India Becomes the New Trading Frontier for IMC and Optiver

Image Source: Optiver

Two of the world's most prominent proprietary trading firms—Optiver and IMC Trading—plan to hire aggressively for their operations in India, reflecting the increasing significance of India in global quantitative finance and algorithmic trading.

Key Highlights:

IMC Trading target: The Dutch company plans to double its India office to over 150 employees by end-2026 from its current level of around 70. The expansion will be in quantitative research, trading, and technology positions, with Mumbai being one of the key hubs.

Optiver's Journey of Growth: Optiver, another international market maker, is set to double its Indian staff to 100 by end-2025. It is on a hiring spree in quant, software development, and data science streams to aid in its global trading desks.

Why India: Both firms identify India's abundant pool of STEM students, low-cost business, and time-zone alignment with world markets as being major drivers.

Industry Trend: The projects are part of an overall trend of global trading houses setting up India-based centers of excellence, not just for back-office servicing but also for core trading and research functions.

Campus Recruitment: Campus hiring by IMC and Optiver is also rising at top Indian colleges like IITs and IISc with international mobility and high salaries.

This recruitment drive marks India's transformation from a back-office destination to a global strategic innovation center for the world's top trading companies.

Sources: IMC Trading Corporate News, Economic Times, Optiver Careers Page