Advance Trading
Advance Trading is a CFTC-registered, employee-owned commodity brokerage firm that provides non-proprietary hedging consultation, risk management, and grain marketing services to U.S. producers, commercial grain operators, and end users in energy and livestock.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1980
- HeadquartersBloomington, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Advance Trading does
Advance Trading, operating as a DBA of CIH Trading, LLC, is a CFTC-registered Introducing Broker and NFA Member founded in 1980 and headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois. The firm is employee-owned (ESOP), 101–250 employees, with a stated commitment to remain non-proprietary — i.e., it never takes title to grain — positioning itself as an unbiased advisor to grain producers, commercial elevator and warehousing firms, and end users (energy producers and livestock feeders). Its core service offering spans farm marketing services, commercial grain marketing, producer risk management, and hedging consultation on futures and options contracts, supplemented by an LRP Insurance agency and a content line, ATI Grain Market News (ATI ProMedia).
The firm's technology backbone is a proprietary Hedge Management System for tracking and managing commodity hedging positions, paired with the My ATI client portal. Distribution runs through a network of 48 branches (20 employee-operated, 28 non-employee) across 12 U.S. states, reaching the Corn Belt, HRW wheat belt, and other major production regions; the firm also cites global client relationships spanning South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Across the past five years, average flow has exceeded six billion bushels annually.
Commercially, ATI generates revenue via brokerage commissions on futures and options executed for clients, plus advisory fees on commercial grain marketing mandates and insurance commissions through ATI Agency – LRP Insurance. Pricing is customized and not publicly disclosed; billing cadence is effectively transaction-based. Customer mix is diversified across three verticals — producers (mid-market), commercial grain operators (enterprise), and end users in energy and livestock (enterprise) — with no named logos disclosed, suggesting a broad long-tail relationship book rather than a few anchor accounts. The firm has no external institutional investors; ownership is internal ESOP plus 401(k), with no funding rounds, M&A, or public-company signals in the data.
Advance Trading firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Advance Trading
- Legal name
- CIH Trading, LLC
- Website
- https://advance-trading.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1980
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Advance Trading is a CFTC-registered, employee-owned commodity brokerage firm that provides non-proprietary hedging consultation, risk management, and grain marketing services to U.S. producers, commercial grain operators, and end users in energy and livestock.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Advance Trading industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commodity Brokerage and Agricultural Risk Management
- NAICS
- Commodity Contracts Intermediation (52316), Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage (5231)
- SIC
- Commodity Contracts Brokers & Dealers (6221), Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)
- akta.pro primary industry
- FX & Spot Metals Brokerage (FSAEACAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Algorithmic Trading & Execution Platforms (FSAFANAN)
Keywords
Where Advance Trading is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bloomington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices15 records
Markets served
Advance Trading business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Commodity Brokerage and Risk Management Services: ATI operates as a non-proprietary commodity brokerage firm providing risk management services. The company earns revenue through brokerage commissions on futures and options contracts for grain producers, commercial elevators, end users, energy operations, and livestock operations. Being an independent Introducing Broker registered with CFTC and NFA member, ATI facilitates trading without taking title to grain, maintaining an unbiased advisory position.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Custom risk management and brokerage services tailored to commercial and producer clients |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Advance Trading product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Advance Trading (ATI) is a non-proprietary commodity brokerage firm providing price risk management and grain marketing services to agricultural producers, commercial elevators, warehousemen, and end users. As an independent CFTC-registered Introducing Broker and NFA Member, ATI facilitates futures and options trading without taking title to grain, and supports clients through its proprietary Hedge Management System, hedging consultation, farm marketing services, commercial grain marketing, and LRP insurance offerings.
Product overview
Advance Trading (ATI) is a non-proprietary commodity brokerage firm offering a unified platform of risk management services and technology solutions for the agricultural sector. The core offering centers on ATI's Hedge Management System, a proprietary technology platform complemented by specialized services including Farm Marketing Services, Commercial Grain Marketing, Producer Risk Management, Hedging Consultation, and ATI Agency LRP Insurance. The company also delivers ATI Grain Market News (ATI ProMedia), a premium content service providing market analysis, expert interviews, and price forecasting. Services target three primary segments: grain producers, commercial elevators/merchandisers, and end users (energy producers and livestock feeders), with operations spanning North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. The company manages over six billion bushels in average volume over the past five years and has been trusted for risk management since 1980.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ATI's Hedge Management System A proprietary technology platform providing hedge management and risk management tools for agricultural commodity trading, enabling users to manage positions, track market data, and execute risk management strategies.
- Farm Marketing Services Marketing services tailored for farmers and agricultural producers to help manage grain and livestock marketing risks.
- Commercial Grain Marketing Risk management and marketing services for commercial grain companies, elevators, and warehousemen.
- Producer Risk Management Risk management consulting and strategies for agricultural producers to protect against market volatility.
- Hedging Consultation Expert consultation on hedging strategies using futures and options contracts for commodity risk management.
- ATI Agency - LRP Insurance LRP (Livestock Risk Protection) insurance services for livestock producers to manage price risk.
- ATI Grain Market News (ATI ProMedia) Premium content service providing market analysis, interviews with industry experts, price forecasting, and actionable marketing tips for the grain marketing industry.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 6 billion bushels average volume over the past 5 years
Companies that use Advance Trading
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Advance Trading technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Advance Trading partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- CIH Trading, LLCcoreCIH Trading, LLC is the parent entity of Advance Trading (ATI). Advance Trading, ATI, and ATI ProMedia are DBAs (Doing Business As) of CIH Trading, LLC. CIH Trading, LLC is a CFTC registered Introducing Broker and NFA Member.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Advance Trading competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- DTN: DTN provides agricultural market data, weather, and analytics used by producers and commercial agribusinesses — thematically adjacent to ATI's market intelligence and content publishing (Weekly Market Outlook, ATI Grain Market News).
- CoBank: CoBank is a Farm Credit System cooperative bank financing agricultural cooperatives, processors, and rural infrastructure — adjacent to ATI's commercial grain elevator customer base and a potential partner for bundled risk-management and financing offerings.
- CME Group: CME Group is the dominant U.S. derivatives exchange where ATI routes grain futures and options orders as a CFTC-registered Introducing Broker — a key infrastructure/venue partner rather than a direct competitor.
Direct peers
- R.J. O'Brien: R.J. O'Brien is the oldest independent futures broker and clearing firm in the U.S., serving commercial and institutional commodity clients across grains, energy, and softs — a structurally similar independent, non-proprietary introducing broker.
- StoneX Group: StoneX (formerly INTL FCStone) is a publicly traded diversified financial services firm with a large agricultural commodity brokerage and risk management franchise serving producers, elevators and end users — the closest publicly traded analog to ATI's non-proprietary model.
- Marex: Marex is a diversified global commodity broker with significant agricultural exposure, offering hedging, execution, and risk advisory services to commercial grain and soft commodity clients — overlapping with ATI's commercial and end-user book.
- ADM Investor Services: ADMIS is the futures brokerage arm of Archer Daniels Midland, providing commodity futures execution, clearing, and risk management to commercial and institutional grain clients — directly comparable to ATI's commercial grain marketing and hedging consultation services.
Broad incumbents
- Bunge Global Markets: Bunge is a global agribusiness major with grain origination, trading, and risk management services — competing for the same commercial grain elevator and end-user hedging business that ATI serves.
- ED&F Man: ED&F Man is a global commodity merchant and broker with strong presence in agricultural softs, grains, and sugar — offering risk management services comparable to ATI's commercial grain hedging franchise at larger scale.
- Cargill Risk Management: Cargill operates one of the world's largest agricultural commodity trading franchises, providing risk management and hedging solutions to producers and commercial counterparties — a broader incumbent that competes with ATI for the same ag client base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Advance Trading social profiles
Digital presenceAdvance Trading compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Advance Trading financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Advance Trading leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Advance Trading subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Advance Trading funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Advance Trading M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Advance Trading
What does Advance Trading do?
Advance Trading (ATI) is a non-proprietary commodity brokerage firm providing price risk management and grain marketing services to agricultural producers, commercial elevators, warehousemen, and end users. As an independent CFTC-registered Introducing Broker and NFA Member, ATI facilitates futures and options trading without taking title to grain, and supports clients through its proprietary Hedge Management System, hedging consultation, farm marketing services, commercial grain marketing, and LRP insurance offerings.
Is Advance Trading a public or private company?
Advance Trading is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Advance Trading founded?
Advance Trading was founded in 1980. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Advance Trading based?
Advance Trading is headquartered in Bloomington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Advance Trading make money?
One revenue line is on record: commodity Brokerage and Risk Management Services.
Who are Advance Trading's main competitors?
Others on record are DTN, CoBank and CME Group. Direct peers are R.J. O'Brien, StoneX Group, Marex and ADM Investor Services. Broad incumbents are Bunge Global Markets, ED&F Man and Cargill Risk Management.
Does Advance Trading have an API?
No public API is recorded for Advance Trading.
What industry is Advance Trading in?
Advance Trading's product category is Commodity Brokerage and Agricultural Risk Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAEACAK, FX & Spot Metals Brokerage, with a secondary code of FSAFANAN, Algorithmic Trading & Execution Platforms. Its NAICS code is 52316 and its SIC code is 6221.