Security Traders Association

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.

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Manhasset

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships from organizations seeking to reach STA's audience of securities industry professionals. In 2024, a record 117 organizations sponsored STA.
3. 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

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core 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.

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Knopman MarksminorOthers · 1 January 2020STA 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

Others

• 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

• Xx.com/STA_National
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQsR1imAwwz2mrmHY0FhJxg/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/161707260547130
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/security-traders-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Security Traders Association