Most of the stock trading that happens in many parts of the world is done by institutional investors. These investors manage funds worth billions of dollars and invest them on behalf of the owners of those funds. Institutional investors can include corporations, mutual funds, insurance companies, pension funds, and banks. Recent years have seen a rise of individual participation in stock trading. This is called retail investing. Retail investors trade stocks on their own using brokerage platforms. Retail investors invest and trade much smaller quantities of money than institutional investors.

A High Potential Individual (HPI) visa is a temporary residence permit offered to foreigners holding undergraduate degrees from any of the top 50 universities in the world. The visa allows holders to enter the country without a job offer and seek employment for a fixed period of time. The United Kingdom has adopted an HPI visa scheme and several other countries around the world have adopted similar visa schemes.