Plus500 Ltd has launched a new prediction markets product for US retail traders, marking its first direct-to-consumer move into the fast-growing but controversial area of financial markets.
The FTSE 250-listed trading firm said its US platform, Plus500 Futures, will now offer regulated event-based contracts through Kalshi, the first and only US exchange authorised to list such products.
Prediction markets allow users to bet on the outcomes of real-world events – from central bank rate decisions to political elections – and have gained popularity for their regulatory workaround in US states where sports betting is not legal. The contracts are pitched as information markets, rather than gambling products.
Kalshi's economic predictions page on its website
The move comes as others, such as bookmaker Flutter Entertainment also looked to take a share of the land grab via its FanDuel arm, which is due to launch its own prediction markets product with CME Group next month, backed by up to $300 million in investment this year.
Kalshi and Polymarket are the leading names in the space, having already drawn billions in funding and industry attention.
Plus500 had already entered the space as a clearing partner to the FanDuel-CME platform, but this launch gives it direct exposure to retail traders.
The company said: “This launch represents an exciting expansion into a new and increasingly relevant segment.”