Meraki’s Integrated Trade Management Model Sets the Standard for Outsourced Trading

Each year, The TRADE publishes its Outsourced Trading Handbook, a comprehensive industry study that captures how asset managers, hedge funds, and institutional investors evaluate their trading partners. The survey, widely read by the buy-side, measures satisfaction across critical dimensions like service quality, transparency, responsiveness, and value. It’s one of the few data-driven snapshots of how investors truly rate the outsourced trading firms they trust with their portfolios.

In their latest 2025 edition, the respondents made it clear: investors value independence, integration, and expertise over size and brand. We were proud to see that according to survey results, Meraki Global Advisors stood out as one of the top-rated providers, with 77% of clients rating the firm “Excellent.” This was the highest score among all participants, at 11 percentage points higher than the next runner up and 15pp higher than the next competitor of comparable size and structure.

Source: The TRADE, 2025 Survey

The independent recognition reinforces what our clients have known for years: the Integrated Trade Management (ITM) model isn’t just another outsourced trading solution. It’s a rethinking of what buy-side trading support should be: conflict-free, embedded, and perfectly aligned with the fund’s interests.

While 53% of our client respondents were based in the US, the remaining 47% were from Europe and Asia, showcasing our global presence and international coverage.

It is also important to underscore that a third of our client responders surveyed, managed over $1 Billion in AUM (in the $1 – $100B cohort). It was precisely those larger clients who ranked our services highest. This shows a growing trend of larger managers embracing outsourced trading solutions while still prioritizing the control that ITM offers a larger organization.

In terms of client satisfaction, we were proud to see that we beat global averages comfortably in all but two categories. As one of our clients quoted in the survey put it:

“Meraki is the Cadillac model […] No traditional outsourced provider that I have used or done due diligence on compares. They are like having a best-in-class 24-hour global trading desk in-house.” We deliberately built Meraki to act as a natural extension of the client’s investment team, pioneering a new model of OT called Integrated Trade Management, so hearing that feedback is particularly rewarding.

As the OT Market Matures Investors Get Smarter About Outsourced Trading Services

Outsourced trading services have evolved dramatically from their origin as a niche service for small funds and emerging managers. According to The TRADE survey, buy-side firms ranging from multi-billion-dollar asset managers to start-up hedge funds are embracing outsourced solutions not as a stopgap, but as a strategic part of their business model.

Drivers behind this shift include:

• Cost considerations, especially as management fees compress and investors scrutinize pass-through expenses.
• Regulatory and operational complexity, with T+1 settlement and global coverage requirements pushing firms toward variable-cost structures.
• Technology fragmentation, as managers seek partners who can integrate seamlessly with their OMS, EMS, and risk systems.
• Talent constraints, given the rising cost of maintaining in-house traders across geographies and asset classes.
• Global Diversification is driving the need for specialized expertise in international markets that is difficult to source.

Against this backdrop, asset managers are applying sharper criteria to evaluate their outsourced trading providers, looking beyond basic order execution to alignment, cross-asset capability, and integration with their investment team.

Outsourced Trading Services Survey: What Stood Out in 2025

This year’s survey revealed several key takeaways:

1. Integration matters more than ever. Managers are looking for partners who function as a natural extension of their own trading desk, not simply as intermediaries sitting between them and their brokers.
2. Transparency builds trust. Firms that route trades in the client’s name, maintain open broker lists, and operate without hidden markups or principal trading relationships scored higher in overall satisfaction.
3. Global, multi-asset capability is no longer optional. With increased focus on global alpha, investors expect consistent service across regions and asset classes.
4. Service quality and responsiveness drive retention. Low client-to-trader ratios correlate directly with higher satisfaction and performance outcomes.

We are proud to note that across all these dimensions, Meraki’s Integrated Trade Management model excelled, leading the industry in “Excellent” ratings from clients. This reflected both our service consistency and our integrated model.

The Best Outsourced Trading Solution Isn’t About Size or Brand, It’s About Alignment

Meraki was built to deliver in-house quality trading, without the in-house burden. Our traders operate within our clients’ infrastructure, leverage their counterparty networks, and uphold the same fiduciary standards they do. It’s a model built for funds that value responsiveness over size, independence over intermediaries, and results over brand name.

As The TRADE survey shows, the market agrees. The future of outsourced trading belongs to firms that act as true partners:  integrated, independent, and institutional investor aligned. Want to learn more about our OT model? Read our latest white paper or reach out to us directly.

Meraki Global Advisors LLC is a FINRA registered broker-dealer and member of SIPC headquartered in Park City, UT. The content provided herein is not an offer, solicitation or recommendation of any securities. Meraki and its representatives make no investment recommendations whatsoever. Past performance is not an indication of future results. This document may not be duplicated or copied, is protected by copyright law and may contain privileged or confidential information. Information contained herein does not constitute tax, legal or other professional advice. Content is for informational and educational purposes only. All rights reserved 2025.