Josh Krugman is SVP Brokerage, Fidelity Investments.

What were the key theme(s) for your business in 2024?

The last year was marked by a continuation of record-high trading activity at Fidelity, with a broad group of self-directed investors turning to Fidelity as they worked to build a stronger financial future. Our teams have been laser-focused on evolving our platform to meet the needs of a range of self-directed investors, from those looking for a diversified portfolio built through recurring investments to those seeking downside protection or income generation through options strategies.

What was the highlight of 2024?

We are constantly listening to our customers and using their insights to build platforms that support what they need to be successful investors. We were able to deliver on these needs in big ways in 2024, with new software, web experiences and mobile developments. For our advanced traders, we began rolling out a completely new version of our Active Trader Pro software, “ATP Beta,” built from the ground up to deliver more real-time insights and analysis together with a streamlined trade execution experience. In the options space, traders can now use our Options Strategy Builder to build their first (or second, or third) options trades, with contextual education throughout the experience to help them build confidence.

What are you most excited for in 2025?

In 2025, I expect we’ll continue to see high trading volumes, particularly as global and domestic markets react to shifts in leadership both here in the U.S. and around the world. We’re working to provide education and resources to help investors break down the headlines and distill the signals from the noise. And of course we’ll continue to enhance the platforms our investors use to trade – whether that’s our mobile app, Trading Dashboard on Fidelity.com, or the new ATP Beta. In 2024, we saw continued increases in digital engagement from our customers, with a 17% increase in unique individuals engaged digitally in Q3 ’24, and we’re excited to continue that momentum into 2025.

What trends are getting underway that people may not know about but will be important?

There are a lot of buzzwords in the brokerage industry at the moment – 0DTE, AI, 24/5 trading, prediction markets, and so much more. At Fidelity we take a longer term view to supporting our customers. Rather than focusing on near-term trends, we’re planning for the next five, ten, fifteen years of customer needs. What will our customers need to be successful investors? That’s what we’re constantly evaluating. There are throughlines that become apparent in all of the above, and we need to see those and use our insights to ensure we’re delivering a best-in-class trading experience for our clients. We continually invest in technology and tools to provide strong digital capabilities for today and innovate for the needs of tomorrow with the value and transparency customers expect.