B.Gerald Cantor has a vision to create a world-class brokerage service for Wall Street's fixed income inter-dealer community.
Cantor Fitzgerald launches an Institutional Equities Sales and Trading division, offering large block trading and services to asset managers, pension funds and portfolio managers.
Cantor’s newly opened London office leads the way in technological innovation with the development of the world’s first screen-based brokerage service for the fixed income markets.
Cantor’s Tokyo office opens.
Howard W. Lutnick is named President and steers Cantor towards further technological innovation.
Howard W. Lutnick leads the development of what will eventually become eSpeed; tests begin with bond brokers.
Cantor’s Hong Kong office, which has been registered as an overseas office since 1996, is registered with the Securities and Futures Commission.
Cantor’s inter-dealer fixed income electronic trading business is transferred to eSpeed, which becomes a publicly traded, separately run, business in its own right.
September 11, 2001, tragedy strikes. Attacks on the World Trade Centre destroy Cantor Fitzgerald and eSpeed’s headquarters, claiming the lives of 658 employees.
On September 19, Cantor Fitzgerald pledges 25% of the firm's profits for five years to families and loved ones of its former Cantor Fitzgerald, eSpeed and Tradespark employees and commits to paying for 10 years of healthcare.
Cantor Fitzgerald consolidates its position as a world leader in institutional finance by expanding its investment banking and portfolio trading operations, adding risk arbitrage and relative value investing. It launches institutional fixed income sales and trading, market commentary and asset management.
In August 2004, Cantor Fitzgerald separates out its voice brokerage business to create BGC Partners L.P. The newly formed company commences trading in October.
BGC opens an office in Singapore.
January - BGC Partners (Australia) Pty is formed and an office is opened in Sydney.
May - BGC Partners, L.P. merges with Maxcor Financial Group Inc to form BGC Partners.
September - BGC Partners holds its first annual charity days in London and New York.
October - BGC Partners acquires ETC Pollak, a major French inter-dealer broker based in Paris.
December - BGC's Beijing Representative Office is registered with the China Banking Regulatory Commission.
September - BGC Partners raises $5 million on its 2nd Annual Global Charity Day.
October - BGC Partners acquires Aurel Leven Securities in Paris.
May - BGC opens an office in Seoul, South Korea.
An agreement is signed to merge BGC with eSpeed and the combined company will become BGC Partners Inc.
June - BGC is the first inter-dealer broker to open an office in Istanbul, Turkey.