Executive Director at Freedom24, Evgenii Tiapkin, discusses how Europe's financial evolution is reshaping digital investing, and why Cyprus can play a central role in this transformation.

Europe’s financial sector is changing rapidly. How would you describe the next stage of digital investing?

Europe’s financial evolution is entering a new phase. For many years, the central promise of online brokerage was access: giving retail investors the ability to reach international markets more easily, more quickly and at lower cost. That promise remains important, but it is no longer enough. Today’s investors expect something broader. They want digital speed, but not at the expense of security. They want global market access, but also better analytics, stronger support and a platform that helps them understand what they are doing. The real challenge is no longer simply to open the door to capital markets, it is to build trusted digital infrastructure around the entire investment journey.

For Freedom24, this shift is central to our European strategy. Investors increasingly do not think in separate categories: one interface for trading, another for support, another for analytics. They expect a digital environment that is coherent, intuitive and reliable. The future will belong not simply to platforms that execute transactions, but to firms that integrate technology, regulation, education and service quality into one durable experience.

What does the next generation of investment platforms need to provide?

The first generation of digital investment platforms was defined by access and convenience. The next will be defined by confidence. European investors are becoming more informed, selective and globally oriented. They want access to stocks, ETFs, bonds and other products across major US, European and Asian exchanges. But as access expands, so does responsibility, a broader investment universe requires better information, clearer interfaces and stronger investor education.

This is one of the principles behind Freedom24’s recent platform evolution. Upgrades across web and mobile have been part of a broader effort to simplify everyday investing workflows: clearer account structures, smoother onboarding, improved in-app communication and more intuitive navigation. The objective is to make investing more understandable without reducing the sophistication of the tools available. Simplicity should not mean limitation, it should mean that complexity is managed properly inside the platform.

Evgenii Tiapkin

What role does Cyprus play in Freedom24’s European operations?

For Freedom24, Cyprus is not simply a legal address. It is the headquarters of our European operations, where product, technology, compliance and support capabilities are coordinated. In modern financial services, proximity between these functions is not an administrative detail, it is a competitive advantage.

Europe is not a single homogeneous market. Client expectations, languages and regulatory details differ across jurisdictions. A company serving clients across the EU and EEA must combine centralised infrastructure with local relevance. Cyprus provides a strong base for that model, EU membership, strategic location, competitive business environment and multilingual talent all matter. But the broader opportunity lies in something deeper: the island’s ability to evolve from a traditional international business jurisdiction into a genuine centre for regulated fintech and digital investment services.

How important is proprietary technology in building trust and scale?

In financial services, technology is valuable only when it strengthens trust. Speed, design and automation matter, but investors need to know that the platform they use is backed by strong governance and serious regulatory discipline.

Freedom24 operates within the European regulatory framework through CySEC and MiFID II, while being part of Freedom Holding Corp., a Nasdaq-listed international financial group. This creates multiple layers of accountability: European regulation at the operating level, and the disclosure and governance discipline of a US public company at group level.

Our proprietary trading infrastructure, Tradernet, is more than a user interface. It is a digital backbone supporting portfolio management, market data, trading workflows and client interaction across web and mobile. Owning core technology gives us greater control over development speed, user experience and security – and in Europe, where scale must be matched by regulatory precision, this is a fundamental part of operational resilience.

How does Freedom24 approach artificial intelligence?

AI’s real value depends on how it is used. In a regulated environment, it should not be treated as a headline, it should function as an operating layer that solves specific problems within a controlled framework. On the client side, AI can make platforms more responsive: supporting smart search, market insight, portfolio analysis and communication. The objective is not to replace investor judgement, but to improve how information is accessed and understood.

The deeper story lies in compliance. Our Neo Compliance approach uses specialised AI agents to support tasks such as analysing source-of-funds documentation, identifying inconsistencies, assessing customer risk profiles and preparing structured reports. Crucially, the system remains human-in-the-loop: AI performs the preparatory work, while qualified compliance professionals retain final decision-making authority. The result is reduced friction and stronger oversight – not superficial automation, but better control through better technology.

Why is financial education becoming more important as investing goes digital?

Access without understanding can create poor outcomes. A platform can open the door to markets, but it cannot make decisions for the investor. As the investment universe grows more complex, financial literacy becomes more important, not less.

For Freedom24, education is not an additional service, it is part of building a healthier long-term relationship with clients. Through Freedom24 Academy, market content, analytics and direct consultations, we help investors better understand markets, risks and decision-making principles. This also matters for Cyprus more broadly. A stronger financial centre is built not only through regulation and technology, but through the maturity of its investor base and the quality of public dialogue around finance. The next phase of European brokerage will be shaped by technological ownership, regulatory transparency and ecosystem integration, and Cyprus can be one of the places where that next chapter is written.