Paris, FRANCE – May 18, 2006 – BGC, a leading inter-dealer brokerage firm providing integrated voice and electronic services to the wholesale fixed income, interest rate, foreign exchange and derivatives markets worldwide, today announced that another successful Texas ‘hold‘em’ charity poker event was hosted to raise money for charities within the many communities in which it does business.
BGC’s fourth global charity poker event took place on 10th and 11th May at the George V hotel in Paris as part of a series of worldwide charity events in various cities throughout 2006. The Paris event was attended by clients of BGC and follows successful events jointly hosted by BGC and its technology provider eSpeed since 2005 in London, New York and Chicago.
In keeping with BGC’s previous prize to the winner, a total of €15,000 was donated to the chosen charity by the winner on each night. The winner from Wednesday’s event selected Centre Francais Protection de l’Enfance, whilst Thursday’s winner selected the organization Meir Panim Relief Centers in Israel. All participants were given a bank of “charity chips” to begin each tournament.
Further charity poker events are planned to take place during 2006 and additional cities being considered by BGC and eSpeed, include Hong Kong and Singapore. The individuals with the highest chip counts from each city will be invited to participate in the championship final, which will take place in Las Vegas, NV later this year.
Shaun Lynn, President of BGC, said, “It gives us real pleasure to host these memorable events and I would like to thank our clients once again for taking part. We look forward to our grand finale in Las Vegas, and continuing our charitable support throughout the year and beyond. ”
Chaim Buchinger, Administrative Director of Meir Panim Relief Centers in Israel, one of the selected charities, said, “We are very grateful for this donation which will go a long way in helping those in poverty who rely on our services to make their lives a little brighter.
Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P. and its affiliates, which includes eSpeed, Inc., and BGC, held their Fourth Annual Charity Day on September 12, 2005, and raised over $6 million dollars, the proceeds of which were donated to those families who lost loved ones due to Hurricane Katrina, families of people lost on September 11, 2001, leukemia and cancer research, as well as a variety of other charities.
About BGC
BGC is a leading inter-dealer broker, providing integrated voice and electronic services for wholesale market participants worldwide. BGC is active in the global fixed income, interest rate, foreign exchange and derivative markets, offering both telephone and screen-based price discovery, trade execution, straight-through processing and access to electronic trading services from eSpeed Inc. (Nasdaq: ESPD). The firm, named after fixed income trading innovator B. Gerald Cantor, has offices in London, New York, Paris, Tokyo, Sydney, Hong Kong, Singapore, Nyon and Milan. To learn more, please visit www.bgcpartners.com.
About eSpeed, Inc.
eSpeed, Inc. (NASDAQ: ESPD) is a leader in developing and deploying electronic marketplaces and related trading technology that offers traders access to the most liquid, efficient and neutral financial markets in the world. eSpeed operates multiple buyer, multiple seller real-time electronic marketplaces for the global capital markets, including the world’s largest government bond markets and other fixed income and equities marketplaces. eSpeed’s suite of marketplace tools provides end-to-end transaction solutions for the purchase and sale of financial and non-financial products over eSpeed’s global private network or via the Internet. eSpeed’s neutral platform, reliable network, straight-though processing and superior products make it the trusted source for electronic trading at the world’s largest fixed income and foreign exchange trading firms and major exchanges. To learn more, please visitwww.espeed.com.
The information in this press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such statements are based upon current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Our actual results and the timing of certain events may differ significantly from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause or contribute to such a discrepancy include, but are not limited to, the costs and expenses of developing, maintaining and protecting our intellectual property, including judgments or settlements paid or received and their related costs, the possibility of future losses and negative cash flow from operations, the effect of market conditions, including trading volume and volatility, our pricing strategy and that of our competitors, our ability to develop new products and services, to enter new markets, to secure and maintain market share, to enter into marketing and strategic alliances, to hire new personnel, to expand the use of our electronic system, to induce clients to use our marketplaces and services and to effectively manage any growth we achieve, the effects of the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, and other factors that are discussed under “Risk Factors” in eSpeed’s Annual Report on Form 10 -K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We believe that all forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions when made; however, we caution that it is impossible to predict actual results or outcomes or the effects of risks, uncertainties or other factors on anticipated results or outcomes and that, accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date when made, and we undertake no obligation to update these statements in light of subsequent events or developments. Actual results and outcomes may differ materially from anticipated results or outcomes discussed in forward-looking statements.
Meir Panim
The Meir Panim Relief Centers in Israel comprise a total of 28 facilities that were established in order to provide free, high quality food to those in need in the most dignified manner, to make available to the needy public basic household equipment, and to provide thousands of disadvantaged schoolchildren with a hot meal a day. Meir Panim’s aid extends to all classes of citizens alike without discrimination, including immigrants, native Israelis, the elderly and handicapped and families of terror victims whose financial state has deteriorated to rock bottom following their tragedy. For more information, please visitwww.meirpanim.org.
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Contacts:
Timo Kindred
44-20-7894-7292
tkindred@bgcpartners.com