The London Stock Exchange (LSE), operator of the UK’s flagship equities market, plans to offer an overnight trading platform in the first half of 2027 in a bid to attract global retail investors accustomed to round-the-clock access to crypto exchanges, the Financial Times reported Monday.

The platform will function as a standalone market alongside the LSE’s main exchange and initially focus on listing exchange-traded products.

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In mid-2024, months after US spot Bitcoin ETFs debuted, the LSE joined the crypto ETP space, launching physically backed Bitcoin and Ethereum ETNs. While access was initially restricted to professional investors, Financial Conduct Authority rule changes have since opened the products to retail buyers.

The planned overnight trading platform will operate outside the LSE’s normal market hours, running from 5:00 p.m. to 7:50 a.m. with a brief nightly pause, giving international retail investors greater flexibility to trade London-listed products. Exchange executives said the move is intended to capitalize on London’s global position while responding to changing investor expectations shaped by digital asset markets.

Alongside extended trading hours, the LSE plans to integrate agentic AI functionality into the venue, allowing AI systems to support portfolio evaluation, market analysis and trade execution. The launch follows similar moves by major US exchanges like Nasdaq, NYSE, CME, and Cboe as traditional financial markets adapt to around-the-clock investing.