Markit was founded 13 years ago in Great Britain.  Its business relies on deriving prices and valuations for difficult to obtain financial data, as well as processing and risk management of over-the-counter derivatives.

Virtu is a New York based company.  Its prospectus shouldl provide a rare glimpse into the world of a secretive high-speed trading firm. The company, which employs about 150 people, had earnings of about $275m before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation last year, up from about $240m a year before, one person added.

The planned listings highlight the growing power of technology and data in financial services.