IMC Financial Markets

IMC Financial Markets, often referred to as IMC Trading, is a proprietary trading firm and market maker headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands.^[3] Founded in 1989 as International Marketmaker's Combination,^[4] the company employs over 1,600 people across offices in Chicago, Amsterdam, Sydney, Mumbai, Zug, Seoul, London, New York, and Hong Kong.^[2]

IMC Trading

Trade name	IMC Trading
Company type	Private
Industry	Financial services
Founded	1989; 36 years ago (1989)
Founders	Robert Defares René Schelvis
Headquarters	Amsterdam, Netherlands
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Robert Defares (CEO and chairman)[1]
Products	High-frequency trading, Market making
Net income	$686 million[2] (2024)
Total equity	$1.866 billion[2] (2024)
Number of employees	1,600[2] (2024)
Website	imc.com

History

IMC was founded in 1989 by Robert Defares and René Schelvis,^[5] two traders working on the floor of the Amsterdam Equity Options Exchange.^[6]

In 2008, Wiet Pot joined as co-CEO alongside Defares.^[7] Pot left the board in September 2017, leaving Defares as sole CEO.^[8]

Trading

IMC operates as a proprietary trading firm and market maker across multiple asset classes, including equities, bonds, commodities, and currencies, on over 90 exchanges worldwide.^[2][9] The firm provides liquidity for more than 200,000 securities and maintains a significant market presence on major U.S. exchanges including NYSE Arca, NASDAQ, CBOE, BATS, and CME Group.^[10] IMC's trading strategies include market making, algorithmic arbitrage, and statistical arbitrage.^[10]

In 2014, the firm acquired Goldman Sachs' Designated Market Maker (DMM) trading rights on the New York Stock Exchange, becoming the DMM for more than 630 securities and approximately 400 operating companies.^[11] IMC is a top-three liquidity provider by volume in listed options globally and serves as a lead market maker for more than 150 exchange-traded funds in the United States.^[12]