Bonds have traditionally been more readily available to institutional investors, but recently, with interest rates rising, they have started to become favored by modern retail investors. Nevertheless, they are still difficult to buy, as evidenced by the approximately one percent of retail investors directly owning corporate bonds. Public’s launch of bonds comes with a new layer of context to help inventors understand the lifecycle of these securities, including relevant financial metrics and reference data associated with a bond to ensure investors make educated decisions through an easy-to-use experience.

In the last year, Public has seen increased interest from retail investors in Treasury bills and fixed-income ETFs. Based on a recent survey of retail investors, investors are increasingly focused on diversification and diligence, and many of them have made Treasury bills part of their portfolios.

“For the last 15 years, the bond markets have been largely irrelevant for retail investors, but after an unprecedented set of rate hikes, retail demand for fixed income products has exploded, and investors are experiencing friction with existing offerings being archaic and having high minimums,” said Jannick Malling, co-CEO and co-founder of Public. “Public pioneered fractionalization for equities, and we always wanted to broaden that feature to more asset-classes. After launching treasury bills earlier this year, we’re now doubling down by reimagining the entire user experience of how retail finds, evaluates and invests in the full universe of corporate and treasury bonds.”

“Historically, direct bond access has been limited to institutions and high-networth investors,” said Sam Nofzinger, GM of Brokerage at Public. “Providing our members with the tools and information to invest in these securities will help them to continue to diversify their portfolios and construct unique bond strategies that fit their needs – just like institutional investors.”

“Public, like most fast-growing fintechs, brings so much value to their clients, and we each contribute a different perspective and skillset to the common goal — creating a frictionless experience for all investors,” said Bill Capuzzi, CEO of Apex Fintech Solutions. “Apex, the core engine powering many of the critical functions needed for fintechs to operate, is driven to help our clients solve these important problems. We were thrilled when Public approached Apex to build the backend infrastructure for its fixed-income solution. Public’s speed-to-market has been impressive to watch, and we’re excited for both Public and its members to access the full breadth of the bonds market.”

Public members can scan and select from thousands of bonds in-platform, across corporate and Treasury, as they build out their fixed-income strategy within a multi-asset portfolio.

Today at launch, investors can view the bond screener page, start a watchlist, and be the first to gain access to investing fractionally in corporate and treasury bonds, which will be live to all members soon.

The most popular corporate and Treasury bonds will be available to buy fractionally, as bond minimums often exceed thousands of dollars. Public will be adding municipal bonds to the platform in early 2024. Learn more about Public’s bond offering and stay updated on what is happening at public.com/bonds

About Public
Public is an investing platform where members can build a portfolio of stocks, bonds, ETFs, crypto, and alternative assets—all in one place. With AI-powered deep fundamental data and custom analysis, Public delivers the context its members need to make better investment decisions. Public is committed to creating a more transparent investing experience that is consistently aligned with its members’ best interests. Serving millions of investors in the US and UK, Public has offices in New York City, London, and Copenhagen.

Disclosures

Brokerage services for US Listed and registered securities and Bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Open To The Public Investing, member FINRA & SIPC. Bonds are available to US members only. Full disclosures at public.com/#disclosures-main

Press contact
Rachel Livingston
Director of Communications
[email protected] 

SOURCE Public