smartTrade Names Tom Luker Head of Corporate Development

smartTrade names LSEG alum Tom Luker Head of Corporate Development

France-based electronic trading and payments platform provider smartTrade Technologies has hired Tom Luker as Head of Corporate Development. He joins the Executive Leadership Team and reports to Co-Founder and CEO David Vincent. In the role, Luker will lead the company’s global M&A plans and strategic investment work.

smartTrade said Luker’s appointment speeds up its plan to build a fully integrated mix of products and services. The goal is a unified, end-to-end trading and payments technology stack for front-office teams, helping them monetize flows, lower risk, and win market share.

The company added that this work is already in progress. A major step was the recent acquisition of kACE, a financial technology provider focused on FX and interest rate derivatives pricing, analytics, and workflow tools. The deal closed at the end of 2025. smartTrade said integration is moving ahead of schedule with its LiquidityFX (LFX) and Commercial Banking and Payments (CBP) offerings. The combined setup is expected to create a tighter connection between trading and payments, with added value and efficiency for users. The company said Luker will help spot and execute more opportunities to expand this ecosystem.

Luker brings 15 years of senior experience focused on growth in market infrastructure, data, and technology. He spent close to a decade at the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), where he served as Co-Head of Corporate Development. He joins smartTrade from Triple Private Equity, where he led software and data investments across the UK and Europe.

David Vincent, Co-Founder and CEO of smartTrade, said:

“We’re excited to welcome Tom to smartTrade at this moment for the business. Our focus is building the strongest integrated front-office ecosystem in the market. The progress with the kACE integration shows strong demand for our cross-asset payments and trading solutions. With Tom’s M&A experience and his track record at LSEG, we can move faster and deliver more value to our clients.”

Tom Luker said:

“smartTrade has built a strong reputation in trading and payments technology. I’m glad to join a high-performing team and support the next stage of growth. The kACE acquisition gives us a solid base to build a product ecosystem that meets the needs of today’s front office.”

About smartTrade Technologies

Founded in 1999, smartTrade Technologies provides ultra-low-latency electronic trading and payments solutions for financial institutions worldwide. Its secure, multi-asset SaaS platforms support banks, brokers, buy-side firms, and corporates across FX, Fixed Income, Crypto, and other markets.