Global Trading Giants Expand in India Amid Stock Market Surge

Global trading firms are rapidly deepening their footprint in India due to booming equity derivative markets and strong domestic demand. On June 20, multiple international names, including Citadel Securities, IMC Trading, Millennium, and Optiver, revealed ambitious expansion plans. This hiring spree coincides with India’s massive contribution to global equity derivatives, 60% of world trading volumes in April. 

The surge in trading activity has pushed the country’s stock markets higher. At the time of writing, Sensex rallied 906.52 points or 1.11% to 82,268.39, close to the day’s high. Nifty 50 surged 275.65 points to 25,068.90. Midcap and smallcap indices also posted gains of 1.01% and 0.89%, respectively. Volatility Index (India VIX) dipped 5.85% to 13.42, signaling bullish investor sentiment.

Hiring Race Among Global Trading Firms in India

Several global trading giants have started hiring aggressively across India. IMC Trading plans to grow its India team by over 50% to more than 150 by 2026. Jocelyn Dentand, India MD at IMC, said, “We have seen competition increasing… on the job market as well.” The firm now hires mainly from IITs but is expanding to other universities too.

Citadel Securities, founded by Kenneth Griffin, has built a lean team of about 10 people. It recently hired a COO and a country head of trading for India. Millennium is also scaling its India desk via its Dubai and Singapore operations. Optiver, which started India operations in 2024, aims to hit 100 employees by the end of 2025, up from 70. A spokesperson said, “Optiver is investing ambitiously in India.” 

Amsterdam’s Da Vinci and London-based Qube Research & Technologies are also hiring for quant trading jobs. Over the last two years, they have added 300 staff in India, according to recruiter Aquis Search. “We foresee a good run for the next few years,” said Annpurna Bist of Aquis. Bhautik Ambani, head of AlphaGrep Investment Management, stated that the salaries have doubled in the last three years, even for junior traders. India’s elite engineering colleges, especially IITs, remain top hiring pools for quant and tech roles.

India’s Exchanges Upgrade Infrastructure to Meet Global Demand

Bharath’s main exchanges, NSE and BSE, are rushing to boost their infrastructure. They aim to meet rising demand from high-frequency and quant trading firms. NSE will add 2,000 co-location server racks over the next two years. BSE, which had none in March 2024, plans to scale to 500 by the end of fiscal 2026. These racks allow faster execution by bringing trading servers physically closer to exchange systems.

BSE CEO Sundararaman Ramamurthy said, “We are a late entrant.” He also added, “We need to provide additional value for unfulfilled demand.” BSE has spent ₹4.5 to ₹5 billion (about $52–58 million) on tech upgrades in two years. Jane Street, another U.S. firm, earned $2.34 billion from its India strategy last year. This success has triggered a broader gold rush among global players eager to tap India’s fast-growing derivatives market.

Domestic Stock Markets Reflect Rising Global Trading Interest

India’s stock markets rallied alongside the global trading momentum. Banking, financial services, and real estate stocks gained 1–2% during the session. However, Nifty Media dipped slightly by 0.13%. Market breadth favored advances, with 1,807 stocks rising against 865 declines out of 2,750 traded on NSE. Top Nifty 50 gainers included Jio Financial Services, HDFC Life, M&M, Bharti Airtel, and Bharat Electronics, up 2–3%. Hero Motocorp led the losers, falling 1.68%, followed by Dr Reddy’s, Bajaj Finance, Maruti, UltraTech, and ONGC.

Sun TV remained in focus amid a legal dispute between the Maran brothers. Its shares dropped 2.73% to ₹596.75. Electrotherm (India) and Websol Energy were among 55 stocks hitting upper circuits. Sixty-five stocks hit lower circuits. Stocks like BEL, Aditya Birla Capital, and ITD Cementation reached 52-week highs, while Spectrum and Easy Trip hit lows.

Global Trading Wave Shapes India’s Market Future

The influx of global trading firms into India is transforming the financial ecosystem. Talent demand, exchange infrastructure, and salary benchmarks are all rising. With firms like Citadel Securities, Optiver, and IMC Trading racing to expand, the gold rush shows no signs of slowing. The strong showing in equity markets and robust trading activity confirms India’s position as a global trading powerhouse in the making.

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