Options Technology will almost double its headcount in Belfast, which is currently its largest global office.
Fintech company Options Technology has said it plans to create 150 new jobs at its Belfast base over the next 18 months.
The company announced today (19 October) that it would almost double its Northern Ireland workforce, just a day after it revealed its acquisition of IT and publishing technology provider Activ Financial.
Options Technology provides financial technology services and infrastructure to more than 200 hedge funds, brokers, trading firms, fund of funds and private equity houses worldwide. With the acquisition, it aims to use Activ Financial’s software to improve its existing services for global capital markets.
The company is now looking to hire people with a background in the financial services industry at its Belfast office. Recruitment is underway and the jobs currently on offer in Belfast include network engineers, digital marketing roles and Unix engineers. The company also runs a graduate programme at its Belfast office, however applications for this year have closed.
Options has had a presence in Belfast since 2014. Its last major expansion was in 2018, when it said it would increase its staff headcount from 75 to 150 people.
The company now employs close to 150 people in Belfast, which is its largest base. It has more than 250 employees worldwide at its eight locations, which include offices in New York, Chicago, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, London and, most recently, Toronto.
“Since setting up in Belfast in 2014, we’ve grown the office to be our largest location globally, attracting some of the best local talent,” said CEO Danny Moore, who is based at the Belfast office.
“The Activ acquisition will mean further growth for Options, and we are delighted to be able to leverage the highly skilled talent pool in Belfast and throughout Northern Ireland as we continue to grow our engineering and technical support capabilities.”
Steve McNeany, CEO and co-founder of Activ Financial, added that he was confident the deal between the two companies would “deliver a highly differentiated and competitive offering” to clients and the market.
“We believe this is the start of a new era in the market data industry, providing unparalleled, fully managed market data services globally with our clients set to benefit from a wide range of strategic synergies,” McNeany added.
It is the latest in a series of strategic developments for Options. The company recently announced the acquisition of Fixnetix from DXC Technology, and partnered with Packets2Disc to provide network analytics services.
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