About a-team Marketing Services
The knowledge platform for the financial technology industry
The knowledge platform for the financial technology industry

A-Team Insight Blogs

Metamako Makes First Acquisition as it Takes on xCelor’s Hardware Business

Subscribe to our newsletter

Metamako has acquired the network device business of Chicago based xCelor, bringing xCelor hardware customers into the Metamako fold and allowing xCelor to concentrate on developing high-performance network applications that will be provided on Metamako hardware. This is Metamako’s first acquisition and a strategic milestone for the provider of low-latency FPGA-enabled network solutions.

Sydney based Metamako has grown quickly since it came to market in 2013, developing a client base of over 100 companies, building its own applications such as the MetaWatch network monitoring solution and MetaFilter FPGA app that delivers ultra low-latency market data filtering. It has also built an ecosystem of partners writing apps for its devices, while customers can also write their own apps for the devices.

The acquisition moves Metamako another step forward, adding xCelor’s switch business, six hardware customers and another app partner. It also sets a precedent for further inorganic growth.

Kevin Covington, CEO at Metamako, says: “The company will be five years old next month. It is backed by private and venture funding and has grown well. It has been cashflow positive since its early years and its profitability means it could reinvest in skills and capabilities. We have now added to this by acquiring assets from xCelor. Our goal is to be the industry’s platform of choice for high-performance in network devices and applications.”

Rob Walker, chief technology officer at xCelor, describes the acquisition as a win-win for both the firms and the industry as a whole. He says: “While Metamako strengthens its hardware business, xCelor can completely focus on developing cutting-edge network applications, something we have wanted to do for a few months.”

Metamako recently opened a Chicago office to support the acquisition and expand its presence and support offer in North America. Beyond headquarters in Sydney, it also has offices in New York and London. Covington notes that while Australia hosts the company’s core engineering skills base, 90% of its customers are elsewhere.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Related content

WEBINAR

Upcoming Webinar: Data platform modernisation: Best practice approaches for unifying data, real time data and automated processing

Date: 17 March 2026 Time: 10:00am ET / 3:00pm London / 4:00pm CET Duration: 50 minutes Financial institutions are evolving their data platform modernisation programmes, moving beyond data-for-cloud capabilities and increasingly towards artificial intelligence-readiness. This has shifted the data management focus in the direction of data unification, real-time delivery and automated governance. The drivers of...

BLOG

The New ROI: How Cloud Data Is Driving a Strategic Shift in Financial Markets

Cloud migration in financial markets has evolved from a cost-saving exercise into a cornerstone of strategic performance. As firms modernise their trading and data infrastructure, the emphasis has shifted toward scalability, innovation, and long-term competitive advantage. Drawing on findings from LSEG’s Cloud Strategies in Financial Services report and insights from Kristin Hochstein, Global Head of...

EVENT

RegTech Summit London

Now in its 9th year, the RegTech Summit in London will bring together the RegTech ecosystem to explore how the European capital markets financial industry can leverage technology to drive innovation, cut costs and support regulatory change.

GUIDE

Alternative Trading Systems Directory 2010

The year since we launched our first edition of the A-Team Alternative Trading Directory has passed by in a flash (no pun intended). And while the rate of expansion of the alternative trading system sector may have slowed – even consolidated somewhat – in the more established centres, their onward march continues both in terms of credibility, and of uptake...