2024 was a defining year for Options Technology, where industry-leading product development and global expansion were matched by a renewed focus on community and corporate responsibility. From record-breaking innovations to charitable milestones, every achievement underscored our mission to lead with purpose and impact.
Driving Growth with Vitruvian Partners
2024 marked a transformational year for Options with a significant growth investment from Vitruvian Partners. This partnership enables us to expand our artificial intelligence portfolio, cloud technology, and cybersecurity, while supporting our mission to deliver world-class infrastructure solutions globally. Building on the foundation established with Abry Partners, this investment positions Options for a bold new era of innovation.
Industry-Leading Product Development
The year saw the global launch of our flagship Atlas Product Suite, redefining data management and analytics with industry-leading transparency and client integration. AtlasVision, the suite’s cornerstone, offers an unparalleled level of visibility into circuits, something no other provider can offer, giving clients unprecedented control and insight into their data.
To mark this product launch, we embarked on a global roadshow, visiting key financial hubs including New York, Toronto, Chicago, London, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. These events showcased Atlas’s transformative capabilities, demonstrating how it empowers clients to harness the full power of real-time and historical market data.
Adding to this innovation, we deployed the industry’s first Bergamo Tickerplant, a groundbreaking solution delivering unmatched performance and ultra-low latency for financial data processing. Together, these advancements highlight our commitment to pushing boundaries and delivering next-generation infrastructure solutions for the financial sector.
Explore the real-time AtlasVision monitor here.
Strengthened by Strategic Acquisitions
In October 2024, we made a strategic leap forward with the acquisition of Packets2Disk (P2D), enhancing our market data and analytics portfolio. By integrating P2D’s high-fidelity packet capture technology with the Atlas product suite, Options is now positioned to provide clients with deeper insights through real-time and historical data analysis.
This acquisition strengthens our ability to deliver smarter, scalable solutions, offering a predictable cost model through a subscription or managed service, and eliminating the need for expensive in-house expertise. This move, part of a broader strategy that includes recent expansions and investments, reinforces Options’ commitment to delivering innovative, world-class trading and market data solutions.
2024: A Year of Geographical Expansion
2024 marked a milestone year for Options’ growth as we broadened our global footprint, opening new offices in Sydney and Dubai and significantly expanding our Toronto office.
Our expansion into new markets and cities is not just about physical presence, it reflects our deep commitment to providing localized, tailored support to our clients across key financial hubs worldwide. By strengthening our presence in the Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and North American regions, we’re enhancing our ability to deliver world-class, real-time market solutions and further solidifying our position as a global leader in capital markets infrastructure. This expansion ensures that our clients, wherever they are, benefit from enhanced accessibility, scalability, and a truly global service offering.
Making Strides for Impact: Our Commitment to Community, Charity, and Sports in 2024
A standout moment of 2024 was our global Hyrox charity initiative. Teams across the world united to raise an incredible £26,188 for the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust, an organization close to our hearts and lead by the heroic Colin Bell. This effort exemplifies how we live our values, supporting meaningful causes with the same passion and commitment we bring to our business.
2024 marked Options’ ninth consecutive year sponsoring the St. Patrick’s Day SPAR Craic 10K Run, an annual tradition that celebrates community spirit and well-being in Belfast. This enduring partnership highlights our commitment to fostering local engagement, bringing people together in the heart of the city for a day of fitness, connection, and celebration.
Later in the year, we launched the Options Rowing Academy in partnership with Queen’s University Belfast, with a £150,000 investment to support student-athletes in achieving academic and athletic excellence. This initiative builds on Queen’s rowing legacy, including medal-winning performances at the Paris Olympics, and reinforces our commitment to fostering local talent.
Belfast Capital Markets Meet-Up
In June, we were thrilled to host the inaugural Belfast Capital Markets Meet-Up, an event that brought together a diverse community of FinTech leaders and innovators. This milestone gathering set the stage for two of the year’s most impactful industry events, followed by an equally successful September edition, check out the event gallery here. These meet-ups not only highlighted Belfast’s rising prominence as a Capital Markets and FinTech hub but also underscored our team’s role in driving collaboration and innovation in the industry.
Champions at Heart: A Year of Achievements and Accolades
While awards are a great way to measure success, they only tell part of the story. At our core, we strive to bring expertise, knowledge and passion to every project, every partnership, and every community initiative. From advancing cutting-edge technology to supporting causes that matter, this year’s awards haul has been a powerful reminder of some of our achievements. Here’s what we’ve accomplished:
- Best Cyber Security Providerat the Private Equity Awards (February), reinforcing our commitment to safeguarding our clients with cutting-edge security solutions.
- Information Vendor of the Year and Technical Engagement Award at the Global Information Vendor Conference (March), recognizing our leadership in delivering top-tier data solutions and services.
- Top Breakthrough Derivatives Data Vendorat HKEX (March), cementing our reputation as innovators in the financial data space.
- Equinix EMEA Technology Trailblazer Award (May), enhancing strategic collaboration and recognizing our leadership in the EMEA region.
- Digital Realty’s EMEA Partner of the Year(June), reinforcing our strategic partnership and global expansion efforts.
- Cyber Security Project of the Yearat the Belfast Telegraph IT Awards (November), celebrating our forward-thinking approach to securing critical financial infrastructures.
Achieving SOC compliance for the 13th consecutive year reflected our dedication to security and reliability. We also earned Diamond Partner Status with Equinix and Microsoft Cloud Security Solution Specialization, underlining our leadership in both infrastructure performance and cloud security.
2024 was also an incredible year of achievement for the Options Cloud Team! We grew Azure consumption by 50%, onboarded 15+ new tenants, and now support 185+ active Microsoft tenants. Our team resolved an impressive 22,000+ tickets, completed x4 AWS deployments, and earned over 200+ new Microsoft certifications.
Celebrating the Official Kick-off of our 2025 Graduate & Placement Programme
2024 marked a special milestone as we celebrated the official launch of our 2025 Graduate & Placement Programme, a flagship initiative that has been shaping the leaders of tomorrow since its inception in 2015. Over nearly a decade and 250+ new recruits later, the programme has grown into a cornerstone of our commitment to nurturing young talent, fostering innovation, and driving growth in the industry.
The kick-off event was a true highlight, bringing together exceptional talent and showcasing the bright future ahead for our 2025 cohort. With the programme now open for applications, we’re excited to continue the journey of mentoring and empowering the next generation of industry stars. Check out the full event gallery and apply today!
Key Leadership Appointments Propel Options in 2024
2024 was marked by pivotal leadership appointments at Options Technology, reinforcing the company’s strategic growth and innovation goals. Marlena Efstratopoulou stepped into the role of Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), integrating risk and security functions to drive a unified approach to cybersecurity. Her leadership builds on over a decade of excellence in the field and a commitment to embedding security as a business enabler.
In addition, Noam Siegel joined as Vice President of Sales, bringing expertise from ICE/Interactive Data to strengthen Options’ presence in Chicago, while James Hardcastle took the reins as VP, Head of Sales for APAC, leveraging 25 years of experience to expand the company’s footprint across Asia-Pacific.
Looking Ahead
As we close the door on 2024, we can’t help but reflect on what a truly incredible year it’s been. From breaking new ground with innovative technology to expanding into new markets and making a difference in our communities, this year has been all about growth, impact, and collaboration. None of it would have been possible without the trust of our clients, the support of our partners, and the passion of our team.
Looking ahead to 2025, we’re more excited than ever about what’s to come. With big plans, new opportunities, and a renewed commitment to pushing boundaries, we’re ready to keep making waves in financial technology and beyond. Here’s to another year of working together, achieving great things, and shaping the future of our industry.
Here’s to an even brighter 2025!