XTB Secures Olympique Lyonnais Jersey Deal Just Days After FC Porto Announcement
- Polish brokerage spent PLN 435.5 million on marketing during the first half of the year, marking a 64.7% year-over-year increase.
- While Emirates maintains its front-of-shirt presence on the French team's kit through 2030, the placement of XTB's new emblem remains unannounced.
XTB inked a deal on Tuesday designating itself as a main partner of Olympique Lyonnais, securing placement for its logo on the French club's kits over the next three seasons. Financial terms were not made public by either party.
Lyon represents the third European football club to join XTB's partner roster since April. Just last Friday, the broker revealed a three-year sleeve sponsorship agreement with FC Porto. Italian side Napoli signed on first in April through a two-year global trading partnership.
Marketing expenses for XTB reached PLN 435.5 million (roughly $117 million) in the first half of 2026—a 64.7% surge compared to the PLN 264.4 million allocated in H1 of the previous year. This expenditure equals three-quarters of its total marketing budget for 2025.
"We want to become the leader and the most popular investment app in France," stated Szymon Szymański, XTB's chief growth officer.
Placement Details Undisclosed
XTB characterized its role as a main partner featuring branding on team shirts without clarifying the exact position. Emirates currently serves as Lyon's front-of-shirt sponsor via an extension signed in April 2025 that runs through the 2029/30 campaign.
Regarding FC Porto, XTB took space on the sleeve. Beyond jersey real estate, the Lyon partnership encompasses digital campaigns featuring player imagery, financial literacy initiatives, and LED perimeter advertising at Groupama Stadium across all competitions.
Both entities highlighted that the arrangement will incorporate responsible investing and financial education programs, though XTB did not outline their scope, delivery method, or budget.
Historically, Lyon set a French football record by capturing seven consecutive Ligue 1 titles from 2002 to 2008, alongside two appearances in the Champions League semi-finals.
"XTB's decision to commit to three seasons confirms the strength of the OL brand," noted Thibaut Chatelard, senior vice president of revenue and marketing at Olympique Lyonnais.
Brokerage Sponsorships Resurge in Football
Brokerages are increasingly visible across sports. HFM secured a position as an Official Global Partner for Arsenal in March, gaining access to matchday branding at Emirates Stadium and the club’s media network.
Elsewhere, WeTrade inked a multi-year marketing arrangement with the Houston Rockets, CFI Financial Group established a footprint at Abu Dhabi's Etihad Arena in July 2025, and IG Group partnered with Japan's Aichi International Arena in early 2024.
XTB’s marketing pushes extend well outside football. It serves as a FIBA global partner for the 2026 and 2027 Basketball World Cups and sponsors both Oktagon MMA and KSW promotions.
In March, XTB secured a partnership with Europe's largest indoor facility, Paris La Defense Arena. To bolster its targeted outreach—which features Zlatan Ibrahimovic as brand ambassador—XTB introduced French PEA tax-advantaged accounts in April 2025, taking aim at a segment of over 7 million active account holders.
CFD Trading Funds Investment App Growth
XTB positions itself primarily as an investment application, which serves as the initial entry point for onboarding clients. Stocks, ETFs, and Investment Plans represented 82.9% of first-time trades made by new EU users during the first half.
However, the primary engine driving revenues lies elsewhere. Derivatives (CFDs) delivered PLN 1.98 billion out of XTB's PLN 2.07 billion gross financial instrument performance over the same timeframe, with commodity CFDs generating 75.3% of that sum..
Increased marketing outlays previously squeezed profitability, resulting in a 24.8% drop in net profit for 2025 (to PLN 644.2 million) as promotional costs ballooned nearly 70% year-over-year.
The financial performance has turned around this year. First-half operating revenues jumped 79.7% year-over-year to PLN 2.09 billion, while net profits climbed 150.5% to PLN 1.03 billion.
Management informed investors that marketing expenditures are projected to expand by around 50% this year, followed by annual increases between 30% and 40% from 2027 through 2029. XTB added 703,333 new accounts in the first half—a 94.5% year-over-year surge—bringing its total client count to 2.83 million.