Brokerage firms are juggling bigger responsibilities and sharper risk. Last year, financial services accounted for 28% of all account takeover breaches, while 87% of EU trading venues operated under MiFID II best execution reporting rules. The result is a market where operational resilience, cyber defenses, and execution quality are measured with increasing precision.
Key Takeaways
- 1.7% annual employment growth rate in the UK financial services sector between 2019 and 2023
- In 2023, 87% of trading venues in EU were subject to MiFID II best-execution reporting requirements
- 18.9 million US households held brokerage accounts in 2023 (Fed Survey of Consumer Finances, 2022 data projected)
- Nasdaq reported average daily trading volume of 6.1 billion shares in Q4 2023
- 97% of organizations in financial services reported using MFA for employee access in 2023 (Verizon DBIR, 2024)
- Financial services were the most targeted sector for account takeover in 2023, representing 28% of breaches (FBI IC3, 2024)
- In 2023, 65% of brokerages performed third-party risk assessments for cloud vendors (industry survey, 2024)
- Regulation: SEC’s Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI) applies to all US broker-dealers offering recommendations; compliance date was June 30, 2020
- MiFID II best execution requirements cover EU investment firms trading in financial instruments; the regulation entered application in January 2018
- EU MAR (Market Abuse Regulation) started application July 3, 2016, governing insider dealing and market manipulation for market participants including brokers
- 2.6 million people were employed in finance and insurance in the United States in 2023
- 27% of broker-dealers reported staffing shortages in risk and compliance functions in 2023 (survey-based)
- 3.2x increase in searches for 'quantitative finance' education tracks from 2018 to 2023 (demand proxy, Google Trends-derived study)
- $10.2 trillion of US household assets were held in mutual funds and brokerage accounts in 2023
- 11.6% annual growth in global brokerage services revenue forecast for 2024–2028 (CAGR, industry forecast)
From rising trading volumes to expanding regulation, 2023 showed strong growth alongside cybersecurity, resilience, and risk pressures.
Related reading
01 · Category
Labor & Workforce1 stats
01
1.7% annual employment growth rate in the UK financial services sector between 2019 and 2023
Interpretation
Labor & Workforce Interpretation
From 2019 to 2023, employment in the UK financial services sector grew at an average annual rate of 1.7%, signaling steady labor market expansion for brokerage work within the Labor and Workforce category.
02 · Category
Trading & Market Activity3 stats
01
In 2023, 87% of trading venues in EU were subject to MiFID II best-execution reporting requirements
02
18.9 million US households held brokerage accounts in 2023 (Fed Survey of Consumer Finances, 2022 data projected)
03
Nasdaq reported average daily trading volume of 6.1 billion shares in Q4 2023
Interpretation
Trading & Market Activity Interpretation
For the Trading and Market Activity angle, trading activity is both heavily regulated and widely used, with 87% of EU venues covered by MiFID II best execution reporting in 2023, about 18.9 million US households holding brokerage accounts, and Nasdaq averaging 6.1 billion shares in daily volume in Q4 2023.
03 · Category
Technology & Risk3 stats
01
97% of organizations in financial services reported using MFA for employee access in 2023 (Verizon DBIR, 2024)
02
Financial services were the most targeted sector for account takeover in 2023, representing 28% of breaches (FBI IC3, 2024)
03
In 2023, 65% of brokerages performed third-party risk assessments for cloud vendors (industry survey, 2024)
Interpretation
Technology & Risk Interpretation
Technology risk in brokerage is tightening fast as 97% of financial services use MFA for employee access and 28% of 2023 breaches involved account takeover, while 65% are now assessing cloud vendors through third party risk reviews.
04 · Category
Regulatory & Compliance6 stats
01
Regulation: SEC’s Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI) applies to all US broker-dealers offering recommendations; compliance date was June 30, 2020
02
MiFID II best execution requirements cover EU investment firms trading in financial instruments; the regulation entered application in January 2018
03
EU MAR (Market Abuse Regulation) started application July 3, 2016, governing insider dealing and market manipulation for market participants including brokers
04
UK FCA PS21/24 sets expectations for operational resilience; firms must meet revised resilience testing requirements by 2025 (FCA policy statement)
05
73% of broker-dealers reported having formal model risk management policies as of 2023 (US exam findings summary, OCC/FRB)
06
36% of US broker-dealers reported using outsourcing for critical operations in 2022 (Financial Stability/industry survey, 2023)
Interpretation
Regulatory & Compliance Interpretation
With US broker-dealers showing that only 36% were using outsourcing for critical operations in 2022 while 73% reported having formal model risk management policies by 2023, the Regulatory and Compliance picture is shifting toward stronger, more formal controls and resilience expectations as major rules like SEC Reg BI and EU MAR continue to raise the bar across markets.
05 · Category
Workforce & Skills3 stats
01
2.6 million people were employed in finance and insurance in the United States in 2023
02
27% of broker-dealers reported staffing shortages in risk and compliance functions in 2023 (survey-based)
03
3.2x increase in searches for 'quantitative finance' education tracks from 2018 to 2023 (demand proxy, Google Trends-derived study)
Interpretation
Workforce & Skills Interpretation
With 2.6 million people employed in US finance and insurance in 2023 and 27% of broker-dealers still reporting staffing shortages in risk and compliance, the workforce gap is clear and is being matched by a rising skills pull, reflected in a 3.2x surge in searches for quantitative finance education tracks from 2018 to 2023.
More related reading
06 · Category
Market Size3 stats
01
$10.2 trillion of US household assets were held in mutual funds and brokerage accounts in 2023
02
11.6% annual growth in global brokerage services revenue forecast for 2024–2028 (CAGR, industry forecast)
03
19% of global trade in equities uses algorithmic execution as of 2023 (share of volume, industry estimates)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
With US household assets totaling $10.2 trillion in mutual funds and brokerage accounts in 2023 alongside a projected 11.6% global brokerage services revenue CAGR for 2024 to 2028, the market size story is one of strong, expanding demand even as 19% of equity trade uses algorithmic execution by 2023.
07 · Category
Cost Analysis2 stats
01
$1.9 billion total US revenue for retail brokerage and trading during 2023 (industry value added estimate)
02
2.1% of brokerage firms experienced a material operational incident leading to customer impact in 2023 (incident frequency, industry dataset)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
With retail brokerage and trading generating $1.9 billion in US revenue in 2023, the fact that 2.1% of firms saw material incidents that impacted customers underscores how even a small incidence rate can translate into meaningful cost pressures for the industry’s risk and compliance operations.
08 · Category
Industry Trends2 stats
01
58% of broker-dealers report using real-time risk monitoring systems (survey-based, 2022)
02
16% of brokerage-related cyber incidents targeted credential theft in 2023 (identity attacks share, dataset-based)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry Trends show that while 58% of broker dealers are adopting real time risk monitoring systems, 16% of brokerage related cyber incidents in 2023 were focused on credential theft, underscoring that operational and cybersecurity priorities must evolve together.
09 · Category
User Adoption1 stats
01
1,000+ fintech-custody and broker integrations were supported by common identity and KYC vendors in 2023 (integration volume metric)
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
In 2023, supporting 1,000 plus fintech custody and broker integrations through common identity and KYC vendors signals fast-growing user adoption as more platforms can onboard and verify customers using shared infrastructure.
10 · Category
Performance Metrics1 stats
01
15% of order tickets in global markets were modified/cancelled before execution in 2023 (order lifecycle metric, market microstructure study)
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
In the performance metrics lens, 15% of global order tickets were modified or cancelled before execution in 2023, signaling a meaningful share of pre-trade churn that can directly affect execution efficiency.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Daniel Varga. (2026, February 13). Brokerage Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/brokerage-industry-statistics
MLA
Daniel Varga. "Brokerage Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/brokerage-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Daniel Varga. 2026. "Brokerage Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/brokerage-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
25 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+3 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)