Mako trading refers to Mako, a London-founded proprietary trading, options market-making, and sales advisory firm that provides liquidity to global derivatives markets. Founded in 1999, Mako operates across equities, fixed income, commodities, and FX derivatives, using proprietary technology and high-frequency methodologies to make markets on major exchanges worldwide.
In simple terms, Mako is not a broker you sign up with or a retail platform you trade on. It is a professional trading firm that uses its own capital and technology to quote prices and provide liquidity, primarily through options market making. This guide explains what Mako trading is, what the firm actually does, how it operates, its history, and where it fits among the world’s proprietary trading firms.
This article is an educational overview of a third-party firm based on public information and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or investment advice regarding Mako.
What Is Mako Trading?
Mako trading refers to the activities of Mako, also known as the Mako Group, a diversified financial firm whose core business is proprietary trading and options market making.
Rather than serving retail traders, Mako is a market maker: it continuously quotes buy and sell prices for financial instruments, providing the liquidity that lets other participants trade. The firm describes itself as a trading, options market-making, and sales advisory business with a global footprint. It trades its own capital and manages risk using decades of experience and proprietary technology.
The key point is that Mako operates on the institutional side of the market. When people ask “what is Mako trading,” they are usually asking about this established global market maker, not a product or a retail service.
Mako Trading at a Glance
| Attribute | Detail |
| What it is | Proprietary trading, options market-making, and sales advisory firm |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Headquarters | London, England |
| Core business | Providing liquidity via options market making |
| Markets traded | Equities, fixed income, commodities, and FX derivatives |
| Trading style | High-frequency methodologies, proprietary strategies, low-latency technology |
| Global offices | Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Americas, including London, Sydney, Singapore, Amsterdam, Chengdu, and the US |
| Notable | 49.9% stake held by Close Brothers Group in 2007; long-running Graduate Trader programme |
| Retail access | No, it is an institutional firm, not a retail broker |
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What Does Mako Do?
Mako’s primary business is providing liquidity to global derivatives markets, mainly through options market making.
As a market maker, Mako stands ready to buy and sell across many instruments, earning from the spread between its quoted prices while managing the risk it takes on. Its activity spans several markets:
- Equities, including exchange-traded equity options.
- Fixed income, where it makes markets in interest-rate products.
- Commodities, providing liquidity in commodity options and derivatives.
- FX derivatives and spot FX, across currency markets.
Beyond market making, the Mako Group has included investment management and sales advisory activities over its history. The takeaway is that Mako is a multi-asset liquidity provider, with options market making at its core.
How Does Mako Make Money?
Mako makes money the way most market makers and proprietary trading firms do: by trading its own capital and profiting from spreads, liquidity provision, and disciplined risk management rather than from client commissions.
When Mako quotes a price to buy and a price to sell an option or other instrument, the small difference between those prices, the spread, is a source of revenue when trades occur on both sides. Because it trades in highly liquid products at high volumes, small edges add up across many transactions. Skilled risk management then protects those gains from adverse market moves.
The key point is that Mako’s profitability rests on pricing accuracy, technology, and risk control, not on selling products to retail customers.
What Is Mako’s Technology and Trading Approach?
Technology is central to how Mako trades, and the firm emphasizes proprietary systems refined over two decades.
Mako’s trading is anchored by high-frequency methodologies, seasoned proprietary strategies, and robust market-making capabilities, letting it trade many instruments per second in liquid products. Its technology teams deploy advanced trading applications over low-latency infrastructure that connects the firm to global exchanges, much like the algorithmic trading systems that underpin modern market making. The firm established a dedicated Algorithmic Trading Group as early as 2006.
Mako also emphasizes close collaboration between traders, technologists, and macro researchers, so that strategy, execution, and market insight work together. The takeaway is that Mako is a technology-focused trading firm, combining discretionary expertise with automated, low-latency systems.
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What Is Mako’s History?
Mako has a long history in global markets, having traded since 1999.
Key milestones in the firm’s development include launching Mako Financial Markets in 2001, establishing its Algorithmic Trading Group in 2006, and launching an award-winning fixed income fund through Mako Investment Managers in 2007. Also in 2007, Close Brothers Group purchased a non-controlling 49.9 percent stake in the Mako Group, a notable institutional endorsement of the firm.
Over the following years, Mako expanded internationally and deepened its technology and market-making capabilities. The takeaway is that Mako is a long-established firm with more than two decades of history in derivatives trading.
Where Does Mako Operate?
Mako has a genuinely global trading footprint, with offices across multiple regions.
Headquartered in London, the Mako Group operates through a network of entities and offices spanning Europe, the Asia Pacific region, and the Americas, including locations such as Sydney, Singapore, Amsterdam, Chengdu, and the United States. It makes markets on major exchanges across these regions, providing liquidity around the clock as different markets open and close.
This global presence lets Mako trade continuously across time zones and asset classes. The takeaway is that Mako is a worldwide market maker, not a single-market operation.
What Is Mako’s Graduate Trader Programme?
One of Mako’s best-known features is its Graduate Trader programme, a pathway into options market making that has run for more than 20 years.
The programme offers an immersive route for motivated graduates to become options market makers, and many of the firm’s senior traders began their careers through it. Mako also runs an internship programme that can lead into the graduate track. This focus on training talent in-house reflects how specialized and skill-intensive options market making is.
The takeaway is that Mako is known not just for trading but for developing traders, making its graduate programme a notable entry point into the industry.
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How Does Mako Compare to Other Trading Firms?
Mako sits within the world of proprietary trading and market-making firms, a category that trades its own capital rather than client money.
Like other quantitative and market-making firms, Mako combines proprietary technology, risk management, and liquidity provision. Its particular strength and heritage lie in options market making across exchange-traded derivatives, a specialized niche. Other firms in the broader space focus on different assets or strategies, from equities and ETFs to systematic and multi-asset trading, and many, including quantitative market makers, share Mako’s blend of technology and trading expertise.
The takeaway is that Mako is one of several respected proprietary and market-making firms, distinguished by its long history and options focus.
Key Takeaways
Mako trading refers to Mako, a London-founded proprietary trading, options market-making, and sales advisory firm that has provided liquidity to global derivatives markets since 1999. It trades its own capital across equities, fixed income, commodities, and FX derivatives, with options market making at the heart of its business.
The firm is defined by its proprietary technology, high-frequency and algorithmic methodologies, low-latency infrastructure, and disciplined risk management, supported by a global footprint spanning Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Americas. Its long-running Graduate Trader programme has trained many of its senior market makers.
For anyone asking what Mako trading is, the short answer is that Mako is an established, technology-driven global market maker on the institutional side of the market, not a retail broker or platform. It stands as one of the notable proprietary trading firms shaping liquidity in global derivatives markets.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Mako trading in simple terms?
Mako trading refers to Mako, a London-founded proprietary trading and options market-making firm that provides liquidity to global derivatives markets. It trades its own capital across equities, fixed income, commodities, and FX derivatives, rather than serving retail traders.
Is Mako a broker?
No. Mako is a proprietary trading and market-making firm, not a retail broker. It provides liquidity to exchanges and institutional participants by quoting prices and trading its own capital, rather than offering accounts to individual traders.
When was Mako founded?
Mako has traded global markets since 1999. It launched Mako Financial Markets in 2001 and has since grown into a global group with offices across Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Americas.
What markets does Mako trade?
Mako operates in equities, fixed income, commodities, and FX derivatives markets, with options market making at its core. It also has history in investment management and sales advisory activities.
How does Mako make money?
As a market maker, Mako profits primarily from the spread between the buy and sell prices it quotes, earned across high volumes in liquid products, supported by proprietary technology and strong risk management. It does not rely on retail commissions.
Can I trade with Mako as a retail investor?
No. Mako is an institutional trading firm, not a retail platform, so individuals cannot open a trading account with it. Its main relevance to individuals is through its careers, such as its well-known Graduate Trader programme.
Disclaimer: The information provided by Quant Matter in this article is intended for general informational purposes and does not reflect the company’s opinion. It is not intended as investment advice or a recommendation. Readers are strongly advised to conduct their own thorough research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any financial decisions.
Joshua Soriano
As an author, I bring clarity to the complex intersections of technology and finance. My focus is on unraveling the complexities of using data science and machine learning in the cryptocurrency market, aiming to make the principles of quantitative trading understandable for everyone. Through my writing, I invite readers to explore how cutting-edge technology can be applied to make informed decisions in the fast-paced world of crypto trading, simplifying advanced concepts into engaging and accessible narratives.
