Global trading giants expand in India, driving talent rush, upgrades

Global trading giants, including Citadel Securities, International Marketmaker's Combination (IMC) Trading, Millennium, and Optiver, are intensifying their presence in India’s fast-growing derivatives market, fuelling an aggressive hiring wave, and prompting stock exchanges to upgrade their technology infrastructure significantly. With India accounting for nearly 60% of global equity derivatives trading volumes in April, according to the Futures Industry Association, these firms are viewing the country as a strategic growth market. IMC Trading’s India head, Mr. Jocelyn Dentand, confirmed plans to expand their India team by over 50% by 2026, while Optiver aims to scale its headcount to 100 by the end of 2025. Even firms with leaner operations, such as Citadel Securities, are increasing capital allocation. Others, like Millennium and Qube Research, are expanding their India strategy via hubs in Dubai and Singapore.
This surge of foreign players is driving fierce competition for talent, with top engineering institutes like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) emerging as prime recruiting grounds. Recruiter Aquis Search estimates that around 300 professionals have been hired in India over the last two years across trading, tech, and compliance roles. As salaries for junior traders have more than doubled over the last three years, the talent war has expanded to universities beyond the IITs. India’s main exchanges are capitalising on the boom, Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) plans to add 500 co-location racks by FY26, and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) will install 2,000 in two years to reduce latency for high-frequency trades. With more than Rs. 4,500 crore (US$ 519.5 million) invested in tech upgrades across exchanges, India is positioning itself as a major hub for global quantitative and algorithmic trading.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.