March 25 (Reuters) - Israel's eToro reported a more than

three-fold surge in revenue for 2024 as the trading platform

filed for a U.S. initial public offering late on Monday, joining

a wave of firms seeking to test investor appetite for fresh

listings.

After years of sluggish activity, the IPO market is expected

to see a long-awaited revival in 2025, with a pipeline of

high-growth companies aiming to go public.

Easing interest rates and renewed risk-taking has increased

optimism, but analysts say the market's rebound hinges on the

success of marquee listings.

Retail trading surged in 2024 as equity markets hit record

highs, fueled by a resurgence in risk appetite among investors.

Enthusiasm for stocks, particularly in technology and

AI-driven sectors, was amplified by easing recession fears,

strong corporate earnings and expectations of Federal Reserve

rate cuts.

Online brokerage firms reported a sharp uptick in trading

volumes, with options and speculative bets gaining traction as

individual investors returned to the market in force.

Founded in 2007, eToro operates a trading platform that

allows users to invest in stocks, cryptocurrencies and other

assets while mirroring the strategies of top investors.

Its revenue jumped to $12.64 billion in the year ended

December 31, compared with $3.89 billion a year earlier. Profit

was $192.4 million versus $15.3 million in the year-ago period.

The trading platform had scrapped plans to go public in

2022, after eToro and Betsy Cohen-backed FinTech Acquisition

mutually agreed to terminate their merger deal through a special

purpose acquisition company.

Strong debuts from buzzy tech and consumer-facing firms

could reignite broader dealmaking, while a lukewarm reception

may keep issuers on the sidelines.

In March 2023, eToro raised $250 million in a funding round

that valued the online brokerage at $3.5 billion.

The company plans to list on the Nasdaq under the ticker

symbol "ETOR".

Goldman Sachs, Jefferies, UBS and Citigroup are the lead

underwriters of the offering.