UK investment app Lightyear has reached a major milestone, announcing it now manages over $1 billion in customer assets, just three years after launching. The announcement comes alongside the company’s $23 million Series B funding round, led by NordicNinja and supported by Lightspeed, Metaplanet, and notable tech angels including Markus Villig (Bolt) and Lars Trunin (Wise).
This latest raise brings Lightyear’s total funding to $58 million, reinforcing investor confidence in the platform’s mission to transform investing across Europe with low fees, smart tools, and broad accessibility. CEO and co-founder Martin Sokk called the achievement a “testament to the strength of our product and how what we’re offering is truly unique in the market.”
Launched in 2020 by Martin Sokk and fellow Wise alum Mihkel Aamer, Lightyear set out to solve one of Europe’s greatest financial challenges: fragmented investing infrastructure. Today, it operates in 25 countries and 10 languages, and offers regulated products in both the UK (under FCA licence) and EU (under Estonia’s Finantsinspektsioon).
The $1bn milestone reflects explosive growth in both retail and business customer adoption, bolstered by recent launches including:
- Stocks & Shares ISAs for UK investors
- Business investment accounts in 18 countries
- Fractional shares for EU stocks and funds
- AAA-rated Money Market Funds by BlackRock, accessible from just £/€1
- Integration with Nasdaq Baltic for direct access to Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian equities
To further support customer growth, Lightyear has also launched three new AI-powered tools designed to demystify the markets:
- Why Did It Move? – Instant analysis of price movements
- Bulls Say / Bears Say – Balanced, credible argument summaries
- Lightning Updates – Bite-sized alerts across holdings and watchlists
Looking ahead, Lightyear plans to deepen localisation, expand tax-wrapper integrations, and grow its presence into additional European markets. With European households still holding over €11 trillion in cash, Lightyear sees huge potential to convert savers into long-term investors — and now has the war chest to help make that vision a reality.
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