What Stellar Trading Systems does

Stellar Trading Systems is a privately held, London-headquartered trading technology company founded in 2003 that builds low-latency, server-based trading systems for professional high-frequency and high-volume traders. The company's product suite comprises a fully customisable front end (Stellar Trader), a cross-market spreading engine (Stellar spreadMachine) capable of up to 20-leg spreads, a server-side algorithmic engine (Quantum Server) programmable in the proprietary StellarScript language, a comprehensive API in C++/Linux/Windows/.NET, a market-making tool, a best-execution Aggregator, and an Internalisation Engine for pre-exchange matching of internal liquidity. All components share a unified server-side architecture designed to be deployed within exchange colocation facilities for minimal latency, and the company operates ASP hosting hubs across 11 global financial centres.

The firm reaches its customers through direct enterprise sales to professional trading firms, prop trading operations, hedge funds, and FCMs, supplemented by an Application Service Provider (ASP) model in which FCMs and trading firms can deliver Stellar's applications to end users. The platform connects to more than 40 global derivatives and equities exchanges across Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific/Middle East, and is supported by offices in London, Chicago, Singapore, and Sydney. Revenue is generated primarily through software licensing and subscription arrangements, with associated hosting, support, and bespoke consultancy services delivered by the Stellar API team for custom development work.

Stellar is founder-led (Steve Thomas, Founder & Managing Director), remains private with no disclosed institutional or venture funding, and has grown to 101–250 employees over 22 years of operation. Recent strategic activity is concentrated on ecosystem and connectivity expansion: partnerships with Abaxx Exchange (commodity futures, 2025-12-01) and TMX Trayport (2026-05-15) extend platform reach into new market venues, while ongoing investment in the colocation footprint and product suite (Aggregator, Internalisation Engine, Market-Maker) signals continued investment in the core platform rather than adjacent market expansion.

Name

Stellar Trading Systems

Legal name

Stellar Trading Systems, Inc.

Website

https://stellartradingsystems.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Stellar Trading Systems builds low-latency, server-based trading platforms — front end, algorithmic engine, market-making, aggregation, and internalisation — for professional high-frequency traders, prop firms, and FCMs, with colocation in 11 global hubs and connectivity to 40+ exchanges.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trading Platform Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Multi-Asset Electronic Trading Platforms (FSAFANAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Multi-Asset Smart Order Routing (SOR) & Aggregation Venues (FSAFAEAH), Commodity Electronic Trading Platforms (Energy/Metals/Agriculture) (FSAFANAF)

Keywords

• Algorithmic trading software
• Low latency trading platform
• High frequency trading systems
• Market making software
• Trading connectivity infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Software Licensing and Subscriptions: Stellar Trading Systems provides trading software solutions to professional traders and trading firms. Revenue appears to come from software licensing, potentially with subscription or perpetual license models, along with associated hosting and support services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Stellar Trading Systems develops and licenses a comprehensive, server-based trading platform suite for professional high-frequency and high-volume traders. The offering combines a customisable front end (Stellar Trader) with an algorithmic engine (Quantum Server), cross-market spreading tool (spreadMachine), market-making module, multi-exchange Aggregator, internalisation engine, and C++/.Net API, delivered alongside low-latency ASP hosting in exchange colocation facilities. Revenue is generated via software licensing, subscriptions, and associated hosting/support services.

Product overview

Stellar Trading Systems provides a comprehensive, unified trading platform architecture for professional traders. The core product, Stellar Trader, serves as the primary front-end interface with comprehensive order and risk management capabilities. The platform comprises several integrated modules: Stellar spreadMachine for cross-market spreading with up to 20 legs, Quantum Server for algorithmic trading programmed in StellarScript, Stellar Market-Maker built on Quantum for market-making functionality, and Aggregator for trading aggregated instruments across multiple exchanges. Supporting infrastructure includes Stellar ASP for low latency hosting and proximity co-location services, and Internalisation Engine for pre-exchange matching. Stellar API enables programmatic access and custom integration. All components share a server-side architecture optimized for speed and deployed within exchange colocation facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Stellar Trader: Intuitive front-end trading application that is fully customizable to individual requirements.
• Stellar spreadMachine
• Stellar API
• Quantum Server
• Stellar ASP
• Internalisation Engine
• Stellar Market-Maker
• Aggregator

Products and services

• Stellar Trader Intuitive, fully customisable front-end trading application combining ultrafast order entry with high flexibility for professional traders. Features grid view, price ladder, spread matrix, order book, comprehensive pre- and post-trade risk control, synthetic order types (stops, icebergs, brackets, OCOs), integrated charting, and Excel integration via RTD server.
• Stellar spreadMachine Cross-market, cross-product spreading tool deployed within exchange colocation facilities that delivers synthetic spreading performance. Handles spreads with up to 20 legs, automatically manages inter-market spread leg orders and balancing, and is fully integrated with the Stellar front end.
• Stellar API 100% server-side, multi-threaded API providing programmatic access to all trading and system functionality for low-latency, high-performance black-box systems and integration with internal routing engines. Available in C++ on Linux, Windows, or .Net, with the Stellar consultancy team supporting bespoke development.
• Quantum Server Server-based algorithmic engine for developing black-box trading systems, automated strategies, and smart orders. Algo jobs are programmed in StellarScript, with 100% server-side execution, an integrated Complex Event Processing engine, and comprehensive backtesting capabilities.
• Stellar ASP Application Service Provider and hosting solution providing low-latency market access and proximity hosting. Offers shared or dedicated Stellar environment deployments with co-location hubs in London, Frankfurt, Chicago, New Jersey, New York, Singapore, Tokyo, Dubai, Sao Paulo, Sydney, and Mumbai, allowing FCMs and trading firms to deliver Stellar applications to end users.
• Internalisation Engine Order execution engine that seamlessly pre-matches internal pools of liquidity before sending orders to exchange, enabling matching of order flow internally within an organisation. Provides improved regulatory compliance, reduced trading costs, and increased trading opportunity.
• Stellar Market-Maker Integrated market-making tool built on the Quantum algorithmic engine. Provides two-way order entry across multiple markets with multiple hedging options, self-contained limit checks, and exchange obligation tracking.
• Aggregator Ultra low-latency server-side product enabling trading of aggregated instruments on any number of exchanges. Includes a rules engine that determines best execution based on customer preferences and is fully integrated with spreadMachine and Quantum Server, with support for synthetic order types including icebergs, stops, and brackets.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• TMX TrayportcoreTechnology or Integration · 15 May 2026Strategic integration with TMX Trayport for expanded market access and connectivity capabilities within the commodity futures trading ecosystem.
• Abaxx ExchangecoreTechnology or Integration · 1 December 2025Full connectivity established between Stellar's trading platforms and Abaxx Exchange. The integration enables trading firms to access Abaxx's commodity futures contracts through Stellar's ecosystem, including gold, battery materials, energy and precious metals futures, combined with Stellar's low latency solutions.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Trading Technologies: Trading Technologies is one of the largest independent providers of professional trading platforms (TT®, ADL, TT Premium), serving buy-side, sell-side, prop traders, and FCMs across futures, options, and FX. It is directly comparable to Stellar: same low-latency electronic trading platform niche, same enterprise/professional customer segments, and overlapping product scope (front end, algo, market data, analytics).
• FlexTrade Systems: FlexTrade provides multi-asset execution management and order management systems (FlexTRADER, FlexONE) used by buy-side trading desks and sell-side brokers worldwide. It is comparable to Stellar as a direct competitor in institutional EMS and execution infrastructure for equities, futures, options, and FX, with a similar professional/HFT customer base.
• Options IT: Options IT (now part of the broader Options Technology group) provides hosting, connectivity, and trading applications for capital markets participants, with offerings including managed colocation, market-data feeds, and white-label platforms. It directly overlaps with Stellar's ASP/hosting, low-latency connectivity, and trading system offerings for the same enterprise audience.
• Redline Trading Solutions: Redline Trading Solutions delivers ultra-low-latency market-data and execution solutions (InRush, Ticker Plant) deployed in exchange colocation facilities and targeted at HFT, market-making, and proprietary trading firms. It is comparable to Stellar as a direct peer in server-side, colocation-grade trading infrastructure for the same professional HFT segment.
• Exegy: Exegy provides high-performance market-data feeds, ticker plants, and execution technology used by trading firms, exchanges, and data vendors. Its low-latency data and execution infrastructure directly mirrors Stellar's server-side architecture and exchange-colocation positioning for HFT and proprietary trading clients.
• Pico Technology (Pico Trading): Pico provides low-latency connectivity, market-data feeds, hosting, and trading-infrastructure services for capital markets participants including prop traders, HFT firms, FCMs, and exchanges. It is comparable to Stellar across ASP/hosting, connectivity, and exchange-colocation offerings aimed at the same professional trading-firm customer base.

Broad incumbents

• ION Group (Fidessa / Itiviti): ION Group, through its Fidessa and Itiviti franchises, operates widely adopted trading infrastructure, connectivity, and OMS/EMS suites used by sell-side firms and trading institutions globally. It is comparable to Stellar as a broader incumbent offering trading software, market data, and connectivity across asset classes — covering the same workflows Stellar targets, though at much greater scale.
• Bloomberg (EMSX / Tradebook): Bloomberg's EMSX execution management system and Tradebook FX/equities products serve buy-side trading desks globally with integrated order routing, analytics, and market data on the Bloomberg Terminal. While incumbents across all asset classes, EMSX/Tradebook compete head-to-head with Stellar's aggregator and multi-asset execution capabilities for the same professional trader customer base.
• FIS / SunGard Capital Markets: FIS (via the former SunGard Capital Markets franchise) provides trading, post-trade, and capital-markets infrastructure used by sell-side firms, brokers, and asset managers. Comparable to Stellar in offering trading platforms and connectivity for institutional and broker clients, though operating as a much larger incumbent across the full trade lifecycle.

Emerging players

• RealTick (Linedata): RealTick, offered by Linedata, is an execution and order-management platform used by buy-side trading desks for equities, options, and futures. It overlaps with Stellar's front-end trading system and cross-asset execution capabilities, addressing a partially overlapping professional trading-firm segment with comparable low-latency functionality.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/557466877725349
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/19850548

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stellar Trading Systems