Indian Interns Earn Up to Rs 12.5 Lakh/Month at High-Frequency Trading Firms

High-speed trading firms in India are offering unprecedented internship packages, tripling last year’s pay.

High-frequency trading (HFT) firms are redefining pay scales for fresh talent in India. According to Bloomberg, Amsterdam-based IMC Trading BV is offering interns up to Rs 12.5 lakh per month in 2025, nearly three times last year’s stipend. Quadeye, another major recruiter, paid as much as Rs 7.5 lakh per month, up 50% from 2024.

To put this in perspective, average annual salaries for finance professionals in India are around Rs 7 lakh, highlighting the extraordinary scale of these internship offers.

Why Trading Firms Are Paying So Much

• India’s equity derivatives market, the world’s largest by volume, is under tighter SEBI regulations, with speculative options trades restricted.

• Despite this, foreign funds and algorithmic trading desks made $7 billion in profits in the year to March 2024, keeping demand for quant researchers, trading engineers, and algorithm specialists strong.

• Firms including Citadel Securities, Tower Research, Optimus Prime Securities, and Minix Holdings are expanding in India, hiring aggressively despite regulatory scrutiny.

Internships Target Top IIT Talent

• Many firms recruit IIT students before graduation to secure the best young minds.

• Algorithmic trading accounts for 70% of India’s derivatives trades, requiring interns to adapt quickly as strategies become obsolete rapidly.

• Interns undergo rigorous assessments, including online tests, puzzle-based challenges, and interviews evaluating coding speed, quantitative skills, and problem-solving under pressure.

How to Land a High-Paying HFT Internship

Recruiters emphasize:

• Strong quantitative and coding skills: mathematics, statistics, probability, algorithm design.

• Programming proficiency: Python, C++, data structures.

• Adaptability and curiosity: strategies evolve fast, so continuous learning is essential.

• Competitive exposure: participate in hackathons, coding competitions, and on-campus recruitments from firms like IMC, Quadeye, and Citadel Securities.

For students aiming at these internships, the path is clear: master advanced math, hone coding expertise, and stay agile in learning and application.