totaling 1.97 million globally, up 11.5% from the same quarter last year. The number of new customers with deposits rose by 22,700 to 754,100, up 23.2% from the same period last year.
The total trading volume from customers stood at US$78.2 billion on the company's platform, of which US$23.5 billion was on share trading, and 7.7 million options and futures contracts were made. Net asset inflow from customers exceeded US$700 million during the third quarter, and the company retained 98% of its customers with assets during the period.
Wu Tianhua, CEO and founder of UP Fintech, said, "In the third quarter, the company witnessed steady sequential growth in key indicators. Our interest-related income was up by almost 70% quarter-over-quarter amid the Federal Reserve's interest rates hikes. While thanks to further improved operational efficiency, our non-GAAP net income nearly doubled, all the more showing our resilience to global macroeconomic uncertainties. Among our global markets, in Australia and New Zealand, the public recognition of our services rose significantly, with the number of new funded clients accounting for 19% of the total worldwide."
"In this quarter, we brought to global investors a fractional share feature in our flagship app Tiger Trade, offering clients with limited deposits access to premium stocks at high prices, and expanding our potential user base. Nearly all US cash equity tradings were self-cleared by our proprietary infrastructure, boosting the overall clearing efficiency and lowering the costs," Wu Tianhua added.
Wu Tianhua also revealed, "Looking ahead, in the fourth quarter, we will land our services in Hong Kong, where we are committed to providing investors in this global financial center with the best possible products and services. In addition, we are dedicated to allocating our global resources effectively to serve our worldwide client base well."
In Singapore, average net deposit of newly acquired clients up for the second consecutive quarter
UP Fintech's market position in Singapore continued to consolidate with consensual trust from high-worth customers. The average net deposit of newly acquired clients has grown for the second consecutive quarter, passing the US$11,000 threshold in the third quarter, while overtaking the US$9,000 one in the previous quarter.
In terms of the products we offer, the company upgraded all Singapore-registered accounts by merging share and fund trading operations, enabling the deposit in customers' margin accounts for US stocks to be directed for fund trading to alleviate their liquidity restraint.
During the period, the company's cash management services in Singapore were strategically elevated to become Tiger Vault, where customers' in-account deposits can be directly for shares, options, and fund trading, as well as for IPO subscriptions, a move that facilitates the asset management flow. The brand-new Tiger Vault has received positive feedback in Singapore, where the asset under management (AUM) in total was up 120.1% quarter-over-quarter, and the number of users increased by 61.3% quarter-over-quarter. These numbers underscore the diversification we strive to offer to clients against heightened volatility.
During the third quarter, by spearheading product and technological innovations, UP Fintech bagged the "Fintech - Brokerage" award at the SBR Technology Excellence Awards 2022 from the Singapore Business Review. In the city state's "Best Customer Service 2022/23" survey conducted jointly by The Straits Times and research firm Statista, the company's excellent customer service was recognized in the trading and brokerage services sub-category, under Real Estate and Banking. As of now, in Singapore, the company keeps 21.5 hours of customer care services on a daily basis, through a combination of channels including hotline, e-mail, social media platforms, and in-app chat. The company also received "Investor's Choice Awards 2022: Best Retail Broker" from the Securities Investors Association (Singapore).
In Southeast Asia, the company announced its Official Sponsor status for the ongoing AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022, the region's biennial football tournament contested by 10 national "A" teams, a move that seeks to highlight the company's continued commitment to becoming a global local company and letting everyone in the world enjoy efficient and smart investing.
Nearly 20% of global new customers with deposits from Australia and New Zealand
In Australia and New Zealand, the company continued to gain momentum. In the reporting period, client acquisition sped up, with nearly 20% of all global new funded customers from the two markets. In-app feature-wise, PayID was accepted to deposit Tiger accounts in Australia in an offering to shorten the processing time. The new feature allows customers to enjoy real-time deposits all year round.
During the two quarters since the company's entry into Australia, its flagship Tiger Trade app has been trusted by more local customers. In the third quarter, the company captured the winner position in three categories including "Best for Australian investors", "People's choice", and "Best for ETFs", from the well-known investing media outlet WeMoney.
Global expansion never ceases
The company is also ready to announce its expansion into Hong Kong starting in December, bringing the best possible smart global investing experience to investors in this global financial center. UP Fintech's subsidiary in Hong Kong holds Type I, II, IV and V licenses from the Securities and Futures Commission, qualifying the company to deal in and advise on securities and futures contracts. In total, the company holds 11 licenses and qualifications in Hong Kong.
US fractional share trading function lowers investing threshold
Self-developed infrastructure bears fruit
In the third quarter, the company's gross commission income stood at US$24.5 million, along with the interest-related income up 68.8% quarter-over-quarter to US$26.9 million.
As the company's global expansion goes deep, we remain zoomed in on investing in research and development. During the period, nearly all US cash equity tradings were self-cleared.
During the reporting period, UP Fintech launched US fractional share trading, a new feature that now supports all S&P 500 stocks, removes the 1 share minimum trading unit, and lowers the trading starting point to as little as US$5. While beginner-friendly, fractional share trading's low threshold also offers an engaging global investing experience to more investors by diversifying their portfolios in a more flexible way.
In the meantime, mobile app features such as options combination analysis tools, most sought-after industries, and lists of ETFs for major markets were put on live. Among new PC/desktop features, time-weighted average price (TWAP) and volume-weighted average price (VWAP) orders were presented. With attached order and conditional order functions available, investors are able to analyze and grasp the investing trends in a timely manner.
During the period, the demand for wealth management services continued to grow steadily. The number of customers increased by 37.7% quarter-over-quarter, and the asset under management (AUM) was up by 50.8% quarter-over-quarter. The number of Fund Mall users increased by 35% quarter-over-quarter, and AUM was up by 72.7% quarter-over-quarter. Cash management products saw the number of users up by 40.2% quarter-over-quarter, and AUM up by 35.8% quarter-over-quarter.
On the investor education side, UP Fintech relentlessly promoted financial knowledge in a move to help investors adjust themselves to the volatile investing environment. During the period, the company broadcast 112 live sessions, covering a wide range of content from diving into companies' earnings results, to deep analysis of various industries and companies. Over 40% of the content was specially tailored for global investors in different markets.
As of September 30, in Singapore, UP Fintech held a series of joint live broadcasts online with the Singapore Exchange, and was participated by analysts from institutions such as Standard Chartered Bank and Société Générale for their market insights. These live sessions, which have become the platform's signature content, were widely accoladed by investors. In Australia, industry analysis covering the most sought-after industries including mining, pharmaceuticals, and technology was well received, helping more local investors make better informed financial decisions, and boosting the content penetration rate to 50%.
Investment banking services take the lead in US IPO underwriting
ESOP business spins off with strategic investors involved
During the reporting period, other revenues, including investment banking and employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), reached US$4 million. The company participated in 12 Hong Kong and US IPOs, served as an underwriter in 11 of these listings, and was the lead bank in 2 US IPOs.
In the first three quarters of this year, third-party data shows that UP Fintech ranked third among all global brokerages, with 18 US IPO underwriting, and fourth by the offering size. In terms of special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) underwriting, the company ranked second globally by the offering scale of projects underwritten.
The company also honed its research capabilities by issuing 19 research reports on various sectors including e-commerce, internet, entertainment, auto-making, and cryptocurrency, indicating its in-depth analysis expertise.
UP Fintech signed 29 ESOP clients during the period, with the number of total clients added up to 393, a year-over-year increase of 50%. The primary market also resonated with the ESOP business's stellar prospects. During the quarter, strategic investors were involved in completing ESOP's angel round financing. The business is scheduled to spin off under the new brand "UponeShare" in the fourth quarter, with a vision of promoting digital transformation in equity management.
In this quarter, dozens of companies including Tim Hortons, Leapmotor, AIM Vaccine, and Jenscare became part of the Tiger Community, and opened enterprise accounts.
On the corporate social responsibility front, the company collaborated with WWF-Singapore on International Tiger Day to raise awareness about wildlife conservation.
About UP Fintech
UP Fintech Holding Limited (Nasdaq: TIGR), also known as Tiger Brokers, is a leading online brokerage with a focus on redefining global investing with technology for the next generation.
Founded in 2014, we relentlessly offer a superior user experience in pursuit of becoming a world-leading online brokerage, to let everyone enjoy efficient and smart investing. Currently, we offer a multitude of quality financial products and services across brokerage, employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) management, investment banking, wealth management, investor community, and investor education.
We strive to elevate financial technology R&D to a new level. While we inherit the best traditions from the financial sector and blend them with the best minds of tech experts, we develop our own technology infrastructure—an aggregation that enables multi-currency trading of various products across markets, guaranteeing our reliable, secure, and scalable services are accessible to all with low latency.
In March 2019, UP Fintech was listed on Nasdaq under the ticker TIGR. As of now, we serve over 9 million users and about 2 million account holders worldwide on our flagship platform "Tiger Trade", own 63 licenses and qualifications in different markets, and have over 1,000 employees on the team in Singapore, New Zealand, the US, Hong Kong Australia, and China.