GFI Shareholders Strongly Reject The Proposed CME-GFI Management Merger Proposal

NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- BGC Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ: BGCP) ("BGC Partners," "the Company," or "BGC"), a leading global brokerage company primarily servicing the financial and real estate markets, today issued a statement following the conclusion of the special meeting of GFI Group Inc. (NYSE: GFIG) ("GFI Group" or "GFI") where, based on preliminary tabulation by the independent inspector, shareholders rejected the proposed merger agreement with CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ: CME) ("CME").

Howard Lutnick, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BGC, said: "We believe that the proposed CME-GFI management merger failed by an overwhelming margin.  We appreciate this apparently strong rejection by the disinterested GFI shareholders, and feel that it reflects their belief that our offer has always been both very credible and clearly superior to the alternative.

"We remain fully committed to completing our all-cash tender offer of $6.10 per share, which remains open to GFI shareholders.  Since a rejection by GFI shareholders would end any possibility of the CME-GFI management merger being completed, our tender offer is the only viable option for GFI stockholders seeking to maximize the value for their shares. We therefore strongly urge them to tender their shares into our clearly superior offer and we are prepared to move quickly to complete this transaction."

As previously announced, BGC's tender offer is scheduled to expire at 5:00 PM ET on February 3, 2015, unless extended. 

Stockholders with questions about how to tender their shares may call Innisfree M&A Incorporated, BGC's Information Agent, toll-free at (888) 750-5884.

BGC's financial advisor and dealer manager for the tender offer is Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. and its legal advisor is Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. 

About BGC Partners, Inc.
BGC Partners is a leading global brokerage company servicing the financial and real estate markets.  Products include fixed income securities, interest rate swaps, foreign exchange, equities, equity derivatives, credit derivatives, commercial real estate, commodities, futures, and structured products. BGC also provides a wide range of services, including trade execution, broker-dealer services, clearing, processing, information, and other back-office services to a broad range of financial and non-financial institutions.  Through its BGC Trader and BGC Market Data brands, BGC offers financial technology solutions, market data, and analytics related to numerous financial instruments and markets.  Through the Newmark Grubb Knight Frank brand, BGC offers a wide range of commercial real estate services including leasing and corporate advisory, investment sales and financial services, consulting, project and development management, and property and facilities management. BGC's customers include many of the world's largest banks, broker-dealers, investment banks, trading firms, hedge funds, governments, corporations, property owners, real estate developers, and investment firms. BGC's common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol (NASDAQ: BGCP).  BGC also has an outstanding bond issuance of Senior Notes due June 15, 2042, which trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol (NYSE: BGCA).  BGC Partners is led by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Howard W. Lutnick. For more information, please visit http://www.bgcpartners.com.  

BGC, BGC Trader, Newmark, Grubb & Ellis, and Grubb are trademarks and service marks of BGC Partners, Inc. and/or its affiliates.  Knight Frank is a service mark of Knight Frank (Nominees) Limited.

Important Additional Information
This communication is provided for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell any shares of the common stock of GFI Group Inc. ("GFI") or any other securities. BGC Partners, Inc. and its subsidiary BGC Partners, L.P. have commenced a tender offer for all outstanding shares of common stock of GFI and have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") a tender offer statement on Schedule TO (including an Offer to Purchase, a Letter of Transmittal and related documents). These documents, as they may be amended from time to time, contain important information, including the terms and conditions of the tender offer, and shareholders of GFI are advised to carefully read these documents before making any decision with respect to the tender offer.  Investors and security holders may obtain a free copy of documents filed with respect to the tender offer at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. These materials are also available to GFI Group security holders at no expense to them at http://ir.bgcpartners.com or by calling BGC Partners' information agent, Innisfree M&A Incorporated, toll-free at (888) 750-5884.

Discussion of Forward-Looking Statements by BGC Partners
Statements in this document regarding BGC Partners' business that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. Except as required by law, BGC undertakes no obligation to release any revisions to any forward-looking statements. For a discussion of additional risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see BGC's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including, but not limited to, the risk factors set forth in the Company's public filings, including BGC's most recent Form 10-K and any updates to such risk factors contained in subsequent Form 10-Q or Form 8-K filings.

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SOURCE BGC Partners, Inc.

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