Marex Group plc to acquire UK equity market maker Winterflood Securities
LONDON, July 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Marex Group plc ((‘Marex' or the ‘Group', NASDAQ:MRX), the diversified global financial services platform, today announces that it has agreed to acquire UK equity market maker Winterflood Securities (Winterflood) from Close Brothers Group plc (Close Brothers) for approximately £103.9 million in cash, which represents a premium of £15 million.
Winterflood is one of the UK's leading equity market makers, delivering execution services to over 400 institutional clients and ranking consistently as a top three market counterparty with a market share of about 15% by volume on the London Stock Exchange1. Winterflood has well-established client connectivity through its proprietary technology platform.
The acquisition is expected to enhance Marex's existing UK cash equities business, consistent with its strategy to bring new clients and new capabilities onto its platform and diversify earnings. It is also expected to add a substantial distribution offering servicing the UK institutional community, in particular asset and wealth management companies, with the potential to deepen these relationships by offering access to a broader range of Marex's products from across its platform.
Winterflood also operates Winterflood Business Services, which provides outsourced dealing, settlement and custody services to a diverse range of clients, including large institutions, investment platforms, wealth managers, and retail aggregators.
The deal is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close in early 2026.
Ian Lowitt, Marex Group Chief Executive Officer, commented:
"This acquisition gives us an opportunity to transform our existing equity market making business into a leading franchise, utilising the technology and connectivity of what is the leading brand in this market. This deal is consistent with our strict financial criteria, and we see opportunities to materially improve Winterflood's profitability and pay back its premium within two to three years. We believe we can gain economies from operating at scale and also benefit from Winterflood's great technology and strong client relationships, which will enable us to introduce additional products and services from across our platform to a new set of clients."
Bradley Dyer, CEO of Winterflood Securities, commented:
"We're delighted to become part of Marex, which is a high-growth, global financial services company with a strong balance sheet. Our clients will continue to be served by the same team, while also benefitting from the backing of a large and growing company as well as access to a broader range of products and services from Marex. We're excited to be joining a fast-paced organisation where our teams can thrive."
Mike Morgan, Close Brothers Group Chief Executive, commented:
"We see Marex as an excellent steward for the business going forward, we thank the Winterflood team for their hard work and commitment over the years and wish them every success in their next chapter with Marex."
Forward-Looking Statements:
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including the expected acquisition of Winterflood Securities and the closing of the transaction as well as expected benefits from the acquisition. In some cases, these forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "potential," "continue," "is/are likely to" or other similar expressions.
These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, some of which are beyond our control. In addition, these forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are not a guarantee of future performance. Actual outcomes may differ materially from the information contained in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including, without limitation, the risks discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and our other reports filed with the SEC. The forward-looking statements made in this press release relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this press release. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. In addition, statements that "we believe" and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this press release, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain, and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.
About Marex:
Marex Group plc (NASDAQ:MRX) is a diversified global financial services platform providing essential liquidity, market access and infrastructure services to clients across energy, commodities and financial markets. The Group provides comprehensive breadth and depth of coverage across four services: Clearing, Agency and Execution, Market Making and Hedging and Investment Solutions. It has a leading franchise in many major metals, energy and agricultural products, with access to 60 exchanges. The Group provides access to the world's major commodity markets, covering a broad range of clients that include some of the largest commodity producers, consumers and traders, banks, hedge funds and asset managers. With more than 40 offices worldwide, the Group has over 2,400 employees across Europe, Asia and the Americas. For more information visit www.marex.com.
Enquiries please contact:
Marex: Nicola Ratchford / Adam Strachan
+44 778 654 8889 / +1 914 200 2508
[email protected] / [email protected]
FTI Consulting US / UK
+1 716 525 7239 / +44 7976870961
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1Rank and market share is based on Bloomberg data for London Stock Exchange market volumes from January 2019 to December 2024
