Security Traders Association
Security Traders Association (STA) is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1934 that unites securities industry professionals across the U.S. and Canada through a grassroots network of 20+ affiliates, delivering conferences, advocacy, content, and education to its diverse membership.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1934
- HeadquartersManhasset, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Security Traders Association does
Security Traders Association (STA) is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1934 (originally as the National Security Traders Association) and headquartered at 1115 Broadway, Suite 1019, New York. It serves individual professionals employed across the U.S. and Canadian securities industry, spanning retail brokerage firms, agency-only broker-dealers, asset owners and managers, market makers, liquidity providers, and exchanges. STA operates as a grassroots membership network delivered through more than 20 local affiliates in the U.S. and Canada, with national reach measured by more than 34,000 newsletter subscribers and a record 117 corporate sponsors in 2024.
STA's offerings are programs and content rather than technology products. The portfolio includes the flagship Annual Market Structure Conference (93rd edition scheduled for October 14-16, 2026 in Washington, DC), the Women in Finance Symposium and committee, the Trading Views podcast distributed on Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts, webinars and Open Calls funded by the STA Foundation, the STA News and WIF newsletters, and advocacy programs including STA in DC (comment letters, talking points, and testimony) and the STA PAC. Supporting entities include the STA Foundation (a 501(c)(3) educational arm that funds Open Calls), the STA PAC, and the Women in Finance Committee. Notable recognition programs include the Dictum Meum Pactum Award and the Ken Heath Award, both of which reinforce the organization's identity centered on the founding principle "my word is my bond."
STA's revenue is generated through membership dues, corporate sponsorships, and conference and event fees, with a freemium pricing tier for full-time students via the STA Student in Finance membership. The organization does not use proprietary technology as a product; rather, its competitive position is built on a nine-decade-old grassroots network, a multi-channel content distribution footprint, and a recognized voice in U.S. securities market structure advocacy. Editorially, STA is the single association that explicitly unites buy-side, sell-side, retail brokerage, agency-only broker-dealers, exchanges, and market makers under one advocacy umbrella, with dedicated leadership (President & CEO Jim Toes, Chair Ryan Kwiatkowski, WIF Chair Inessa Ruffman, AVP/Director of Communications Erin Kelly) overseeing that mission.
Security Traders Association firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Security Traders Association
- Legal name
- Security Traders Association, Inc.
- Website
- https://securitytraders.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1934
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Security Traders Association (STA) is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1934 that unites securities industry professionals across the U.S. and Canada through a grassroots network of 20+ affiliates, delivering conferences, advocacy, content, and education to its diverse membership.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Security Traders Association is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Manhasset
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Security Traders Association business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Membership dues: STA generates revenue through membership fees from individual professionals in the financial services industry. Membership provides access to networking, education, and advocacy services.
- Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships from organizations seeking to reach STA's audience of securities industry professionals. In 2024, a record 117 organizations sponsored STA.
- Conference and event fees: Revenue from annual conferences, symposiums, and educational events including the STA Market Structure Conference and Women in Finance Symposium.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Annual | Student Membership - Free |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
Security Traders Association product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Security Traders Association (STA) is a nonprofit trade association that delivers membership services, industry events, regulatory advocacy, and educational programming to securities industry professionals across North America. STA's core commercial offerings include paid professional memberships, paid conference registration (Annual Market Structure Conference, Women in Finance Symposium), corporate sponsorship packages, and content subscriptions (newsletters, podcast). The organization also operates the STA Foundation as its 501(c)(3) educational arm and provides free Student in Finance memberships to full-time students.
Product overview
Security Traders Association (STA) is a grassroots trade organization for securities industry professionals, not a technology product company. STA's offerings consist of member programs, events, content, and advocacy services including: the Annual Market Structure Conference (93rd scheduled for October 2026), the Trading Views Podcast (industry interviews available on major podcast platforms), the Women in Finance Symposium (career development for women in finance), Open Calls (webinars on industry topics), STA in DC (regulatory advocacy and commentary), STA News Newsletter (34,000+ subscribers), STA Foundation (educational arm), Student in Finance Membership (free for full-time students), and awards programs including the Dictum Meum Pactum Award and Ken Heath Award. These are programs and services for industry professionals, not commercial software products or platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- STA Industry Membership Paid annual professional membership in a 90+ year-old trade association for securities industry professionals, accessed through one of STA's 20+ regional affiliates across the U.S. and Canada. Members receive access to networking, educational content, market structure advocacy, conferences, and career development resources.
- STA Student in Finance (SIF) Membership Free membership program for full-time undergraduate or postgraduate students interested in the financial services industry. Benefits include newsletters, complimentary virtual conference registration, event notices, and industry communications, and is part of the STA Foundation's educational arm.
- STA Annual Market Structure Conference STA's flagship paid annual conference bringing together senior leaders from brokers, exchanges, buy-side firms, technology vendors, and government entities to discuss pressing issues facing the securities industry. The 93rd edition is scheduled for October 14-16, 2026 at JW Marriott Washington, DC.
- Women in Finance (WIF) Symposium Annual paid symposium advocating for the unique career development needs of women in the financial services industry, providing a venue for members to hear from leading women in financial services, network with peers, and receive career insights.
- Corporate Sponsorship Program Year-long corporate sponsorship packages from financial services firms and industry vendors seeking to reach STA's audience of securities industry professionals, with visibility through conferences, newsletters, podcast, and affiliate events. In 2024 a record 117 organizations participated.
- Trading Views Podcast STA's podcast featuring interviews with industry leaders on business trends, regulatory and legislative issues, and career development. Available on Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts, and funded by corporate sponsors and STA Foundation grants.
- STA News Newsletter Industry news publication with more than 34,000 subscribers throughout the U.S. and Canada delivering relevant and unbiased content on issues impacting the financial services industry, including regulatory commentary, advocacy updates, and event announcements.
- STA Foundation Educational Programs The educational arm of STA, structured as a 501(c)(3) corporation that supports education and career development programs, including the Student in Finance membership and funding for Open Calls.
Companies that use Security Traders Association
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Security Traders Association technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Security Traders Association partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Knopman MarksminorSTA has a Friends & Family Partnership with Knopman Marks, a training provider for securities licensing examinations. Friends & Family of STA Members are eligible for a 20% discount on training services offered by Knopman Marks ($60 value). Knopman Marks has helped thousands of candidates pass licensing examinations over 25+ years with pass rates consistently above industry average.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Security Traders Association competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- FIX Trading Community: Global non-profit industry association focused on the FIX messaging standard used across trading workflows. Comparable to STA as an industry standards and community body serving trading technology professionals, with overlapping sponsors and overlapping conference audiences (e.g., OMS/EMS topics).
- TABB Group: Research and advisory firm focused on capital markets market structure, with deep ties to the same securities industry community STA serves (e.g., Larry Tabb, 2022 Dictum Meum Pactum recipient). Comparable as a knowledge-product counterpart whose research output complements — and partly substitutes for — STA's educational programming.
- BIDS Trading: Industry-owned alternative trading system (ATS) for block trading in U.S. equities. Comparable to STA in that its ownership and governance structure reflects the same buy-side/sell-side community STA represents, and its leadership (e.g., Bryan Harkins, 2023 Dictum Meum Pactum recipient) is deeply embedded in the same networking ecosystem.
Direct peers
- Canadian Security Traders Association (CSTA): The Canadian affiliate and sister organization of STA, formed in 2000 to serve the Canadian securities industry. Directly comparable as the regional counterpart that shares STA's mission, structure, and historical lineage, and that participates jointly in North American market structure discussions.
- National Futures Association (NFA): Self-regulatory organization for the U.S. derivatives industry. Comparable to STA in serving trading professionals and hosting industry events, though NFA is a regulator rather than a voluntary membership association — making it a partial peer that overlaps with STA's regulatory and educational functions.
- MFA (Managed Funds Association): Trade association representing the hedge fund industry, with advocacy, conferences, and policy work on behalf of alternative asset managers. Comparable to STA in member profile (institutional capital markets professionals), revenue model (dues, sponsorships, events), and Washington advocacy function.
- ICI (Investment Company Institute): Leading trade association for the regulated investment company industry (mutual funds, ETFs, closed-end funds). Comparable to STA in structure (membership dues, conferences, advocacy, research publications) and in serving buy-side capital markets professionals, with overlapping members from asset managers represented in STA's segment.
- SIFMA (Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association): The largest U.S. securities industry trade association, representing broker-dealers, banks, and asset managers. Directly comparable to STA in mission (advocacy, education, networking) but broader in scope (cross-asset, global) and larger in scale, making it both the primary competitor for sponsor share and the natural benchmark for STA's policy voice.
- FIA (Futures Industry Association): Global derivatives industry trade association that conducts advocacy, hosts major industry conferences (e.g., FIA Boca), and produces educational content for trading professionals. Directly comparable as a sibling trade association serving capital-markets trading professionals, with overlapping membership and overlapping sponsor pools (e.g., CME Group engages both).
Broad incumbents
- FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority): The largest independent securities regulator in the U.S. While not a trade association, FINRA is broadly comparable as an institution that convenes broker-dealer professionals, engages on market structure, and consumes corporate sponsorships from the same firms that support STA — making it an adjacent incumbent in the same professional community.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Security Traders Association social profiles
Digital presenceSecurity Traders Association financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Security Traders Association leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Security Traders Association subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Security Traders Association funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Security Traders Association 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 Security Traders Association
What does Security Traders Association do?
Security Traders Association (STA) is a nonprofit trade association that delivers membership services, industry events, regulatory advocacy, and educational programming to securities industry professionals across North America. STA's core commercial offerings include paid professional memberships, paid conference registration (Annual Market Structure Conference, Women in Finance Symposium), corporate sponsorship packages, and content subscriptions (newsletters, podcast). The organization also operates the STA Foundation as its 501(c)(3) educational arm and provides free Student in Finance memberships to full-time students.
Is Security Traders Association a public or private company?
Security Traders Association is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Security Traders Association founded?
Security Traders Association was founded in 1934. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Security Traders Association based?
Security Traders Association is headquartered in Manhasset, United States, in the North America region.
How does Security Traders Association make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Membership dues are the primary driver. The others are sponsorships and conference and event fees.
Who are Security Traders Association's main competitors?
Others on record are FIX Trading Community, TABB Group and BIDS Trading. Direct peers are Canadian Security Traders Association (CSTA), National Futures Association (NFA), MFA (Managed Funds Association), ICI (Investment Company Institute), SIFMA (Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association) and FIA (Futures Industry Association). FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Security Traders Association have an API?
No public API is recorded for Security Traders Association.