The company has subsidiaries in the UK, Cyprus, Australia, Israel, Seychelles, Singapore, Bulgaria, Estonia, the United States, Dubai, Indonesia, the Bahamas and Japan.

The company was founded in 2008 by six alumni of the Technion – Alon Gonen, Gal Haber, Elad Ben-Izhak, Omer Elazari, Shimon Sofer, and Shlomin Weizmann – with an initial investment of $400,000.

[6][7] Operating with a high-automation, low-staff model (40 employees in 2013, growing to 80 by 2015 in Tel Aviv), Plus500 lacked adequate systems, documented procedures, and staff training to ensure compliance.

[14] Unlike traditional brokers, Plus500 allowed customers to start trading with minimal verification and required complete documentation only upon withdrawal, even enabling account creation through Facebook.

[26] That same month, shares of Plus500 were listed in the main market of the London Stock Exchange, and the company joined the FTSE 250 Index of leading mid-cap firms.

[27][28] By 2018, Plus500's trading apps supported 32 languages, including English, German, Italian, Spanish, French, Arabic, and Chinese.

[51] Plus500 has faced numerous complaints over platform failures and questionable practices, with reports of clients wrongly accused of market abuse and profitable trades canceled.

[54] In April 2017, Plus500 paid a €550,000 fine to Belgium's FSMA for offering CFDs without the required prospectus and failing to submit ads to the regulator.

[56][57][58] On 14 September 2023, a second class action was filed in Australia, alleging that Plus500 engaged in misleading and unconscionable conduct by selling high-risk investments that led clients to financial losses from November 2017 to March 2021.

[59][60][61] Plus500 distinguishes itself from traditional brokers through an affiliate marketing model and significant investment in web advertising — over £48 million in 2014 alone — targeting potential clients on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

Aiming to attract beginner traders, Plus500 simplified its marketing materials, while many competitors require tests and offer educational seminars.

[67] In 2023 beIN Sports blacked out Atalanta and Young Boys broadcasts due restrictions on CFD advertising by the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF)[68] In 2022, Plus500 entered a multi-year partnership with the NBA's Chicago Bulls[69] and launched an advertising campaign featuring actor Kiefer Sutherland in the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, and Australia.