Lime Financial
Lime Financial (Lime Trading Corp.) is a US-registered broker-dealer founded in 2000 that provides low-latency trading platforms, direct market access, and co-location services to active retail traders, quantitative firms, and institutional clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Lime Financial does
Lime Financial, operating through Lime Trading Corp., is a US-registered broker-dealer founded in 2000 that provides low-latency trading infrastructure and platforms to active retail traders, quantitative/HFT firms, and institutional clients. The core technology stack is co-located at all major US exchange data centers (Carteret/NY11 for NASDAQ, Secaucus/NY4/5 for CBOE, Mahwah for NYSE) connected via ultra-low latency dark fiber on Arista switches, with memberships in 14 stock exchanges and 13+ dark pools/ATS venues supporting the Lime Smart Order Router (LSR) and benchmark execution algorithms (VWAP, TWAP, POV, SCALEPOV, Implementation Shortfall, Close). Product portfolio spans Lime Trader Web/Mobile (free commission on US stocks/ETFs for domestic accounts), Lime Trader Plus (institutional-grade, single-digit microsecond latency, $30K minimum), Lime Direct API and FIX protocol gateway, plus integrated third-party platforms (Sterling Trader Pro, CQG, Bookmap, TakeProfit) and infrastructure services (Hosting & Colocation, Market Data Source).
The business model is primarily transaction-based: per-share commissions on DMA orders ($0.003-$0.005/share), per-contract fees on options ($0.40-$0.60) and futures ($0.98/side), margin interest (9.25%-12.50%), and subscription fees on premium platforms (Sterling $230/month, Bookmap $19.50/month, Lime Trader Plus tier). Customer acquisition is multi-channel: product-led self-serve for retail, API-first onboarding with a 30-day FIX demo for systematic traders, and enterprise field sales ([email protected], +1 212-824-5000) for the Lime Institutional division. Go-to-market also relies on industry-event participation (SIFMA AML, Fin.Tech, World of Trading Germany), content marketing via the Lime News blog, and a Reddit community (r/Limeunofficial). Regulatory standing covers SEC broker-dealer registration, FINRA, SIPC, NFA futures commission merchant status, and SIFMA membership as of 2026, with Wedbush Securities providing clearing/custody for Sterling-integrated flows.
Lime Financial firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lime Financial
- Legal name
- Lime Trading Corp.
- Website
- https://lime.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Lime Financial (Lime Trading Corp.) is a US-registered broker-dealer founded in 2000 that provides low-latency trading platforms, direct market access, and co-location services to active retail traders, quantitative firms, and institutional clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lime Financial industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Brokerage Services
- NAICS
- Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage (5231)
- SIC
- Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Execution-Only / Self-Directed Investing Platforms (FSAAAAAI)
Keywords
Where Lime Financial is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Lime Financial business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Equity Trading Commissions: Commission-based trading fees on US equity and ETF trades. $0 commission for domestic accounts on market maker venues, $0.005/share for DMA orders, $0.003/share for extended hours.
- Options Trading: $0.50 per contract for options through Lime Trader with smart routing. Tiered pricing for Lime Direct from $0.40-$0.60 per contract based on volume.
- Futures Trading: $0.98 per side per contract for futures trading with $0 platform fee. NFA fees of $0.02 per side charged separately.
- Margin Interest: Interest charged on borrowed funds in margin accounts. Rates vary by debit balance from 9.25% to 12.50% annually.
- Regulatory and Exchange Fees: Pass-through fees including SEC Section 31 fees, Trading Activity Fees, Consolidated Audit Trail fees, Options Regulatory Fee.
- Bookmap Subscription: $19.50/month for Bookmap Web integration plus $24.50/month for TotalView Nasdaq market data (50% off for first 100 users).
- Sterling Trader Pro Platform Fees: $230/month platform fee for Sterling Trader Pro integration. Additional clearing firm fees through Wedbush Securities.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Lime Trader - Domestic Accounts |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Lime Trader - Non-US Accounts |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Lime Direct - Equities Tiered |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Lime Direct - Options Tiered |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Futures Trading |
| Subscription | Monthly | Bookmap Integration |
| Subscription | Monthly | Sterling Trader Pro (Lime Pro) |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Lime Trader Plus |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels6 records
Lime Financial product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lime Financial operates an agency-only broker-dealer providing execution services for US equities, options, and futures through multiple trading platforms. The offering centers on Lime Trader (web and mobile) for active retail traders with $0 commission on US stocks/ETFs, and Lime Direct API/FIX Protocol with smart order routing and benchmark algorithms for institutional and quantitative traders. Supporting services include co-location/VPS hosting at major US exchange data centers, market data feeds, and integrations with third-party platforms (Sterling Trader Pro, CQG, Bookmap, TakeProfit).
Product overview
Lime Financial (operating as Lime Trading Corp.) is a fintech company offering a multi-platform trading ecosystem. The core product is Lime Trader, a flagship web and mobile trading platform for US equity and options trading with $0 commission. For institutional and professional traders, Lime Direct API and Lime Connect FIX Protocol provide low-latency direct market access via FIX and binary protocols. Lime Trader Plus offers institutional-grade access with single-digit microsecond latency at $30K minimum. The company integrates third-party platforms including Sterling Trading Pro (high-frequency screen trading), CQG (futures and options), Bookmap (order flow visualization), and TakeProfit (community-driven charting). Additional services include market data, hosting/colocation at exchange data centers, and the Lime Smart Order Router (LSR) for optimized order routing across exchanges and dark pools.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Lime Trader: Flagship trading platform for US equity and option trading with advanced charting, real-time data, and smart order routing.
- Lime Trader Plus
- Lime Direct
- TakeProfit
- Sterling Trading Pro (Lime Pro)
- Lime Smart Order Router (LSR)
- Bookmap
- CQG
Products and services
- Lime Trader (Web)
Quantifiable outcome
- 18 billion shares executed in 2024 with 0 outages
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Lime Financial
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Lime Financial technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability2 records
Feature8 records
Lime Financial partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Bookmap Ltd.coreBookmap's real-time liquidity and order book visualizations integrated directly into Lime Trader Web platform. First time Bookmap Web has been embedded into a broker-dealer's trading environment. Allows traders to access liquidity heatmaps, volume analysis, and order book visualization without switching applications. Subscription fees paid through Stripe.
- Sterling Trading TechcoreSterling Trader Pro platform integrated with Lime Execution's low latency technology. Lime Pro offers institutional-grade market connectivity for high frequency trading. Lime receives compensation from Sterling Trader Pro subscriptions. Platform features Level II order entry, configurable hot keys, charting with 60+ studies.
- CQGcoreCQG platform available for futures and futures options trading. Next generation trading and data visualization platform trusted for 40+ years. Available as Desktop, Mobile, QTrader, and Integrated Client options.
- NYSE, NYSE Arca, NYSE AmericancoreExchange membership providing access to NYSE, NYSE Arca, and NYSE American markets for order execution and market data.
- Nasdaq, Nasdaq BX, Nasdaq PSXcoreExchange membership providing access to Nasdaq, Nasdaq BX, and Nasdaq PSX markets.
- CBOE (EDGX, EDGA, BATS-Y, BATS-Z)coreExchange membership providing access to CBOE EDGX, EDGA, BATS-Y, and BATS-Z markets.
- MEMX, IEX, MIAX PearlcoreExchange membership providing access to MEMX, IEX, and MIAX Pearl markets.
- Dark Pool/ATS VenuescoreMembership in multiple dark pools and Alternative Trading Systems including Barclays Capital LX Liquidity Cross, BIDS ATS, Citadel, Credit Suisse CrossFinder, Goldman Sachs SIGMA-X, Instinet CBX, ITG Posit, JP Morgan JPMX, Level ATS, Virtu Matchit, XTX Direct.
- Wedbush SecuritiescoreClearing firm for Sterling Trader Pro and certain other offerings. Provides clearing and custody services including ACAT transfers, margin accounts, and account maintenance.
- LendingRobot (Lend Academy Investments)minorAcquired LendingRobot making Lime the majority owner. LendingRobot provides analytics and management tools for financial advisors and clients. Previously part of Lend Academy Investments. Transaction details not disclosed.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Lime Financial competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Interactive Brokers: Large multi-asset broker-dealer offering low-cost execution, advanced trading platforms, and API/FIX connectivity to active retail and institutional traders - Lime's most direct competitor in the pro/quant segment.
- TradeStation: Active trader-focused broker-dealer with advanced charting, API access, futures and equities execution, and similar professional-trader value proposition as Lime.
- Lightspeed Trading: Direct market access broker-dealer targeting active and professional traders with low-latency execution, advanced platforms, and institutional-grade tools - overlapping strongly with Lime's pro trader offering.
- Tradier: API-first brokerage providing REST and FIX connectivity for developers and active traders, with comparable focus on programmatic execution and embedded third-party platform integrations.
Emerging players
- Wedbush Securities: Clearing and execution partner to Lime's Sterling Trader Pro offering; competes in active-trader execution and clearing services for institutional clients.
Broad incumbents
- Charles Schwab (thinkorswim): Mass-market incumbent broker with the thinkorswim platform offering active-trader tools, charting, and options/futures execution; competes with Lime's retail tiers and provides a much broader product suite.
- Robinhood Markets:
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Lime Financial social profiles
Digital presenceLime Financial compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Lime Financial financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lime Financial leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Lime Financial subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Lime Financial funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lime Financial M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Lime Financial
What does Lime Financial do?
Lime Financial operates an agency-only broker-dealer providing execution services for US equities, options, and futures through multiple trading platforms. The offering centers on Lime Trader (web and mobile) for active retail traders with $0 commission on US stocks/ETFs, and Lime Direct API/FIX Protocol with smart order routing and benchmark algorithms for institutional and quantitative traders. Supporting services include co-location/VPS hosting at major US exchange data centers, market data feeds, and integrations with third-party platforms (Sterling Trader Pro, CQG, Bookmap, TakeProfit).
Is Lime Financial a public or private company?
Lime Financial is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Lime Financial founded?
Lime Financial was founded in 2000. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Lime Financial based?
Lime Financial is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Lime Financial make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Equity Trading Commissions are the primary driver. The others are options Trading, futures Trading, margin Interest, regulatory and Exchange Fees, bookmap Subscription and sterling Trader Pro Platform Fees.
Who are Lime Financial's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Interactive Brokers, TradeStation, Lightspeed Trading and Tradier. Wedbush Securities is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Charles Schwab (thinkorswim) and Robinhood Markets.
Does Lime Financial have an API?
Yes. Lime Trading offers a REST API and Python SDK for automating trading, building custom apps, and connecting to existing front ends. For institutional clients and systematic traders, Lime Direct provides direct market access via FIX protocol and binary protocols (Java, C++, Python). The platform supports VPN connections, hosting and colocation at major US exchange data centers, and offers a 30-day FIX certification/demo environment for testing. Lime's infrastructure processed over 18 billion shares and 20 billion messages in 2024 with 0 outages. Developer documentation is at docs.lime.co.
What industry is Lime Financial in?
Lime Financial's product category is Brokerage Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAAAAAI, Execution-Only / Self-Directed Investing Platforms. Its NAICS code is 5231 and its SIC code is 6211.