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

Vela Adds to Object Trading to Growing Portfolio of Managed Services Components

Subscribe to our newsletter

In another burst of corporate activity, Vela Trading Technologies has agreed to buy Object Trading, a provider of Direct Market Access (DMA), pre-trade risk, and analytical applications. The deal follows hot on the heels of Vela’s recent acquisition of OptionsCity and adds to Vela’s portfolio of high-performance trading and market data offerings.

In particular, Object Trading adds a fully managed DMA capability to Vela’s suite of managed services, an area the company has been focusing on since its relaunch as Vela a year ago. Vela rebranded in June 2016 after its predecessor – SR Labs – acquired several market data and trading technology assets from the former NYSE Technologies, itself built on a series of acquisitions including feedhandler developer Wombat Financial Software and Harco, developer of the DART entitlement management platform.

According to Vela, the addition of Object Trading and OptionsCity will allow it to offer clients “an end-to-end trading platform with global, multi-asset class coverage; high-performance, low-latency market access and market data; industry leading pre-trade risk controls; drop copy functionality; post-trade processing; trading analytics; plus, a front-end GUI for price discovery, workflow management, and order entry.”

The latest addition, says Jennifer Nayar, CEO of Vela, “will accelerate our market access Platform-as-a-Service strategy with additional pre-trade risk and analytics functionality

The deal is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close in early third quarter. Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP served as Vela’s legal advisors in the transaction. Goldenhill International M&A Advisors served as Object Trading’s strategic advisors; and PwC acted as Object Trading’s legal and financial advisors.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Related content

WEBINAR

Upcoming Webinar: Best approaches for trade and transaction reporting

11 September 2025 10:00am ET | 3:00pm London | 4:00pm CET Duration: 50 Minutes Compliance practitioners and technology leaders in capital markets face mounting pressure to ensure that reporting processes are efficient, accurate, and aligned with global standards. Market developments and jurisdictional nuances in regulatory frameworks like MiFID II, EMIR, SFTR and MAS create a...

BLOG

Broadridge Unveils AI-Powered Algorithm Insights Service for NYFIX

Broadridge Financial Solutions has introduced an AI-driven algorithm insights service for its NYFIX network, aimed at enhancing trading accuracy and reducing costs for buy-side firms. The new service leverages real-time liquidity mapping to help asset managers, hedge funds, and other institutional traders optimise their algorithmic trading strategies and improve performance. The solution, the first of...

EVENT

ESG Data & Tech Briefing London

The ESG Data & Tech Briefing will explore challenges around assembling and evaluating ESG data for reporting and the impact of regulatory measures and industry collaboration on transparency and standardisation efforts. Expert speakers will address how the evolving market infrastructure is developing and the role of new technologies and alternative data in improving insight and filling data gaps.

GUIDE

AI in Capital Markets: Practical Insight for a Transforming Industry – Free Handbook

AI is no longer on the horizon – it’s embedded in the infrastructure of modern capital markets. But separating real impact from inflated promises requires a grounded, practical understanding. The AI in Capital Markets Handbook 2025 provides exactly that. Designed for data-driven professionals across the trade life-cycle, compliance, infrastructure, and strategy, this handbook goes beyond...