Egyptian stock trading platform Thndr, funded by Y Combinator, acquires the initial brokerage license in a decade, modeled after Robinhood.

Thndr, a Cairo-based investment platform, has recently made its debut in the Egyptian market with a Robinhood-like mobile-first equities trading platform for The Egyptian Exchange. Founded in 2019 by Ahmad Hammouda, the former General Manager of Uber Egypt, Thndr aims to remove barriers and friction in the investment journey, starting with Egyptian equities and planning to introduce alternative investment options in the near future.

Thndr has received a brokerage license to operate in Egypt, making it the first new license issued by Egypt's Financial Regulatory Authority since 2008. After receiving the license, Thndr has opened up for real trading accounts. The Thndr app, available on Play Store and App Store for a few months, initially offered a virtual environment for users to learn. Now, with the brokerage license, users can start trading in real markets.

The Thndr app is easy to use, offering various data types and an intuitive account opening form. The platform offers three plans for investors, with the first one being free and paid plans starting from EGP 15 per month. All trades on Thndr's plans, including the free tier, are commission-free, pioneering the concept in the region.

In December last year, Thndr closed a pre-seed round, with institutional investors including prominent venture capital firms and angel investors. The official announcement was delayed to align with strategic company milestones and to optimize market impact. Among the investors were Y Combinator, 4DX Ventures, Endure Capital, The Raba Partnership, and MSA Capital. Tom Stafford, a managing partner at DST Global, also participated in Thndr's pre-seed round. Peter Orth, co-founder and Managing Partner at 4DX Ventures, expressed optimism about Thndr's potential in Egypt's market.

The success of Robinhood, a commission-free trading platform in the United States, which recently raised $200 million in fresh funds, valuing the company at $11.2 billion, suggests potential for similar investment platforms in other markets, including Egypt. Zubair Naeem Paracha, Founder at our x, wrote an article about Thndr's pre-seed round and its potential in Egypt's market. Zubair can be reached on LinkedIn, Twitter, or via email at zubair [at] our website [dot] com.

Thndr is part of Y Combinator's S20 batch and will present at their demo day later this month. As Thndr continues to grow and expand, it promises to make investing accessible and easy for a new generation of Egyptians.

Egyptian stock trading platform Thndr, funded by Y Combinator, acquires the initial brokerage license in a decade, modeled after Robinhood.