Retail momentum and AI are transforming global finance, accelerating the shift toward 24/7 trading. EBC Financial Group outlines what CFOs and institutional investors need to know about managing risk and opportunity in a market that never shuts down.
As retail investors flood the markets and artificial intelligence takes the reins on real-time trading, global finance is confronting a fundamental shift: there may soon be no such thing as “after hours.”
According to insights from EBC Financial Group, the convergence of retail investing, AI-powered trading, and the steady move toward 24/7 exchange access is creating both new value and fresh vulnerabilities across global markets. The momentum is clear — but the oversight may not be keeping pace.
Retail investors now represent a significant slice of daily volume — between 20% and 35% in mature markets like the US, UK, and South Korea, rising to 40% in India and an extraordinary 80% in China. In response, exchanges are extending their reach.
The SEC’s approval of overnight trading on the 24X National Exchange in November 2024 marked a pivotal step. The New York Stock Exchange quickly followed suit, announcing plans for extended hours through its NYSE Arca platform. Nasdaq is currently working with regulators on a phased rollout of 24-hour, five-day-a-week trading, targeting a 2026 launch.
“The rise of retail participation has democratized investing, but 24/7 trading introduces a new reality,” said David Barrett, CEO of EBC Financial Group (UK) Ltd. “Investors may gain flexibility to trade on their own schedule, yet they must also contend with heightened volatility and thinner liquidity in off-peak hours.”
While humans rest, AI does not. Algorithmic platforms already drive a growing share of daily volume, executing trades in microseconds and parsing global news feeds to make split-second portfolio decisions. These tools are no longer just supporting traders — they are replacing them in real time.
Forecasts suggest AI-driven platforms could manage nearly $6 trillion in assets by 2027. Yet the benefits of speed and scope come with amplified systemic risk.
“AI ensures markets no longer pause when humans do,” Barrett noted. “The danger is not only in how fast algorithms react but in how they react together. A midnight headline in New York could trigger cascades across Asia and Europe before Wall Street wakes up.”
Proponents argue that extended hours will boost liquidity, improve price discovery, and open the doors for global participation. But critics warn that this accessibility comes with hidden costs — reduced transparency in dark pools, wider spreads, and greater cognitive strain on individual investors expected to monitor a market that never sleeps.
“Accessibility is a win for investors, but accessibility without protection is dangerous,” Barrett said. “We cannot ignore the anxiety retail participants may feel knowing that price swings can occur at any moment. AI can help monitor these shifts, but the human side of investing — trust, confidence, resilience — must remain intact.”
As AI tools and continuous markets intertwine, the infrastructure of global finance is undergoing an irreversible shift. But without corresponding updates to oversight, investor education, and trading safeguards, the system risks trading efficiency for volatility.
“The question is not whether 24/7 markets and AI will define the next era — they will,” said Barrett. “The question is whether institutions, regulators, and investors are prepared to manage the consequences.”
For CFOs and institutional investors, that preparation will involve rethinking risk management, monitoring models, and talent structures to remain effective in a world where the market never closes — and where machines, not people, may spot the first sign of trouble.