Interactive Brokers Posts 58% DARTs Surge, Reaches Record $781.5B Client Equity in October
October 2025: Client Activity and Asset Growth Accelerate to New Highs
October marked a month of exceptional momentum for Interactive Brokers Group (NASDAQ: IBKR). The company reported 4.472 million Daily Average Revenue Trades (DARTs), leaping 58% from the previous year and 16% above September. That’s a substantial spike in client engagement, showing heightened market activity and IBKR’s ongoing traction with active traders worldwide.
Backing this surge, client equity reached an all-time high of $781.5 billion—up 45% year-over-year and 3% month-over-month. Margin loan balances and credit balances both posted impressive annual growth, reflecting IBKR’s expanding and increasingly active client base.
Trade Metrics Paint a Picture of Rising Volumes and Diversified Trading
October’s growth was widespread: client margin loans hit $81.6 billion (up 39% YoY), credit balances reached $156.5 billion (up 33%), and total client accounts climbed 33% from the prior year to 4.23 million. The brokerage averaged 229 cleared DARTs per account and continues to demonstrate client engagement at scale.
| Metric | October 2025 | Year-over-Year Change | Month-over-Month Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| DARTs (millions) | 4.47 | +58% | +16% |
| Client Equity ($B) | 781.5 | +45% | +3% |
| Margin Loan Balances ($B) | 81.6 | +39% | +6% |
| Credit Balances ($B) | 156.5 | +33% | +1% |
| Client Accounts (millions) | 4.23 | +33% | +2% |
IBKR PRO Clients Benefit from Ultra-Low Trading Costs
For IBKR PRO clients, trading U.S. Reg-NMS stocks remained especially cost-effective. The total cost—including execution and clearing—was just 2.4 basis points of trade value for October. On a rolling twelve-month basis, this cost stood at only 2.8 basis points. To put it simply, IBKR PRO clients paid, on average, about $2.63 in commissions per order (inclusive of fees), keeping Interactive Brokers firmly ahead of industry cost benchmarks.
| Product | Average Order Size | Average Commission |
|---|---|---|
| Stocks | 883 shares | $2.00 |
| Equity Options | 6.9 contracts | $3.85 |
| Futures | 2.9 contracts | $4.04 |
The combination of deep liquidity, active account growth, and market-leading trading cost efficiency solidifies Interactive Brokers’ reputation among active traders and institutional participants.
GLOBAL Currency Basket Impact and Execution Insights
Interactive Brokers also updated its GLOBAL currency basket metric—a key internal benchmark reflecting its net worth across 10 major currencies. The GLOBAL declined 0.40% in October but remained up 1.72% for the year. For global investors, this currency management approach may help reduce risk and volatility tied to a single-currency portfolio.
On trade execution, IBKR continued to report notable transparency. The average U.S. Reg-NMS stock trade in October was $20,719, with clients seeing total trading costs well below most industry norms. The company’s detailed data shows execution costs are tightly controlled and represent a minor portion of total trade value—key considerations for high-volume and institutional traders alike.
What Should Investors Watch Going Forward?
As client volumes and equity reach new heights, and trading costs remain among the industry’s lowest, Interactive Brokers appears positioned to keep gaining market share. While macro conditions and trading volatility always introduce risk, IBKR’s automated, cost-focused platform is attracting ever more clients and activity.
Investors and traders might look for ongoing DARTs momentum and margin loan growth as indicators of sustained engagement, while tracking cost trends and GLOBAL’s impact as a barometer for operational and financial discipline. With October’s standout performance, IBKR shows little sign of slowing down.
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