How Canadians trade is changing – Wealthsimple is building what comes next
May 1, 2026
May 1, 2026 (Toronto, ON) — Wealthsimple, Canada’s leading financial innovator, announced it’s expanding its suite of advanced trading tools to empower even more Canadians to trade with precision and control, on their own terms. From futures and options, to a professional-grade trading interface and benefits, these new capabilities give self-directed investors more ways to build, manage, and act on their own strategies, all from a single platform.
The new trading features were shared last night at The Trade Show, an online and in-person Wealthsimple event that brought together a community of active traders and engaged investors, to discuss advanced tools designed to keep them ahead of the market.
Wealthsimple has emerged as one of the top choices for investors seeking alternatives to traditional brokerages, seeing the fastest asset and trading volume growth among Canadian online brokerages in 2025, according to data from Investor Insight and Institutional Shareholder Services Canada Inc. Since the launch of trading on Wealthsimple in 2019, the company has saved clients over $4 billion in fees, enabling them to maximize their returns.
Data: a new generation of Canadian investors
In partnership with Angus Reid, Wealthsimple surveyed 1,000 Canadian DIY investors and found that over 1 in 3 (38%) now trade periodically or frequently (10-150 trades per quarter). Across all investing levels (passive, occasional trader, active trader), about 1 in 5 (21%) have used options trading in the past 12 months.
Canadians are actively looking for better tools to help them act on more advanced investment opportunities, but traditional brokerages have not been able to meet their expectations.
The survey also found:
- Active traders are independent and tech-savvy: 60% manage all their investments independently using an online brokerage or trading platform. They do their research independently, turning to financial news outlets (58%), data within their own brokerage platform (52%), podcasts or YouTube channels (28%), and AI (28%).
- Canadian DIY investors want to know more about advanced strategies: 43% of those who haven’t used futures trading, and 46% of those who haven’t used options trading have researched them.
- DIY investors have inadequate access to Canadian-made trading tools: About 1 in 4 (27%) said Canadian trading platforms lag behind those available internationally. This figure goes up to 30% among active traders and 35% among occasional traders.
- Canadian banks and traditional brokerages are not keeping up: Nearly half (45%) of DIY investors said that traditional banks and brokerages in Canada need to improve their product offerings, education, and support. This concern is particularly more prominent among active traders (60%) and occasional traders (54%).
- Lack of access means a lack of opportunities: Among active traders, 1 in 5 (20%) are concerned about missing out on investment opportunities due to limited access.
“Canadian investors have evolved and want more advanced trading tools. With 43 per cent of traders in Canada having looked into futures, and 9 per cent actually trading them – it’s a clear signal of demand," said Matthew Karasz, Senior Director of Product, Investing, at Wealthsimple. "With futures, full options access, trade-from-chart, and premium support, we've built the tools advanced traders need without sacrificing the speed, simplicity, and transparency that brought people to Wealthsimple in the first place.”
More advanced functionality and a better trading experience
- Futures Trading — Now in beta (launching broadly this summer), clients can trade futures on indices, commodities, and crypto with $1 all-in pricing and $0 market data fees. Despite strong familiarity with futures trading (54% of active traders, 55% of occasional traders, 31% of passive traders) and 43% of Canadians having actively looked into it, only 9% of Canadian DIY investors have ever used it — with 1 in 10 citing a lack of accessible Canadian platforms. Wealthsimple secured regulatory approval from CIRO as a futures commission merchant to change that.
- Options Updates — 1 in 5 Canadian DIY investors (21%) traded options in the past 12 months, rising to 44% among active traders. Yet 35% say Canadian platforms lag behind international counterparts, and 58% say traditional banks and brokerages need to improve. Wealthsimple became the first Canadian platform to eliminate all options trade commissions and contract fees, with full access to all options levels (1–4), naked puts/calls, a P&L visualization graph, and U.S.-listed options on Canadian companies — all in one platform.
- Trade Plus — A professional-grade web trading interface with real-time charting (down to 1-minute intervals), on-chart order execution, technical indicators, and unified position management for stocks and options.
- Active Trader Benefits (launching May) — Rewards trading activity, not account size, with priority support, a dedicated Trade Desk (valued at $45/trade, included free), early beta access, and a 3% transfer match (triple the standard 1%) for clients making 50+ trades/month.
About Wealthsimple
Wealthsimple is Canada’s leading financial innovator. The company offers a full suite of simple, sophisticated financial products across managed investing, do-it-yourself trading, cryptocurrency, tax filing, spending and saving. Wealthsimple currently serves more than 3 million Canadians and holds over $100 billion in assets under administration. The company was founded in 2014 by a team of financial experts and technology entrepreneurs, and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.