Partnership will arm customers co-located within BGC’s data center with the fastest access to critical trading data, enabling informed, sophisticated trading decisions
NEW YORK, NY – (July 31, 2012) — BGC Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:BGCP) (“BGC Partners” or “BGC”), a leading global brokerage company servicing the wholesale financial and property markets, today announced it has signed an agreement with Thesys Technologies (“Thesys”), to invest in the creation of high-speed microwave data networks for the financial community, starting with the fastest route between Illinois and New Jersey, designed to transmit critical trading data related to the futures, equities, fixed income and other markets, between the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (“CME”), NASDAQ, BGC and ELX Futures data centers.
The initial route will transmit data and trading information between Chicago and New Jersey at an estimated latency of under 8.5mS per roundtrip, providing significant advantages over existing fiber data network solutions and faster than all available commercial microwave network offerings.
In addition to bandwidth leasing, Epsilon Networks will introduce a Fast Financials Feed (“FFF”) which will combine proprietary data delivery techniques with the efficiencies of the microwave network route. Customers will benefit from access to ultra-low latency data, enabling faster trading decisions and superior access to the financial marketplace. FFF components will initially include access to BGC’s US Treasuries data products and through collaboration with data distributors, CME futures and equities data.
“We are constantly assessing new ways to further our position as one of the world’s premier suppliers of real-time, low latency trading solutions,” said Philip Norton, Executive Managing Director of E-commerce at BGC Partners. He continued: “Building the fastest high speed microwave information network will offer our customers a more rapid route to price discovery and arm them with the best tools possible to make smart trading decisions.”
“Working with Thesys to create the fastest access to critical trading data underscores our commitment as a leading inter-dealer broker to deliver compelling value solutions to our customers,” stated Richard Feldman, Director of BGC’s Strategic Transactions Group (“STG”). He continued: “The STG group is focused on identifying and evaluating new technologies, business investment and acquisition opportunities for BGC that align with our core markets and our customers’ needs while seeking to deliver attractive returns that will contribute to generating long-term value for our shareholders.”
Manoj Narang, CEO of Tradeworx, Inc., the parent company of Thesys Technologies, said: “We are delighted to partner with BGC in building the fastest microwave information network between Chicago and New Jersey, paving the way for improved price discovery and trading. We anticipate continued improvements in speed and reliability for the network based on the unique technology advantages that Thesys offers to its clients and partners.”
The microwave information network is expected to be operational during the fourth quarter of 2012. Customers interested in leasing bandwidth and FFF component subscriptions are invited to contact BGC at microwave@bgcpartners.com, Thesys at inquiries@thesystech.com, and Epsilon Networks at inquiries@epsilonnetworks.net.
About BGC Partners
BGC Partners, Inc., a leading global brokerage company primarily servicing the wholesale financial and property markets, has over 7,000 employees in New York, London and dozens of cities around the world, and conducts over $200 trillion in financial transactions for customers annually. BGC offers customers over 220 products, including commercial real estate, fixed income securities, interest rate swaps, foreign exchange, equities, equity derivatives, credit derivatives, commodities, futures, and structured products.
BGC’s technology helps customers determine the value of a transaction and execute transactions at the best possible price. BGC’s customers include many of the world’s largest banks, hedge funds, governments and investment firms. Trades are executed through BGC’s brokers, or through its hybrid and fully electronic brokerage services.
BGC, named after fixed income trading innovator B. Gerald Cantor, also offers financial technology solutions, market data, and analytics through its eSpeed, BGC Trader, and BGC Market Data brands, and provides clearing, processing, and other support services. For more information, please visit www.bgcpartners.com.
About Thesys Technologies
Thesys Technologies LLC is the infrastructure affiliate of Tradeworx, serving the high-performance technology needs of market participants with the mission of democratizing the spread of top tier technology within the financial sector. Thesys offers the fastest and most comprehensive front-to-back trading solution on the market, putting investors and traders on a level playing field with the world’s most sophisticated HFT firms. Thesys maintains a leadership position within the automated trading industry and its systems currently handle 4-5% of US Equities total daily trading volume.
Discussion of Forward-Looking Statements by BGC Partners
Statements in this press release regarding BGC Partners’ business that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements” that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of additional risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see BGC Partners’ Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, including, but not limited to, the risk factors set forth in our public filings, including our most recent Form 10-K and any updates to such risk factors contained in subsequent Form 10-Q or Form 8-K filings.
BGC Contacts:
Media
Hannah Sloane: 212-294-7938
Sarah Laufer: 212-915-1008
Investors:
Jason McGruder: 212-829-4988
Ben Goldman: 212-610-3680