Trade Republic is deploying over 1,000 trained employees to replace the automated chatbots that previously handled its customer service. The Berlin-based fintech has spent a double-digit million euro amount over the last six months to overhaul a support system that failed to keep pace with the company’s explosive growth.
Trade Republic is investing tens of millions to rebuild its customer support
Over 1,000 specialized staff members are now available to assist users 24/7 in eight different languages. These employees will handle requests via live chat, telephone, and callback requests, marking a pivot away from the reliance on AI-driven automation that defined the company’s early scaling phase.
Christian Hecker, a co-founder of the firm, stated that the customer service operation has been developed from the ground up. This investment represents a strategic attempt to stabilize the user experience after years of prioritizing rapid acquisition over operational support.
Why consumer complaints doubled in 2025
Consumer centers in Germany recorded over 300 complaints against Trade Republic between January and September 2025. This figure is more than double the number of complaints filed during the same period the previous year, according to a report by Handelsblatt.
Users primarily cited an unreachable or nearly impossible-to-contact customer service team as the main grievance. Specific technical failures, such as problems with depot transfers, further damaged the firm’s reputation among retail investors.
A company spokesperson previously attributed this service collapse to the speed of the firm’s expansion. The user base nearly doubled within an 18-month window, leaving the existing automated support infrastructure unable to handle the volume of inquiries.
From app-based broker to full-service bank
The firm launched in 2019 and experienced a massive surge in popularity during the pandemic. By the complete of last year, it became the most valuable German start-up with a valuation of $13.5 billion (€12.5 billion).
Trade Republic expanded its capabilities in 2023 by securing a full banking license. This allowed the company to move beyond simple brokerage, introducing giro accounts and payment cards to its users while expanding operations into Italy, Spain, and France.
The company now manages more than $162 billion (€150 billion) in customer assets. This scale has shifted the company’s profile from a disruptive app to a systemic financial institution, increasing the pressure to provide banking-grade customer support.
Under pressure from rivals paying 2.5 percent
Competition in the neobroker market is tightening as firms fight for deposits. Trade Republic currently passes the European Central Bank’s deposit rate of 2.0 percent directly to its customers.
Rivals are using aggressive pricing to lure users away. Scalable Capital, a Munich-based competitor, currently offers 2.5 percent on call money accounts, while other players like Finanzen.net Zero continue to introduce new features to capture market share.
Low trading fees and free ETF savings plans have already disrupted traditional banks and savings banks. However, the battle for dominance is now shifting from price to reliability, as the „chatbot-first“ model proves insufficient for users managing significant wealth.
How many languages does the new support team speak?
Trade Republic has trained more than 1,000 employees to provide 24/7 assistance in eight different languages.
What caused the increase in customer complaints?
Complaints doubled in 2025 primarily because the customer service was demanding or impossible to reach, a situation the company linked to its user base nearly doubling in 18 months.
