MAS Markets has appointed Matt Porter as head of operations, hiring him from rival broker ATFX, where he had run operations for the institutional desk since 2019. The London-based liquidity Liquidity The term liquidity refers to the process, speed, and ease of which a given asset or security can be converted into cash. Notably, liquidity surmises a retention in market price, with the most liquid assets representing cash.The most liquid asset of all is cash itself.· In economics, liquidity is defined by how efficiently and quickly an asset can be converted into usable cash without materially affecting its market price. · Nothing is more liquid than cash, while other assets represent The term liquidity refers to the process, speed, and ease of which a given asset or security can be converted into cash. Notably, liquidity surmises a retention in market price, with the most liquid assets representing cash.The most liquid asset of all is cash itself.· In economics, liquidity is defined by how efficiently and quickly an asset can be converted into usable cash without materially affecting its market price. · Nothing is more liquid than cash, while other assets represent Read this Term provider announced the move today (Tuesday) and described it as its second senior hire within a month.

Porter spent more than seven years at ATFX UK, according to his career history, the bulk of a financial services run that also includes nearly a decade at trading technology firm FIXI and earlier roles at Morgan Stanley and NatWest.

A Hiring Run That Stretches Back to January

The appointment is the latest in a steady stretch of senior recruitment at MAS Markets. In May, the firm named former Equiti Capital and Rostro executive Saul Knapp as chief risk officer, hiring him from Rostro Group's institutional arm Scope Prime.

That came after three senior appointments to its institutional team in January, including a head of institutional sales and an account manager, plus the earlier hire of Gold-i's Chris James as chief technology officer.

The build-out has tracked rising revenue. MAS Markets nearly doubled its 2025 turnover to 6.13 million pounds from 3.19 million a year earlier, and said platform trading volumes rose 81% year on year, though it did not disclose absolute volume figures.

CEO and founder Simon Blackledge said "having the right operational leadership in place is essential" as the firm scales. Porter added he was "joining MAS Markets at such a pivotal time in the company's growth journey."

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In the new role, Porter will oversee internal processes, client onboarding, and service delivery, the company said. MAS added that he would also work on initiatives meant to improve efficiency and support expansion into new markets.

Poaching Operational Talent From a Larger Rival

Porter's move points MAS Markets at a bigger institutional competitor. ATFX runs ATFX Connect, the broker's Prime of Prime arm launched in 2019, and reported $1.09 trillion in group trading volume for the first quarter of 2026, a 40.6% increase from a year earlier, according to FM Intelligence data.

ATFX operates from 24 locations and holds nine regulatory licenses, a far wider footprint than MAS Markets, which is regulated by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority and runs infrastructure out of the LD4 and TY3 data centers.

MAS Markets describes itself as a provider of institutional-grade liquidity, serving brokers, hedge funds, family offices, and professional trading firms. It sits within MAS Group, which also operates a digital-asset liquidity unit and a funds-management arm.

Liquidity Providers Compete for a Shrinking Talent Pool

The hire lands as liquidity providers Liquidity Providers A liquidity provider (LP) constitutes an individual and/or an institution that functions as a market maker in a given asset class. Broadly speaking, liquidity providers will act as both the buyer and seller of a particular asset, thus making a market. In the equities space, many stock exchanges rely on liquidity providers who make the commitment to provide liquidity in a given equity. These liquidity providers commit to providing liquidity in the hopes that they will be able to make a profit on A liquidity provider (LP) constitutes an individual and/or an institution that functions as a market maker in a given asset class. Broadly speaking, liquidity providers will act as both the buyer and seller of a particular asset, thus making a market. In the equities space, many stock exchanges rely on liquidity providers who make the commitment to provide liquidity in a given equity. These liquidity providers commit to providing liquidity in the hopes that they will be able to make a profit on Read this Term across the sector chase senior staff and brace for consolidation.

A March survey of over-the-counter participants by Finery Markets found that 60% expected fewer liquidity providers to survive 2026, with a quarter predicting an outright decrease, a backdrop that has sharpened competition for clients and experienced operators alike.

Rivals have been moving on talent and territory at the same time. oneZero Financial Systems opened its first Middle East office in Dubai this year and appointed Lochlan White as director of sales, while GTC Group named Alexandros Patsalides vice president of institutional after poaching a trade solutions head from Scope Markets.