BGC Partners Launches Environmental Brokerage Business with the Acquisition of CantorCO2e, L.P.

NEW YORK, August 9, 2011 -

BGC Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ: BGCP), (”BGC Partners” or “BGC”), a leading global brokerage company primarily servicing the wholesale financial markets, today announced the launch of BGC Environmental Brokerage Services following the acquisition of Cantor Fitzgerald’s North American environmental brokerage business CantorCO2e, L.P.  Established in 1992, CantorCO2e is a leading environmental brokerage company that has brokered trades with a market value exceeding $10 billion.  

(Logo:  photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110720/MM38935LOGO )

Headquartered in New York, BGC Environmental Brokerage Services will focus on environmental commodities, offering brokerage, escrow and clearing, consulting, and advisory services to clients throughout the world in the industrial, financial and regulatory sectors.  The business will be led by Samantha Unger Katz, Managing Director and Head of BGC Environmental Brokerage Services.  Ms. Katz is a leading professional in the environmental brokerage marketplace and joins BGC from Evolution Markets where, as a partner and director of Western US Environmental Markets, she generated over $250 million in environmental products transactions. 

“We are delighted to enter the environmental brokerage market, which broadens our portfolio of services to clients and represents an area of exceptional opportunity,” said Shaun Lynn, President of BGC.  ”We welcome Samantha and her team with their wealth of industry knowledge, experience and connections.  I am confident they will make a tremendous addition to our talented pool of brokers.”  

About BGC Partners:

BGC Partners (Nasdaq: BGCP) is a leading global brokerage company primarily servicing the wholesale financial markets, specializing in the brokering of a broad range of financial products, including fixed income securities, interest rate swaps, foreign exchange, equities, equity derivatives, credit derivatives, commodities, futures, structured products and other instruments. BGC also provides a full range of services, including trade execution, broker-dealer services, clearing, processing, information, and other back office services to a broad range of financial and non-financial institutions. BGC’s integrated platform is designed to provide flexibility to customers with regard to price discovery, execution and processing of transactions, and enables them to use voice, hybrid, or where available, fully electronic brokerage services in connection with transactions executed either OTC or through an exchange. Through its eSpeed, BGC Trader, and BGC Market Data brands, the Company offers financial technology solutions, market data, and analytics related to select financial instruments and markets. BGC’s customers include many of the world’s largest banks, broker-dealers, investment banks, trading firms, hedge funds, governments and investment firms. Named after fixed income trading innovator B. Gerald Cantor, BGC has offices in 25 cities, located in New York and London, as well as in Aspen, Beijing, Chicago, Copenhagen, Dubai, Garden City, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Johannesburg, Mexico City, Moscow, Nyon, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Sarasota, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, West Palm Beach and Zurich.

For more information, please visit: www.bgcpartners.com

Discussion of Forward-Looking Statements by BGC Partners

Statements in this press release regarding BGC Partners’ business that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements” that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of additional risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see BGC Partners’ Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, including, but not limited to, the risk factors set forth in our public filings which we incorporate by reference, including our most recent 10-K and any updates to such risk factors contained in subsequent 10-Q or 8-K filings.

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