Financial Technology Partners Advises TheMarkets.com, LLC in Its Highly Successful Strategic Sale of Substantially All of Its Assets to Capital IQ, a Standard & Poor's Business

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Financial Technology Partners LP and FTP Securities LLC (together, "FT Partners"), is pleased to announce one of its largest sale transactions to date in the Securities and Capital Markets Technology sector, serving as exclusive strategic and financial advisor to TheMarkets.com, LLC ("TheMarkets.com") in its cash sale of substantially all of its assets to Capital IQ, a Standard & Poor's ("S&P") business.  

"Having been selected as advisor of choice by a consortium of all of the largest investment banks in the world is the highest compliment that can be paid to a competing investment bank – and we are proud to have been able to respond in kind with what we believe to be a highly successful outcome for all parties," said Steve McLaughlin, Founder and Managing Partner of FT Partners.  "FT Partners continues to strengthen our leadership position across the entire financial technology sector globally and this is yet another example of our long track record of achieving outstanding outcomes despite incredibly challenging market conditions."

TheMarkets.com is a leading, subscription-based provider of third-party equity and fixed-income research, economic and strategy reports, sector and industry overviews, financial estimates and related information tools to institutional investors around the globe and has unique access to models from leading brokers.  TheMarkets.com founders and owners include a consortium of the largest and most prestigious global investment banks, including:

• Bank of America Merrill Lynch
• Citi
• Credit Suisse
• Deutsche Bank
• Goldman Sachs
• JPMorgan Chase
• Morgan Stanley
• UBS Investment Bank

"FT Partners helped achieve the goals of all parties involved in the transaction," said David Eisner, CEO of TheMarkets.com.  "FT Partners counseled us through complex situations and provided sound advice at every step of the process."

This is another significant transaction, among many, that highlights FT Partners' unparalleled ability to help companies in the Securities & Capital Markets Technology sector find the best strategic partners at premium valuations.  FT Partners continues to be the independent advisor of choice for Wall Street consortium-backed firms, and this transaction further demonstrates FT Partners' ability to attract and manage these complex shareholder structures.

The transaction brings together Capital IQ and TheMarkets.com, two of the most attractive entities in the financial information services sector.  The combination will enable Capital IQ to better serve and grow its buy-side customer base globally.

FT Partners was named "Investment Bank of the Year" in 2004 and 2006, and was also recognized as "DealMaker of the Year" in 2007 and 2008.

Selected FT Partners Transactions in the Securities and Capital Markets Technology Sector:

• $680 mm sale of Automated Trading Desk to Citigroup
• $225 mm sale of Wombat Financial Software to NYSE Euronext
• $110 mm minority recapitalization for TradingScreen
• $250 mm capital raise for Liquidnet
• Minority capital raise for Tora Holdings by Goldman Sachs
• $35 mm capital raise for MarketAxess
• $230 mm acquisition of MacGregor Group by ITG
• Sale of 35% minority interest in Forex Capital Markets (FXCM)
• $125 mm sale of LatentZero to Fidessa
• Acquisition of TORC Financial by Instinet
• Minority interest financing for UNX by Goldman Sachs and others
• OpHedge's strategic alliance with Citco Fund Services
• IPO advisory services for Envestnet's $69 mm initial public offering

About Financial Technology Partners LP and FTP Securities LLC

FT Partners is the only investment banking firm focused exclusively on providing strategic and financial advisory services to CEOs in the dynamic financial services and technology sector. The firm offers strategic advisory services in mission-critical transactions including mergers, acquisitions, IPOs, LBOs, refinancings, recapitalizations, bankruptcies and private capital raisings.  The firm has been recognized as "Investment Banking Firm of the Year" in 2004 and again in 2006.  FT Partners Founder and Managing Partner, Steve McLaughlin was recognized by The M&A Advisor as "Dealmaker of the Year" annually from 2006 to 2009. Steve McLaughlin was also named in 2006, 2007 and again in 2008 to Institutional Investor's "Online Finance 40" ranking of most influential leaders in online finance.  Any securities related transactions contemplated by or acted upon hereunder are conducted by FTP Securities LLC, a FINRA broker-dealer and a wholly owned subsidiary of Financial Technology Partners LP. For additional information, please visit www.ftpartners.com.

SOURCE Financial Technology Partners LP and FTP Securities LLC