ION - a global financial technology leader in trading, data, analytics, business information, workflow software, and risk management solutions for capital markets, commodities, and treasury management - has acquired DASH Financial Technologies, the foremost options technology and execution provider in the US.

The acquisition from DASH’s previous owner, Flexpoint Ford, has closed following regulatory approvals. DASH becomes part of the ION Markets division, which specialises in global trading automation, analytics and innovation across the trade lifecycle, powering key capital markets workflows for financial markets participants across all asset classes.

The integration of DASH into the ION Markets portfolio is timely given the increased pace of trading activity and volatility in the options markets due to a number of factors including the ongoing pandemic, political uncertainty, and increased levels of both institutional and retail investor engagement.

Hishaam Caramanli, Group Chief Product Officer, said: “We are delighted to welcome DASH to ION Group and add their unmatched domain expertise, technology and insight to the ION Markets portfolio. ION Group remains focused on maximising the performance of our customers and DASH is an invaluable addition to our offering.”

Peter Maragos, co-founder and CEO of DASH, added: “ION’s investment and support will allow our products to reach a much wider global customer base, as well as opening up a new range of services for our existing clients. Our next chapter as part of the ION Group is exciting for our team and will act as a catalyst for our next stage of product innovation and growth.”