Meet Parth Dalal, a Mumbai-based trader who started his career at Optiver in Amsterdam after graduating from IIT Bombay. With the opening of Optiver’s Mumbai office this year, Parth seized the opportunity to bring his years of trading experience to India’s burgeoning market. He sat down with us to share his story.

Q: What motivated you to join Optiver, and how did you find the transition from IIT Bombay to working at Optiver Amsterdam?

A: I was attracted to trading directly following the third year of my undergraduate studies, after completing an internship with a bank. Upon further research, I discovered that Optiver was one of the best in the world when it comes to proprietary trading, and the role plus the company culture seemed to be a perfect match for me. The transition was extremely smooth, as the intake program at Optiver is very well structured and they also ensure that the relocation to Amsterdam is well managed.

Q: What aspects of your education at IIT Bombay have most prepared you for your role at Optiver?

A: The extremely competitive environment at IIT Bombay not only helps you build a strong technical skillset, but also more importantly instils an entrepreneurial attitude towards solving problems. This is a crucial element of the trading role and gives you an advantage in the industry.

A world of opportunities with Optiver

Q: Can you describe your journey and career milestones at Optiver, from starting in the Amsterdam office to now working in the new Mumbai office?

A: I joined the Amsterdam office on the US Treasury Futures desk towards the end of 2016. After trading on the desk for a couple of years, I moved to the S&P team, before transitioning to an execution-focused role, which gave me exposure to auto trading strategies. This became my niche as I continued to grow my skillset in the field over the next few years.

Q: What motivated you to make the move to Mumbai? Were there specific professional or growth opportunities that attracted you?

A: The growth of the India stock market and the potential it offers makes the move a naturally exciting prospect for anyone. That along with the India-specific microstructure makes it a uniquely challenging market and that is what motivated me to relocate. The freedom and the responsibility to build a solution for such a huge market makes it a no-brainer.

Q: How did Optiver support your move to Mumbai, and which resources were most helpful during this transition?

A: Optiver has been supportive in all aspects of the transition, from accommodation to taxes to general day-to-day support. Having dedicated local experts assist us in every area has been the most helpful part.

Q: How would you compare the work culture in the Mumbai office with that of the Amsterdam office based on your experiences so far? Were there any initial challenges in adapting to the new environment?

A: The work culture is fairly similar between Mumbai and Amsterdam. Being surrounded by extremely smart people who are always supportive in your journey is a norm in all Optiver offices. The initial challenge has been that a fair number of the India tech-team members are still based in Sydney, so communication methods are different to when I was in Amsterdam. But the communication solutions and the proactiveness of people have easily bridged that difference so that it never actually became a big issue.

Q: Can you tell us more about your team in the Mumbai office? How does it compare with your team in Amsterdam, and how is your workday structured differently? What role does collaboration with the other offices play in your day-to-day?

A: In Mumbai, we have around 15 people in Trading and Research, which is similar to my immediate team in Amsterdam. Collaboration is a bigger focus in my role in Mumbai, as we work closely with our counterparts in Sydney to solve the same problems. This means a big part of my daily work involves coordinating with people in other APAC offices.

Your Potential with Optiver Mumbai

Q: How is the Mumbai office positioning itself in the global trading landscape, and what are its key focus areas?

A: Optiver’s Mumbai office is definitely one of the leading prospects in the global trading landscape. The India market is already huge, but it has potential to grow a lot bigger. Currently, one of our key focuses in Mumbai is to build a strong trading framework that is specifically designed for the Indian ecosystem—from data requirements and trading strategies to tax and market regulations.

Q: Can you share any exciting projects or initiatives you’re involved with in the Mumbai office?

A: The regulatory constraints around margin and taxes create quite a unique dynamic in the Indian market. Optimising our trading strategies to overcome these restrictions has been a very interesting problem to tackle.

Q: What do you see as the biggest benefits of working in a newly established office like Mumbai for students from an IIT considering a career in trading?

A: Being a newly established office means that those who are joining our Mumbai office will be given direct responsibilities very early on and will be heavily involved in building out the solutions. This role will have quite a steep learning curve because of Optiver’s expertise in markets all over the world. Yet, you will have the freedom to build solutions from scratch in a new market.

Q: How do you think the trading industry in India will evolve in the coming years, and what role do you envision Optiver playing in that evolution?

A: With the projected economic growth that we see in the local trading industry, India will become a hotspot for financial markets. Market makers like Optiver will play a pivotal role in helping to keep the markets efficient and provide liquidity, encouraging all kinds of participants to trade more.

Q: How do you see the role of the Mumbai office evolving within Optiver in the next few years?

A: Opiver’s Mumbai office will continue on its steep growth trajectory in the coming years, with the office planning to expand in India as the market matures further. It’s a truly exciting time.

Putting your Amsterdam experience to work in Mumbai

Equipped with world-class trading skills after completing our Amsterdam internship program, our trading interns have the opportunity to help foster Optiver’s unique work culture within our newest office in India’s fast-growing market. If you are considering applying your tech skills to a career in trading, we invite you to check out our latest internship opportunities.