Following the closing of the transaction, ATM will continue to operate as a separate financial technology business offering broker neutral services to existing and future clients. Douglas Rivelli, Co-Head of Quantitative Trading Solutions at Cowen, will serve as Chief Executive Officer of ATM and will be responsible for overseeing the ATM business.

"The ATM team has developed first-rate execution technology that will greatly enhance the algorithmic trading capability in our broker-dealer business," said Peter Cohen, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cowen. "ATM has been an innovator and leader in the electronic trading space since the company's founding in 2003 due to their rigorous quantitative research and exceptional understanding of capital markets."

"The addition of ATM's platform to Cowen's strong existing trading business will give Cowen's institutional clients access to the high performance electronic execution products they demand, while providing ATM clients with Cowen's world class equity research product and distribution network," commented Jeff Solomon, Chief Executive Officer of Cowen and Company, Cowen's broker-dealer business. "This strategic decision is strongly aligned with our efforts over the past year to enhance our sales & trading footprint, invest in growth-oriented products and build out capabilities that add value for our clients. We are pleased to have Doug lead this effort for us at Cowen given his previous success as co-CEO of Pragma Securities."

The transaction, which is subject to certain regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions, is expected to close by the end of the first quarter or early second quarter of 2012. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.