Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

As confidentially submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 21, 2020

Registration No. 333-       ​

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933​

Tradeweb Markets Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

1177 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10036
(646) 430-6000
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

Lee Olesky
Chief Executive Officer
1177 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10036
(646) 430-6000
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number including area code, of agent for service)

Copies to:

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after this Registration Statement becomes effective.

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box. ☐

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of  “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has not elected to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☒

(1)

Includes           shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares.

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(2)

Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(c) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, based on the average of the high and low sales prices of the Registrant’s Class A common stock as reported by the Nasdaq Global Select Market on                 , 2020.

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The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until this Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell, and it is not soliciting an offer to buy, these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

Subject to completion, dated           , 2020

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

           Shares

Tradeweb Markets Inc.

Class A Common Stock

Tradeweb Markets Inc. is selling           shares of Class A common stock. Our Class A common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (“Nasdaq”) under the symbol “TW.” The closing price of our Class A common stock on           , 2020 was $      per share.

The underwriters have an option for a period of 30 days from the date of this prospectus to purchase up to a maximum of                 additional shares of Class A common stock.

We will use the net proceeds that we receive from this offering to purchase (i) issued and outstanding common membership units, which we refer to as “LLC Interests,” in Tradeweb Markets LLC, which we refer to as “TWM LLC,” from certain of the Bank Stockholders (as defined below) and (ii) issued and outstanding shares of Class A common stock from certain of our executive officers. There is no public market for the LLC Interests. The purchase price payable by us to the holders of these LLC Interests and shares of Class A common stock will be equal to the public offering price of our Class A common stock, less the underwriting discounts and commissions referred to below.

We have four classes of authorized common stock: Class A common stock, Class B common stock, Class C common stock and Class D common stock. Each share of Class A common stock and Class C common stock entitles its holder to one vote on all matters presented to our stockholders generally. Each share of Class B common stock and Class D common stock entitles its holder to ten votes on all matters presented to our stockholders generally. The holders of Class C common stock and Class D common stock do not have any of the economic rights (including the rights to dividends) provided to holders of Class A common stock and Class B common stock.

Immediately following this offering, the holders of our Class A common stock collectively will hold    % of the combined voting power in us and will indirectly hold    % of the economic interest in TWM LLC, the Refinitiv Owners (as defined below), through their ownership of Class B common stock and Class D common stock, collectively will hold    % of the combined voting power in us and will indirectly and directly hold    % of the economic interest in TWM LLC, and the Other LLC Owners (as defined below), through their ownership of Class C common stock and/or Class D common stock, as the case may be, collectively will hold the remaining    % of the combined voting power in us and will directly hold the remaining    % of the economic interest in TWM LLC. We are a holding company, and upon completion of this offering and the application of the net proceeds therefrom, we will hold LLC Interests representing an aggregate    % economic interest in TWM LLC. The remaining    % economic interest in TWM LLC will be owned by the Continuing LLC Owners through their ownership of LLC Interests.

The Refinitiv Owners own a majority of the combined voting power in us. As a result, we are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of Nasdaq.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and are subject to reduced reporting requirements. This prospectus complies with the requirements that apply to an issuer that is an emerging growth company.

Investing in our Class A common stock involves risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 32 to read about factors you should consider before buying shares of our Class A common stock.

(1)

See “Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest)” for additional information regarding underwriting compensation.

​

Delivery of the shares of Class A common stock will be made on or about           , 2020.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is                 , 2020.

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Neither we nor the underwriters have authorized anyone to provide you with any information other than that included in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us. We do not take any responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any information that others may give you. Offers to sell, and solicitations of offers to buy, shares of our Class A common stock are being made only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The information contained in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or of any sale of our Class A common stock. Our business, financial condition, operating results and prospects may have changed since such date.

No action is being taken in any jurisdiction outside the United States to permit a public offering of Class A common stock. Persons who come into possession of this prospectus in jurisdictions outside the United States are required to inform themselves about and to observe any restriction as to this offering and the distribution of this prospectus applicable to those jurisdictions.

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Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

MARKET AND INDUSTRY DATA

This prospectus includes estimates regarding market and industry data. Unless otherwise indicated, information concerning our industry and the markets in which we operate, including our general expectations, market position, market opportunity and market size, are based on our management’s knowledge and experience in the markets in which we operate, together with currently available information obtained from various sources, including publicly available information, industry reports and publications, surveys, our clients, trade and business organizations and other contacts in the markets in which we operate. Certain information is based on management estimates, which have been derived from third-party sources, as well as data from our internal research, and are based on certain assumptions that we believe to be reasonable. In particular, to calculate our market position, market opportunity and market size we derived the size of the applicable market from a combination of management estimates and public industry sources, including FINRA’s Trade Reporting and Compliance Engine (“TRACE”), the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (“SIFMA”), the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (“ISDA”), Clarus Financial Technology, Trax, the Chicago Board Options Exchange (“CBOE”) and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. In calculating the size of certain markets, we omitted products for which there is no publicly available data, and, as a result, the actual markets for certain of our asset classes may be larger than those presented herein.

In presenting this information, we have made certain assumptions that we believe to be reasonable based on such data and other similar sources and on our knowledge of, and our experience to date in, the markets in which we operate. While we believe the estimated market and industry data included in this prospectus are generally reliable, such information, which is derived in part from management’s estimates and beliefs, is inherently uncertain and imprecise. Market and industry data are subject to change and may be limited by the availability of raw data, the voluntary nature of the data gathering process and other limitations inherent in any statistical survey of such data. In addition, projections, assumptions and estimates of the future performance of the markets in which we operate and our future performance are necessarily subject to uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described in “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” These and other factors could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in the estimates made by third parties and by us. Accordingly, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such market and industry data or any other such estimates. Neither we nor the underwriters can guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this information, and neither we nor the underwriters have independently verified any third-party information and data from our internal research has not been verified by any independent source.

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Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

CERTAIN TRADEMARKS, TRADE NAMES AND SERVICE MARKS

This prospectus includes trademarks and service marks owned by us. This prospectus also contains trademarks, trade names and service marks of other companies, which are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, trademarks, trade names and service marks referred to in this prospectus may appear without the ®,™ or SM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights to these trademarks, trade names and service marks. We do not intend our use or display of other parties’ trademarks, trade names or service marks to imply, and such use or display should not be construed to imply, a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, these other parties.

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Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

BASIS OF PRESENTATION

The financial statements and other disclosures included in this prospectus include those of Tradeweb Markets Inc., which is the issuer of the Class A common stock, and those of its consolidating subsidiaries, including Tradeweb Markets LLC, which became the principal operating subsidiary of Tradeweb Markets Inc. on April 4, 2019 in a series of reorganization transactions (the “Reorganization Transactions”) that were completed in connection with Tradeweb Markets Inc.’s initial public offering (the “IPO”), which closed on April 8, 2019. See “The IPO and Reorganization Transactions.”

As used in this prospectus, unless the context otherwise requires, references to:

•

“We,” “us,” “our,” the “Company,” “Tradeweb” and similar references refer: (i) on or prior to the completion of the Reorganization Transactions, to Tradeweb Markets LLC, which we refer to as “TWM LLC,” and, unless otherwise stated or the context otherwise requires, all of its subsidiaries and any predecessor entities, and (ii) following the completion of the Reorganization Transactions, to Tradeweb Markets Inc., and, unless otherwise stated or the context otherwise requires, TWM LLC and all of its subsidiaries and any predecessor entities.

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•

“Bank Stockholders” refer collectively to entities affiliated with the following clients: Barclays Capital Inc., BofA Securities, Inc. (a subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation), Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, RBS Securities Inc., UBS Securities LLC and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, which, prior to the completion of the IPO, collectively held a 46% ownership interest in Tradeweb. Following the IPO and the application of the net proceeds therefrom, entities affiliated with BofA Securities, Inc., RBS Securities Inc. and UBS Securities LLC no longer hold LLC Interests and, except as otherwise indicated, are not considered Bank Stockholders for post-IPO periods.

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•

“Continuing LLC Owners” refer collectively to the Other LLC Owners and the Refinitiv LLC Owner.

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“Investor Group” refer to certain investment funds affiliated with The Blackstone Group Inc. (f/k/a The Blackstone Group L.P.) (“Blackstone”), an affiliate of Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, an affiliate of GIC Special Investments Pte. Ltd. and certain co-investors, which collectively hold indirectly a 55% ownership interest in Refinitiv (as defined below).

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•

“Net Exercise” refer to the net exercise by certain of our executive officers immediately prior to the pricing of this offering of vested options and the issuance of shares of Class A common stock upon such net exercise, a portion of which shares of Class A common stock will be purchased by us with a portion of the net proceeds of this offering.

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“LLC Interests” refer to the single class of common membership interests of TWM LLC issued in connection with the Reorganization Transactions.

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“LSEG Transaction” refer to the pending acquisition of the Refinitiv business by the London Stock Exchange Group plc in an all share transaction for a total enterprise value of approximately $27 billion.

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“Original LLC Owners” refer to the owners of TWM LLC prior to the Reorganization Transactions (including the Refinitiv Owners, the Bank Stockholders and members of management).

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“Other LLC Owners” refer collectively to: (i) those Original LLC Owners (including certain of the Bank Stockholders and members of management and excluding the Refinitiv LLC Owner) that continued to own LLC Interests after the completion of the IPO and Reorganization Transactions, that received shares of our Class C common stock, shares of our Class D common stock or a combination of both, as the case may be, in connection with the completion of the Reorganization Transactions, and that may redeem or exchange their LLC Interests for shares of our Class A common stock or Class B common stock as described in “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions — Related Party Transactions Entered Into in Connection With the IPO — TWM LLC Agreement” and (ii) solely with respect to the Tax Receivable Agreement (as

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Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

defined in “Prospectus Summary — Summary of the IPO and Reorganization Transactions”), also includes those Original LLC Owners, including certain Bank Stockholders, that disposed of all of their LLC Interests for cash in connection with the IPO.

•

“Refinitiv” refer to Refinitiv Holdings Limited, and unless otherwise stated or the context otherwise requires, all of its subsidiaries, which owns substantially all of the former financial and risk business of Thomson Reuters (as defined below), including, prior to and following the completion of the Reorganization Transactions, an indirect majority ownership interest in Tradeweb, and is controlled by the Investor Group.

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“Refinitiv Direct Owner” refer (i) prior to June 28, 2019, to a direct subsidiary of Refinitiv that owned interests in an entity that held membership interests of TWM LLC and received shares of our Class B common stock in exchange for the contribution of such entity to Tradeweb Markets Inc., which we refer to as the “Refinitiv Contribution,” in connection with the completion of the Reorganization Transactions and (ii) on and after June 28, 2019, to an indirect subsidiary of Refinitiv that owns shares of our Class B common stock, which shares were contributed by the direct subsidiary of Refinitiv referred to in the foregoing clause (i).

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“Refinitiv LLC Owner” refer to an indirect subsidiary of Refinitiv that, prior to the Reorganization Transactions, owned membership interests of TWM LLC and that continues to own LLC Interests after the completion of the IPO and Reorganization Transactions, that received shares of our Class D common stock in connection with the completion of the Reorganization Transactions, and that may redeem or exchange its LLC Interests for shares of our Class A common stock or Class B common stock as described in “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions — Related Party Transactions Entered Into in Connection With the IPO — TWM LLC Agreement.”

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•

“Refinitiv Owners” refer collectively to the Refinitiv Direct Owner and the Refinitiv LLC Owner.

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“Refinitiv Transaction” refer to the transaction pursuant to which Refinitiv indirectly acquired on October 1, 2018 substantially all of the financial and risk business of Thomson Reuters and Thomson Reuters indirectly acquired a 45% ownership interest in Refinitiv.

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“Thomson Reuters” refer to Thomson Reuters Corporation, which indirectly holds a 45% ownership interest in Refinitiv.

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“Transactions” refer to the Reorganization Transactions, the IPO, the Net Exercise, the October 2019 follow-on offering, this offering and the other transactions described in “Unaudited Pro Forma Consolidated Financial Information.”

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The financial statements and other disclosures included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus relate to periods that ended both prior to and after the completion of the Reorganization Transactions and the IPO. As a result of the Reorganization Transactions completed in connection with the IPO, Tradeweb Markets Inc. became a holding company whose only material assets consist of its equity interest in Tradeweb Markets LLC and related deferred tax assets. As the sole manager of Tradeweb Markets LLC, Tradeweb Markets Inc. operates and controls all of the business and affairs of Tradeweb Markets LLC and, through Tradeweb Markets LLC and its subsidiaries, conducts its business. As a result of this control, and because Tradeweb Markets Inc. has a substantial financial interest in Tradeweb Markets LLC, Tradeweb Markets Inc. consolidates the financial results of Tradeweb Markets LLC and its subsidiaries.

The historical consolidated financial information included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus relating to periods prior to and including March 31, 2019, which we sometimes refer to as the “pre-IPO period,” reflect the results of operations, financial position and cash flows of Tradeweb Markets LLC, the predecessor of Tradeweb Markets Inc. for financial reporting purposes, and its subsidiaries. The historical consolidated financial information included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus relating to periods beginning on April 1, 2019, and through and including December 31, 2019, which we sometimes refer to as the “post-IPO period,” reflect the results of operations, financial position and cash flows of Tradeweb Markets Inc. and its subsidiaries, including the consolidation of its investment in Tradeweb Markets LLC. As a result, for financial reporting purposes, the pre-IPO period excludes, and the

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Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

post-IPO period includes, our financial results from April 1, 2019 through April 3, 2019, which are not material. The historical consolidated financial information included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus do not reflect what the results of operations, financial position or cash flows of would have been had the Reorganization Transactions and the IPO taken place at the beginning of the periods presented.

The unaudited pro forma consolidated financial information of Tradeweb Markets Inc. presented in this prospectus has been derived by the application of pro forma adjustments to the historical consolidated financial statements of Tradeweb Markets Inc. and its subsidiaries as of and for the year ended December 31, 2019 incorporated by reference in this prospectus. These pro forma adjustments give effect to the Transactions, including this offering, as well as certain other items described therein, as if all such transactions had occurred on January 1, 2019, in the case of the unaudited pro forma consolidated statement of income, and as of December 31, 2019, in the case of the unaudited pro forma consolidated statement of financial condition. See “Unaudited Pro Forma Consolidated Financial Information” for a complete description of the adjustments and assumptions underlying the pro forma financial information included in this prospectus.

As a result of the Refinitiv Transaction, we revalued our assets and liabilities based on their fair values as of the closing date of the Refinitiv Transaction in accordance with the acquisition method of accounting. Certain financial information presented herein, including the allocation of the total purchase price of the Refinitiv Transaction attributable to the purchase of our assets and liabilities, are based on the fair values of our assets and our liabilities, as of the closing date of the Refinitiv Transaction. The values of our assets and liabilities were determined based on assumptions that reasonable market participants would use in the principal (or most advantageous) market for the asset or liability. In determining the fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, we considered the report of a third-party valuation expert. Our management is responsible for these internal and third-party valuations and appraisals.

Due to the change in the basis of accounting resulting from the application of pushdown accounting, we are required to present separately the financial information for the periods beginning on October 1, 2018, and through and including December 31, 2019, which we refer to as the “Successor period,” and the financial information for the periods prior to, and including, September 30, 2018, which we refer to as the “Predecessor period.”

The financial information presented in this prospectus and the consolidated financial statements included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus include a black line division to indicate that the Successor and Predecessor periods have applied different bases of accounting and are not comparable. Please note that our discussion of certain financial information, specifically revenues and certain expenses, represent the combined results of the Successor and Predecessor periods for the full year ended December 31, 2018. The change in basis resulting from the Refinitiv Transaction did not impact such financial information and, although this presentation of financial information on a combined basis does not comply with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, or “GAAP,” we believe it provides a meaningful method of comparison to the other periods presented in this prospectus. The combined financial information is being presented for informational purposes only and (i) has not been prepared on a pro forma basis as if the Refinitiv Transaction occurred on the first day of the period, (ii) may not reflect the actual results we would have achieved absent the Refinitiv Transaction, (iii) may not be predictive of future results of operations and (iv) should not be viewed as a substitute for the financial results of the Successor and Predecessor periods presented in accordance with GAAP. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations  —  Effects of Pushdown Accounting on our Financial Statements” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

References in this prospectus to (i) “2018 Successor Period” mean the period from October 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018, (ii) “2018 Predecessor Period” mean the period from January 1, 2018 to September 30, 2018, (iii) “combined year ended December 31, 2018” or “2018 (Combined)” represent the sum of the results of the 2018 Successor Period and the 2018 Predecessor Period, and (iv) “2019 Form 10-K” mean our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.

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Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

Numerical figures included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus have been subject to rounding adjustments. Accordingly, numerical figures shown as totals in various tables may not be arithmetic aggregations of the figures that precede them. In addition, we round certain percentages presented in this prospectus to the nearest whole number. As a result, figures expressed as percentages in the text may not total 100% or, when aggregated, may not be the arithmetic aggregation of the percentages that precede them.

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Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

USE OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

This prospectus contains “non-GAAP financial measures,” which are financial measures that are not calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has adopted rules to regulate the use in filings with the SEC and in other public disclosures of non-GAAP financial measures. These rules govern the manner in which non-GAAP financial measures are publicly presented and require, among other things:

•

a presentation with equal or greater prominence of the most comparable financial measure or measures calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP; and

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•

a statement disclosing the purposes for which the registrant’s management uses the non-GAAP financial measure.

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Specifically, we make use of the non-GAAP financial measures “Free Cash Flow,” “Adjusted EBITDA,” “Adjusted EBITDA margin,” “Adjusted EBIT,” “Adjusted EBIT margin,” “Adjusted Net Income” and “Adjusted Diluted EPS” in evaluating our past results and future prospects. For the definition of Free Cash Flow and a reconciliation to cash flow from operating activities, its most directly comparable financial measure presented in accordance with GAAP, see note 5 to the table under the heading “Prospectus Summary — Summary Historical and Pro Forma Consolidated Financial and Other Data.” For the definitions of Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBIT and Adjusted Net Income and reconciliations to net income and net income attributable to Tradeweb Markets Inc., as applicable, their most directly comparable financial measures presented in accordance with GAAP, see note 6 to the table under the heading “Prospectus Summary — Summary Historical and Pro Forma Consolidated Financial and Other Data.” Adjusted EBITDA margin and Adjusted EBIT margin are defined as Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBIT, respectively, divided by gross revenue for the applicable period. Adjusted Diluted EPS is defined as Adjusted Net Income divided by the diluted weighted average number of shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock outstanding for the applicable period, assuming the full exchange of all outstanding LLC Interests held by non-controlling interests for shares of Class A common stock or Class B common stock, for post-IPO periods, and the diluted weighted average number of shares of TWM LLC outstanding for the applicable period, for pre-IPO periods.

We present Free Cash Flow because we believe it is a useful indicator of liquidity that provides information to management and investors about the amount of cash generated from our core operations after expenditures for capitalized software development costs and furniture, equipment and leasehold improvements.

We present Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, Adjusted EBIT and Adjusted EBIT margin because we believe they assist investors and analysts in comparing our operating performance across reporting periods on a consistent basis by excluding items that we do not believe are indicative of our core operating performance. Management and our board of directors use Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, Adjusted EBIT and Adjusted EBIT margin to assess our financial performance and believe they are helpful in highlighting trends in our core operating performance, while other measures can differ significantly depending on long-term strategic decisions regarding capital structure, the tax jurisdictions in which we operate and capital investments. Further, our executive incentive compensation is based in part on components of Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin.

We use Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Diluted EPS as supplemental metrics to evaluate our business performance in a way that also considers our ability to generate profit without the impact of certain items. Each of the normal recurring adjustments and other adjustments described in the definition of Adjusted Net Income helps to provide management with a measure of our operating performance over time by removing items that are not related to day-to-day operations or are non-cash expenses.

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Free Cash Flow, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBIT, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Diluted EPS have limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider such measures either in isolation or as substitutes for analyzing our results as reported under GAAP. Some of these limitations include the following:

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Free Cash Flow, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBIT, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Diluted EPS do not reflect every expenditure, future requirements for capital expenditures or contractual commitments;

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Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBIT, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Diluted EPS do not reflect changes in our working capital needs;

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Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBIT do not reflect any interest expense, or the amounts necessary to service interest or principal payments on any debt obligations;

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Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBIT do not reflect income tax expense, which in post-IPO periods is a necessary element of our costs and ability to operate;

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•

although depreciation and amortization are eliminated in the calculation of Adjusted EBITDA, and the depreciation and amortization related to certain acquisitions and the Refinitiv Transaction are eliminated in the calculation of Adjusted EBIT, the assets being depreciated and amortized will often have to be replaced in the future, and Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBIT do not reflect any costs of such replacements;

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•

in post-IPO periods, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBIT, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Diluted EPS do not reflect the noncash component of certain employee compensation expense or payroll taxes associated with certain option exercises;

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Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBIT, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Diluted EPS do not reflect the impact of earnings or charges resulting from matters we consider not to be indicative, on a recurring basis, of our ongoing operations; and

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•

other companies in our industry may calculate Free Cash Flow, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBIT, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Diluted EPS or similarly titled measures differently than we do, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures.

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We compensate for these limitations by relying primarily on our GAAP results and using Free Cash Flow, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBIT, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Diluted EPS only as supplemental information.

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Class of Common Stock

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Votes

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Economic Rights

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Class A common stock

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1

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Yes

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Class B common stock

​

​

​

​

10

​

​

​

​

​

Yes

​

​

Class C common stock

​

​

​

​

1

​

​

​

​

​

No

​

​

Class D common stock

​

​

​

​

10

​

​

​

​

​

No

​

​

​

11

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

12

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

13

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

​

14

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

15

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

16

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

17

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

18

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

19

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

20

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

​

21

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

22

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

23

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Historical

​

​

​

​

Pro Forma(1)

​

​

Successor

​

​

​

Predecessor

​

​

​

​

Year Ended December 31, 2019

​

​

Year Ended December 31, 2019

​

​

October 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018

​

​

​

January 1, 2018 to September 30, 2018

​

​

Year Ended December 31, 2017

​

​

​

​

(in thousands)

​

Statement of Income:

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Revenues

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Transaction fees

​

​

​

$

​

​

​

​

$

423,583

​

​

​

​

$

97,130

​

​

​

​

​

$

273,751

​

​

​

​

$

267,020

​

​

Subscription fees(2)

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

194,366

​

​

​

​

​

46,519

​

​

​

​

​

​

143,981

​

​

​

​

​

194,534

​

​

Commissions

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

149,365

​

​

​

​

​

32,840

​

​

​

​

​

​

79,830

​

​

​

​

​

96,745

​

​

Other

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

8,252

​

​

​

​

​

2,148

​

​

​

​

​

​

8,209

​

​

​

​

​

4,669

​

​

Gross revenue

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

775,566

​

​

​

​

​

178,637

​

​

​

​

​

​

505,771

​

​

​

​

​

562,968

​

​

Contingent consideration(3)

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

​

(26,830)

​

​

​

​

​

(58,520)

​

​

Net revenue

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

775,566

​

​

​

​

​

178,637

​

​

​

​

​

​

478,941

​

​

​

​

​

504,448

​

​

Expenses

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Employee compensation and benefits

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

329,457

​

​

​

​

​

80,436

​

​

​

​

​

​

209,053

​

​

​

​

​

248,963

​

​

Depreciation and amortization

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

139,330

​

​

​

​

​

33,020

​

​

​

​

​

​

48,808

​

​

​

​

​

68,615

​

​

Technology and communications

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

39,285

​

​

​

​

​

9,907

​

​

​

​

​

​

26,598

​

​

​

​

​

30,013

​

​

General and administrative

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

34,960

​

​

​

​

​

11,837

​

​

​

​

​

​

23,056

​

​

​

​

​

33,973

​

​

Professional fees

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

28,029

​

​

​

​

​

8,194

​

​

​

​

​

​

20,360

​

​

​

​

​

19,351

​

​

Occupancy

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

14,686

​

​

​

​

​

3,308

​

​

​

​

​

​

10,732

​

​

​

​

​

14,441

​

​

Total expenses

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

585,747

​

​

​

​

​

146,702

​

​

​

​

​

​

338,607

​

​

​

​

​

415,356

​

​

Operating income

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

189,819

​

​

​

​

​

31,935

​

​

​

​

​

​

140,334

​

​

​

​

​

89,092

​

​

Tax receivable agreement liability

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

33,134

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

Net interest income

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

2,373

​

​

​

​

​

787

​

​

​

​

​

​

1,726

​

​

​

​

​

685

​

​

Income before taxes

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

225,326

​

​

​

​

​

32,722

​

​

​

​

​

​

142,060

​

​

​

​

​

89,777

​

​

Provision for income taxes

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

(52,302)

​

​

​

​

​

(3,415)

​

​

​

​

​

​

(11,900)

​

​

​

​

​

(6,129)

​

​

Net income

​

​

​

$

​

​

​

​

$

173,024

​

​

​

​

$

29,307

​

​

​

​

​

$

130,160

​

​

​

​

$

83,648

​

​

Net income attributable to non-controlling interests

​

​

​

$

​

​

​

​

$

46,093

​

​

​

​

$

—

​

​

​

​

​

$

—

​

​

​

​

$

—

​

​

Net income attributable to Tradeweb Markets Inc.

​

​

​

$

​

​

​

​

$

83,769

​

​

​

​

$

—

​

​

​

​

​

$

—

​

​

​

​

$

—

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Historical

​

​

​

​

​

Pro Forma(1)

​

​

Successor

​

​

​

Predecessor

​

​

​

​

​

Year Ended December 31, 2019

​

​

As of December 31, 2019

​

​

As of December 31, 2018

​

​

​

As of December 31, 2017

​

​

​

​

​

(in thousands)

​

​

Statement of Financial Condition Data:

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Cash and cash equivalents(4)

​

​

​

$

​

​

​

​

​

$

460,711

​

​

​

​

$

410,104

​

​

​

​

​

$

352,598

​

​

​

Total assets(4)

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

5,095,334

​

​

​

​

​

4,997,139

​

​

​

​

​

​

1,316,887

​

​

​

​

​

Total liabilities

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

502,589

​

​

​

​

​

410,626

​

​

​

​

​

​

317,118

​

​

​

​

​

Non-controlling interests

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

1,214,157

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

Total equity/members’ capital(4)

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

4,592,745

​

​

​

​

​

4,572,334

​

​

​

​

​

​

986,468

​

​

​

​

​

24

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

​

​

​

Successor

​

​

​

Predecessor

​

​

​

​

Year Ended December 31, 2019

​

​

October 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018

​

​

​

January 1, 2018 to September 30, 2018

​

​

Year Ended December 31, 2017

​

​

​

​

(dollars in thousands)

​

Other Financial Data:

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Cash flow from operating activities

​

​

​

$

311,003

​

​

​

​

$

112,556

​

​

​

​

​

$

164,828

​

​

​

​

$

224,580

​

​

Free Cash Flow(5)

​

​

​

$

266,541

​

​

​

​

$

96,310

​

​

​

​

​

$

138,978

​

​

​

​

$

183,962

​

​

Adjusted EBITDA(6)

​

​

​

$

353,162

​

​

​

​

$

65,308

​

​

​

​

​

$

214,091

​

​

​

​

$

215,185

​

​

Adjusted EBITDA margin(6)

​

​

​

​

45.5%

​

​

​

​

​

36.6%

​

​

​

​

​

​

42.3%

​

​

​

​

​

38.2%

​

​

Adjusted Net Income(6)

​

​

​

$

230,935

​

​

​

​

$

40,839

​

​

​

​

​

$

137,327

​

​

​

​

$

131,369

​

​

​

​

​

Year Ended December 31, 2019

​

​

Year Ended December 31, 2018

​

​

Year Ended December 31, 2017

​

​

​

​

(in millions)

​

Operating Data:

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Average Daily Volumes:

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Rates

​

​

​

$

489,645

​

​

​

​

$

354,023

​

​

​

​

$

253,432

​

​

Credit

​

​

​

​

14,777

​

​

​

​

​

12,658

​

​

​

​

​

7,554

​

​

Equities

​

​

​

​

7,795

​

​

​

​

​

7,798

​

​

​

​

​

4,817

​

​

Money markets

​

​

​

​

213,209

​

​

​

​

​

173,743

​

​

​

​

​

132,105

​

​

Total

​

​

​

$

725,426

​

​

​

​

$

548,222

​

​

​

​

$

397,908

​

​

25

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

​

​

​

Successor

​

​

​

Predecessor

​

​

​

​

Year Ended December 31, 2019

​

​

October 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018

​

​

​

January 1, 2018 to September 30, 2018

​

​

Year Ended December 31, 2017

​

​

​

​

(in thousands)

​

Cash flow from operating activities

​

​

​

$

311,003

​

​

​

​

$

112,556

​

​

​

​

​

$

164,828

​

​

​

​

$

224,580

​

​

Less: Capitalization of software development costs

​

​

​

​

(28,681)

​

​

​

​

​

(7,156)

​

​

​

​

​

​

(19,523)

​

​

​

​

​

(27,157)

​

​

Less: Purchases of furniture, equipment and leasehold improvements

​

​

​

​

(15,781)

​

​

​

​

​

(9,090)

​

​

​

​

​

​

(6,327)

​

​

​

​

​

(13,461)

​

​

Free Cash Flow

​

​

​

$

266,541

​

​

​

​

$

96,310

​

​

​

​

​

$

138,978

​

​

​

​

$

183,962

​

​

26

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

27

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

​

​

​

Successor

​

​

​

Predecessor

​

​

​

​

Year Ended December 31, 2019

​

​

October 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018

​

​

​

January 1, 2018 to September 30, 2018

​

​

Year Ended December 31, 2017

​

​

​

​

(in thousands)

​

Net income

​

​

​

$

173,024

​

​

​

​

$

29,307

​

​

​

​

​

$

130,160

​

​

​

​

$

83,648

​

​

Contingent consideration

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

​

26,830

​

​

​

​

​

58,520

​

​

Net interest income

​

​

​

​

(2,373)

​

​

​

​

​

(787)

​

​

​

​

​

​

(1,726)

​

​

​

​

​

(685)

​

​

Depreciation and amortization

​

​

​

​

139,330

​

​

​

​

​

33,020

​

​

​

​

​

​

48,808

​

​

​

​

​

68,615

​

​

Stock-based compensation expense(a)

​

​

​

​

25,098

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

Provision for income taxes

​

​

​

​

52,302

​

​

​

​

​

3,415

​

​

​

​

​

​

11,900

​

​

​

​

​

6,129

​

​

Unrealized foreign exchange (gains)/losses

​

​

​

​

(2,310)

​

​

​

​

​

263

​

​

​

​

​

​

(960)

​

​

​

​

​

(364)

​

​

(Gain)/loss from revaluation of foreign denominated cash(b)

​

​

​

​

1,225

​

​

​

​

​

90

​

​

​

​

​

​

(921)

​

​

​

​

​

(678)

​

​

Tax receivable agreement liability adjustment(c)

​

​

​

​

(33,134)

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

Adjusted EBITDA

​

​

​

$

353,162

​

​

​

​

$

65,308

​

​

​

​

​

$

214,091

​

​

​

​

$

215,185

​

​

Less: Depreciation and amortization

​

​

​

​

(139,330)

​

​

​

​

​

(33,020)

​

​

​

​

​

​

(48,808)

​

​

​

​

​

(68,615)

​

​

Add: Acquisition and Refinitiv Transaction related D&A(d)

​

​

​

​

97,565

​

​

​

​

​

22,413

​

​

​

​

​

​

19,576

​

​

​

​

​

31,236

​

​

Adjusted EBIT

​

​

​

​

311,397

​

​

​

​

​

54,701

​

​

​

​

​

​

184,859

​

​

​

​

​

177,806

​

​

Adjusted EBITDA margin(e)

​

​

​

​

45.5%

​

​

​

​

​

36.6%

​

​

​

​

​

​

42.3%

​

​

​

​

​

38.2%

​

​

Adjusted EBIT margin(e)

​

​

​

​

40.2%

​

​

​

​

​

30.6%

​

​

​

​

​

​

36.5%

​

​

​

​

​

31.6%

​

​

​

28

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

​

​

​

Successor

​

​

​

Predecessor

​

​

​

​

Year Ended December 31, 2019

​

​

October 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018

​

​

​

January 1, 2018 to September 30, 2018

​

​

Year Ended December 31, 2017

​

​

​

​

(in thousands except share and per share amounts)

​

Earnings per diluted share(a)

​

​

​

$

0.19(1)/

​

​

​

​

$

0.13(1)

​

​

​

​

​

$

0.60(1)

​

​

​

​

$

0.39(1)

​

​

​

​

​

0.54(2)

​

​

Pre-IPO net income attributable to Tradeweb Markets LLC(a)

​

​

​

​

42,352(1)

​

​

​

​

​

29,307(1)

​

​

​

​

​

​

130,160(1)

​

​

​

​

​

83,648(1)

​

​

Add: Net income attributable to Tradeweb Markets Inc.(a)

​

​

​

​

83,769(2)

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

Add: Net income attributable to non-controlling interests(a)(b)

​

​

​

​

46,903(2)

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

Net income

​

​

​

​

173,024(1)(2)

​

​

​

​

​

29,307(1)

​

​

​

​

​

​

130,160(1)

​

​

​

​

​

83,648(1)

​

​

Provision for income taxes

​

​

​

​

52,302

​

​

​

​

​

3,415

​

​

​

​

​

​

11,900

​

​

​

​

​

6,129

​

​

Contingent consideration

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

​

26,830

​

​

​

​

​

58,520

​

​

Acquisition and Refinitiv Transaction related D&A(c)

​

​

​

​

97,565

​

​

​

​

​

22,413

​

​

​

​

​

​

19,576

​

​

​

​

​

31,236

​

​

Stock-based compensation expense(d)

​

​

​

​

25,098

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

Unrealized foreign exchange (gains)/​losses

​

​

​

​

(2,310)

​

​

​

​

​

263

​

​

​

​

​

​

(960)

​

​

​

​

​

(364)

​

​

(Gain)/loss from revaluation of foreign denominated cash(e)

​

​

​

​

1,225

​

​

​

​

​

90

​

​

​

​

​

​

(921)

​

​

​

​

​

(678)

​

​

Tax receivable agreement liability adjustment(f)

​

​

​

​

(33,134)

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

Adjusted Net Income before income taxes

​

​

​

​

313,770

​

​

​

​

​

55,488

​

​

​

​

​

​

186,586

​

​

​

​

​

178,491

​

​

Adjusted income taxes(g)

​

​

​

​

(82,835)

​

​

​

​

​

(14,649)

​

​

​

​

​

​

(49,259)

​

​

​

​

​

(47,122)

​

​

Adjusted Net Income

​

​

​

$

230,935

​

​

​

​

$

40,839

​

​

​

​

​

$

137,327

​

​

​

​

$

131,369

​

​

Adjusted Diluted EPS(a)(h)

​

​

​

$

0.23(1)/

​

​

​

​

$

0.18(1)

​

​

​

​

​

$

0.64(1)

​

​

​

​

$

0.62(1)

​

​

​

​

​

0.77(2)

​

​

29

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

​

30

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

​

​

​

Pre-IPO Period

​

​

Post-IPO Period

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Three Months Ended March 31, 2019

​

​

Nine Months Ended December 31, 2019

​

​

October 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018

​

​

January 1, 2018 to September 30, 2018

​

​

Year Ended December 31, 2017

​

Diluted weighted average TWM LLC shares outstanding

​

​

​

​

223,320,457

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

222,243,851

​

​

​

​

​

215,365,920

​

​

​

​

​

212,568,635

​

​

Diluted weighted average shares of Class A and Class B common stock outstanding

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

156,540,246

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

Assumed exchange of LLC interests for shares of Class A or Class B common stock(1)

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

74,279,741

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

Adjusted diluted weighted average shares outstanding

​

​

​

​

223,320,457

​

​

​

​

​

230,819,987

​

​

​

​

​

222,243,851

​

​

​

​

​

215,365,920

​

​

​

​

​

212,568,635

​

​

Adjusted Net Income (in thousands)

​

​

​

$

52,190

​

​

​

​

$

178,745

​

​

​

​

$

40,839

​

​

​

​

$

137,327

​

​

​

​

$

131,369

​

​

Adjusted Diluted EPS

​

​

​

$

0.23

​

​

​

​

$

0.77

​

​

​

​

$

0.18

​

​

​

​

$

0.64

​

​

​

​

$

0.62

​

​

​

31

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

RISK FACTORS

Investing in our Class A common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following risks, together with all of the other information contained in this prospectus, before deciding to invest in our Class A common stock. Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected by any of these risks or uncertainties. In that case, the trading price of our Class A common stock could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry

Economic, political and market conditions may reduce trading volumes, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The electronic financial services industry is, by its nature, risky and volatile. Our business performance is impacted by a number of global and regional factors that are generally beyond our control. The occurrence of, or uncertainty related to, any one of the following factors may cause a substantial decline in the U.S. and/or global financial markets, which could result in reduced trading volumes and profitability for our business:

•

economic, political and social conditions in the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and/or its member states, China or other major economies around the world, including, among other things, the strength and direction of the U.S. and/or global economy, the exit by the United Kingdom from the European Union (“Brexit”), the prolonged shutdown of the U.S. government and the upcoming 2020 U.S. presidential election;

​

•

the effect of Federal Reserve Board and other central banks’ monetary policy, increased capital requirements for banks and other financial institutions and other regulatory requirements;

​

•

adverse market conditions, including unforeseen market closures or other disruptions in trading;

​

•

broad trends in business and finance, including the amount of new issuances and changes in investment patterns and priorities;

​

•

the level and volatility of interest rates;

​

•

consolidation or contraction in the number, and changes in the financial strength, of market participants;

​

•

concerns over a potential recession (in the United States or globally), inflation and weakening consumer and investor confidence levels;

​

•

the availability of capital for borrowings and investments by our clients;

​

•

liquidity concerns, including concerns over credit default or bankruptcy of one or more sovereign nations or corporate entities;

​

•

legislative, regulatory or government policy changes, including changes to financial industry regulations and tax laws that could limit the ability of market participants to engage in a wider array of trading activities;

​

•

actual or threatened trade war, including between the United States and China, or other governmental action related to tariffs, international trade agreements or trade policies; and

​

•

catastrophic events, such as natural disasters, extreme weather events, actual or threatened acts of war, terrorism or other armed hostilities or outbreaks of pandemic or contagious diseases, such as Ebola, Zika, avian flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), H1N1 (swine flu), the coronavirus, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

​

These factors also affect the degree of volatility (the magnitude and frequency of fluctuations) in the U.S. and/or global financial markets, including in the prices and trading volumes of the products traded on our platforms. Volatility increases the need to hedge price risk and creates opportunities for investment and speculative or arbitrage trading, and thus increases trading volumes. Although we generally experience

32

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

increased trading volumes across our marketplaces during periods of volatility, use of our platforms and demand for our solutions may decline during periods of significant volatility as market participants in rapidly moving markets may seek to negotiate trades and access information directly over the telephone instead of electronically.

In the event of stagnant or deteriorating economic conditions or periods of instability or prolonged stability or decreased activity in the U.S. and/or global financial markets, we could experience lower trading volumes. A general decline in trading volumes across our marketplaces would lower revenues and could materially adversely affect our results of operations if we are unable to offset falling volumes through changes in our fee structure. If trading volumes decline substantially or for a sustained period, the critical mass of transaction volume necessary to support viable markets and generate valuable data could be jeopardized, which, in turn, could further discourage clients to use our platforms and solutions and further accelerate the decline in trading volumes. Additionally, if our total market share decreases relative to our competitors, our trading venues may be viewed as less attractive sources of liquidity. If our marketplaces are perceived to be less liquid, we could lose further trading volumes and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

There have been significant declines in trading volumes in the financial markets generally in the past and there may be similar declines in trading volumes generally or across our marketplaces in particular in the future. During periods of lower trading volumes or during an economic downturn, our clients may become more price sensitive and exert pricing pressure on us, and we may be forced to reduce our fees or to maintain our fees during periods of increased costs. Because our cost structure is largely fixed, if use of our platforms and demand for our solutions decline for any reason or if we are forced to reduce fees, we may not be able to adjust our cost structure to counteract the associated decline in revenues, which would materially harm our profitability.

Failure to compete successfully could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We face intense competition in both the financial services industry generally and the markets that we serve in particular, and we expect competition with a broad range of competitors to continue to intensify in the future. Within the electronic financial services industry in which we operate, we compete based on our ability to provide a broad range of solutions, trading venues with a broad network of market participants and deep liquidity, a competitive fee structure and comprehensive pre-trade, trade and post-trade functionality, as well as the reliability, security and ease of use of our platforms and solutions.

We primarily compete with other electronic trading platforms and trading business conducted directly between dealers and their institutional, wholesale and retail client counterparties over telephone, email or instant messaging. We also compete with securities and futures exchanges, other inter-dealer brokers and single bank systems. For example, our trading platforms face existing and potential competition from large exchanges, which have in recent years developed electronic capabilities in-house or through acquisitions. We also face competition from individual banks that offer their own electronic platforms to their institutional clients. In addition, we may face competition from companies with strong market share in specific markets or organizations and businesses that have not traditionally competed with us but that could adapt their products and services or utilize significant financial and information resources, recognized brands, or technological expertise to begin competing with us. We expect that we may compete in the future with a variety of companies with respect to our platforms and solutions. If we are not able to compete successfully in the future, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

Certain of our current and prospective competitors are substantially larger than we are and have substantially greater market presence than we do, as well as greater financial, technological, marketing and other resources. These competitors may be better able to withstand reductions in fees or other adverse economic or market conditions than we can. Some competitors may be able to adopt new or emerging technologies, or incorporate customized features or functions into existing technologies, to address changing market conditions or client preferences at a relatively low cost and/or more quickly than we can. In addition, because we operate in a rapidly evolving industry, start-up companies can enter the market with new and emerging technologies more easily and quickly than they would in more traditional industries.

33

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

If we are unable or unwilling to reduce our fees or make additional investments in the future, we may lose clients and our competitive position may be adversely affected. In addition, our competitive position may be adversely affected by changes in regulations that have a disproportionately negative affect on us or the products or trading protocols we offer our clients.

Competition in the markets in which we operate has intensified due to consolidation, which has resulted in increasingly large and sophisticated competitors. In recent years, our competitors have made acquisitions and/or entered into joint ventures and consortia to improve the competitiveness of their electronic trading offerings. For example, Intercontinental Exchange (“ICE”) acquired BondPoint, TMC Bonds and IDC, in an effort to expand its portfolio of fixed income products and services. In addition, in 2018, CME Group completed its acquisition of NEX Group, which expands CME Group’s offerings to include NEX Group’s OTC foreign exchange and rates products and market data. If, as a result of industry consolidation, our competitors are able to offer lower cost (including fixed cost fees compared to our variable fees for certain offerings) and/or a wider range of trading venues and solutions, obtain more favorable terms from third-party providers or otherwise take actions that could increase their market share, our competitive position and therefore our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

Our operations also include the sale of pre- and post-trade services, analytics and market data (including through a distribution agreement with Refinitiv). There is a high degree of competition among market data and information vendors in solutions for pre- and post-trade data, analytics and reporting, and such businesses may become more competitive in the future as new competitors emerge. Some of these companies are already in or may enter the electronic trading business. Accordingly, some of our competitors may be able to combine use of their electronic trading platforms with complementary access to market data and analytical tools and/or leverage relationships with existing clients to obtain additional business from such clients, which could preempt use of our platforms or solutions. For example, Bloomberg and ICE have trading platforms that compete with ours and also have a data and analytics relationships with the vast majority of institutional, wholesale and retail market participants. If we are not able to compete successfully in this area in the future, our revenues could be adversely impacted and, as a result, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be materially adversely affected.

The industry in which we operate is rapidly evolving. If we are unable to adapt our business effectively to keep pace with industry changes, we may not be able to compete effectively, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The electronic financial services industry is characterized by rapidly changing and increasingly complex technologies and systems, changing and increasingly sophisticated client demands (including access to new technologies and markets), frequent technology and service introductions, evolving industry standards, changing regulatory requirements and new business models. If we are not able to keep pace with changing market conditions or client demands and if our competitors release new technology before we do, our existing platforms, solutions and technologies may become obsolete or our competitive position may be materially harmed, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Operating in a rapidly evolving industry involves a high degree of risk and our future success will depend in part on our ability to:

•

enhance and improve the responsiveness, functionality, accessibility and reliability of our existing platforms and solutions;

​

•

develop and/or license new platforms, solutions and technologies that address the increasingly sophisticated and varied needs of our existing and prospective clients, and that allow us to grow within our existing markets and to expand into new markets, asset classes and products;

​

•

achieve and maintain market acceptance for our platforms and solutions;

​

•

adapt our existing platforms and solutions for new markets, asset classes and products;

​

•

respond to competitive pressures, technological advances, including new or disruptive technology, emerging industry standards and practices and regulatory requirements and changes on a cost-effective and timely basis;

​

34

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

•

attract highly-skilled technology, regulatory, sales and marketing personnel;

​

•

operate, support, expand, adapt and develop our operations, systems, networks and infrastructure;

​

•

manage cybersecurity threats;

​

•

take advantage of acquisitions, strategic alliances and other opportunities; and

​

•

obtain any applicable regulatory approval for our platforms and solutions.

​

Further, the development of new internet, networking, telecommunications or blockchain technologies may require us to devote substantial resources to modify and adapt our marketplaces. In particular, because our platforms and solutions are designed to operate on a variety of electronic systems, we will need to continuously modify and enhance our marketplaces to keep pace with changes in internet-related hardware and other software, communication and browser technologies. We cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully adapt our existing technologies and systems to incorporate new, or changes to existing, technologies.

The success of new platforms or solutions, or new features and versions of existing platforms and solutions, depends on several factors, including the timely and cost-effective completion, introduction and market acceptance of such new or enhanced platform or solution. Development efforts entail significant technical and business risks. We may use new technologies ineffectively, fail to adequately address regulatory requirements, experience design defects or errors or fail to accurately determine market demand for new platforms, solutions and enhancements. Furthermore, development efforts may require substantial expenditures and take considerable time, and we may experience cost overrun, delays in delivery or performance problems and not be successful in realizing a return on these development efforts in a timely manner or at all.

We cannot assure you that we will be able to anticipate or respond in a timely manner to changing market conditions, and new platforms, technologies or solutions, or enhancements to existing platforms, technologies or solutions, may not meet regulatory requirements, address client needs or achieve market acceptance. If we are not able to successfully develop and implement, or face material delays in introducing, new platforms, solutions and enhancements, our clients may forego the use of our platforms and solutions and instead use those of our competitors. Any failure to remain abreast of changing market conditions and to be responsive to market preferences could cause our market share to decline and materially adversely impact our revenues.

Consolidation and concentration in the financial services industry could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

There has been significant consolidation in the financial services industry over the past several years. Further consolidation in the financial services industry could result in a smaller client base and heightened competition, which may lower our trading volumes. If our clients merge with or are acquired by other companies that are not our clients, or companies that use less of our offerings, such clients may discontinue or reduce their use of our platforms and solutions. Any such developments could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The substantial consolidation of market share among companies in the financial services industry has resulted in concentration in markets by some of our largest dealer clients. Because our trading platforms depend on these clients, any event that impacts one or more of these clients or the financial services industry in general could negatively impact our trading volumes and revenues. For example, current financial regulations impose certain capital requirements on, and restrict certain trading activities by, our dealer clients, which could adversely affect such clients’ ability to make markets across a variety of asset classes and products. If our existing dealer clients reduce their trading activity and that activity is not replaced by other market participants, the level of liquidity and pricing available on our trading platforms would be negatively impacted, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, some of our dealer clients have announced plans to reduce their sales and trading businesses in the markets in which we operate. This is in addition to the significant reductions in these businesses already completed by certain of our dealer clients.

35

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

The consolidation and concentration of market share, the limitation on the ability of large clients to engage in a wider array of trading activities and the reduction by large clients of certain businesses may lead to increased revenue concentration among our dealer clients, which may further increase our dependency on such clients and reduce our ability to negotiate pricing and other matters with such clients. Additionally, the sales and trading global market share has become increasingly concentrated over the past several years among the top investment banks, which will increase competition for client trades and place additional pricing pressure on us. If we are not able to compete successfully, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

We are dependent on our dealer clients, some of which are also stockholders, to support our marketplaces by transacting with our other institutional, wholesale and retail clients.

We rely on our dealer clients to provide liquidity on our trading platforms by posting prices on our platforms and responding to client inquiries, and some of our dealer clients may account for a significant portion of our total trading volume. In addition, our dealer clients also provide us with data via feeds and through the transactions they execute on our trading platforms, which is an important input for our data and analytics offerings. We have historically earned a substantial portion of our revenues from dealer clients that are also stockholders. For the year ended December 31, 2019, the combined year ended December 31, 2018 and the year ended December 31, 2017, 44.8%, 42.2% and 41.3%, respectively, of our revenues were generated by the pre-IPO Bank Stockholders and their affiliates. Market knowledge and feedback from these stockholders have been important factors in the development of many of our offerings and solutions.

There are inherent risks whenever a significant percentage of our trading volume and revenues are concentrated with a limited number of clients, and these risks are especially heightened for us due to the potential effects of increased industry consolidation and financial regulation on our business. The contractual obligations of our clients to us are non-exclusive and subject to termination rights by such clients. Any failure by us to meet a key dealer client’s or other key client’s expectations could result in cancellation or non-renewal of the contract. In addition, our reliance on any individual dealer client for a significant portion of our trading volume may also give that client a degree of leverage against us when negotiating contracts and terms of services with us.

Our dealer clients also buy and sell through traditional methods, including by telephone, e-mail and instant messaging, and through other trading platforms. Some of our dealer clients have developed electronic trading networks that compete with us or have announced their intention to explore the development of such electronic trading networks, and many of our dealer clients are involved in other ventures, including other trading platforms or other distribution channels, as trading participants and/or as investors. In particular, certain of the pre-IPO Bank Stockholders or their affiliates, as is typical for a large number of major banks, have their own single bank or other competing trading platform and frequently invest in such businesses and may acquire ownership interests in similar businesses, and such businesses may also compete with us. These competing trading platforms may offer some features that we do not currently offer or that we are unable to offer, including customized features or functions. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that such dealer clients’ primary commitments will not be to one of our competitors or that they will not continue to rely on their own trading platforms or traditional methods instead of using our trading platforms.

Although we have established and maintain significant long-term relationships with our key dealer clients, we cannot assure you that all of these relationships will continue or will not diminish. In addition, it is possible that the pre-IPO Bank Stockholders and their affiliates may reduce their use of our trading platforms or their engagement with us in the future due to reductions in the level of their equity ownership following the completion of this or any completed or future offering. Any reduction in the use of our trading platforms by our key dealer clients, including certain of the pre-IPO Bank Stockholders and their affiliates, for any reason, and any associated decrease in the pool of capital and liquidity accessible across our marketplaces, could reduce the volume of trading on our platforms, which could, in turn, reduce the use of our platforms by their counterparty clients. In addition, any decrease in the number of dealer clients competing for trades on our trading platforms, could cause our dealer clients to forego use of our platforms and instead use platforms that provide access to more competitive trading environments and prices. The occurrence of any of the foregoing may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

36

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

We do not have long-term contractual arrangements with most of our liquidity taking clients, and our trading volumes and revenues could be reduced if these clients stop using our platforms and solutions.

Our business largely depends on certain of our liquidity taking clients to initiate inquiries on our trading platforms. A limited number of such clients can account for a significant portion of our trading volumes, which in turn, results in a significant portion of our transaction fees. Most of our liquidity taking clients do not have long-term contractual arrangements with us and utilize our platforms and solutions on a transaction-by-transaction basis and may choose not to use our platforms at any time. These clients buy and sell a variety of products within various asset classes using traditional methods, including by telephone, e-mail and instant messaging, and through other trading platforms. Any significant loss of these clients or a significant reduction in their use of our platforms and solutions could have a material negative impact on our trading volumes and revenues, and materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business could be harmed if we are unable to maintain and grow the capacity of our trading platforms, systems and infrastructure.

Our success depends on our clients’ confidence in our ability to provide reliable, secure, real-time access to our trading platforms. If our trading platforms cannot cope, or expand to cope, with demand, or otherwise fail to perform, we could experience disruptions in service, slow delivery times and insufficient capacity. These consequences could result in our clients deciding to stop using or to reduce their use of our trading platforms, either of which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We will need to continually improve and upgrade our trading platforms, systems and infrastructure to accommodate increases in trading volumes, trading practices of new and existing clients, irregular or heavy use of our trading platforms, especially during peak trading times or at times of increased market volatility, regulatory changes and the development of new and enhanced trading platform features, functionalities and ancillary solutions. The maintenance and expansion of our trading platforms, systems and infrastructure has required, and will continue to require, substantial financial, operational and technical resources. As our operations grow in both size and scope, these resources will typically need to be committed well in advance of any potential increase in trading volumes. We cannot assure you that our estimates of future trading volumes will be accurate or that our systems will always be able to accommodate actual trading volumes without failure or degradation of performance, especially during periods of abnormally high volumes. If we do not successfully adapt our existing trading platforms, systems and infrastructure to the requirements of our clients or to emerging industry standards, or if our trading platforms otherwise fail to accommodate trading volumes, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

If we experience design defects, errors, failures or delays with our platforms or solutions, our business could suffer serious harm.

Despite testing, our platforms and solutions may contain design defects and errors or fail when first introduced or when major new updates or enhancements are released. In our development of new platforms, platform features and solutions or updates and enhancements to our existing platforms and solutions, we may make a design error that causes the platform or solution to fail or operate incorrectly or less effectively. Many of our solutions also rely on data and services provided by third-party providers over which we have no or limited control and may be provided to us with defects, errors or failures. Our clients may also use our platforms and solutions together with their own software, data or products from other companies. As a result, when problems occur, it might be difficult to identify the source of the problem. In addition, we could experience delays while developing and introducing new or enhanced platforms, platform features and solutions, primarily due to difficulties in technology development, obtaining any applicable regulatory approval, licensing data inputs or adapting to new operating environments.

If design defects, errors or failures are discovered in our current or future platforms or solutions, we may not be able to correct or work around them in a cost-effective or timely manner or at all. The existence of design defects, errors, failures or delays that are significant, or are perceived to be significant, could also

37

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

result in rejection or delay in market acceptance of our platforms or solutions, damage to our reputation, loss of clients and related revenues, diversion of resources, product liability claims, regulatory actions or increases in costs, any of which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Systems failures, interruptions, delays in service, catastrophic events and resulting interruptions in the availability of our platforms or solutions could materially harm our business and reputation.

Our business depends on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of our systems, networks and infrastructure, in particular those that power our platforms and solutions. From time to time, we have experienced, and we cannot assure you that we, or our third-party providers, will not experience, systems failures, delays in service or business interruptions. Our systems, networks, infrastructure and other operations, in particular our platforms and solutions, are vulnerable to impact or interruption from a wide variety of causes, including: irregular or heavy use of our trading platforms and related solutions during peak trading times or at times of increased market volatility; power, internet or telecommunications failures; hardware failures or software errors; human error, acts of vandalism or sabotage; catastrophic events, such as natural disasters, extreme weather events or acts of war, terrorism or other armed hostilities; malicious cyberattacks or cyber incidents, such as unauthorized access, ransomware, loss or destruction of data, computer viruses or other malicious code; and the loss or failure of systems over which we have no control, such as loss of support services from critical third-party providers. In addition, we may also face significant increases in our use of power and data storage and may experience a shortage of capacity and/or increased costs associated with such usage.

Any failure of, or significant interruption, delay or disruption to, or security breaches affecting, our systems, networks or infrastructure could result in: disruption to our operations, including disruptions in service to our clients; slower response times; distribution of untimely or inaccurate market data to clients who rely on this data for their trades; delays in trade execution; incomplete or inaccurate accounting, recording or processing of trades; significant expense to repair, replace or remediate systems, networks or infrastructure; financial losses and liabilities to clients; loss of clients; or legal or regulatory claims, proceedings, penalties or fines. Any system failure or significant interruption, delay or disruption in our operations, or decreases in the responsiveness of our platforms and solutions, could materially harm our reputation and business and lead our clients to decrease or cease their use of our platforms and solutions, particularly our trading platforms.

We internally support and maintain many of our systems and networks, including those underlying our trading platforms; however, we may not have sufficient personnel to properly respond to all systems, networks or infrastructure problems. Our failure to monitor or maintain our systems, networks and infrastructure, including those maintained or supported by our third-party providers, or to find a replacement for defective or obsolete components within our systems, networks and infrastructure in a timely and cost-effective manner when necessary, would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. While we generally have disaster recovery and business continuity plans that utilize industry standards and best practices for much of our business, including redundant systems, networks, computer software and hardware and data centers to address interruption to our normal course of business, our systems, networks and infrastructure may not always be fully redundant and our disaster recovery and business continuity plans may not always be sufficient or effective. Similarly, although some contracts with our third-party providers, such as our hosting facility providers, require adequate disaster recovery or business continuity capabilities, we cannot be certain that these will be adequate or implemented properly. Our disaster recovery and business continuity plans are heavily reliant on the availability of the internet and mobile phone technology, so any disruption of those systems would likely affect our ability to recover promptly from a crisis situation. If we are unable to execute our disaster recovery and business continuity plans, or if our plans prove insufficient for a particular situation or take longer than expected to implement in a crisis situation, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, and our business interruption insurance may not adequately compensate us for losses that may occur.

In addition, high-profile system failures in the electronic financial services industry, whether or not involving us directly, could negatively impact our business. In recent years, U.S. and foreign regulators have imposed new requirements on operations such as ours that have been costly for us to implement and that

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could result in a decrease in the use of our platforms and demand for some of our solutions or result in regulatory investigations, fines and penalties. For example, the SEC’s Regulation Systems Compliance and Integrity and the system safeguards regulations of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) subject portions of our trading platforms and other technological systems related to our SEFs to more extensive regulation and oversight. Ensuring our compliance with these regulations requires significant ongoing costs and there can be no assurance that government regulators will not impose additional costly obligations on us in the future. If system failures in the industry continue to occur, it is possible that confidence in the electronic financial services industry could diminish, leading to materially decreased trading volumes and revenues.

Actual or perceived security vulnerabilities in our systems, networks and infrastructure, breaches of security controls, unauthorized access to confidential information or cyber-attacks could harm our business, reputation and results of operations.

Our business relies on technology and automation to perform significant functions within our firm. Because of our reliance on technology, we are susceptible to various cyber-threats to our systems, networks and infrastructure, in particular those that power our platforms and solutions. Similar to other financial services companies that provide services online, we have experienced, and likely will continue to experience, cyber-threats, cyber-attacks and attempted security breaches. Cyber-threats and cyber-attacks vary in technique and sources, are persistent, frequently change and increasingly are more sophisticated, targeted and difficult to detect and prevent against. These threats and attacks may come from external sources such as governments, crime organizations, hackers and other third parties or may originate internally from an employee or a third-party provider, and can include unauthorized attempts to access, disable, improperly modify or degrade our information, systems, networks and infrastructure or the introduction of computer viruses and other malicious codes and fraudulent “phishing” emails that seek to misappropriate data and information or install malware onto users’ computers. We carry what we believe are sufficient levels of cyber insurance. However, if one or more cyber-attacks occur, it could jeopardize the confidential, proprietary and other information processed and stored in, and transmitted through, our systems and networks, or cause interruptions, significant delays, failures or malfunctions in our systems, networks, infrastructure and other operations, in particular our platforms and solutions, which could result in reputational damage, financial losses, client dissatisfaction and/or regulatory fines and penalties, which may not in all cases be covered by insurance.

While we have dedicated personnel who are responsible for maintaining our cybersecurity program and training our employees on cybersecurity, and while we utilize third-party technology product and services to help identify, protect and remediate our systems, networks and infrastructure, our defensive measures and security controls may not be adequate or effective to prevent, identify or mitigate cyber-attacks or security breaches. We are also dependent on security measures, if any, that our third-party providers and clients take to protect their own systems, networks and infrastructures. Because techniques used to obtain unauthorized access to, or to sabotage, systems, networks and infrastructures change frequently and generally are not recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate defensive measures or security controls. Additionally, we may be required in the future to incur significant costs to continue to minimize, mitigate against or alleviate the effects of cyber-attacks, security breaches or other security vulnerabilities and to protect against damage caused by cyber-attacks, security breaches or other disruptions that may occur.

We have a Risk Steering Committee that includes the heads of Risk Management, Information/Cyber Security, Regulatory Compliance and Human Resources. Our information/cyber security program is overseen internally by our Risk Steering Committee (and specifically, our Chief Risk Officer and Chief Information Security Officer), which in turn, is overseen by our board of directors and audit committee. Senior members of the Risk Steering Committee provide regular updates to our audit committee and the board of directors.

There have been an increasing number of cyber-attacks in recent years in various industries, including ours, and cybersecurity risk management has been the subject of increasing focus by U.S. and foreign regulators. As a result, we may be required to devote significant additional financial, operational and

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technical resources to modify and enhance our defensive measures and security controls and to identify and remediate any security vulnerabilities. In addition, any adverse regulatory actions that may result from a cybersecurity incident or a finding that we have inadequate defensive measures and security controls, could result in reputational harm.

Although we have not been a victim of a cyber-attack or other cybersecurity incident that has had a material impact on our operations or financial condition, we have from time to time experienced cybersecurity incidents, including attempted distributed denial of service attacks, malware infections, phishing and other information technology incidents that are typical for an electronic financial services company of our size. If an actual, threatened or perceived cyber-attack or breach of our security occurs, our clients could lose confidence in our platforms and solutions, security measures and reliability, which would materially harm our ability to retain existing clients and gain new clients. As a result of any such attack or breach, we may be required to expend significant resources to repair system, network or infrastructure damage and to protect against the threat of future cyber-attacks or security breaches. We could also face litigation or other claims from impacted individuals as well as substantial regulatory sanctions or fines.

We rely on third parties to perform certain key functions, and their failure to perform those functions could result in the interruption of our operations and systems and could result in significant costs and reputational damage to us.

We rely on a number of third parties to supply, support and maintain critical elements of our operations, including our trading, information, technology and other systems. In addition, we depend on third parties, such as telephone companies, online service providers, hosting services and software and hardware vendors, for various computer and communications systems, such as our data centers, telecommunications access lines and certain computer software and hardware. Our clients also depend on third-party middleware and clearinghouses for clearing and settlement of certain trades on our trading platforms, which could impact our trading platforms.

We cannot assure you that any of these third-party providers will be able or willing to continue to provide these products and services in an efficient, cost-effective or timely manner, or at all, or that they will be able to adequately expand their services to meet our needs. In particular, like us, third-party providers are vulnerable to operational and technological disruptions, and we may have limited remedies against these third parties in the event of product or service disruptions. In addition, we have little control over third-party providers, which increases our vulnerability to errors, failures, interruptions or disruptions or problems with their products or services. Further, the priorities and objectives of third-party providers may differ from ours, which may make us vulnerable to terminations of, or adverse changes to, our arrangements with such providers, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain good relationships or the same terms with such providers. If an existing third-party provider is unable or unwilling to provide a critical product or service, and we are unable to make alternative arrangements for the supply of such product or service on commercially reasonable terms or a timely basis, or at all, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

Further, we also face risks that providers may perform work that deviates from our standards. Moreover, our existing third-party arrangements may bind us for a period of time to terms that become uncompetitive or technology and systems that become obsolete. If we do not obtain the expected benefits from our relationships with third-party providers, we may be less competitive, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In the future, if we choose to transition a function previously managed by us to a third party, we may spend significant financial and operational resources and experience delays in completing such transition, and may never realize any of the anticipated benefits of such transition.

We are dependent on third parties for our pre- and post-trade data, analytics and reporting solutions.

The success of our trading platforms depends in part on our pre- and post-trade data, analytics and reporting solutions. We depend upon data and information services from external sources, including data received from certain competitors, clients, self-regulatory organizations and other third-party data providers for information used on our platforms and by our solutions, including our data, analytical tools and other

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pre- and post-trade services. In particular, we depend on Refinitiv to source certain reference data for products that trade on our platforms. Our data sources and information providers could increase the price for or withdraw their data or information services for a variety of reasons. For example, our clients, the majority of which are not subject to long-term contractual arrangements or purchase commitments, may stop using or reduce their use of our trading platforms at any time, which would decrease our volume of trade data and may diminish the competitiveness of our market data offerings. In addition, data sources or information providers may enter into exclusive contracts with other third parties, including our competitors, which could preclude us from receiving certain data or information services from these providers or restrict our use of such data or information services, which may give our competitors an advantage. Further, our competitors could revise the current terms on which they provide us with data or information services or could cease providing us with data or information services altogether for a variety of reasons, including competition.

If a substantial number of our key data sources and information providers withdraw or are unable to provide us with their data or information services, or if a substantial number of clients no longer trade on our platforms or use our solutions, and we are unable to suitably replace such data sources or information services, or if the collection of data or information becomes uneconomical, our ability to offer our pre- and post-trade data, analytics tools and reporting solutions could be adversely impacted. If any of these factors negatively impact our ability to provide these data-based solutions to our clients, our competitive position could be materially harmed, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, pursuant to a market data license agreement, Refinitiv currently distributes a significant portion of our market data. The cancellation of, or any adverse change to, our arrangement with Refinitiv or the inability of Refinitiv to effectively distribute our data may materially harm our business and competitive position.

We are dependent upon trading counterparties and clearinghouses to perform their obligations.

Our business consists of providing consistent two-sided liquidity to market participants across numerous geographies, asset classes and products. In addition, in the normal course of our business we, as an agent, execute transactions with, and on behalf of, other brokers and dealers. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk — Credit Risk” in the 2019 Form 10-K, incorporated by reference in this prospectus. In the event of a systemic market event resulting from large price movements or otherwise, certain market participants may not be able to meet their obligations to their trading counterparties, who, in turn, may not be able to meet their obligations to their other trading counterparties, which could lead to major defaults by one or more market participants. Many trades in the securities markets, and an increasing number of trades in the over-the-counter derivatives markets, are cleared through central counterparties. These central counterparties assume and specialize in managing counterparty performance risk relating to such trades. However, even when trades are cleared in this manner, there can be no assurance that a clearinghouse’s risk management methodology will be adequate to manage one or more defaults. Given the counterparty performance risk that is concentrated in central clearing parties, any failure by a clearinghouse to properly manage a default could lead to a systemic market failure. If trading counterparties do not meet their obligations, including to us, or if any central clearing parties fail to properly manage defaults by market participants, we could suffer a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Our ability to conduct our business may be materially adversely impacted by unforeseen or catastrophic events. In addition, our U.S. and European operations are heavily concentrated in particular areas and may be adversely affected by events in those areas.

We may incur losses as a result of unforeseen or catastrophic events, including fire, natural disasters, extreme weather events, global health issues, power loss, telecommunications failure, software or hardware malfunctions, theft, cyber-attacks, acts of war, terrorist attacks or other armed hostilities. In addition, employee misconduct or error could expose us to significant liability, losses, regulatory sanctions and reputational harm. Misconduct or error by employees could include improperly using confidential

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information or engaging in improper or unauthorized activities or transactions. These unforeseen or catastrophic events could adversely affect our clients’ levels of business activity and precipitate sudden significant changes in regional and global economic conditions and cycles. Certain of these events also pose significant risks to our employees and our physical facilities and operations around the world, whether the facilities are ours or those of our third-party providers or clients. If our systems, networks or infrastructure were to fail or be negatively impacted as a result of an unforeseen or catastrophic event, our business functions could be interrupted, our ability to make our platforms and solutions available to our clients could be impaired and we could lose critical data. If we are unable to develop adequate plans to ensure that our business functions continue to operate during and after an unforeseen or catastrophic event, and successfully execute on those plans should such an event occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations and reputation could be materially harmed.

In addition, our U.S. operations are heavily concentrated in the New York metro area and our European operations are heavily concentrated in London. Any event that affects either of those geographic areas could affect our ability to operate our business. For example, as discussed below, Brexit is expected to have a material impact on our European operations.

If we fail to maintain our current level of business or execute our growth plan, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially harmed.

We have experienced significant growth in our operations over the years, including, in part, as a result of favorable industry and market trends, such as the increased electronification of markets, growing global markets and evolving regulatory requirements. However, we cannot assure you that our operations will continue to grow at a similar rate, if at all, or that we will continue to benefit from such favorable industry and market trends. In particular, we cannot assure you that the growth of electronic means of trading will continue at the levels expected or at all. Our future financial performance depends in large part on our ability to successfully execute our growth plan. To effectively manage the expected growth of our operations, we will need to continue to improve our operational, financial and management processes and systems.

The success of our growth plan depends, in part, on our ability to implement our business strategies. In particular, our growth depends on our ability to maintain and expand our network by attracting new clients, increasing the use of our platforms and solutions by existing clients and by integrating them across geographies and a wide range of asset classes, products, trade types and trade sizes within our marketplaces. Our growth also depends on, among other things, our ability to increase our market share, add new products, enhance our existing platforms and solutions, develop new offerings that address client demand and market trends and stay abreast of changing market conditions and regulatory requirements. Our growth may also be dependent on our ability to further diversify our revenue base. We currently derive approximately 56% of our gross revenue from our Rates asset class. Our long-term growth plan includes expanding our asset classes, including the number of products we offer across those asset classes, by investing in our development efforts and increasing our revenues by growing our market share in our existing markets and entering into new markets. Although our long-term growth plan includes entering into new asset classes, we may not enter into new asset classes in the near term. We cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully execute our growth plan or implement our business strategies within our expected timing or at all or be able to maintain or improve our current level of business, and we may decide to alter or discontinue certain aspects of our growth plan at any time.

Execution of our growth plan entails significant risks and may be impacted by factors outside of our control, including competition, general economic, political and market conditions and industry, legal and regulatory changes. Failure to manage our growth effectively could result in our costs increasing at a faster rate than our revenues and distracting management from our core business and operations. For example, we may incur substantial development, sales and marketing expenses and expend significant management effort to create a new platform, platform feature or solution, and the period before such platform, platform feature or solution is successfully developed, introduced and/or adopted may extend over many months or years, if ever. Even after incurring these costs, such platform, platform feature or solution may not achieve market acceptance.

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It is possible that our entry into new markets will not be successful, and potential new markets may not develop quickly or at all.

Our long-term growth plan includes expanding our operations by entering into new markets, including new asset classes, products and geographies, including markets where we have little or no operating experience. We may have difficulties identifying and entering into new markets due to established competitors, lack of recognition of our brand and lack of acceptance of our platforms and solutions, as has occurred with certain of our initiatives in the past.

Expansion, particularly in new geographic markets, may require substantial expenditures and take considerable time. In particular, we may need to make additional investments in management and new personnel, infrastructure and compliance systems. Furthermore, our expansion efforts may divert management’s attention or inefficiently utilize our resources. If we are not able to manage our expansion effectively, our expansion costs could increase at a faster rate than our revenues from these new markets. If we cannot successfully implement the necessary processes to support and manage our expansion, our business, financial condition and results of operations may suffer.

We cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully adapt our platforms, solutions and technologies for use in any new markets. Even if we do adapt our products, services and technologies, we cannot assure you that we will be able to attract clients to our platforms and solutions and compete successfully in any such new markets.

These and other factors have led us to scale back our expansion efforts into new markets in the past, and there can be no assurance that we will not experience similar difficulties in the future. For example, following the 2008 financial crisis, we did not continue to actively invest in our operations in Asia, following our entry into that market in 2004. There can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully maintain or grow our operations abroad.

It is possible that our entry into new markets will not be successful, and potential new markets may not develop quickly or at all. If these efforts are not successful, we may realize less than expected earnings, which in turn could result in a material decrease in the market value of our Class A common stock.

Our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected by risks associated with our international operations.

We have operations in the United States, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and the United Kingdom, and recently expanded our international operations to the Netherlands, where we obtained necessary regulatory approvals. We may further expand our international operations in the future. We have invested significant resources in our international operations and expect to continue to do so in the future. However, there are certain risks inherent in doing business in international markets, particularly in the financial services industry, which is heavily regulated in many jurisdictions. These risks include:

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local economic, political and social conditions, including the possibility of economic slowdowns, hyperinflationary conditions, political instability, social unrest or outbreaks of pandemic or contagious diseases, such as Ebola, Zika, avian flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), H1N1 (swine flu), the coronavirus, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS);

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differing legal and regulatory requirements, and the possibility that any required approvals may impose restrictions on the operation of our business;

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changes in laws, government policies and regulations, or in how provisions are interpreted or administered and how we are supervised;

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the inability to manage and coordinate the various legal and regulatory requirements of multiple jurisdictions that are constantly evolving and subject to change;

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varying tax regimes, including with respect to imposition or increase of taxes on financial transactions or withholding and other taxes on remittances and other payments by subsidiaries;

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actual or threatened trade war, including between the United States and China, or other governmental action related to tariffs, international trade agreements or trade policies;

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Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

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currency exchange rate fluctuations, changes in currency policies or practices and restrictions on currency conversion;

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limitations or restrictions on the repatriation or other transfer of funds;

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potential difficulties in protecting intellectual property;

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the inability to enforce agreements, collect payments or seek recourse under or comply with differing commercial laws;

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managing the potential conflicts between locally accepted business practices and our obligations to comply with laws and regulations, including anti-corruption and anti-money laundering laws and regulations;

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compliance with economic sanctions laws and regulations;

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difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations;

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increased costs and difficulties in developing and managing our global operations and our technological infrastructure; and

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seasonal reductions in business activity.

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Our overall success depends, in part, on our ability to anticipate and effectively manage these risks and there can be no assurance that we will be able to do so without incurring unexpected or increased costs. If we are not able to manage the risks related to our international operations, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected. In certain regions, the degree of these risks may be higher due to more volatile economic, political or social conditions, less developed and predictable legal and regulatory regimes and increased potential for various types of adverse governmental action.

The United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In March 2017, the United Kingdom government invoked article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and officially notified the European Union of its decision to withdraw from the European Union. This formally initiated the process of negotiations with the European Union regarding the terms of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal, and the framework of the future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union (the “Withdrawal Agreement”). The United Kingdom withdrew from the European Union on January 31, 2020 (the “exit date”). As part of the negotiations with the European Union, a transitional period has been agreed which extends to the United Kingdom the application of European Union law, and provides for continuing access to the European Union market, until the end of 2020. The future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union will be negotiated between both parties during 2020 and if an agreement is reached — which may or may not include terms of access to each other’s financial markets — it is anticipated under the Withdrawal Agreement that the terms of any such agreement would apply upon expiry of the transitional period. The transitional period is due to expire on December 31, 2020, unless extended by the UK/EU Joint Committee established under the Withdrawal Agreement. The maximum possible extension under the Withdrawal Agreement is two years and Prime Minister Johnson of the United Kingdom has indicated that he does not intend to seek, nor agree to, such an extension.

The United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union and the terms of the future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union could significantly impact the business environment in which we and our clients operate, increase the costs of conducting business in both the European Union and the United Kingdom, impair or prohibit access to European Union clients, affect market liquidity and introduce significant new uncertainties with respect to the legal and regulatory requirements to which we and our clients are subject. In particular, Brexit is expected to significantly affect the fiscal, monetary and regulatory landscape in both the United Kingdom and the European Union, and may have a material impact on their respective economies which could have a materially adverse impact on us despite our international client-base. Until the terms of the future relationship are known, volatility in exchange rates may continue and it will remain unclear how Brexit may ultimately affect liquidity in our marketplaces.

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Significantly, the effects of Brexit on our business will depend on any agreements the United Kingdom makes to retain access to the European Union single market and vice versa. Negotiations between the United Kingdom and the European Union on their future relationship will continue during 2020, will be complex and will be politically uncertain. Until such an agreement is reached the post-transitional period conditions of UK and EU market access are not known. With a loss of  “passporting” rights, which allow financial services firms to operate throughout the European Union, and with no equivalent agreement in place between the United Kingdom and the European Union, our UK authorized subsidiary will no longer be able to provide services to EU clients other than in limited circumstances. As a result of the uncertainty related to Brexit, we have established a new regulated subsidiary in the Netherlands that has started to serve clients in the European Union, and for which we have incurred, and expect to continue to incur, increased regulatory and operational costs. These costs result from having established a new regulated subsidiary in the European Union and the management of a client and employee base that is less centralized in London.

With Brexit, the United Kingdom has ended the supremacy of EU law in the United Kingdom by repealing the European Communities Act 1972, and by “on-shoring” EU law as it stands at exit into domestic law. With the exception that the United Kingdom has made secondary legislation to enable correction to be made to EU laws as they are on-shored — and where they would otherwise have no longer operated appropriately following Brexit — the UK and EU laws are substantively the same. Over time however, EU and UK laws may diverge, the pace and extent of which will be political and uncertain. The cost and complexity of operating across increasingly divergent regulatory regimes could increase following Brexit, and this could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates may adversely affect our financial results.

Since we operate in several different countries outside the United States, most notably the UK, Japan and Hong Kong, significant portions of our revenues, expenses, assets and liabilities are denominated in non-U.S. dollar currencies, most notably the pound sterling, euros, Japanese Yen and Hong Kong dollars. Because our consolidated financial statements are presented in U.S. dollars, we must translate non-U.S. dollar denominated revenues, income and expenses, as well as assets and liabilities, into U.S. dollars at exchange rates in effect during or at the end of each reporting period. Accordingly, increases or decreases in the value of the U.S. dollar against other currencies may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In recent years, external events, such as Brexit, the 2016 U.S. presidential election, uncertainty regarding actual and potential shifts in U.S. and foreign trade, economic and other policies, the passage of U.S. tax reform legislation and concerns over the interest rate environment (particularly with respect to short-term rates), have caused, and may continue to cause, significant volatility in currency exchange rates, especially among the U.S. dollar, the pound sterling and the euro.

While we engage in hedging activity to attempt to mitigate currency exchange rate risk, these hedging activities may not fully mitigate the risk. Accordingly, if there are adverse movements in exchange rates, we may suffer significant losses, which would materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We may undertake acquisitions or divestitures, which may not be successful, and which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

From time to time, we consider acquisitions, which may not be completed or, if completed, may not be ultimately beneficial to us. We have made several acquisitions in the past, including the purchase of the Hilliard Farber & Co. business in 2008, the Rafferty Capital Markets business in 2011, BondDesk in 2013 and CodeStreet in 2016. We also may consider potential divestitures of businesses from time to time. We routinely evaluate potential acquisition and divestiture candidates and engage in discussions and negotiations regarding potential acquisitions and divestitures on an ongoing basis; however, even if we execute a definitive agreement, there can be no assurance that we will consummate the transaction within the anticipated closing timeframe, or at all. Moreover, there is significant competition for acquisition and expansion opportunities in the electronic financial services industry.

Acquisitions involve numerous risks, including (i) failing to properly identify appropriate acquisition targets and to negotiate acceptable terms; (ii) incurring the time and expense associated with identifying and evaluating potential acquisition targets and negotiating potential transactions; (iii) diverting management’s

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attention from the operation of our existing business; (iv) using inaccurate estimates and judgments to evaluate credit, operations, funding, liquidity, business, management and market risks with respect to the acquisition target or assets; (v) litigation relating to an acquisition, particularly in the context of a publicly held acquisition target, that could require us to incur significant expenses, result in or delay or enjoin the transaction; (vi) failing to properly identify an acquisition target’s significant problems, liabilities or risks; (vii) not receiving required regulatory approvals on the terms expected or such approvals being delayed or restrictively conditional; and (viii) failing to obtain financing on favorable terms, or at all. In addition, in connection with any acquisitions, we must comply with various antitrust requirements, and it is possible that perceived or actual violations of these requirements could give rise to litigation or regulatory enforcement action or result in us not receiving the necessary approvals to complete a desired acquisition.

Furthermore, even if we complete an acquisition, the anticipated benefits from such acquisition may not be achieved unless the operations of the acquired business, platform or technology are integrated in an efficient, cost-effective and timely manner. The integration of any acquisition includes numerous risks, including an acquired business not performing to our expectations, our not integrating it appropriately and failing to realize anticipated synergies and cost savings as a result, and difficulties, inefficiencies or cost overruns in integrating and assimilating the organizational cultures, operations, technologies, data, products and services of the acquired business with ours. The integration of any acquisition will require substantial attention from management and operating personnel to ensure that the acquisition does not disrupt any existing operations, or affect our reputation or our clients’ opinions and perceptions of our platforms and solutions. We may spend time and resources on acquisitions that do not ultimately increase our profitability or that cause loss of, or harm to, relationships with key employees, clients, third-party providers or other business partners.

Divestitures also involve numerous risks, including: (i) failing to properly identify appropriate assets or businesses for divestiture and buyers; (ii) inability to negotiate favorable terms for the divestiture of such assets or businesses; (iii) incurring the time and expense associated with identifying and evaluating potential divestitures and negotiating potential transactions; (iv) management’s attention being diverted from the operation of our existing business, including to provide on-going services to the divested business; (v) encountering difficulties in the separation of operations, platforms, solutions or personnel; (vi) retaining future liabilities as a result of contractual indemnity obligations; and (vii) loss of, or damage to our relationships with, any of our key employees, clients, third-party providers or other business partners.

We cannot readily predict the timing or size of any future acquisition or divestiture, and there can be no assurance that we will realize any anticipated benefits from any such acquisition or divestiture. If we do not realize any such anticipated benefits, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

If we enter into strategic alliances, partnerships or joint ventures, we may not realize the anticipated strategic goals for any such transactions.

From time to time, we may enter into strategic alliances, partnerships or joint ventures as a means to accelerate our entry into new markets, provide new solutions or enhance our existing capabilities. Entering into strategic alliances, partnerships and joint ventures entails risks, including: (i) difficulties in developing or expanding the business of newly formed alliances, partnerships and joint ventures; (ii) exercising influence over the activities of joint ventures in which we do not have a controlling interest; (iii) potential conflicts with or among our partners; (iv) the possibility that our partners could take action without our approval or prevent us from taking action; and (v) the possibility that our partners become bankrupt or otherwise lack the financial resources to meet their obligations.

In addition, there may be a long negotiation period before we enter into a strategic alliance, partnership or joint venture or a long preparation period before we commence providing trading venues and solutions and/or begin earning revenues pursuant to such arrangement. We typically incur significant business development expenses, and management’s attention may be diverted from the operation of our existing business, during the discussion and negotiation period with no guarantee of consummation of the proposed transaction. Even if we succeed in developing a strategic alliance, partnership or joint venture with a new partner, we may not be successful in maintaining the relationship, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

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We cannot assure you that we will be able to enter into strategic alliances, partnerships or joint ventures on terms that are favorable to us, or at all, or that any strategic alliance, partnership or joint venture we have entered into or may enter into will be successful. In particular, these arrangements may not generate the expected number of new clients or increased trading volumes or revenues or other benefits we seek. Unsuccessful strategic alliances, partnerships or joint ventures could harm our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our quarterly results may fluctuate significantly and may not fully reflect the underlying performance of our business.

Our quarterly operating results may vary significantly in the future, and period-to-period comparisons of our operating results may not be meaningful. Accordingly, the results of any one quarter should not be relied upon as an indication of future performance. Our quarterly financial results may fluctuate as a result of a variety of factors and, as a result, may not fully reflect the underlying performance of our business. Fluctuations in quarterly results may negatively impact the price at which our Class A common stock trades. Factors that may cause fluctuations in our quarterly financial results include, but are not limited to:

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fluctuations in overall trading volumes or our market share for our key products;

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the addition or loss of clients;

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the unpredictability of the financial services industry;

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our ability to drive an increase in the use of our trading platforms by new and existing clients;

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the mix of products and volumes traded, changes in fee plans and average variable fees per million;

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the amount and timing of expenses, including those related to the maintenance and expansion of our business, operations and infrastructure;

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network or service outages, internet disruptions, the availability of our platforms, security breaches or perceived security breaches;

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general economic, political, social, industry and market conditions;

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changes in our business strategies and pricing policies (or those of our competitors);

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the timing and success of our entry into new markets or introductions of new or enhanced platforms or solutions by us or our competitors, including disruptive technology, or any other change in the competitive dynamics of our industry, including consolidation or new entrants among competitors, market participants or strategic alliances;

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the timing and success of any acquisitions, divestitures or strategic alliances;

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the timing of expenses related to the development or acquisition of platforms, solutions, technologies or businesses and potential future charges for impairment of goodwill from acquired companies;

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new, or changes to existing, regulations that limit or affect our platforms, solutions and technologies or which increase our regulatory compliance costs; and

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the timing and magnitude of any adjustments in our consolidated financial statements driven by changes in the liability under the Tax Receivable Agreement.

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Failure to retain our existing senior management team or the inability to attract and retain qualified personnel could materially adversely impact our ability to operate or grow our business.

The success of our business depends upon the skills, experience and efforts of our executive officers, particularly Lee Olesky, our Chief Executive Officer, and Billy Hult, our President. The terms of Messrs. Olesky’s and Hult’s employment agreements with us do not require them to continue to work for us and allow them to terminate their employment at any time, subject to certain notice requirements and forfeiture of non-vested equity awards. Although we have invested in succession planning, the loss of key

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Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

members of our senior management team could nevertheless have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Should we lose the services of any member of our senior management team, we would have to conduct a search for a qualified replacement. This search may be prolonged, and we may not be able to locate and hire a qualified replacement.

Our business also depends on our ability to continue to attract, motivate and retain a large number of highly qualified personnel in order to support our clients and achieve business results. There is a limited pool of employees who have the requisite skills, training and education. Identifying, recruiting, training, integrating and retaining qualified personnel requires significant time, expense and attention, and the market for qualified personnel, particularly those with experience in technology, clearing and settlement, product management and regulatory compliance, has become increasingly competitive as an increasing number of companies seek to enhance their positions in the markets we serve. In particular, we compete for technology personnel with highly innovative technology companies and large companies focused on technology development. Many of these companies have significant financial resources and recognized brands and are able to offer more attractive employment opportunities and more lucrative compensation packages. Our inability to attract, retain and motivate personnel with the requisite skills could impair our ability to develop new platforms, platform features or solutions, enhance our existing platforms and solutions, grow our client base, enter into new markets, operate under various regulatory frameworks or manage our business effectively.

Damage to our reputation or brand could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our reputation and the quality of our brand are critical to our business, and we must protect and grow the value of our brand in order for us to continue to be successful. Any incident that erodes client loyalty for our brand could significantly reduce its value and damage our business. We may be adversely affected by any negative publicity, regardless of its accuracy, including with respect to, among other things, the quality and reliability of our platforms and solutions, the accuracy of our market data, our ability to maintain the security of our data and systems, networks and infrastructure and any impropriety, misconduct or fraudulent activity by any person formerly or currently associated with us.

Also, there has been a marked increase in the use of blogs, social media platforms and other forms of Internet-based communications that provide individuals with access to a broad audience of interested persons. The opportunity for dissemination of information, including inaccurate information, is seemingly limitless and readily available. Information may be posted on such sites and platforms at any time. Information posted may be adverse to our interests or may be inaccurate, each of which may harm our business and reputation. The harm may be immediate without affording us an opportunity for redress or correction.

Ultimately, the risks associated with any negative publicity or actual, alleged or perceived issues regarding our business or any person formerly or currently associated with us cannot be completely eliminated or mitigated and may materially harm our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property, which, in turn, could materially adversely affect our brand and our business.

Our success depends in part on our proprietary technology, processes, methodologies and information and on our ability to further build brand recognition using our tradenames and logos. We rely primarily on a combination of U.S. and foreign patent, copyright, trademark, service mark and trade secret laws and nondisclosure, license, assignment and confidentiality arrangements to establish, maintain and protect our proprietary rights as well as the intellectual property rights of third parties whose content, data, information and other materials we license. We can give no assurances that any such patents, copyrights, trademarks, service marks and other intellectual property rights will protect our business from competition or that any intellectual property rights applied for in the future will be issued. In addition, the steps we take to protect our intellectual property may not adequately protect our rights or prevent third parties from infringing or misappropriating our rights, and third parties may successfully challenge the validity and/or

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enforceability of our intellectual property rights. Furthermore, we cannot assure you that these protections will be adequate to prevent our competitors from independently developing logos, platforms, solutions or technologies that are substantially equivalent or superior to our logos, platforms, solutions or technologies.

The protection of our intellectual property may require the expenditure of financial and managerial resources. Litigation brought to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights could be costly, time-consuming and distracting to management and may result in the impairment or loss of portions of our intellectual property. In addition, the laws of some countries in which we now or in the future provide our platforms and solutions may not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. If our efforts to secure, protect and enforce our intellectual property rights are inadequate, or if any third party misappropriates, dilutes or infringes on our intellectual property, the value of our brand may be harmed, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Third parties may claim that we are infringing or misappropriating their intellectual property rights, which could cause us to suffer competitive injury, expend significant resources defending against such claims or be prevented from offering our platforms and solutions.

Our competitors, as well as other companies and individuals, may have obtained, and may be expected to obtain in the future, intellectual property rights related to the types of platforms and solutions we currently provide or plan to provide. In particular, as the number of trading platforms increases and the functionality of these platforms and related solutions further overlaps, the possibility of intellectual property rights claims against us grows. We cannot assure you that we are or will be aware of all third-party intellectual property rights that may pose a risk of infringement or misappropriation to our platforms, solutions, technologies or the manner in which we operate our business.

We have in the past been, are currently, and may from time to time in the future become subject to legal proceedings and claims relating to the intellectual property rights of others. The costs of supporting legal and dispute resolution proceedings are considerable, and there can be no assurance that a favorable outcome will be obtained. We may need to settle litigation and disputes on terms that are unfavorable to us, or we may be subject to an unfavorable judgment. The terms of any settlement or judgment may require us to cease some or all of our operations, pay substantial amounts to the other party and/or seek a license to continue practices found to be in violation of third-party intellectual property rights, which may not be available on reasonable terms and may significantly increase our operating expenses. A license may not be available to us at all, and we may be required to develop alternative non-infringing platforms, solutions, technologies or practices or discontinue use of such platforms, solutions, technologies or practices. Any development efforts could require significant effort and expense and, as result, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

Extensive regulation of our industry results in ongoing exposure to significant costs and penalties, enhanced oversight and restrictions and limitations on our ability to conduct and grow our business.

The financial services industry, including our business, is subject to extensive regulation by governmental and self-regulatory organizations in the jurisdictions in which we operate. These regulators have broad powers to promulgate and interpret laws, rules and regulations that often serve to restrict or limit our business. The requirements imposed by these regulators are designed to safeguard the integrity of the financial markets and to protect public investors generally rather than the interests of our stockholders, and we could become subject to increased governmental and public scrutiny in the future in response to global conditions and events. The SEC, the CFTC, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”), the National Futures Association (“NFA”) and other authorities extensively regulate the U.S. financial services industry, including most of our operations in the United States. Much of our international operations are subject to similar regulations in their respective jurisdictions, including regulations overseen by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) in the United Kingdom, De Nederlandsche Bank (“DNB”), the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (“AFM”), the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada and provincial regulators in Canada, the Japanese Financial Services Agency, the Japan Securities Dealers Association and the Australian Securities and Investment Commission.

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Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

Most aspects of our business, and in particular our broker-dealer, SEF and introducing broker subsidiaries, are subject to laws, rules and regulations that cover all aspects of our business, including manner of operation, system integrity, anti-money laundering and financial crimes, handling of material non-public information, safeguarding data, capital requirements, reporting, record retention, market access, licensing of employees and the conduct of officers, employees and other associated persons. See “Business — Regulation” in the 2019 Form 10-K, incorporated by reference in this prospectus, for a further description of the laws, rules and regulations that materially impact our business. There can be no assurance that we and/or our directors, officers and employees will be able to fully comply with these laws, rules and regulations. Any failure to comply with such legal and regulatory requirements could subject us to increased costs, fines, penalties or other sanctions, including suspensions of, or prohibitions on, certain of our activities, revocations of certain of our licenses or registrations, such as our membership in FINRA or our registration as a broker-dealer, or suspension of personnel.

Certain of our subsidiaries are subject to net capital and similar financial resource requirements. For example, our SEF subsidiaries are required to maintain sufficient financial resources to cover operating costs for at least one year. These net capital and related requirements may restrict our ability to withdraw capital from our regulated subsidiaries in certain circumstances, including through the payment of dividends, the redemption of stock or the making of unsecured advances or loans.

Some of our subsidiaries are subject to regulations, including under FINRA, the FCA and the DNB, regarding changes in control of their ownership or organizational structure as defined by the applicable regulatory body. These regulations generally provide that prior regulatory approval must be obtained in connection with any transaction resulting in a change in control or organizational structure of the subsidiary, such as changes in direct and indirect ownership or changes in the composition of the board of directors or similar body or the appointment of new officers, and may include similar changes that occur at Tradeweb Markets Inc. or any of its stockholders that may be deemed to hold a controlling interest as defined by the applicable regulatory body. As a result of these regulations, our future efforts to sell shares or raise additional capital, or to make changes to our organizational structure, may be delayed or prohibited in circumstances in which such a transaction would give rise to a change in control or organizational structure as defined by the applicable regulatory body.

Our ability to operate our trading platforms or offer our solutions in a particular jurisdiction is dependent on continued registration or authorization in that jurisdiction (or the maintenance of a valid exemption from such registration or authorization). In addition, regulatory approval may be required to expand certain of our operations and activities, and we may not be able to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals on a timely or cost-effective basis, or at all. Even if regulatory approvals are obtained, they may limit or impose restrictions on our operations and activities, and we may not be able to continue to comply with the terms of such approvals.

We incur significant costs, and will continue to devote significant financial and operational resources, to develop, implement and maintain policies, systems and processes to comply with our evolving legal and regulatory requirements. Future laws, rules and regulations, or adverse changes to, or more stringent enforcement of, existing laws, rules and regulations, could increase these costs and expose us to significant liabilities.

Our regulators generally require strict compliance with their laws, rules and regulations, and may investigate and enforce compliance and punish non-compliance. Many of our regulators, as well as other governmental authorities, are empowered to bring enforcement actions and to conduct administrative proceedings, examinations, inspections and investigations, which may result in increased compliance costs, penalties, fines, enhanced oversight, increased financial and capital requirements, additional restrictions or limitations, censure, suspension or other sanction, such as disgorgement, restitution or the revocation of regulatory approvals. The risks associated with such actions are difficult to assess or quantify.

In the normal course of our business, we have been, and continue to be from time to time, a party to various legal and regulatory proceedings related to compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations, including audits, examinations and investigations of our operations and activities. Legal and regulatory actions, from subpoenas and other requests for information to potential criminal investigations, may divert management’s attention, cause us to incur significant expenses, including fees for legal representation and

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Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

costs for remediation efforts, and result in fines, penalties or other sanctions. We may also be required to change or cease aspects of our operations or activities if a legal or regulatory authority determines that we have failed to comply with any laws, rules or regulations applicable to our business and/or otherwise determines to prohibit any of our operations or activities or revoke any of our approvals. In addition, regardless of the outcome, such actions may result in substantial costs and negative publicity, which may damage our reputation and impair our ability to attract and retain clients.

Firms in the financial services industry have experienced increased scrutiny in recent years, and penalties, fines and other sanctions sought by governmental and regulatory authorities, including the SEC, the CFTC, the Department of Justice, state securities administrators and state attorneys general in the United States, the FCA in the United Kingdom and other foreign regulators, have increased accordingly. This trend toward a heightened regulatory oversight and enforcement environment is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, and may create uncertainty and may increase our exposure to scrutiny of our operations and activities, significant penalties and liability and negative publicity.

Our business, and the businesses of many of our clients, could be materially adversely affected by new laws, rules or regulations or changes in existing laws, rules or regulations, including the interpretation and enforcement thereof.

Our business, and the business of many of our clients, is subject to extensive regulation. Governmental and regulatory authorities periodically review legislative and regulatory policies and initiatives, and may promulgate new or revised, or adopt changes in the interpretation and enforcement of existing, laws, rules and regulations at any time. Any such changes in laws, rules or regulations or in governmental policies could create additional regulatory exposure for our business, cause us to incur significant additional costs, require us to change or cease aspects of our business or restrict or limit our ability to grow our business, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. There have been in the past, and could be in the future, significant technological, operational and compliance costs associated with the obligations that derive from compliance with evolving laws, rules and regulations.

Changes in legislation and in the rules and regulations promulgated by domestic and foreign regulators, and how they are applied, often directly affect the method of operation and profitability of dealers and other financial services intermediaries, including our dealer clients, and could result in restrictions in the way we and our clients conduct business. For example, various rules promulgated since the financial crisis, including under the Dodd-Frank Act, could adversely affect our dealer clients’ ability to make markets in a variety of products, thereby negatively impacting the level of liquidity and pricing available on our trading platforms. Our business and that of our clients could also be affected by the monetary policies adopted by the Federal Reserve and foreign central banking authorities, which may affect the credit quality of our clients or increase the cost for our clients to trade certain instruments on our trading platforms. In addition, such changes in monetary policy may directly impact our cost of funds for financing and investment activities and may impact the value of any financial instruments we hold.

Furthermore, many of the underlying markets in which we facilitate trading, and in which our clients trade, are subject to regulation. For example, trading in interest rate swaps has been subject to extensive regulation in the past, and any future regulation could lead to a decline in trading in these markets, which could have a negative impact on our trading volumes and, as a result, our revenues.

In addition, regulatory bodies in Europe have recently developed new rules and regulations targeted at the financial services industry, including MiFID II and MiFIR, which were implemented in January 2018 and which introduced significant changes to the EU financial markets designed to facilitate more efficient markets and greater transparency for participants. MiFID II and MiFIR may have an adverse effect on our operations and our ability to offer our trading platforms and related solutions in a manner that can successfully compete against other methods of trading and related solutions. Additionally, most of the world’s major economies have introduced and continue to introduce regulations implementing Basel III, a global regulatory standard on bank capital adequacy, stress testing and market liquidity risk. The continued implementation of these and other bank capital standards could restrict the ability of our large bank and

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Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

dealer customers to raise additional capital or use existing capital for trading purposes, which might cause them to trade less on our trading platforms and diminish transaction velocity. In addition, as regulations are introduced which affect our prudential obligations, the regulatory capital requirements imposed on certain of our subsidiaries may change.

We believe that it remains premature to know conclusively how specific aspects of the regulatory developments described above may directly affect our business. We cannot predict whether additional changes to the laws, rules and regulations that govern our business and operations, including changes to their interpretation, implementation or enforcement, will occur in the future or the extent to which any such changes will impact our business and operations. In addition, we cannot predict how current proposals that have not yet been finalized and/or that remain subject to ongoing debate will be implemented or in what form. We believe that uncertainty and potential delays around the final form of such new laws, rules and regulations may negatively impact our clients and trading volumes in certain markets in which we transact. Additionally, unintended consequences of such new laws, rules and regulations may adversely affect our industry, our clients and us in ways yet to be determined. Any such legal and regulatory changes could affect us in substantial and unpredictable ways, and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our actual or perceived failure to comply with privacy, data protection and information security laws, rules, regulations and obligations could harm our business.

Certain types of information we collect, compile, store, use, transfer and/or publish are subject to numerous federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations regarding privacy, data protection and information security These laws, rules and regulations govern the storing, sharing, use, processing, transfer, disclosure and protection of personal information and other content. The scope of these laws, rules and regulations are changing, subject to differing interpretations, may be inconsistent among countries or conflict with other law, rules or regulations. We are also subject to the terms of our privacy policies and obligations to third parties related to applicable privacy, data protection and information security.

The regulatory framework for privacy, data protection and information security worldwide is uncertain, and is likely to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future, and we expect that there will continue to be new laws, rules regulations and industry standards concerning privacy, data protection and information security proposed and enacted in the various jurisdictions in which we operate. For example, European legislators adopted the General Data Protection Regulations (“GDPR”) that became effective in May 2018. The GDPR imposes more stringent EU data protection requirements and provides for greater penalties for noncompliance. Further, Brexit has created uncertainty with regard to the regulation of data protection in the United Kingdom. In particular, it is unclear whether the United Kingdom will enact data protection laws or regulations designed to be consistent with the GDPR and how data transfers to and from the United Kingdom will be regulated.

Our efforts to comply with privacy, data protection and information security laws, rules and regulations could entail substantial expenses, may divert resources from other initiatives and could impact our ability to provide certain solutions. Additionally, if our third-party providers violate any of these laws or regulations, such violations may also put our operations at risk. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with any of our obligations relating to privacy, data protection or information security may result in governmental investigations or enforcement actions, litigation, claims or negative publicity and could result in significant liability, increased costs or cause our clients to lose trust in us, which could have an adverse effect on our reputation and business.

New U.S. tax legislation may materially adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

At any time, the U.S. federal income tax laws or the administrative interpretations of those laws may be amended. We cannot predict when or if any new U.S. federal income tax law, regulation or administrative interpretation, or any amendment to any existing U.S. federal income tax law, regulation, or administrative interpretation, will be adopted, promulgated or become effective. Any such law, regulation or interpretation could take effect retroactively, and could adversely affect our business and financial condition, and the impact of any such law, regulation or interpretation on holders of our Class A common stock could be adverse.

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Our compliance and risk management programs might not be effective and may result in outcomes that could adversely affect our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our ability to comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations is largely dependent on our establishment and maintenance of compliance and risk management programs, including audit and reporting systems, that can quickly adapt and respond, as well as our ability to attract and retain qualified compliance, audit, legal, cybersecurity and other compliance and risk management personnel. While we have policies and procedures to identify, monitor and manage our risks and regulatory obligations, we cannot assure you that our policies and procedures will always be effective or that we will always be successful in monitoring or evaluating the risks to which we are or may be exposed. Our risk-management programs may prove to be ineffective because of their design, their implementation and maintenance or the lack of adequate, accurate or timely information. If our risk-management programs and efforts are ineffective, we could suffer losses that could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

As part of our compliance and risk management programs, we must rely upon our analysis of laws, rules, regulations and information regarding our industry, markets, personnel, clients and other matters that are publicly available or otherwise accessible to us. That information may not in all cases be accurate, complete, up-to-date or properly analyzed. Furthermore, we rely on a combination of technical and human controls and supervision that are subject to error and potential failure, the challenges of which are exacerbated by the 24-hour-a-day, global nature of our business, which is subject to various legal and regulatory requirements of multiple jurisdictions that are constantly evolving and subject to change.

In case of non-compliance or alleged non-compliance with applicable laws, rules or regulations by us or third parties on which we may rely, we could be subject to regulatory investigations and proceedings that may be very expensive to defend against and may result in substantial fines and penalties or civil lawsuits, including by clients, for damages which can be significant. Any of these outcomes would adversely affect our reputation, financial condition and results of operations. Further, the implementation of new legislation or regulations, or changes in or unfavorable interpretations of existing legislation or regulations by courts or regulators, could require us to incur significant compliance costs and impede our ability to operate, expand and enhance our platforms and solutions as necessary to remain competitive and grow our business, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are exposed to litigation risk.

We are from time to time involved in various litigation matters and claims, including lawsuits regarding employment matters, breach of contract matters and other business and commercial matters. See “Business — Legal Proceedings” in the 2019 Form 10-K, incorporated by reference in this prospectus. Many aspects of our business, and the businesses of our clients, involve substantial risks of liability. These risks include, among others, disputes over terms of a trade and claims that a system failure or delay caused monetary loss to a client or that an unauthorized trade occurred. Although we carry insurance that may limit our risk of damages in some matters, we may still sustain uncovered losses or losses in excess of available insurance, and we could incur significant legal expenses defending claims, even those without merit. Due to the uncertain nature of the litigation process, it is not possible to predict with certainty the outcome of any particular litigation matter or claim, and we could in the future incur judgments or enter into settlements that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The ultimate outcome of litigation matters and claims against us may require us to change or cease certain operations and may result in higher operating costs. An adverse resolution of any litigation matter or claim could cause damage to our reputation and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our use of open source software could result in litigation or impose unanticipated restrictions on our ability to commercialize our platforms and solutions.

We use open source software in our technology, most often as small components within a larger solution. Open source code is also contained in some third-party software we rely on. The terms of many open source licenses are ambiguous and have not been interpreted by U.S. or other courts, and these

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licenses could be construed in a manner that imposes unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our ability to commercialize our platforms and solutions, license the software on unfavorable terms, require us to re-engineer our platforms and solutions or take other remedial actions, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

The credit agreement that governs the Revolving Credit Facility imposes significant operating and financial restrictions on us and our restricted subsidiaries, which may prevent us from capitalizing on business opportunities, and we may incur additional debt in the future that may include similar or additional restrictions.

We are party to a $500.0 million senior secured revolving credit facility (the “Revolving Credit Facility”), with a syndicate of banks. The credit agreement that governs the Revolving Credit Facility imposes significant operating and financial restrictions. These restrictions, which are subject to a number of qualifications and exceptions, could limit our ability and the ability of our restricted subsidiaries to, among other things:

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incur additional indebtedness and guarantee indebtedness;

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create or incur liens;

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pay dividends and distributions or repurchase capital stock;

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make investments, loans and advances; and

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enter into certain transactions with affiliates.

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In addition, the credit agreement that governs our Revolving Credit Facility requires us to maintain a maximum total net leverage ratio and a minimum cash interest coverage ratio. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources” in the 2019 Form 10-K, incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

These covenants could materially adversely affect our ability to finance our future operations or capital needs. Furthermore, they may restrict our ability to expand and pursue our business strategies and otherwise conduct our business. Our ability to comply with these covenants may be affected by circumstances and events beyond our control, such as prevailing economic conditions and changes in regulations, and we cannot assure you that we will be able to comply with such covenants. These restrictions could also limit our ability to obtain future financings to withstand a future downturn in our business or the economy in general. In addition, complying with these covenants may also cause us to take actions that make it more difficult for us to successfully execute our business strategies and compete against companies that are not subject to such restrictions.

Our failure to comply with the covenants and other terms of the Revolving Credit Facility and/or the terms of any future indebtedness could result in an event of default. If any such event of default occurs and is not waived, the lenders under the Revolving Credit Facility could elect to declare all amounts outstanding and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, under the Revolving Credit Facility to be immediately due and payable, and could foreclose on the assets securing the Revolving Credit Facility. The lenders would also have the right in these circumstances to terminate any commitments they have to provide further credit extensions. If we are forced to refinance any borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility on less favorable terms or if we cannot refinance these borrowings, our financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

In addition, although the credit agreement that governs the Revolving Credit Facility contains restrictions on the incurrence of additional indebtedness, these restrictions are subject to a number of qualifications and exceptions, and we and our subsidiaries may be able to incur substantial additional indebtedness in compliance with these restrictions in the future. The terms of any future indebtedness we may incur could include more restrictive covenants.

Any borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility will subject us to interest rate risk, which could cause our debt service obligations to increase significantly.

Any borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility will be at variable rates of interest and expose us to interest rate risk. Although there is uncertainty concerning the current interest rate environment, interest rates are still near historically low levels. If interest rates rise, our debt service obligations on any borrowings

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under the Revolving Credit Facility will increase even though the amount borrowed may remain the same, and our net income and cash flows will correspondingly decrease. Assuming that the $500.0 million Revolving Credit Facility was fully drawn, each 0.125% change in interest rates would result in an approximate change of  $0.6 million in annual interest expense on the borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility.

The phase-out, replacement or unavailability of LIBOR and/or other interest rate benchmarks could adversely affect our indebtedness.

The interest rates applicable to the Revolving Credit Facility are based on, and the interest rates applicable to certain debt obligations we may incur in the future may be based on, a fluctuating rate of interest determined by reference to the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”). In July 2017, the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, announced that it intends to stop persuading or compelling banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR after 2021. In response to concerns regarding the future of LIBOR, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York convened the Alternative Reference Rates Committee (the “ARRC”) to identify alternatives to LIBOR. The ARRC has recommended a benchmark replacement waterfall to assist issuers in continued capital market entry while safeguarding against LIBOR’s discontinuation. The initial steps in the ARRC’s recommended provision reference variations of the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), calculated using short-term repurchase agreements backed by Treasury securities. At this time, it is not possible to predict whether SOFR will attain market traction as a LIBOR replacement. Additionally, it is uncertain if LIBOR will cease to exist after calendar year 2021, or whether additional reforms to LIBOR may be enacted, or whether alternative reference rates will gain market acceptance as a replacement for LIBOR. In anticipation of LIBOR’s phase-out, the credit agreement governing the Revolving Credit Facility provides for alternative base rates as well as a transition mechanism for selecting a benchmark replacement rate for LIBOR, with such benchmark replacement rate to be mutually agreed with the administrative agent and subject to the majority lenders not objecting to such benchmark replacement. There can be no assurance that we will be able to reach any agreement on a replacement benchmark, and there can be no assurance that any agreement we reach will result in effective interest rates at least as favorable to us as our current effective interest rates. The failure to reach an agreement on a replacement benchmark, or the failure to reach an agreement that results in an effective interest rate at least as favorable to us as our current effective interest rates, could result in a significant increase in our debt service obligations, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the overall financing market may be disrupted as a result of the phase-out or replacement of LIBOR, which could have an adverse impact on our ability to refinance, reprice or amend the Revolving Credit Facility, or incur additional indebtedness, on favorable terms, or at all.

We are a restricted subsidiary under Refinitiv’s credit facility and the indentures governing its senior notes, which may limit Refinitiv’s ability to permit us to take certain actions.

We are a “restricted subsidiary” under Refinitiv’s credit facility and the indentures governing its senior notes. While we are not a guarantor of Refinitiv’s indebtedness, or a party to the agreements governing Refinitiv’s indebtedness, the restrictions applicable to “restricted subsidiaries” contained in such agreements will nevertheless be applicable to us for so long as we are consolidated within Refinitiv’s financial statements in accordance with GAAP. Among these restrictions are limitations on Refinitiv’s ability to permit us to incur or guarantee indebtedness, issue certain preferred stock, repurchase subordinated indebtedness, make certain investments, transfer or sell certain assets, enter into restrictions affecting our ability to make distributions or loans or advances to Refinitiv, and enter into certain transactions with affiliates. As a result of these restrictions, we may be unable to take certain actions and, accordingly, limited in our ability to expand and pursue our business strategies and otherwise conduct our business.

We may incur impairment charges for our goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets which would negatively impact our operating results.

As of December 31, 2019, we had goodwill of  $2,694.8 million and indefinite-lived intangible assets of $323.1 million, which relate to the Refinitiv Transaction. The carrying value of goodwill represents the fair value of an acquired business in excess of identifiable assets and liabilities as of the acquisition date. The

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Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

carrying value of indefinite-lived intangible assets represents the fair value of licenses and trade names as of the acquisition date. Determining the fair value of certain assets acquired and liabilities assumed is judgmental in nature and requires management to use significant estimates and assumptions, including assumptions with respect to future cash flows, discount rates, growth rates and asset lives. We do not amortize goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets that we expect to contribute indefinitely to our cash flows, but instead we evaluate these assets for impairment at least annually, or more frequently if changes in circumstances indicate that a potential impairment could exist. Significant negative industry or economic trends, disruptions to our business, inability to effectively integrate acquired businesses, unexpected significant changes or planned changes in use of the acquired assets, divestitures and market capitalization declines may impair our goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets. Any charges relating to such impairments could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Relating to the Company and Our Organizational Structure

Our principal asset is our equity interest in TWM LLC, and, accordingly, we depend on distributions from TWM LLC to pay our taxes and expenses, including payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement.

We are a holding company and our principal asset is our equity interest in TWM LLC. We have no independent means of generating revenue or cash flow, and our ability to pay our taxes and operating expenses or declare and pay dividends, if any, in accordance with our dividend policy will be dependent upon the financial results and cash flows of TWM LLC and its subsidiaries and distributions we receive from TWM LLC. There can be no assurance that TWM LLC and its subsidiaries will generate sufficient cash flow to distribute funds to us or that applicable state law and contractual restrictions will permit such distributions.

We also incur expenses related to our operations, including payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement, which we expect could be significant. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions — Related Party Transactions Entered Into in Connection With the IPO — Tax Receivable Agreement.” We intend, as its sole manager, to cause TWM LLC to continue to make cash distributions to the owners of LLC Interests, including us, in an amount sufficient to (i) fund all or part of their tax obligations in respect of taxable income allocated to them and (ii) cover our operating expenses, including payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement. When TWM LLC makes distributions, the Continuing LLC Owners will be entitled to receive proportionate distributions based on their economic interests in TWM LLC at the time of such distributions. TWM LLC’s ability to make such distributions may be subject to various limitations and restrictions, such as restrictions on distributions that would either violate any contract or agreement to which TWM LLC is then a party, or any applicable law, or that would have the effect of rendering TWM LLC insolvent. If we do not have sufficient funds to pay tax or other liabilities or to fund our operations, we may have to borrow funds, including under the Revolving Credit Facility, which could materially adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition and subject us to various restrictions imposed by any such indebtedness. To the extent that we are unable to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement for any reason, such payments generally will be deferred and will accrue interest until paid; provided, however, that nonpayment for a specified period may constitute a material breach of a material obligation under the Tax Receivable Agreement and therefore accelerate payments due under the Tax Receivable Agreement. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions — Related Party Transactions Entered Into in Connection With the IPO — Tax Receivable Agreement” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions — Related Party Transactions Entered Into in Connection With the IPO — TWM LLC Agreement.” In addition, if TWM LLC does not have sufficient funds to make distributions, our ability to declare and pay cash dividends will also be restricted or impaired. See “—Risks Relating to Ownership of Our Class A Common Stock” and “Dividend Policy.”

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In certain circumstances, TWM LLC will be required to make distributions to us and the other holders of LLC Interests, and the distributions that TWM LLC will be required to make may be substantial and in excess of our tax liabilities and obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement. To the extent we do not distribute such excess cash, the Continuing LLC Owners would benefit from any value attributable to such cash balances as a result of their ownership of Class A common stock or Class B common stock following an exchange of their LLC Interests.

TWM LLC is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as such, is not subject to any entity-level U.S. federal income tax. Instead, taxable income is allocated to holders of LLC Interests, including us. Accordingly, we incur income taxes on our allocable share of any net taxable income of TWM LLC. Under the TWM LLC Agreement, TWM LLC is generally required from time to time to make pro rata distributions in cash to us and the other holders of LLC Interests in amounts that are intended to be sufficient to cover the taxes on our and the other LLC Interests holders’ respective allocable shares of the taxable income of TWM LLC. As a result of  (i) potential differences in the amount of net taxable income allocable to us and the other LLC Interest holders, (ii) the lower tax rate applicable to corporations as compared to individuals and (iii) the favorable tax benefits that we anticipate receiving from (a) acquisitions of LLC Interests in connection with future taxable redemptions or exchanges of LLC Interests for shares of our Class A common stock or Class B common stock, as applicable, and (b) payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement, we expect that these tax distributions will be in amounts that exceed our tax liabilities and obligations to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement. Our board of directors will determine the appropriate uses for any excess cash so accumulated, which may include, among other uses, any potential dividends, the payment of obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement and the payment of other expenses. We have no obligation to distribute such cash (or other available cash other than any declared dividend) to our stockholders. No adjustments to the redemption or exchange ratio of LLC Interests for shares of Class A common stock or Class B common stock, as applicable, will be made as a result of either (i) any cash distribution by TWM LLC or (ii) any cash that we retain and do not distribute to our stockholders. To the extent that we do not distribute such excess cash as dividends on our Class A common stock and Class B common stock and instead, for example, hold such cash balances or lend them to TWM LLC, the Continuing LLC Owners would benefit from any value attributable to such cash balances as a result of their ownership of Class A common stock or Class B common stock, as applicable, following a redemption or exchange of their LLC Interests.

The Tax Receivable Agreement with the Continuing LLC Owners requires us to make cash payments to them in respect of certain tax benefits to which we may become entitled, and we expect that the payments we will be required to make will be substantial.

We are a party to the Tax Receivable Agreement with TWM LLC and the Continuing LLC Owners. Under the Tax Receivable Agreement, we are required to make cash payments to a Continuing LLC Owner equal to 50% of the U.S. federal, state and local income or franchise tax savings, if any, that we actually realize, or in certain circumstances are deemed to realize, as a result of  (i) increases in the tax basis of TWM LLC’s assets resulting from (a) the purchase of LLC Interests from such Continuing LLC Owner, including with the net proceeds from the IPO, the October 2019 follow-on offering, this offering and any future offerings or (b) redemptions or exchanges by such Continuing LLC Owner of LLC Interests for shares of our Class A common stock or Class B Common Stock or for cash, as applicable, as described under “The IPO and Reorganization Transactions,” and (ii) certain other tax benefits related to our making payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement. We expect that the amount of the cash payments that we will be required to make under the Tax Receivable Agreement will be substantial. Any payments made by us to the Continuing LLC Owners under the Tax Receivable Agreement will generally reduce the amount of overall cash flow that might have otherwise been available to us. Furthermore, our obligation to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement could make us a less attractive target for an acquisition, particularly in the case of an acquirer that cannot use some or all of the tax benefits that are the subject of the Tax Receivable Agreement. For more information, see “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions — Related Party Transactions Entered Into in Connection With the IPO — Tax Receivable Agreement.”

The actual increase in tax basis, as well as the amount and timing of any payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement, will vary depending on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, the timing of any future redemptions, exchanges or purchases of the LLC Interests held by Continuing LLC Owners,

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the price of our Class A common stock at the time of the redemption, exchange or purchase, the extent to which redemptions or exchanges are taxable, the amount and timing of the taxable income that we generate in the future, the timing and amount of any earlier payments we make under the Tax Receivable Agreement itself, the tax rates then applicable and the portion of our payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement constituting imputed interest. We expect that, as a result of the increases in the tax basis of the tangible and intangible assets of TWM LLC attributable to the redeemed or exchanged LLC Interests, the payments that we may make to the existing Continuing LLC Owners could be substantial. For example, we recorded a liability of  $240.8 million related to our projected obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement with respect to LLC Interests that were purchased by Tradeweb Markets Inc. using the net proceeds from the IPO and the October 2019 follow-on offering and LLC Interests that were exchanged by Continuing LLC Owners during the year ended December 31, 2019. Assuming (i) that the Continuing LLC Owners redeemed or exchanged all of their LLC Interests immediately after the completion of this offering (including the LLC Interests we expect to purchase using the net proceeds of this offering), (ii) no material changes in relevant tax law, and (iii) that we earn sufficient taxable income in each year to realize on a current basis all tax benefits that are subject to the Tax Receivable Agreement, based on an assumed offering price of  $       per share (the closing price for our shares of Class A common stock on Nasdaq on                 , 2020), we expect that the tax savings we would be deemed to realize would aggregate approximately $      million over the 15-year period from the assumed date of such redemption or exchange, and over such period we would be required to pay the Continuing LLC Owners 50% of such amount, or approximately $      million, over such period. The actual amounts we may be required to pay under the Tax Receivable Agreement may materially differ from these hypothetical amounts, as potential future tax savings we will be deemed to realize, and Tax Receivable Agreement payments by us, will be calculated based in part on the market value of our Class A common stock at the time of redemption or exchange and the prevailing federal tax rates applicable to us over the life of the Tax Receivable Agreement (as well as the assumed combined state and local tax rate), and will generally be dependent on us generating sufficient future taxable income to realize all of these tax savings (subject to the exceptions described under “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions — Related Party Transactions Entered Into in Connection With the IPO — Tax Receivable Agreement”). Payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement are not conditioned on any Continuing LLC Owner’s continued ownership of LLC Interests or our Class A common stock or Class B common stock. There may be a material negative effect on our liquidity if, as described below, the payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement exceed the actual benefits we receive in respect of the tax attributes subject to the Tax Receivable Agreement and/or distributions to us by TWM LLC are not sufficient to permit us to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement.

Our organizational structure, including the Tax Receivable Agreement, confers certain benefits upon the Continuing LLC Owners that will not benefit Class A common stockholders or Class B common stockholders to the same extent as it will benefit the Continuing LLC Owners.

Our organizational structure, including the Tax Receivable Agreement, confers certain benefits upon the Continuing LLC Owners that will not benefit the holders of our Class A common stock or Class B common stock to the same extent as it will benefit the Continuing LLC Owners. The Tax Receivable Agreement with TWM LLC and the Continuing LLC Owners provides for the payment by us to the Continuing LLC Owners of 50% of the tax benefits, if any, that we actually realize, or in certain circumstances are deemed to realize, as a result of  (i) increases in the tax basis of TWM LLC’s assets resulting from (a) the purchase of LLC Interests from such Continuing LLC Owner, including with the net proceeds from the IPO, the October 2019 follow-on offering, this offering and any future offerings or (b) redemptions or exchanges by the Continuing LLC Owners of LLC Interests for shares of our Class A common stock or Class B Common Stock or for cash, as applicable, as described under “The IPO and Reorganization Transactions,” and (ii) certain other tax benefits related to our making payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement. Although we will retain 50% of the amount of such tax benefits, this and other aspects of our organizational structure may adversely impact the future trading market for the Class A common stock.

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In certain cases, payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement to the Continuing LLC Owners may be accelerated or significantly exceed the actual benefits we realize in respect of the tax attributes subject to the Tax Receivable Agreement.

The Tax Receivable Agreement provides that upon certain changes of control or if, at any time, we elect an early termination of the Tax Receivable Agreement, then our obligations, or our successor’s obligations, to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement would be accelerated and calculated based on certain assumptions, including an assumption that we would have sufficient taxable income to fully utilize all potential future tax benefits that are subject to the Tax Receivable Agreement.

As a result of the foregoing, (i) we could be required to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement that are greater than the specified percentage of the actual benefits we ultimately realize in respect of the tax benefits that are subject to the Tax Receivable Agreement (for example, if we do not end up having any income in the relevant period) and (ii) we would be required to make an immediate cash payment equal to the present value of the anticipated future tax benefits that are the subject of the Tax Receivable Agreement, which payment may be made significantly in advance of the actual realization, if any, of such future tax benefits. In these situations, our obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement could have a substantial negative impact on our liquidity and could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing certain change of control transactions. There can be no assurance that we will be able to fund or finance our obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement.

We will not be reimbursed for any payments made to the Continuing LLC Owners under the Tax Receivable Agreement in the event that any tax benefits are disallowed.

Payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement are based on the tax reporting positions that we determine, and the Internal Revenue Service or another tax authority may challenge all or part of the tax basis increases, as well as other related tax positions we take, and a court could sustain such challenge. We will not be reimbursed for any cash payments previously made to the Continuing LLC Owners under the Tax Receivable Agreement in the event that any tax benefits initially claimed by us and for which payment has been made to a Continuing LLC Owner are subsequently challenged by a taxing authority and are ultimately disallowed. Instead, any excess cash payments made by us to a Continuing LLC Owner will be netted against any future cash payments that we might otherwise be required to make to such Continuing LLC Owner under the terms of the Tax Receivable Agreement. However, we might not determine that we have effectively made an excess cash payment to a Continuing LLC Owner for a number of years following the initial time of such payment and, if any of our tax reporting positions are challenged by a taxing authority, we will not be permitted to reduce any future cash payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement until any such challenge is finally settled or determined. As a result, payments could be made under the Tax Receivable Agreement in excess of the tax savings that we realize in respect of the tax attributes with respect to a Continuing LLC Owner that are the subject of the Tax Receivable Agreement.

Unanticipated changes in effective tax rates or adverse outcomes resulting from examination of our income or other tax returns could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

We are subject to taxation by U.S. federal, state, local and foreign tax authorities, and our tax liabilities will be affected by the allocation of expenses to differing jurisdictions. Our future effective tax rates could be subject to volatility or adversely affected by a number of factors, including:

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changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities;

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expected timing and amount of the release of any tax valuation allowances;

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tax effects of stock-based compensation;

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changes in tax laws, regulations or interpretations thereof; or

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future earnings being lower than anticipated in countries where we have lower statutory tax rates and higher than anticipated in countries where we have higher statutory tax rates.

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In addition, we may be subject to audits of our income, sales and other transaction taxes by U.S. federal, state, local and foreign taxing authorities. Outcomes from these audits could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

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In certain circumstances, liability for adjustments to a partnership’s tax return may be imputed to the partnership itself absent an election to the contrary. TWM LLC may be subject to material liabilities if, for example, its calculations of taxable income are incorrect.

If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), as a result of our ownership of TWM LLC, applicable restrictions could make it impractical for us to continue our business as contemplated and could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Under Sections 3(a)(1)(A) and (C) of the 1940 Act, a company generally will be deemed to be an “investment company” for purposes of the 1940 Act if  (i) it is, or holds itself out as being, engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities or (ii) it engages, or proposes to engage, in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and it owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of its total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. We do not believe that we are an “investment company,” as such term is defined in either of those sections of the 1940 Act.

As the sole manager of TWM LLC, we control and operate TWM LLC. On that basis, we believe that our interest in TWM LLC is not an “investment security” as that term is used in the 1940 Act. However, if we were to cease participation in the management of TWM LLC, our interest in TWM LLC could be deemed an “investment security” for purposes of the 1940 Act.

We and TWM LLC intend to continue to conduct our operations so that we will not be deemed an investment company. However, if we are deemed to be an investment company, restrictions imposed by the 1940 Act, including limitations on our capital structure and our ability to transact with affiliates, could make it impractical for us to continue our business as contemplated and could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Risks Relating to Ownership of Our Class A Common Stock

The Refinitiv Owners and their affiliates control us and their interests may conflict with ours or yours in the future.

The Refinitiv Owners and their affiliates currently control approximately 77.1% of the combined voting power of our common stock, and, immediately following this offering and the application of the net proceeds from this offering, the Refinitiv Owners and their affiliates will control approximately          % of the combined voting power of our common stock (or           %, if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock) as a result of their ownership of our Class B common stock and Class D common stock, each share of which is entitled to 10 votes on all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders. Moreover, under our amended and restated bylaws and the Stockholders Agreement, for so long as the Refinitiv Owners and their affiliates together continue to beneficially own at least 10% of the combined voting power of our common stock, we will agree to nominate to our board of directors a certain number of individuals designated by the Refinitiv Owners. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions — Related Party Transactions Entered Into in Connection With the IPO — Stockholders Agreement.” Even when the Refinitiv Owners and their affiliates cease to own shares of our common stock representing a majority of the combined voting power, for so long as the Refinitiv Owners continue to own a significant percentage of our common stock, the Refinitiv Owners will still be able to significantly influence the composition of our board of directors and the approval of actions requiring stockholder approval through their combined voting power. Accordingly, for such period of time, the Refinitiv Owners and their affiliates will continue to have significant influence with respect to our management, business plans and policies. In particular, the Refinitiv Owners and their affiliates are able to cause or prevent a change of control of our company or a change in the composition of our board of directors and could preclude any unsolicited acquisition of our company. The concentration of voting power could deprive you of an opportunity to receive a premium for your shares of Class A common stock as part of a sale of our company and ultimately might affect the market price of our Class A common stock.

The Refinitiv Owners and their affiliates engage in a broad spectrum of activities. In the ordinary course of their business activities, the Refinitiv Owners and their affiliates may engage in activities where

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their interests conflict with our interests or those of our stockholders. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that none of the Refinitiv Owners, any of their affiliates or any director who is not employed by us (including any non-employee director who serves as one of our officers in both his director and officer capacities) or his or her affiliates has any duty to refrain from engaging, directly or indirectly, in the same business activities or similar business activities or lines of business in which we operate. The Refinitiv Owners and their affiliates also may pursue acquisition opportunities that may be complementary to our business, and, as a result, those acquisition opportunities may not be available to us. In addition, the Refinitiv Owners and their affiliates may have an interest in us pursuing acquisitions, divestitures and other transactions that, in their judgment, could enhance their investment, even though such transactions might involve risks to you.

The Refinitiv Direct Owner and the Continuing LLC Owners may require us to issue additional shares of our Class A common stock.

After giving effect to this offering, we will have an aggregate of more than                 shares of Class A common stock authorized but unissued, including approximately                 shares of Class A common stock (or                 shares, if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock) issuable upon the redemption or exchange of LLC Interests that are held by the Continuing LLC Owners or the exchange of shares of Class B common stock that are held by the Refinitiv Direct Owner and any other future holders of Class B common stock. Subject to certain restrictions set forth in the TWM LLC Agreement and as described elsewhere in this prospectus, the Continuing LLC Owners are entitled to have their LLC Interests redeemed for newly issued shares of our Class A common stock or Class B common stock, in each case, on a one-for-one basis (in which case such holders’ shares of Class C common stock or Class D common stock, as the case may be, will be cancelled on a one-for-one basis upon any such issuance). Shares of our Class B common stock may also be exchanged at any time, at the option of the holder, for newly issued shares of Class A common stock (in which case such holders’ shares of Class B common stock will be cancelled on a one-for-one basis upon any such issuance).

We cannot predict the size of future issuances of our Class A common stock or the effect, if any, that future issuances and sales of shares of our Class A common stock may have on the market price of our Class A common stock. Sales or distributions of substantial amounts of our Class A common stock, including shares issued in connection with an acquisition, or the perception that such sales or distributions could occur, may cause the market price of our Class A common stock to decline.

We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of Nasdaq and, as a result, qualify for, and rely on, exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements.

Refinitiv owns a majority of the combined voting power in us. As a result, we are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of Nasdaq. A company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, a group or another company is a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of Nasdaq and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq, including:

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the requirement that a majority of our board of directors consist of independent directors;

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the requirement that director nominations be made, or recommended to the full board of directors, by its independent directors or by a nominations committee that is composed entirely of independent directors; and

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the requirement that we have a compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities.

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We intend to continue to rely on all of the exemptions listed above. If we continue to utilize the exemptions, we will not have a majority of independent directors and our nominating and corporate governance and compensation committees will not consist entirely of independent directors. As a result, our board of directors and those committees may have more directors who do not meet Nasdaq independence standards than they would if those standards were to apply. The independence standards are intended to

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ensure that directors who meet those standards are free of any conflicting interest that could influence their actions as directors. Accordingly, you will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq.

The market price of our Class A common stock may be highly volatile, and you may not be able to resell your shares at or above the public offering price.

Prior to the IPO, there was no public market for our Class A common stock. Given our limited trading history, an active trading market for our Class A common stock may not be sustained, which could adversely affect your ability to sell your shares and the market price for your shares. Further, the market price and trading volumes of our Class A common stock could be volatile, and you could lose all or part of your investment. Stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies in our industry. The following factors, in addition to other factors described in this “Risk Factors” section, may have a significant impact on the market price and trading volume of our Class A common stock:

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negative trends in global economic conditions or activity levels in our industry;

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changes in our relationship with our clients or in client needs or expectations or trends in the markets in which we operate;

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announcements concerning or by our competitors or concerning our industry or the markets in which we operate in general;

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announcements of investigations or regulatory scrutiny of our operations or lawsuits filed against us;

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our ability to implement our business strategy;

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our ability to complete and integrate acquisitions;

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actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly or annual operating results or failure to meet guidance given by us or any change in guidance given by us or in our guidance practices;

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trading volume of our Class A common stock;

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the failure of securities analysts to cover the Company or changes in financial estimates by the analysts who cover us, our competitors or our industry in general;

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economic, political, social, legal and regulatory factors unrelated to our performance;

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changes in accounting principles;

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the loss of any of our management or key personnel;

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sales of our Class A common stock by us, our executive officers, directors or our stockholders in the future;

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investor perception of us, our competitors and our industry;

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any adverse consequences related to our multi-class capital structure, such as stock index providers excluding companies with multi-class capital structures from certain indices; and

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overall fluctuations in the U.S. equity markets generally.

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In addition, broad market and industry factors may negatively affect the market price of our Class A common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance, and factors beyond our control may cause our stock price to decline rapidly and unexpectedly.

Sales, or the potential for sales, of a substantial number of shares of our Class A common stock in the public market could cause our stock price to drop significantly.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our Class A common stock in the public market or the perception that these sales might occur, could depress the market price of our Class A common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. Upon the closing of

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this offering, we will have                 outstanding shares of Class A common stock (or                 shares, if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock) and                 shares of Class A common stock that are authorized but unissued that would be issuable upon redemption or exchange of LLC Interests or exchange of shares of our Class B common stock.

We and each of our directors and executive officers and the Refinitiv Owners and Bank Stockholders that continue to own LLC Interests have agreed with the underwriters, subject to certain exceptions, not to dispose of or hedge any shares of Class A common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, shares of Class A common stock (including the LLC Interests and shares of Class B common stock) during the period from the date of this prospectus continuing through the date           days after the date of this prospectus, except with the prior written consent of the representatives. In addition, we entered into the Registration Rights Agreement in connection with the IPO pursuant to which the shares of Class A common stock that may be issued upon redemption or exchange of LLC Interests held by the Refinitiv LLC Owner and the Bank Stockholders and the shares of Class A common stock that may be issued upon exchange of shares of Class B common stock held by the Refinitiv Direct Owner are subject to certain transfer restrictions. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions — Related Party Transactions Entered Into in Connection With the IPO — Registration Rights Agreement.” Sales of a substantial number of Class A common stock upon expiration of such above-described agreements, the perception that such sales may occur, or early release of such agreements, could cause the market price of our shares of Class A common stock to fall or make it more difficult for you to sell your Class A common stock at a time and price that you deem appropriate.

All of our shares of Class A common stock outstanding as of the date of this prospectus (and shares of Class A common stock issuable upon redemption or exchange of LLC Interests or exchange of shares of our Class B common stock) may be sold in the public market by existing stockholders following the expiration or early release of the applicable lock-up periods, subject to applicable limitations imposed under federal securities laws. Sales of shares of our Class A common stock following the expiration or early release of the applicable lock-up periods could have a material adverse effect on the trading price of our Class A common stock. See “Shares Eligible for Future Sale.”

In addition, shares of Class A common stock issued or issuable upon exercise of options that have currently vested are eligible for sale. We have filed a registration statement on Form S-8 under the Securities Act covering 31,819,860 shares of Class A common stock issued or issuable under our equity incentive plans. Accordingly, shares registered under such registration statement are available for sale in the open market following the vesting of awards, as applicable, the expiration or waiver of any applicable lockup period and subject to Rule 144 limitations applicable to affiliates.

In addition, pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, we granted the Refinitiv Owners, the Bank Stockholders, their affiliates and certain of their transferees the right, under certain circumstances and subject to certain restrictions, to require us to register under the Securities Act shares of Class A common stock. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions — Related Party Transactions Entered Into in Connection With the IPO — Registration Rights Agreement.” Registration of these shares under the Securities Act, would result in the shares becoming freely tradable without restriction under the Securities Act, except for shares held by our affiliates as defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act.

If securities or industry analysts cease publishing research or reports about us, our business, our industry or markets or our competitors, or if they adversely change their recommendations or publish negative reports regarding our business or our Class A common stock, our stock price and trading volume could materially decline.

The trading market for our Class A common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts may publish about us, our business, our industry or markets or our competitors. We do not have any control over these analysts and we cannot provide any assurance that analysts will continue to cover us or provide favorable coverage. If any of the analysts who cover us adversely change their recommendation regarding our Class A common stock, or provide more favorable

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relative recommendations about our competitors, our stock price could materially decline. If any analyst who covers us were to cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volumes to materially decline.

We intend to continue to pay regular dividends on our Class A common stock and Class B common stock, but our ability to do so may be limited.

We intend to continue to pay cash dividends on our Class A common stock and Class B common stock on a quarterly basis, subject to the discretion of our board of directors and our compliance with applicable law, and depending on our and our subsidiaries’ results of operations, capital requirements, financial condition, business prospects, contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by applicable laws and other factors that our board of directors deems relevant.

Because we are a holding company and all of our business is conducted through our subsidiaries, we expect to pay dividends, if any, only from funds we receive from our subsidiaries. Accordingly, our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders is dependent on the earnings and distributions of funds from our subsidiaries. As the sole manager of TWM LLC, we intend to cause, and will rely on, TWM LLC to make distributions in respect of LLC Interests to fund our dividends. When TWM LLC makes such distributions, the Continuing LLC Owners will be entitled to receive equivalent distributions pro rata based on their economic interests in TWM LLC at the time of such distributions. See “The IPO and Reorganization Transactions.” In order for TWM LLC to make distributions, it may need to receive distributions from its subsidiaries. Certain of these subsidiaries are or may in the future be subject to regulatory capital requirements that limit the size or frequency of distributions. If TWM LLC is unable to cause these subsidiaries to make distributions, it may have inadequate funds to distribute to us and we may be unable to fund our dividends. Our ability to pay dividends may also be restricted by the terms of the Revolving Credit Facility, any future credit agreement or any future debt or preferred equity securities of Tradeweb or its subsidiaries.

Our dividend policy entails certain risks and limitations, particularly with respect to our liquidity. By paying cash dividends rather than investing that cash in our business or repaying any outstanding debt, we risk, among other things, slowing the expansion of our business, having insufficient cash to fund our operations or make capital expenditures or limiting our ability to incur borrowings. Our board of directors will periodically review the cash generated from our business and the capital expenditures required to finance our growth plans and determine whether to modify the amount of regular dividends and/or declare any periodic special dividends. There can be no assurance that our board of directors will not reduce the amount of regular cash dividends or cause us to cease paying dividends altogether.

Anti-takeover provisions in our organizational documents and Delaware law might discourage or delay acquisition attempts for us that you might consider favorable.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that may make the merger or acquisition of our company more difficult without the approval of our board of directors. Among other things, these provisions:

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provide for a multi-class common stock structure with a 10 vote per share feature of our Class B common stock and Class D common stock;

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allow us to authorize the issuance of undesignated preferred stock in connection with a stockholder rights plan or otherwise, the terms of which may be established and the shares of which may be issued without stockholder approval, and which may include super voting, special approval, dividend, or other rights or preferences superior to the rights of the holders of our common stock;

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prohibit stockholder action by written consent from and after the date on which the Refinitiv Owners cease to beneficially own at least 50% of the total voting power of all then outstanding shares of our capital stock unless such action is recommended by all directors then in office;

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•

provide that the board of directors is expressly authorized to make, alter or repeal our bylaws and that our stockholders may only amend our bylaws with the approval of 662∕3% or more in voting power of all outstanding shares of our capital stock, if the Refinitiv Owners and their respective affiliates beneficially own less than 50% in voting power of our stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors; and

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establish advance notice requirements for nominations for elections to our board or for proposing matters that can be acted upon by stockholders at stockholder meetings.

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In addition, while we have opted out of Section 203 of the DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains similar provisions providing that we may not engage in certain “business combinations” with any “interested stockholder” for a three-year period following the time that the stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless:

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prior to such time, our board of directors approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;

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upon consummation of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of our voting stock outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding certain shares; or

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at or subsequent to that time, the business combination is approved by our board of directors and by the affirmative vote of holders of at least 662∕3% of our outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder.

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Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the Refinitiv Owners and their affiliates, and any of their respective direct or indirect transferees and any group as to which such persons are a party, do not constitute “interested stockholders” for purposes of this provision.

Further, as a Delaware corporation, we are also subject to provisions of Delaware law, which may impair a takeover attempt that our stockholders may find beneficial. These anti-takeover provisions and other provisions under Delaware law could discourage, delay or prevent a transaction involving a change in control of our company, including actions that our stockholders may deem advantageous, or negatively affect the market price of our Class A common stock. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for you and other stockholders to elect directors of your choosing and to cause us to take other corporate actions you desire. See “Description of Capital Stock.”

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain what such stockholders believe to be a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent to the selection of an alternative forum, any (i) derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of our company, (ii) action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee of our company to our company or our stockholders, (iii) action asserting a claim against us or any director or officer arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”) or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws or (iv) action asserting a claim against us or any director or officer of our company governed by the internal affairs doctrine, shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be exclusively brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or, if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction thereof, the federal district court of the State of Delaware. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the exclusive forum provision does not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act, the Securities Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring an interest in any shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. These choice-of-forum provisions may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that he, she or it believes to be favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find these provisions of our amended and restated

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certificate of incorporation inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.

Taking advantage of the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to “emerging growth companies” may make our Class A common stock less attractive to investors.

The JOBS Act provides that, so long as a company qualifies as an “emerging growth company,” it will, among other things:

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be exempt from the provisions of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requiring that its independent registered public accounting firm provide an attestation report on the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting;

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be exempt from the “say on pay” and “say on golden parachute” advisory vote requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act;

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be exempt from certain disclosure requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act relating to compensation of its executive officers and be permitted to omit the detailed compensation discussion and analysis from proxy statements and reports filed under the Exchange Act; and

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be exempt from any rules that may be adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board requiring mandatory audit firm rotations or a supplement to the auditor’s report on the financial statements.

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We intend to continue to take advantage of each of the exemptions described above. In addition, the JOBS Act permits an emerging growth company like us to take advantage of an extended transition period to comply with new or revised accounting standards applicable to public companies. We have irrevocably elected not to take advantage of the extension of time to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards available under Section 107(b) of the JOBS Act.

We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years after the IPO. We cannot predict if investors will find our Class A common stock less attractive because we rely on these exemptions, or if taking advantage of these exemptions will result in less active trading or more volatility in the market price of our Class A common stock.

Failure to establish and maintain effective internal controls in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act could have a material adverse effect on our business and stock price.

We are not currently required to comply with the rules of the SEC implementing Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and are therefore not required to make a formal assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting for that purpose. We are required to comply with the SEC’s rules implementing Sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which require management to certify financial and other information in our quarterly and annual reports and provide an annual management report on the effectiveness of control over financial reporting. Although we are required to disclose changes made in our internal controls and procedures on a quarterly basis, we are not required to make our first annual assessment of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 until our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2020. As an emerging growth company, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to formally attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in our annual report on Form 10-K at the later of the year following our first annual report required to be filed with the SEC or the date on which we are no longer an emerging growth company. At such time, our independent registered public accounting firm may issue a report that is adverse in the event that in its opinion we have not maintained effective internal control over financial reporting based on criteria established under in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

As a private company, we did not have any internal audit function. To comply with the requirements of being a public company, we have undertaken various actions, and will need to take additional actions, such as implementing new internal controls and procedures and hiring additional accounting or internal audit

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staff or consultants. Testing and maintaining internal control can divert our management’s attention from other matters that are important to the operation of our business. Additionally, when evaluating our internal control over financial reporting, we may identify material weaknesses that we may not be able to remediate in time to meet the applicable deadline imposed upon us for compliance with the requirements of Section 404. If we identify any material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting or are unable to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner or assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an opinion as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting once we are no longer an emerging growth company, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our Class A common stock could be negatively affected, and we could become subject to investigations by the stock exchange on which our securities are listed, the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which could require additional financial and management resources. In addition, if we fail to remedy any material weakness, our financial statements could be inaccurate and we could face restricted access to capital markets.

The requirements of being a public company, including compliance with the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and Nasdaq, may strain our resources, increase our costs and divert management’s attention, and we may be unable to comply with these requirements in a timely or cost-effective manner.

As a public company, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, and the corporate governance standards of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and Nasdaq. We have a limited history operating as a public company, and these requirements may place a strain on our management, systems and resources. In addition, we have incurred, and expect to continue to incur significant legal, accounting, insurance and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. The Exchange Act requires us to file annual, quarterly and current reports with respect to our business and financial condition within specified time periods and to prepare a proxy statement with respect to our annual meeting of stockholders. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. Nasdaq requires that we comply with various corporate governance requirements. To maintain and improve the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting and comply with the Exchange Act and Nasdaq requirements, significant resources and management oversight are required. This may divert management’s attention from other business concerns and lead to significant costs associated with compliance, which could have a material adverse effect on us and the market price of our Class A common stock.

The expenses incurred by public companies generally for reporting and corporate governance purposes have been increasing. We expect these rules and regulations to continue to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some activities more time-consuming and costly. These laws and regulations could also make it more difficult or costly for us to obtain certain types of insurance, including director and officer liability insurance, and we may be forced to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. These laws and regulations could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors or its committees or as our executive officers. Advocacy efforts by stockholders and third parties may also prompt even more changes in governance and reporting requirements. We cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of these costs. Furthermore, if we are unable to satisfy our obligations as a public company, we could be subject to delisting of our Class A common stock, fines, sanctions and other regulatory action and potentially civil litigation.

We may be subject to securities litigation, which is expensive and could divert management attention.

Our stock price may be volatile and, in the past, companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their stock have been subject to securities class action litigation. We may be the target of this type of litigation in the future. Litigation of this type could result in substantial costs and diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any adverse determination in litigation could also subject us to significant liabilities.

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus contains and incorporates by reference forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act. You can generally identify forward-looking statements by our use of forward-looking terminology such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “projection,” “seek,” “should,” “will” or “would,” or the negative thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology. In particular, statements about the markets in which we operate, including our expectations about market trends, our market opportunity and the growth of our various markets, our expansion into new markets, any potential tax savings we may realize as a result of our organizational structure, our dividend policy and our expectations, beliefs, plans, strategies, objectives, prospects or assumptions regarding future events, including the pending LSEG Transaction, our performance or otherwise, contained in this prospectus under the headings “Prospectus Summary,” “Risk Factors” and “Dividend Policy” or incorporated by reference under the headings “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Business” in the 2019 Form 10-K, are forward-looking statements.

We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While we believe these expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. These and other important factors, including those contained in this prospectus under the headings “Prospectus Summary,” “Risk Factors” and “Dividend Policy” or incorporated by reference in this prospectus under the headings “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Business” in the 2019 Form 10-K may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, or could affect our share price. Some of the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements include:

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changes in economic, political, social and market conditions and the impact of these changes on trading volumes;

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our failure to compete successfully;

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our failure to adapt our business effectively to keep pace with industry changes;

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consolidation and concentration in the financial services industry;

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our dependence on dealer clients, including those that are also current or former stockholders;

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our inability to maintain and grow the capacity of our trading platforms, systems and infrastructure;

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design defects, errors, failures or delays with our platforms or solutions;

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systems failures, interruptions, delays in services, cybersecurity incidents, catastrophic events and any resulting interruptions;

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our dependence on third parties for certain market data and certain key functions;

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our ability to implement our business strategies profitably;

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our ability to successfully integrate any acquisition or to realize benefits from any strategic alliances, partnerships or joint ventures;

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our ability to retain the services of certain members of our management;

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inadequate protection of our intellectual property;

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extensive regulation of our industry;

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limitations on operating our business and incurring additional indebtedness as a result of covenant restrictions under the Revolving Credit Facility and certain Refinitiv indebtedness;

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•

our dependence on distributions from TWM LLC to fund our expected dividend payments and to pay our taxes and expenses, including payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement;

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our ability to realize any benefit from our organizational structure;

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Refinitiv’s control of us and our status as a controlled company; and

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other risks and uncertainties, including those listed under “Risk Factors.”

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Given these risks and uncertainties, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus are not guarantees of future performance and our actual results of operations, financial condition or liquidity, and the development of the industry and markets in which we operate, may differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. In addition, even if our results of operations, financial condition or liquidity, and events in the industry and markets in which we operate, are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, they may not be predictive of results or developments in future periods.

Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of such statement. Except as required by law, we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise, or to publicly announce any update or revision to, any of the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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THE IPO AND REORGANIZATION TRANSACTIONS

Pre-IPO Organization

Prior to the completion of the IPO and the Reorganization Transactions described below, the Original LLC Owners were the only members of TWM LLC. TWM LLC is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as such, is not subject to any U.S. federal entity-level income taxes. Rather, taxable income or loss is included in the U.S. federal income tax returns of TWM LLC’s members.

Tradeweb Markets Inc. was incorporated as a Delaware corporation on November 7, 2018 to serve as the issuer of the Class A common stock offered hereby.

The IPO and Reorganization Transactions

On April 8, 2019, we completed our IPO of 46,000,000 shares of Class A common stock at a public offering price of  $27.00 per share, which included 6,000,000 shares of Class A common stock issued pursuant to the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock. We received $1,161.3 million in net proceeds, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions, but before deducting offering expenses of  $15.9 million, which we used to purchase 46,000,000 LLC Interests from certain of the Bank Stockholders (and the corresponding shares of common stock held by such Bank Stockholders were cancelled), at a purchase price per interest equal to the public offering price of  $27.00, less the underwriting discounts and commissions payable thereon.

Prior to the closing of the IPO, we consummated the Reorganization Transactions. In connection with the Reorganization Transactions, the following steps occurred:

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we amended and restated the TWM LLC Agreement to, among other things, (i) provide for LLC Interests that are the single class of common membership interests in TWM LLC, (ii) exchange all of the existing membership interests in TWM LLC for LLC Interests and (iii) appoint us as the sole manager of TWM LLC;

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we amended and restated our certificate of incorporation to, among other things, provide for Class A common stock, Class B common stock, Class C common stock and Class D common stock. Each share of Class A common stock and Class C common stock entitles its holder to one vote on all matters presented to our stockholders generally. Each share of Class B common stock and Class D common stock entitles its holder to ten votes on all matters presented to our stockholders generally. The holders of Class C common stock and Class D common stock have no economic interests in Tradeweb (where “economic interests” means the right to receive any dividends or distributions, whether cash or stock, in connection with common stock). These attributes are summarized in the following table:

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Holders of any outstanding shares of our Class A common stock, Class B common stock, Class C common stock and Class D common stock will vote together as a single class on all matters presented to our stockholders for their vote or approval, except as otherwise required by applicable law;

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we assumed sponsorship of the Option Plan and the PRSU Plan that were previously sponsored by TWM LLC. Accordingly, all options and PRSUs granted under such plans were converted into economically equivalent awards of Tradeweb;

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we issued an aggregate of 20,000,000 shares of Class C common stock and 105,289,005 shares of Class D common stock to the Original LLC Owners that received LLC Interests, on a one-to-one basis with the number of LLC Interests they owned immediately following the amendment and

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restatement of the TWM LLC Agreement, for nominal consideration (we subsequently canceled 9,993,731 shares of such Class C common stock and 36,006,269 shares of such Class D common stock in connection with our purchase of LLC Interests from certain of the Bank Stockholders using the net proceeds of the IPO);

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as a result of the Refinitiv Contribution, the Refinitiv Direct Owner received 96,933,192 shares of Class B common stock and we received 96,933,192 LLC Interests;

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the Continuing LLC Owners continue to own the LLC Interests they received in exchange for their existing membership interests in TWM LLC and have no economic interests in Tradeweb despite their ownership of Class C common stock and/or Class D common stock, as the case may be; and

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we entered into (i) the Tax Receivable Agreement with TWM LLC and the Continuing LLC Owners, (ii) the Stockholders Agreement with the Refinitiv Owners, and (iii) the Registration Rights Agreement with the Refinitiv Owners and the Bank Stockholders. For a description of the terms of the Tax Receivable Agreement, the Stockholders Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement, see “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”

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After the completion of the IPO, in order to facilitate the disposition of equity interests in TWM LLC held by certain of the Bank Stockholders, we used the net proceeds from the IPO to purchase 46,000,000 issued and outstanding LLC Interests from certain of the Bank Stockholders (and the corresponding shares of common stock held by such Bank Stockholders were cancelled), at a purchase price per interest equal to the initial public offering price per share of Class A common stock, less the underwriting discounts and commissions payable thereon, collectively representing a 20.7% economic interest in TWM LLC.

Organizational Structure Following the IPO and Reorganization Transactions

Immediately following the completion of the Reorganization Transactions and the IPO and the application of the net proceeds therefrom as described above:

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Tradeweb became a holding company whose principal asset consists of its equity interest in TWM LLC that it acquired from certain of the Bank Stockholders using the net proceeds from the IPO and the LLC Interests that it received as a result of the Refinitiv Contribution;

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Tradeweb became the sole manager of TWM LLC and operates and controls all of the business and affairs of TWM LLC and its subsidiaries;

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the TWM LLC Agreement requires that TWM LLC at all times maintain (i) a one-to-one ratio between the number of shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock issued by us and the number of LLC Interests owned by us and (ii) a one-to-one ratio between the number of shares of Class C common stock and Class D common stock issued by us and the number of LLC Interests owned by the holders of such Class C common stock and Class D common stock;

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Tradeweb owned LLC Interests representing 64.3% of the economic interest in TWM LLC;

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the purchasers in the IPO (i) owned shares of Class A common stock representing (x) 2.7% of the combined voting power of all of Tradeweb’s common stock and (y) 32.2% of the economic interest in Tradeweb and (ii) through Tradeweb’s ownership of LLC Interests, indirectly held (applying the percentage in the preceding clause (i)(y) to Tradeweb’s percentage economic interest in TWM LLC) 20.7% of the economic interest in TWM LLC;

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the Refinitiv Owners collectively owned shares of Class B common stock and Class D common stock representing 69.8% of the combined voting power of all of Tradeweb’s common stock and shares of Class B common stock and LLC Interests, respectively, representing 54.0% of the total economic interest in TWM LLC;

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the Other LLC Owners owned (i) LLC Interests representing 25.3% of the economic interest in TWM LLC and (ii) through their ownership of shares of Class C common stock and/or Class D common stock, as the case may be, 27.5% of the combined voting power of all of Tradeweb’s common stock;

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the LLC Interests held by the Continuing LLC Owners are redeemable in accordance with the terms of the TWM LLC Agreement, at the election of such holders, for newly issued shares of Class A common stock or Class B common stock, as the case may be, on a one-for-one basis (and such holders’ shares of Class C common stock or Class D common stock, as the case may be, will be cancelled on a one-for-one basis upon any such issuance). The Continuing LLC Owners that hold shares of Class D common stock may also from time to time exchange all or a portion of their shares of our Class D common stock for newly issued shares of Class C common stock on a one-for-one basis (in which case their shares of Class D common stock will be cancelled on a one-for-one basis upon such issuance). In addition, with respect to each Bank Stockholder that holds shares of Class D common stock, immediately prior to the occurrence of any event that would cause the combined voting power held by such Bank Stockholder to exceed 4.9%, the minimum number of shares of Class D common stock of such Bank Stockholder that would need to convert into shares of Class C common stock such that the combined voting power held by such Bank Stockholder would not exceed 4.9% will automatically convert into shares of Class C common stock;

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•

in the event of such election by a Continuing LLC Owner, we may, at our option, effect a direct exchange of Class A common stock or Class B common stock, as the case may be, for such LLC Interests of such Continuing LLC Owner in lieu of such redemption. In addition, Tradeweb’s board of directors, which includes directors who hold LLC Interests or are affiliated with holders of LLC Interests and may include such directors in the future, may, at its option, instead of the foregoing redemptions or exchanges of LLC Interests, cause the Company to make a cash payment equal to a volume weighted average market price of one share of Class A common stock for each LLC Interest redeemed or exchanged (subject to customary adjustments, including for stock splits, stock dividends and reclassifications) in accordance with the terms of the TWM LLC Agreement. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions — Related Party Transactions Entered Into in Connection With the IPO — TWM LLC Agreement;”

​

•

the Refinitiv Direct Owner and other future holders of Class B common stock may from time to time exchange all or a portion of their shares of our Class B common stock for newly issued shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis (in which case their shares of Class B common stock will be cancelled on a one-for-one basis upon any such issuance);

​

•

each share of our Class B common stock will automatically convert into one share of Class A common stock and each share of our Class D common stock will automatically convert into one share of our Class C common stock (i) immediately prior to any sale or other transfer of such share by a holder or its permitted transferees to a non-permitted transferee or (ii) once the Refinitiv Owners and their affiliates together no longer beneficially own a number of shares of our common stock and LLC Interests that together entitle them to at least 10% of TWM LLC’s economic interest. Holders of LLC Interests that receive shares of Class C common stock upon any such conversion may continue to elect to have their LLC Interests redeemed for newly issued shares of Class A common stock as described above (in which case their shares of Class C common stock will be cancelled on a one-for-one basis upon such issuance). See “Description of Capital Stock;” and

​

•

Tradeweb entered into (i) the Tax Receivable Agreement with TWM LLC and the Continuing LLC Owners, (ii) the Stockholders Agreement with the Refinitiv Owners and (iii) the Registration Rights Agreement with the Refinitiv Owners and the Bank Stockholders.

​

As the sole manager of TWM LLC, we operate and control all of the business and affairs of TWM LLC and, through TWM LLC and its subsidiaries, conduct our business. As a result of this control, and because we have a substantial financial interest in TWM LLC, we consolidate TWM LLC in our consolidated financial statements and report a non-controlling interest related to the LLC Interests held by the Continuing LLC Owners on our consolidated financial statements. Tradeweb has a board of directors and executive officers, but has no employees. The functions of all of our employees reside at TWM LLC and its subsidiaries.

72

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

USE OF PROCEEDS

We estimate that the net proceeds to us from our sale of                 shares of Class A common stock in this offering will be approximately $      million, based on an assumed offering price of $      per share (the closing price for our shares of Class A common stock on Nasdaq on                 , 2020), and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions, but before deducting estimated offering expenses payable by us. If the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock, we expect to receive approximately $      million of net proceeds based on the assumed offering price of  $      per share.

We estimate that the offering expenses will be approximately $      million. All of such offering expenses will be paid for or otherwise borne by TWM LLC using cash on hand.

We intend to use the net proceeds to us from this offering to purchase (i)                 issued and outstanding LLC Interests (or                 LLC Interests, if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock) from the Selling LLC Owners (and cancel the corresponding shares of common stock held by such holders) and (ii)                 issued and outstanding shares of Class A common stock (or                 shares of Class A common stock, if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock) from certain of our executive officers following the Net Exercise (and cancel such shares of Class A common stock), at a purchase price per interest and share equal to the public offering price per share of Class A common stock, less the underwriting discounts and commissions payable thereon. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions — Transactions With Certain Original LLC Owners.” Certain of the Bank Stockholders are affiliates of the underwriters. As a result of the purchases of LLC Interests (together with the cancellation of the corresponding shares of common stock) described above, the number of outstanding shares of Class C common stock and Class D common stock, as the case may be, will be reduced. Because we will hold the LLC Interests that we purchase (and thereby increase our ownership position in TWM LLC), the number of outstanding LLC Interests will remain the same.

73

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

DIVIDEND POLICY

Subject to legally available funds, we intend to continue to pay quarterly cash dividends on our Class A common stock and Class B common stock equal to $0.08 per share. The declaration, amount and payment of any dividends will be at the sole discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our and our subsidiaries’ results of operations, capital requirements, financial condition, business prospects, contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by applicable laws and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. Because we are a holding company and all of our business is conducted through our subsidiaries, we expect to pay dividends, if any, from funds we receive from our subsidiaries.

Accordingly, our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders is dependent on the earnings and distributions of funds from our subsidiaries. As the sole manager of TWM LLC, we intend to cause, and will rely on, TWM LLC to make distributions in respect of LLC Interests to fund our dividends. When TWM LLC makes such distributions, the Continuing LLC Owners will be entitled to receive equivalent distributions pro rata based on their economic interests in TWM LLC at the time of such distributions. Because Tradeweb must pay taxes and make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement, amounts ultimately distributed as dividends to holders of our Class A common stock or Class B common stock are expected to be less than the amounts distributed by TWM LLC to its members on a per LLC Interest basis. See “The IPO and Reorganization Transactions.” In order for TWM LLC to make distributions, it may need to receive distributions from its subsidiaries. If TWM LLC is unable to cause these subsidiaries to make distributions, it may have inadequate funds to distribute to us and we may be unable to fund our dividends. Our ability to pay dividends may also be restricted by the terms of the Revolving Credit Facility or any future credit agreement or any future debt or preferred equity securities of Tradeweb or its subsidiaries.

Our board of directors will periodically review the cash generated from our business and the capital expenditures required to finance our growth plans and determine whether to modify the amount of regular dividends and/or declare any periodic special dividends. Any future determination to change the amount of dividends and/or declare special dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will be dependent upon then-existing conditions and other factors that our board of directors considers relevant.

See “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to the Company and Our Organizational Structure — Our principal asset is our equity interest in TWM LLC, and, accordingly, we depend on distributions from TWM LLC to pay our taxes and expenses, including payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement” and “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to Ownership of our Class A Common Stock — We intend to continue to pay regular dividends on our Class A common stock and Class B common stock, but our ability to do so may be limited.”

In June, September and December 2019, Tradeweb Markets Inc. paid quarterly cash dividends to the holders of Class A common stock and Class B common stock in aggregate amounts of  $11.4 million, $11.4 million and $13.1 million, respectively.

In March and April 2019, TWM LLC made pre-IPO cash distributions to the Original LLC Owners in aggregate amounts of  $20.0 million and $100.0 million, respectively. In May, September and December 2019, TWM LLC made quarterly cash distributions to its equityholders, including Tradeweb Markets Inc., in aggregate amounts of $33.4 million, $33.0 million and $45.8 million, respectively.

On February 11, 2020, our board of directors declared a cash dividend of  $0.08 per share of Class A common stock and Class B common stock for the first quarter of 2020. This dividend will be payable on March 16, 2020 to stockholders of record as of March 2, 2020.

74

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our cash and cash equivalents and total capitalization as of December 31, 2019:

•

on an actual basis; and

​

•

on a pro forma basis to give effect to the Net Exercise and this offering after (i) deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us and (ii) the application of the proceeds from this offering, each as described under “Use of Proceeds.”

​

For more information, please see “Use of Proceeds,” “Dividend Policy” and “Unaudited Pro Forma Consolidated Financial Information.” You should read this information in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations ” and our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto appearing in the 2019 Form 10-K, incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

(1)

Historical and pro forma cash and cash equivalents, total assets and total equity do not reflect the cash dividend of  $0.08 per share to be paid to holders of Class A common stock and Class B common stock on March 16, 2020. See “Dividend Policy.”

​

(2)

As of December 31, 2019, we had $500.0 million of availability under the Revolving Credit Facility and no letters of credit outstanding.

​

75

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL INFORMATION

The following unaudited pro forma consolidated statement of income for the year ended December 31, 2019 gives effect to the Transactions as if the same had occurred on January 1, 2019. The unaudited pro forma consolidated statement of financial condition as of December 31, 2019 gives effect to this offering as if the same had occurred on December 31, 2019. Tradeweb Markets LLC is the predecessor of the issuer, Tradeweb Markets Inc., for financial reporting purposes. Prior to the consummation of the Reorganization Transactions, Tradeweb Markets Inc. did not conduct any activities other than those incident to its formation and the IPO. As a result of the Reorganization Transactions completed in connection with the IPO, Tradeweb Markets Inc. became the sole manager of Tradeweb Markets LLC whose only material assets consist of its equity interest in Tradeweb Markets LLC and related deferred tax assets. As a result, Tradeweb Markets Inc. consolidates the financial results of Tradeweb Markets LLC and its subsidiaries. Accordingly, the historical consolidated financial data presented below relating to periods prior to and including March 31, 2019 reflect the results of operations, financial position and cash flows of Tradeweb Markets LLC, the predecessor of Tradeweb Markets Inc. for financial reporting purposes, and its subsidiaries. The historical consolidated financial data presented below relating to periods beginning on April 1, 2019, and through and including December 31, 2019 reflect the results of operations, financial position and cash flows of Tradeweb Markets Inc. and its subsidiaries, including the consolidation of its investment in Tradeweb Markets LLC. See “Basis of Presentation.”

We have derived the unaudited pro forma consolidated financial information as of and for the year ended December 31, 2019 from the consolidated financial statements of Tradeweb Markets Inc. incorporated by reference in this prospectus. The pro forma adjustments are based on available information and certain assumptions that management believes are reasonable under the circumstances. The assumptions underlying the pro forma adjustments are described in the accompanying notes, which should be read in conjunction with these unaudited pro forma combined financial statements. The pro forma financial information is qualified in its entirety by reference to, and should be read in conjunction with, “Basis of Presentation” elsewhere herein and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto appearing in the 2019 Form 10-K, incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

The pro forma adjustments related to the IPO and Reorganization Transactions, which we refer to as the “IPO and Reorganization Adjustments,” are described in the notes to the unaudited pro forma consolidated financial information, and principally include the following:

•

the amendment and restatement of the TWM LLC Agreement to, among other things, (i) provide for LLC Interests that are the single class of common membership interests in TWM LLC, (ii) exchange all of the existing membership interests in TWM LLC for LLC Interests and (iii) appoint Tradeweb as the sole manager of TWM LLC;

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•

the amendment and restatement of Tradeweb’s certificate of incorporation to, among other things, (i) provide for Class A common stock, Class B common stock, Class C common stock and Class D common stock and (ii) issue shares of Class C common stock and/or Class D common stock to the Original LLC Owners that received LLC Interests, on a one-to-one basis with the number of LLC Interests they owned immediately following the amendment and restatement of the TWM LLC Agreement for nominal consideration;

​

•

the receipt of 96,933,192 shares of Class B common stock by the Refinitiv Direct Owner and 96,933,192 LLC Interests by Tradeweb as a result of the Refinitiv Contribution;

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•

a provision for federal and state income taxes of Tradeweb as a taxable corporation at an effective rate of       % for the year ended December 31, 2019;

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•

the issuance of shares of our Class A common stock to the purchasers in the IPO in exchange for net proceeds of approximately $1,161.3 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions but before deducting offering expenses;

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76

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

•

the application of all of the net proceeds from the IPO to purchase issued and outstanding LLC Interests from certain of the Bank Stockholders at a purchase price per interest equal to the initial public offering price of Class A common stock, less the underwriting discounts and commissions payable thereon;

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•

the effects of the Tax Receivable Agreement that provides for the payment by Tradeweb to a Continuing LLC Owner of 50% of the amount of U.S. federal, state and local income or franchise tax savings, if any, that Tradeweb actually realizes (or in some circumstances is deemed to realize) as a result of  (i) increases in the tax basis of TWM LLC’s assets resulting from (a) the purchase of LLC Interests from such Continuing LLC Owner, including with the net proceeds from the IPO and this offering or (b) redemptions or exchanges by such Continuing LLC Owner of LLC Interests for shares of our Class A common stock or Class B common stock or for cash, as applicable and (ii) certain other tax benefits related to our making payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement; and

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•

the payment of fees and expenses related to the IPO.

​

The pro forma adjustments related to the October 2019 follow-on offering, which we refer to as the “2019 Offering Adjustments,” are described in the notes to the unaudited pro forma consolidated financial information, and principally include the following:

•

the net exercise by certain of our executive officers immediately prior to the pricing of the October 2019 follow-on offering of vested options and the issuance of Class A common stock upon such net exercise, a portion of which shares of Class A common stock were purchased by us with the net proceeds of the October 2019 follow-on offering;

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•

the issuance of shares of Class A common stock to the purchasers in the October 2019 follow-on offering, in exchange for net proceeds of approximately $810.0 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions but before deducting offering expenses;

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•

the application of all the net proceeds from the October 2019 follow-on offering to purchase issued and outstanding LLC Interests from certain of the Selling LLC Owners and issued and outstanding shares of Class A common stock from certain of our executive officers following the Net Exercise, at a purchase price per interest and share equal to the public offering price of Class A common stock, less the underwriting discounts and commissions payable thereon;

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•

the related effects of the Tax Receivable Agreement; and

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•

the payment of fees and expenses related to the October 2019 follow-on offering.

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The pro forma adjustments related to this offering, which we refer to as the “Offering Adjustments,” are described in the notes to the unaudited pro forma consolidated financial information, and principally include the following:

•

the Net Exercise;

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•

the issuance of shares of Class A common stock to the purchasers in this offering, in exchange for net proceeds of approximately $      million, assuming the shares are offered at $      per share (the closing price for our shares of Class A common stock on Nasdaq on           , 2020), after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions but before deducting offering expenses;

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•

the application of all the net proceeds from this offering to purchase issued and outstanding LLC Interests from the Selling LLC Owners and issued and outstanding shares of Class A common stock from certain of our executive officers following the Net Exercise, at a purchase price per interest and share equal to the public offering price of Class A common stock, less the underwriting discounts and commissions payable thereon;

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•

the related effects of the Tax Receivable Agreement; and

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the payment of fees and expenses related to this offering.

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77

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

Except as otherwise indicated, the unaudited pro forma consolidated financial information presented assumes no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock.

We refer to the transactions related to the IPO and Reorganization Adjustments, the 2019 Offering Adjustments and the Offering Adjustments collectively as the “Transactions.”

As a public company, we have started, and will continue, to implement additional procedures and processes for the purpose of addressing the standards and requirements applicable to public companies. We incur additional expenses related to these steps and, among other things, additional directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, director fees, reporting requirements of the SEC, transfer agent fees, hiring additional accounting, legal and administrative personnel, increased auditing and legal fees and similar expenses. We have not included any pro forma adjustments relating to these costs.

The pro forma adjustments are based upon available information and methodologies that are factually supportable and directly related to the Transactions, including this offering. The unaudited pro forma consolidated financial information includes various estimates which are subject to material change and may not be indicative of what our operations or financial position would have been had the Transactions, including this offering, taken place on the dates indicated, or that may be expected to occur in the future. For further discussion of these matters, see “Basis of Presentation” elsewhere herein and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto appearing in the 2019 Form 10-K, incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

78

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

Tradeweb Markets Inc. and Subsidiaries
Unaudited Pro Forma Consolidated Statement of Financial Condition
as of December 31, 2019
(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

See accompanying Notes to Unaudited Pro Forma Consolidated Statement of Financial Condition.

79

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

Tradeweb Markets Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Unaudited Pro Forma Consolidated Statement of Financial Condition

(1)

The following sets forth the estimated sources and uses of funds in connection with this offering, assuming the issuance of                 shares of Class A common stock at a price of  $      per share (the closing price for our shares of Class A common stock on Nasdaq on                 , 2020):

​

Sources:

•

$      million of gross cash proceeds to us from the offering of Class A common stock; and $      million of cash.

​

Uses:

•

we will use $      million to pay underwriting discounts and commissions;

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•

we will use $      million to purchase (i)           issued and outstanding LLC Interests (and cancel the corresponding shares of common stock) from the Selling LLC Owners and (ii)           issued and outstanding shares of Class A common stock from certain of our executive officers following the Net Exercise (and cancel such shares of Class A common stock), at a purchase price per interest and share equal to the public offering price per share of Class A common stock, less the underwriting discounts and commissions payable thereon; and

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•

we will cause TWM LLC to use $      million of cash on hand to pay a portion of estimated offering expenses, including certain legal, accounting and other related expenses associated with this offering.

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(2)

Reflects the effects of the Tax Receivable Agreement on our unaudited pro forma consolidated statement of financial condition as a result of our purchase of LLC Interests from certain of the Other LLC Owners using substantially all of the net proceeds from this offering.

​

Tradeweb Markets Inc. is subject to U.S. federal and state income taxes and files income tax returns in U.S. federal and certain state jurisdictions. We expect to obtain an increase in our share of the tax basis of the assets of TWM LLC when LLC Interests are redeemed or exchanged by the Continuing LLC Owners (including exchanges of LLC Interests for the net proceeds of this offering) and in connection with certain other qualifying transactions. This increase in tax basis may have the effect of reducing the amounts that we would otherwise pay in the future to various tax authorities. In connection with the IPO, we entered into the Tax Receivable Agreement with TWM LLC and the Continuing LLC Owners. Pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement, we are required to make cash payments to the Continuing LLC Owners equal to 50% of the amount of U.S. federal, state and local income or franchise tax savings, if any, that we actually realize (or in some circumstances are deemed to realize) as a result of certain future tax benefits to which we may become entitled. We expect to benefit from the remaining 50% of tax benefits, if any, that we may actually realize. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions — Related Party Transactions Entered Into in Connection With the IPO — Tax Receivable Agreement.”

The tax benefit expected to be realized in connection with this offering of  $      million of amortizable tax basis will be amortized primarily over 15 years pursuant to Section 197 of the Internal Revenue Code, and other applicable depreciation rules. The tax basis has been recognized as a deferred tax asset in our unaudited pro forma consolidated statement of financial condition. The associated obligation to pay 50% of the tax savings (or $      million) as the tax reduction is realized by us has been recognized as a tax receivable agreement liability in our unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated statement of financial condition. Cash and cash equivalents in the unaudited pro forma consolidated statement of financial condition have not been adjusted to reflect the impact of any potential future Tax Receivable Agreement payments or any remaining benefits that may be realized by us.

The deferred tax asset adjustment and the associated liability adjustment related to the Tax Receivable Agreement assume: (1) only exchanges associated with this offering and the use of proceeds therefrom, (2) a share price based on an assumed public offering price of  $      per share (the closing price for

   

80

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

our shares of Class A common stock on Nasdaq on                 , 2020), (3) a constant federal income tax rate of       % and a constant state tax rate, (4) no material changes in tax law, (5) the ability to utilize tax attributes and (6) future Tax Receivable Agreement payments.

We anticipate that we will account for the income tax effects resulting from future taxable exchanges of LLC Interests by Continuing LLC Owners for shares of our Class A common stock or Class B common stock or cash by recognizing an increase in our deferred tax assets, based on enacted tax rates at the date of each exchange. Further, we will evaluate the likelihood that we will realize the benefit represented by the deferred tax asset, and, to the extent that we estimate that it is more likely than not that we will not realize the benefit, we will reduce the carrying amount of the deferred tax asset with a valuation allowance.

The amounts to be recorded for both the deferred tax assets and the liability for our obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement have been estimated. All of the effects of changes to both the deferred tax assets and our obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement after the date of the purchase will be included in net income. Similarly, the effect of subsequent changes in the enacted tax rates will be included in net income.

(3)

Reflects the (i) issuance of                 shares of Class A common stock to the purchasers in this offering and (ii) cancellation and retirement of (x) an aggregate of           shares of Class C common stock and Class D common stock as a result of our purchase of outstanding LLC Interests from the Selling LLC Owners and (y) an aggregate of                 shares of Class A common stock as a result of our purchase of outstanding shares of Class A common stock from certain of our executive officers following the Net Exercise, in each case using the net proceeds from this offering. Each share of Class A common stock and Class C common stock entitles its holder to one vote on all matters presented to our stockholders generally. Each share of Class D common stock entitles its holder to ten votes on all matters presented to our stockholders generally. Holders of Class D common stock are not entitled to receive any distributions from or participate in any dividends declared by our board of directors.

​

(4)

Reflects the effects on additional paid-in capital relating to the following (in thousands):

​

(5)

We are the sole manager of TWM LLC. As the sole manager of TWM LLC, we operate and control all of the business and affairs of TWM LLC and, through TWM LLC and its subsidiaries, conduct our business. As a result of this control, and because we have a substantial financial interest in TWM LLC, we consolidate the financial results of TWM LLC and report a non-controlling interest related to the LLC Interests held by the Continuing LLC Owners in our consolidated financial statements.

​

Following this offering and the application of substantially all of the net proceeds from this offering to purchase issued and outstanding LLC Interests (and cancel the corresponding shares of common stock) from the Selling LLC Owners, we will own                 LLC Interests, representing    % of the economic interest of TWM LLC, and the Continuing LLC Owners will own                 LLC Interests, representing the remaining    % of the economic interest of TWM LLC. This pro forma adjustment represents the adjustment to the carrying value of the non-controlling interests to reflect our increased ownership in TWM LLC.

   

81

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

(6)

The LLC Interests held by the Continuing LLC Owners, representing the non-controlling interests, are redeemable at the election of such holders, for shares of Class A common stock or Class B common stock, as the case may be, on a one-for-one basis or, at our option, a cash payment in accordance with the terms of the TWM LLC Agreement. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions — Certain Transactions Entered Into in Connection With the IPO — TWM LLC Agreement” for additional information regarding redemption rights of the holders of LLC Interests and exchange rights of holders of Class C common stock and Class D common stock.

​

   

82

Confidential treatment requested by Tradeweb Markets Inc. pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

Tradeweb Markets Inc. and Subsidiaries
Unaudited Pro Forma Consolidated Statement of Income
For the Year Ended December 31, 2019
(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)