Hargreaves Lansdown, the UK’s largest DIY investment platform, has confirmed that clients can once again access their accounts after a technical issue on Friday halted operations.
The platform stated on Friday evening that it was “no longer seeing” the earlier problems, allowing customers to resume transactions. “We’re pleased to share that we are no longer seeing the technical issues which were affecting some parts of our website and app. Clients can now transact on their accounts as normal. All clients’ assets and data have remained secure throughout, and there has been no evidence of any cyber incident, data breach or system compromise. We’re sorry for the inconvenience we know this will have caused and thank you for your patience,” the statement read.
Despite resolving the issue, which prevented access to both the website and mobile app, customers were dissatisfied with Hargreaves Lansdown’s handling of the situation. The disruption coincided with severe market volatility driven by the Middle East conflict, affecting services such as pensions, savings, and investments. Investors were unable to trade amid rising oil prices and market instability following attacks on energy infrastructures in Iran, Qatar, and the UAE.
The incident drew criticism from Hargreaves Lansdown customers, who voiced their frustration on social media. This technical issue follows a similar disruption at Lloyds earlier this month, which led to a Treasury Select Committee inquiry regarding compensation for affected customers.
Some Hargreaves Lansdown clients accused the firm of negligence and threatened to switch providers, while others demanded an investigation by financial regulators and questioned potential compensation.
The recent glitch is another setback for the firm, which is facing competition from rivals offering lower fees and digital services. In response, Hargreaves Lansdown has announced a fee overhaul, reducing annual account and share dealing fees while introducing a charge for fund trading.
This change, effective this month, aims to benefit the majority of its clients, although it is expected to cost the company significantly.
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