GFIG

Gfi Group Inc.

A broker that sits in the middle of the world's big financial markets, matching institutional clients—banks, hedge funds, and energy traders—who want to buy and sell bonds, derivatives, energy, and commodities. Founded in 1987 by Michael "Mickey" Gooch in New York, the firm pioneered electronic trading of over-the-counter U.S. government bond options and grew by buying trading-software makers like FENICS and Trayport. Fun fact: the company's initials literally spell out its founder's surname, Gooch.