Capital markets technology firm Capitolis has achieved direct authorisation from the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), effective from 10 February 2026.
The authorisation permits Capitolis UK Limited to operate an Organised Trading Facility (OTF). The firm also holds permissions for arranging deals in investments, dealing in investments as agent, and managing investments.
Headquartered in New York, Capitolis provides software to capital markets participants aimed at improving capital efficiency and managing balance-sheet risk. Its platform includes a capital marketplace that connects banks with institutional investors to facilitate risk transfer and capital deployment. The company also offers portfolio optimisation tools designed to help financial institutions manage derivatives exposures and reduce regulatory capital requirements.
The regulatory milestone follows the firm's strategic expansion in London, driven significantly by its acquisition of Capitalab. In November 2024, Capitolis acquired 100% of Capitalab, a leader in portfolio optimisation, from BGC Group for a total consideration of $45.6m (£35.9m). Turnover for the UK entity hit £7.33m in the year to January 2025, with portfolio optimisation fees accounting for £1.79m of the total.
The FCA register lists several key executives who have taken up Senior Management Function (SMF) roles at Capitolis UK Limited, effective from 10 February 2026.
Gavin Jackson holds the SMF3 Executive Director role. He currently serves as Co-Head of Portfolio Optimization globally. Jackson was previously the Co-Founder and CEO of Capitalab prior to its acquisition. His background includes serving as Head of Rates Quant Development at BNP Paribas and trading interest rate exotics at Morgan Stanley.
Ben Tobin also holds the SMF3 Executive Director role, serving as SVP and Co-Head of Market Development at Capitolis. Tobin previously served as EMEA Sales Director at EBS BrokerTec and Sales Director at Traiana.
Daniel Cook holds the SMF3 Executive Director role. Currently Director of Innovation Labs at Capitolis, Cook is a former Director at Barclays Investment Bank and Credit Suisse, where he specialised in complex structuring and prime services tax risk.
Carl Williams holds the SMF16 Compliance Oversight and SMF17 Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) roles. He serves as the UK Head of Compliance. He was previously a Compliance Officer at ADG Capital Management.
