“The US regulations ensure that investors can participate in the market with confidence. Further, investors will now have access to a wider gamut of securities on our platform which gives them more investing options.”
Vested Finance has announced its US-affiliated entity, VF Securities, has become a FINRA-registered US broker-dealer in a move that strengthens the brokerage’s position in the world’s largest market.
The investment platform, which caters to Indian investors looking to gain access to the US markets, has become the only fintech platform operating in India that has obtained a license from FINRA, according to the firm.
FINRA oversees brokers and dealers in the United States and is regulated and audited by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The government-authorized not-for-profit organization oversees more than 624,000 brokers across the country.
FINRA license builds trust and expands investing options
Viram Shah, Co-Founder & CEO, of Vested Finance, commented: “First, the broker-dealer license helps us build deeper trust with our customers as investors on our platform now know that they are investing via an entity that is regulated both as an RIA and a broker-dealer in the US. The US regulations ensure that investors can participate in the market with confidence. Further, investors will now have access to a wider gamut of securities on our platform which gives them more investing options.”
Investments through the Vested platform have always been covered under the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) insurance through its clearing firm, DriveWealth, and Securities and Exchange Commission jurisdiction.
With the FINRA license, investments through the Vested platform are now under US broker-dealer regulations and this allows the platform to significantly increase its product offering.
Investors used to be able to invest in over 1,500 stocks and ETFs, but with this license, they can now get access to a wide universe of more than 5,000 securities on Vested. Vested users with an existing ‘classic’ account can update to the ‘all-access’ account free of cost.
Vested was covered under SIPC insurace through DriveWealth since 2019
It was in 2019 that Vested first partnered with DriveWealth to provide Indian investors with a US stock offering. The DriveWealth platform was the engine for the offering.
The move was based on the strong belief that global investment opportunities should be available to individual investors throughout India. Whether a customer’s objective is to invest in global brands, to save for U.S. dollar spending or to add international diversification to their portfolio, the Vested offering can accommodate their needs, with no minimum investment required.
The partnership was also an opportunity for DriveWealth to enter the Indian market, providing residents with real-time fractional share trading capabilities and access to the US equity markets.
