Liquidnet, which is better known for equities and bonds, said on Wednesday it has hired Oliver Deutschmann as its new EMEA head of equity derivatives, focused on client acquisition in that region.

The TP ICAP-owned firm said it has also hired in Madrid Juan Ferrer Pons as a listed derivatives sales trader focused on European clients.

Deutschmann said: “The move into equity derivatives is a natural next step in the evolution of our Listed Derivatives business, allowing us to bring our technology-led, buy-side focused model into new asset classes and unlock meaningful synergies across our network.”

The new Liquidnet EMEA head of equity derivatives latterly held the same role at Credit Suisse in a 15 year career that also involved a stint as the head of exchange-traded derivatives fixed income sales for Germany and Austria at UBS and a time as a sales trader for Commerzbank.

Ferrer Pons spent most of his career at BBVA where he worked with hedge funds and equity derivatives. More recently, he was an equity derivatives broker at TP ICAP.

Deutschmann added: “Establishing local teams in key European hubs enhances our ability to deliver a more tailored service offering to buy-side firms while deepening access to liquidity in the region.”

The appointments came two weeks after Liquidnet’s head of listed derivatives Mike du Plessis, also formerly of UBS, left the firm to become a teacher.

TP ICAP bought agency broker COEX Partners in 2017 and Liquidnet in March 2021, paving the way for the current derivatives expansion.

Speaking in January, du Plessis said major exchanges faced this year a challenge maintaining the growth of derivatives trading seen over recent years.