Anthony Denier, Group President and U.S. CEO of Webull, has shared some insights with CI. Webull (NASDAQ: BULL) had recently introduced corporate bond trading for U.S. customers, enabling investors to purchase and sell individual corporate bonds directly via Webull’s desktop and mobile platforms.
This expansion builds on Webull’s previous rollout of U.S. government bonds and marks a significant milestone in the company’s fixed income strategy and is key for investors looking to individual bonds for diversification, income, and capital preservation.
As covered this past month, Webull is also expanding its crypto futures offering via a partnership with Coinbase Derivatives, which serves as a registered Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) platform.
US-based users will now be able to trade futures contracts for the following cryptocurrencies: Dogecoin (DOGE), Nano XRP, Nano Solana, Litecoin (LTC),
Our chat with Anthony Denier is shared below.
Crowdfund Insider: Please comment on some of the key features of Webull’s new corporate bond trading platform, such as the types of bonds available (investment-grade vs. high-yield) and how the selection criteria ensure liquidity and credit quality for retail investors?
Anthony Denier: Webull’s corporate bond platform provides access to over 10,000 CUSIPs, spanning both investment-grade and high-yield bonds. We include bonds that are S&P rated from AAA to C, allowing for a broad spectrum of credit exposures. In addition to credit criteria, we also apply strict liquidity screens to ensure that a sufficient sell-side market exists.
Crowdfund Insider: What motivated Webull to expand into corporate bond trading at this time, and how does this fit into your broader fixed income strategy for making fixed-income products more accessible to everyday US investors?
Anthony Denier: Expanding into corporate bonds was a natural next step in the broader fixed income strategy. After launching U.S. Treasuries last year, we recognized that corporate bonds remain the cornerstone fixed-income asset for retail investors, particularly among high-net-worth investors who may not consider using a brokerage that does not support bonds.
And with yields now meaningfully higher than in the post-recession era, we’re positioning ourselves to serve investors not only in a bull market but also during flights to quality. And with the Great Wealth Transfer underway, we recognize that our younger users will inherit fixed income portfolios, and we want Webull to be the platform where they feel confident consolidating and managing those assets.
Crowdfund Insider: In what ways does the integration of corporate bond trading into your existing desktop and mobile apps enhance the user experience?
Anthony Denier: Very few retail brokerage platforms offer corporate bond research and trading across both mobile and desktop, and even fewer do it well. Given how commoditized fixed income products have become, the user experience itself has become a key differentiator. Webull’s user interface is consistently ranked among the best-in-class, and we turned to fixed income specialists who understand the nuances of bond trading to build the underlying functionality.
As a result, we believe seasoned bond investors will appreciate the thoughtfulness behind our screening tools and the design expertise required to deliver a clean, intuitive UI without burying critical information., which is especially difficult with an asset class bonds. At the same time, newer investors will find it a natural progression as they diversify beyond equities into a more balanced portfolio.
Crowdfund Insider: What additional fixed-income offerings or enhancements, such as expanded bond categories or analytics tools, are in the pipeline to further support retail participation in the corporate bond market?
Anthony Denier: Now that we’ve built the foundational trading capability, our focus is shifting to developing cutting-edge tools that help retail investors build better bond portfolios and ladders.
Additionally, we know our users enjoy investing in individual securities but likely don’t have a lot of knowledge and experience in fixed income, so promoting and expanding our Learn Center content is a major priority. At the same time, we are not stopping with corporate bonds – we are actively exploring adding additional fixed income categories, including FDIC insured CDs and tax-free municipal bonds.