What Mako Global does

Mako Global (legal entity Mako Europe Ltd.) is a privately-held UK-headquartered derivatives market maker founded in 1999 through the management buyout of Saratoga, a London-based options trading firm. The company provides liquidity to global derivatives markets primarily through options market making, with a London headquarters and six additional offices in Dublin, Amsterdam, Singapore, Sydney, Brisbane, and Chengdu, employing 51–100 people. Revenue is generated through bid-ask spreads captured across global exchanges and via related investment management activities run through Mako Investment Managers (MIM, since 2007) and Mako Global Investors (MGI, since 2012). The go-to-market is enterprise field sales, with direct institutional relationship management serving banks, hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, and derivative exchanges.

Mako's offering rests on a proprietary low-latency trading technology stack developed and refined over more than two decades, including an Algorithmic Trading Group established in 2006. Advanced trading applications are deployed across this infrastructure to connect Mako to global markets, forming the technical backbone of its options market making and liquidity provision activities. The product portfolio spans core market making services, algorithmic/automated trading strategies, fixed income fund management, and an international investment platform, supported by affiliated entities including The Mako Foundation (2019). Acquired businesses Liquid Capital London (2022) and Liquid Capital APAC (2023) have been integrated to extend Mako's client base and geographic reach.

Capital structure is independent and privately held following the 2015 full repurchase of Close Brothers Group's non-controlling 49.9% stake (held 2007–2015). No public ticker, funding rounds, or revenue figures are disclosed. Marketing is limited to LinkedIn, Instagram, Glassdoor, and a corporate blog used primarily for employer branding rather than customer acquisition, consistent with the B2B institutional nature of the business.

Name

Mako Global

Legal name

Mako Europe Ltd.

Website

https://makoglobal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Mako Global is a privately-held UK-based derivatives liquidity provider that makes markets in options across global exchanges. Founded in 1999, the firm operates seven offices and uses proprietary low-latency trading technology to serve institutional counterparties including banks, hedge funds, and proprietary trading firms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Options Market Making

NAICS

Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage (5231), Commodity Contracts Intermediation (523160), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200), Commodity Contracts Brokers & Dealers (6221), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Volatility & Options Macro (FSAHABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Multi-Strategy — Single-Manager, Multi-PM (FSAHAFAB)

Keywords

• Options market making
• Derivatives liquidity provision
• Algorithmic trading systems
• Low-latency trading infrastructure
• Institutional market making

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Options Market Making: Mako provides liquidity to global derivatives markets, primarily through options market making. Revenue is generated through bid-ask spreads and trading position management across global exchanges.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Mako Global provides liquidity to global derivatives markets, primarily through options market making, using proprietary low-latency trading technology developed and refined over two decades. The firm operates through Mako Financial Markets (MFM) for derivatives trading, an Algorithmic Trading Group for automated strategies, Mako Investment Managers (MIM) for fixed income fund management, and Mako Global Investors (MGI) for international investment management.

Product overview

Mako Global is a unified financial services firm that provides liquidity to global derivatives markets, primarily through options market making. The company operates a portfolio of distinct business units: Mako Financial Markets (MFM) as the core trading operation, the Algorithmic Trading Group for automated strategies, Mako Investment Managers (MIM) managing an award-winning fixed income fund, and Mako Global Investors (MGI) for international investment management. All trading activities are powered by proprietary low latency trading infrastructure developed over two decades. The company has grown organically and through acquisitions, including Liquid Capital's London, Australia, and China businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Options Market Making Mako's primary business activity providing liquidity to global derivatives markets through options market making, utilizing proprietary technology developed over two decades. Designed for institutional counterparties including banks, hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, and exchanges.
• Mako Financial Markets (MFM) Mako's core financial markets operation launched in 2001, providing trading capabilities across derivatives markets. It underpins the firm's institutional market making activity for banks, hedge funds, prop trading firms, and exchanges.
• Algorithmic Trading Group Specialized algorithmic trading unit established in 2006, developing and deploying automated trading strategies that underpin Mako's options market making and liquidity provision across global derivatives markets.
• Mako Investment Managers (MIM) Investment management arm launched in 2007, managing an award-winning fixed income fund for institutional and qualifying investors.
• Mako Global Investors (MGI) Global investors platform established in 2012, extending Mako's investment management capabilities to international institutional clients.
• Low-Latency Trading Infrastructure Advanced trading applications deployed over low-latency infrastructure connecting Mako to global markets, developed and refined over the last two decades, enabling competitive execution in options market making and derivatives liquidity provision.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Liquid Capital (Australia and China businesses)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Mako acquired Liquid Capital's Australia and China businesses in 2023, extending its APAC footprint and market making operations across multiple regions.
• Liquid Capital (London business)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Mako acquired Liquid Capital's London business in 2022, expanding its market making capabilities and client base in the UK market.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves16 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Virtu Financial: Publicly listed global market maker and execution venue operator offering liquidity across equities, fixed income, and derivatives. Competes with Mako in options market making globally and is a much larger, multi-asset incumbent.
• Citadel Securities: One of the largest global market makers spanning equities, ETFs, options, and futures. A larger incumbent competing with Mako in options market making across essentially every major venue.

Direct peers

• Wolverine Execution Services: US-headquartered institutional broker-dealer specializing in equity options market making and execution services. A direct competitor in providing options liquidity to institutional counterparties.
• Optiver: Amsterdam-headquartered global options market maker with offices in London, Singapore, Sydney, Chicago, and Shanghai. Direct competitor in listed derivatives market making with comparable multi-region footprint and proprietary low-latency stack.
• Maven Securities: London-headquartered options market maker with offices in Amsterdam, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Closely comparable in size, geographic mix, and product focus — directly competes with Mako on European and APAC derivatives exchanges.
• DRW Trading: Chicago-based proprietary trading firm active in listed options and derivatives market making worldwide. Similar mid-sized global market maker model with proprietary technology and direct institutional counterparty relationships.
• Susquehanna International Group (SIG): Global quantitative trading firm and major options market maker with offices in London, Amsterdam, Sydney, and Singapore. Competes directly with Mako in providing liquidity across global derivatives exchanges using proprietary technology.
• IMC Financial Markets: Amsterdam-based global proprietary trading firm and leading options market maker across equities and derivatives. Operates a similar multi-office model and competes head-to-head with Mako on European and APAC exchanges.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mako-global
• Instagraminstagram.com/makotrading

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries7 records

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 Mako Global