AcreTrader Financial, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of AcreTrader, Inc. recently announced its status as an SEC-licensed broker-dealer and member of FINRA/SIPC.

The new broker-dealer capabilities will “greatly benefit both our investors and our farmland partners,” AcreTrader Director of Investments Drew Lipke said in a video announcing the service expansion.

Achieving licensing as a broker-dealer will enable AcreTrader to partner in a greater capacity with farmers to grow their operations, allowing the company to advise farmers as investment sponsors and assist them with private placements to raise growth capital, the company said in a press release.

AcreTrader allows farmers to source, structure, and drive their own investment offerings in a sponsor model that — while common in traditional real estate transactions — represents a novel shift from financing options traditionally available in land and agriculture investments.

“AcreTrader’s sponsor model creates a mutually beneficial structure that allows enterprising growers access to capital to scale their operations while providing investors direct access to true experts in the field,” said Lipke.

Easing access to land investment

AcreTrader officials say its status as a broker-dealer will strengthen the online platform’s ability to provide investors with access to quality land investment opportunities.

“The difficulty with land investment has always been access, and by becoming a licensed broker-dealer, we believe we can further increase access to high-quality farmland and timber investments to both individual and institutional investors,” Lipke said.

“When you combine the expertise of our in-house farm team with the local market knowledge and local relationships our farmland partners possess, it can create a truly unique land sourcing capability for investors on our platform,” Lipke added.

About AcreTrader

Founded in 2018, AcreTrader is an online land investment platform currently managing more than 40,000 acres in the US and Australia. AcreTrader empowers its customers to buy and sell land smarter through advanced technology, data, and expertise.