Although there are more than a week of trading days left in March, IG Group is expecting to close the first quarter of the year with about £300 million, 7 per cent higher than the corresponding period a year ago.It has also launched a new £125 million share buyback programme.A Great Year for IG Group, FinanciallyIn the three months ended February, the London-listed broker generated total revenue of £274.2 million, 2 per cent higher, with organic revenue on a continuing operations basis stable at £266 million. Its net trading revenue grew by 5 per cent to £247.2 million.Read more: IG Group Posts Record £1.12bn Revenue, Launches Strategic Review as Customer Growth Accelerates“With commercial momentum building, we now expect 2026 organic total revenue growth from this higher base towards the top end of our mid-to-high single-digit target range, excluding contributions from Freetrade and Independent Reserve,” the broker’s latest yearly financial results, released yesterday (Thursday), noted.The figures came as IG closed the 2025 calendar year with total revenue of £1.12 billion, driven by double-digit growth in net trading revenue and a rise in new customer numbers.Its outlook for 2026 is also positive, with EBITDA expected to be broadly in line with the current consensus of £538.1 million.Analysts expect IG’s total revenue for 2026 to be £1.16 billion, of which £1.06 billion is expected to come from trading revenue. For the following year, the total figure is expected to be higher, at almost £1.24 billion, with EBITDA of £579.1 million.“Beyond 2026, given the momentum behind recent product launches and the strength of our pipeline, we now expect organic total revenue growth towards the top end of our guided range,” the broker noted.“Group EBITDA margins are expected to be sustained in the mid-40s percentage range as investment in growth is offset by structurally declining fixed costs to serve, enabled by AI, digital servicing, and automation.”[#highlighted-links#]The Goal Is to Maximise Shareholder ValueIG has also been expanding its presence through acquisitions – it completed the Freetrade acquisition last year and recently bought Independent Reserve, a crypto exchange. Pro forma total revenue in 2025 was £32.2 million for Freetrade and £19.3 million for Independent Reserve.The broker’s net interest income in 2026 is expected to be approximately £110 million based on current rate expectations.Meanwhile, IG is reportedly considering a US listing as it evaluates its presence in London. The decision is expected to be made by autumn 2025.The London-headquartered broker also ran a campaign recently against the stamp duty imposed on stock investments to improve investor sentiment in the UK stock market. Its priority, however, is now to maximise shareholder value.This article was written by Arnab Shome at www.financemagnates.com.