GAIN Capital, the US securities expert whom we know for its ownership of the retail Forex giant
FOREX.com, made the headlines today with another acquisition: of UK-based CFD advisory firm Galvan Research and Trading.
The choice of a target is a surprise to many but GAIN has promised us to expect the unexpected, at least that was the message delivered by its chief executive Glenn Stevens during the
conference call on 2013 performance metrics. You may recall that back the he said that the company was planning a raft of big acquisition deals, with the targets picked along certain criteria. These include expanding GAIN's geographical footprint, diversifying the group's portfolio of products and services and showing good potential of synergies.
Well, the acquisition of Galvan Research does match all of these criteria. Furthermore, commenting on the deal, Stevens said that this set the ground for the establishment of a full-blown CFD advisory service at GAIN. And that sounds very exciting, while promising the growing clientele of the broker top-notch recommendations and advice on financial matters.
GAIN is not being cheap on acquisitions – it has really stepped up its expansion campaign lately, obviously being rather enthusiastic over the positive outcomes of the acquisition of GFT. At the start of March, GAIN announced the purchase of
55% stakes in Global Asset Advisors, LLC ("GAA") and Top Third Ag Marketing LLC ("Top Third"), in a move set to diversify the offering of the group.
But back to our current topic of interest. GAIN expects the deal with Galvan to close in the second quarter of this year, with some regulatory formalities to be passed and approvals to be received. The acquisition is poised to be accretive already in 2014. The UK advisory business will keep functioning under its own brand and will retain its current management.
You can read the official press release below.
GAIN Capital Acquires Galvan Research, UK's Leading CFD Advisory Service
LONDON, NEW YORK and SYDNEY, April 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

GAIN Capital Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:GCAP), a global provider of online trading services, today announced the acquisition of Galvan Research, the UK's leading Contract For Difference (CFD) advisory business.
Founded in 2004 by Andrew Gibson, Jonathan Pinkney and James Pinkney, Galvan Research provides individual investors with professional advice and trading recommendations across a wide range of markets, including FX, individual equities, equity indices and other market sectors. Galvan Research was voted Best Equity Derivatives Advisor eight times by the readers of Shares magazine (2005-2009, 2011-2013) and has earned six consecutive wins as Best CFD Advisor at the Money AM Awards (2008-2013). Galvan is authorized and regulated by the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority.
"Galvan Research gives us a solid foundation on which to build a comprehensive advisory service for our clients," said Glenn Stevens, Chief Executive Officer of GAIN Capital. "This transaction is an important step in enhancing our research and advisory capabilities in support of our recently expanded FX & CFD offering, which now covers 12,500 financial products. We are committed to delivering value-added services to help our clients make informed trading decisions, and high quality trading ideas and advice are a core part of this strategy."
Andrew Gibson, founder and CEO of Galvan Research, added: "We are delighted to be joining GAIN Capital and look forward to taking advantage of the opportunities associated with being part of a respected company with a global reach. Over the last ten years we have built an award-winning UK business that we are proud of, and we are excited now to be able to extend our service to GAIN's customer base, as well as have the considerable resources of GAIN behind us as we look to broaden our coverage of financial markets and expand into new geographies."
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Galvan Research will continue to operate as a separate brand, and its current management team will remain in place.
The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter, subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions. GAIN anticipates the transaction to be immediately accretive to its 2014 financial results.
About GAIN Capital
GAIN Capital Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:GCAP) is a global leader of online trading services provision. GAIN's technology offers market access and automated trade execution across multiple assets, including Forex, contracts for difference (CFDs) and exchange-based products, to both retail and institutional investors.
Through its retail brand, FOREX.com, GAIN provides retail traders across the globe with access to various OTC financial markets. FOREX.com supports clients from more than 140 countries, with its products and services available in many languages, including English, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian.
GAIN Capital and its affiliates boast offices in New York City; Bedminster, New Jersey; London; Sydney; Hong Kong; Tokyo; Singapore and Beijing.