In the mid 2000s, a New Jersey securities lawyer decided to start an options market. 13 years and $100 million later, that exchange has not only won substantial market share, but has set its sights on becoming a global exchange powerhouse. This is the story of MIAX:
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Thomas Gallagher started his own law firm in the 1990s catering to the financial industry. Many of his clients were influential options traders. The more firms Gallagher worked with, the more he realized options were ripe for disruption.pic.twitter.com/JQ5nqefZDr
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In 2007 Gallagher used his law firm relationships to raise $100 million from clients and other powerful investors in the Middle East to launch his own exchange. Gallagher had the legal expertise. He had the money. All he needed were industry experts to build a modern platform.
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While applying with the SEC, Gallagher poached talent from Nasdaq and CBOE to come work for his upstart venture. After five long years of work, Gallagher finally won approval for his exchange to launch. He called it the Miami International Securities Exchange - MIAX for short.pic.twitter.com/pJCkLtoDE7
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To win market share MIAX tapped an age-old industry tactic - giving equity to top customers in exchange for volume. As customers began opting into the program, MIAX started winning business. As of 2020, they control 12% of the options market and growing:pic.twitter.com/8q0CBJyttJ
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MIAX isn't stopping at options. Using cash from their early success, MIAX is casting a broad net of investments to expand influence: LedgerX - crypto MGEX - volatility MIAX Pearl - equities Diamond Standard - diamond exchange Bermuda Stock Exchange - Latin Americapic.twitter.com/gD0VrePy8k
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MIAX's LedgerX investment came with some drama - MIAX allegedly tried to stage a hostile takeover as the cofounders were ousted:https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/51055/board-member-alleges-ledgerx-chaos-as-company-announces-4m-in-new-financing …
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Bottom line - don't overlook the upstart exchange from Miami. MIAX won a seat at the table & is now buying their way to global relevance. I'm doing a full profile of MIAX in tomorrow's newsletter - sign up below so you don't miss it:https://frontmonth.substack.com/
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