MarketAxess Holdings Inc.

299 Park Avenue, 10th Floor

New York, New York 10171

April 25, 20162018

To the Stockholders of MarketAxess Holdings Inc.:

You are invited to attend the 20162018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of MarketAxess Holdings Inc. (the “Company”) scheduled for Tuesday,Thursday, June 7, 20162018 at 10:00 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time, at The Waldorf Astoriathe InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel, 301 Park Avenue,111 East 48^th Street, New York, New York 10022.10017. The Company’s Board of Directors and management look forward to seeing you.

Details of the business to be conducted at the Annual Meeting are given in the attached Notice of Annual Meeting and Proxy Statement, which you are urged to read carefully.

We are pleased to take advantage of the Securities and Exchange Commission rules that allow issuers to furnish proxy materials to their stockholders on the Internet. We believe these rules allow us to provide our stockholders with the information they need, while lowering the costs of delivery and reducing the environmental impact of our Annual Meeting. On April 26, 2016,2018, we expect to mail to our stockholders a Notice containing instructions on how to access our Proxy Statement and Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 20152017 and vote online. The Notice contains instructions on how you can receive a paper copy of the Proxy Statement, proxy card and Annual Report if you only received a Notice by mail.

Your vote is important to us. Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting in person, your shares should be represented and voted. After reading the enclosed Proxy Statement, please cast your vote via the Internet or telephone or complete, sign, date and return the proxy card in the pre-addressed envelope that we have included for your convenience. If you hold your shares in a stock brokerage account, please check your proxy card or contact your broker or nominee to determine whether you will be able to vote via the Internet or by telephone.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, thank you for your continued support.

Richard M. McVey

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

MarketAxess Holdings Inc.

299 Park Avenue, 10th Floor

New York, New York 10171

NOTICE OF

20162018 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

To the Stockholders of MarketAxess Holdings Inc.:

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the 20162018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of MarketAxess Holdings Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), will be held on Tuesday,Thursday, June 7, 2016,2018, at 10:00 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time, at The Waldorf Astoriathe InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel, 301 Park Avenue,111 East 48^th Street, New York, New York 10022.10017.

At the Annual Meeting we will:

1.   vote to elect the 1011 nominees named in the attached Proxy Statement as members of the Company’s Board of Directors for terms expiring at the 20172019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders;

2.   vote to ratify the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2016;2018;

3.   hold an advisory vote on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers as disclosed in the attached Proxy Statement;

4.   vote to approve the adoption of an amendment and restatementto increase the aggregate number of shares of our Common Stock, par value $0.003 per share, that may be issued or used for awards under the MarketAxess Holdings Inc. 2012 Incentive Plan; and the performance criteria used in setting performance goals for awards thereunder intended to be performance-based under Code Section 162(m);

5.   vote to approve the adoption of the MarketAxess Holdings Inc. 2016 Code Section 162(m) Executive Performance Incentive Plan and the performance criteria used in setting performance goals thereunder; and

6.   transact such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

These items are more fully described in the Company’s Proxy Statement accompanying this Notice.

The record date for the determination of the stockholders entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting, or any adjournment or postponement thereof, was the close of business on April 11, 2016.10, 2018. You have the right to receive this Notice and vote at the Annual Meeting if you were a stockholder of record at the close of business on April 11, 2016.10, 2018. Please remember that your shares cannot be voted unless you cast your vote by one of the following methods: (1) vote via the Internet or call the toll-free number as indicated on the proxy card; (2) sign and return a paper proxy card; or (3) vote in person at the Annual Meeting.

By Order of the Board of Directors,

New York, New York

April 25, 2018

YOUR VOTE IS VERY IMPORTANT, REGARDLESS OF THE NUMBER OF SHARES YOU OWN. PLEASE READ THE ATTACHED PROXY STATEMENT CAREFULLY AND COMPLETE AND SUBMIT YOUR PROXY CARD VIA THE INTERNET OR SIGN AND DATE YOUR PAPER PROXY CARD AS PROMPTLY AS POSSIBLE AND RETURN IT IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE. ALTERNATIVELY, YOU MAY BE ABLE TO SUBMIT YOUR PROXY BY TOUCH-TONE PHONE AS INDICATED ON THE PROXY CARD.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MarketAxess Holdings Inc.

299 Park Avenue, 10th Floor

New York, New York 10171

PROXY STATEMENT for the

2018 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

To Be Held On June 7, 2018

GENERAL INFORMATION

This Proxy Statement is furnished in connection with a solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors (the “Board” or “Board of Directors”) of MarketAxess Holdings Inc., a Delaware corporation (“MarketAxess”, the “Company”, “we” or “our”), to be used at our 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) scheduled for Thursday, June 7, 2018, at 10:00 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time, at the InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel, 111 East 48^th Street, New York, New York 10017.

This Proxy Statement, the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders and proxy card are first being mailed to stockholders on or about April 26, 2018. Whenever we refer in this Proxy Statement to the “Annual Meeting,” we are also referring to any meeting that results from any postponement or adjournment of the June 7, 2018 meeting.

Holders of record of our Common Stock, par value $0.003 per share (“Common Stock”), at the close of business on April 10, 2018 (the “Record Date”) are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting. On that date, there were 37,237,392 shares entitled to be voted.

We encourage you to vote your shares, either by voting in person at the Annual Meeting or by granting a proxy (i.e., authorizing someone to vote your shares). If you vote via the Internet or telephone or execute the attached paper proxy card, the individuals designated will vote your shares according to your instructions. If any matter other than the Proposals listed in the Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders is presented at the Annual Meeting, the designated individuals will, to the extent permissible, vote all proxies in the manner that the Board may recommend or, in the absence of such recommendation, in the manner they perceive to be in the best interests of the Company.

If you indicate when voting via the Internet that you wish to vote as recommended by the Board or if you execute the enclosed paper proxy card but do not give instructions, your proxy will be voted as follows: (1) FOR the election of the nominees for director named herein, (2) FOR ratification of the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2017, (3) FOR the approval, on an advisory basis, of the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers as disclosed in this Proxy Statement, (4) FOR the approval of an amendment to increase the aggregate number of shares of our Common Stock that may be issued or used for awards under the MarketAxess Holdings Inc. 2012 Incentive Plan, and (5) in accordance with the best judgment of the persons appointed as proxies with respect to any other matters that properly come before the Annual Meeting. If your shares are held in a stock brokerage account or by a bank or other nominee, see the information under the heading Voting — Broker authority to vote.

Information on how you may vote at the Annual Meeting (such as granting a proxy that directs how your shares should be voted, or attending the Annual Meeting in person), as well as how you can revoke a proxy, is contained in this Proxy Statement under the headings Solicitation of Proxies and Voting.

We are furnishing proxy materials to our stockholders primarily via the Internet. On April 26, 2018, we expect to mail beneficial owners of our Common Stock a Notice of Internet Availability containing instructions on how to access our proxy materials, including this Proxy Statement and our Annual Report. The Notice of Internet Availability also instructs you on how to vote via the Internet. Other stockholders, in accordance with their prior requests, received e-mail notification of how to access our proxy materials and vote via the Internet, or have been mailed paper copies of our proxy materials and a proxy card or voting form. The proxy card includes instructions on how to vote via the telephone. All beneficial owners will have the ability to access the proxy materials, including this Proxy Statement and our Annual Report, on the website referred to in the Notice of Internet Availability.

Internet distribution of our proxy materials is designed to provide our stockholders with the information they need, while lowering costs of delivery and reducing the environmental impact of our Annual Meeting. However, if you would prefer to receive paper copies of proxy materials, please follow the instructions included in the Notice of Internet Availability. If you have previously elected to receive our proxy materials electronically, you will continue to receive these materials via e-mail unless you elect otherwise.

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials

for the Stockholder Meeting to be held on June 7, 2018

Our Proxy Statement and 2017 Annual Report to Stockholders are available at

https://materials.proxyvote.com/57060D

SOLICITATION OF PROXIES

General

The attached proxy card allows you to instruct the designated individuals how to vote your shares. You may vote in favor of, against, or abstain from voting on any proposal. In addition, with respect to Proposal 1 (the election of directors), you may, if you desire, indicate on the proxy card that you are not authorizing the designated individuals to vote your shares for one or more of the nominees.

Solicitation

We will bear the entire cost of solicitation, including the preparation, assembly, printing and mailing of a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, this Proxy Statement, the proxy card and any additional soliciting materials furnished to stockholders. Copies of solicitation materials will be furnished to brokerage houses, fiduciaries and custodians holding shares in their names that are beneficially owned by others so that they may forward the solicitation materials to such beneficial owners. In addition, we may reimburse such persons for their costs of forwarding the solicitation materials to such beneficial owners. The original solicitation of proxies by mail may be supplemented by solicitation by telephone or other means by our directors, officers, employees or agents. No additional compensation will be paid to these individuals for any such services. Except as described above, we do not presently intend to solicit proxies other than by mail.

VOTING

Stockholders entitled to vote and shares outstanding

Each stockholder is entitled to one vote for each share of Common Stock held on each matter submitted to a vote at the Annual Meeting. As of the Record Date, 37,237,392 shares of Common Stock were outstanding and entitled to be voted at the Annual Meeting.

How to vote

Submitting a proxy via mail, the Internet or telephone

You may vote by calling the toll-free telephone number listed on the proxy card or visiting the website address listed on the Notice or the proxy card. If you choose to submit your proxy with voting instructions by telephone or through the Internet, you will be required to provide your assigned control number noted on the Notice before your proxy will be accepted. In addition to the instructions that appear on the Notice, step-by-step instructions will be provided by recorded telephone message or at the designated website on the Internet. Votes submitted by telephone or via the Internet must be received by 11:59 p.m., EDT, on June 6, 2018 in order for them to be counted at the Annual Meeting.

If you are a stockholder of record, or otherwise received a printed copy of the proxy materials, in addition to the methods described above, you may also submit your proxy with voting instructions by mail by following the instructions set forth on the proxy card included with the proxy materials. Specifically, if you are a stockholder of record on the Record Date, you may vote by mailing your proxy card, with voting instructions, to the address listed on your proxy card.

Voting your shares in person at the Annual Meeting

For Shares Directly Registered in the Name of the Stockholder: You may vote in person at the Annual Meeting; however, we encourage you to vote by proxy card or the Internet even if you plan to attend the meeting. If you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, you will need to bring proof of your ownership of our Common Stock as of the close of business on April 10, 2018, the Record Date.

For Shares Registered in the Name of a Brokerage Firm or Bank: You may vote in person at the Annual Meeting; however, you will need to bring an account statement or other acceptable evidence of ownership of Common Stock as of the close of business on April 10, 2018. Alternatively, in order to vote, you may contact the person in whose name your shares are registered and obtain a proxy from that person and bring it to the Annual Meeting.

Revoking a proxy

A proxy that was submitted via the Internet or by telephone may be revoked at any time before it is exercised by (1) executing a later-dated proxy card via the Internet or by telephone or (2) attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person by ballot.

A proxy that was submitted by mail may be revoked at any time before it is exercised by (1) giving written notice revoking the proxy to our General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at MarketAxess Holdings Inc., 299 Park Avenue, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10171, (2) subsequently sending another proxy bearing a later date or (3) attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person by ballot.

If your shares are registered in the name of a brokerage firm or bank, you must contact your brokerage firm or bank to change your vote or obtain a proxy to vote your shares if you wish to cast your vote in person at the meeting.

Your attendance at the Annual Meeting in and of itself will not automatically revoke a proxy that was submitted via the Internet, by telephone or by mail.

Broker authority to vote

If your shares are held in a stock brokerage account or by a bank or other nominee, you are considered to be the beneficial owner of shares held in street name. These proxy materials are being forwarded to you by your broker or nominee, who is considered to be the holder of record with respect to your shares. As the beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your broker or nominee how to vote by filling out the voting instruction form provided by your broker or nominee. Telephone and Internet voting options may also be available to beneficial owners. As a beneficial owner, you are also invited to attend the Annual Meeting, but you must obtain an account statement or other acceptable evidence of ownership of our Common Stock or a proxy from the holder of record of your shares in order to vote in person at the Annual Meeting.

If your shares are held in street name, your broker or nominee will ask you how you want your shares to be voted. If you provide voting instructions, your shares must be voted as you direct. If you do not furnish voting instructions, one of two things can happen, depending upon whether a proposal is “routine.” Under the rules that govern brokers that have record ownership of shares beneficially owned by their clients, brokers have discretion to cast votes only on routine matters, such as the ratification of the appointment of independent registered public accounting firms, without voting instructions from their clients. Brokers are not permitted, however, to cast votes on “non-routine” matters without such voting instructions, such as the election of directors. A “broker non-vote” occurs when a beneficial owner has not provided voting instructions and the broker holding shares for the beneficial owner does not vote on a particular proposal because the broker does not have discretionary voting power for that proposal.

Quorum

A quorum is required for the conduct of business at the meeting. The presence at the meeting, in person or by proxy, of the holders of shares having a majority of the voting power represented by all outstanding shares entitled to vote on the Record Date will constitute a quorum, permitting us to conduct the business of the meeting. Proxies received but marked as abstentions, if any, and broker non-votes (as described above) will be included in the calculation of the number of shares considered to be present at the meeting for quorum purposes. If we do not have a quorum, we will be forced to reconvene the Annual Meeting at a later date.

Votes necessary to approve each proposal

Election of Directors. Our Bylaws include a majority voting standard for the election of directors in uncontested elections, which are generally defined as elections in which the number of nominees does not exceed the number of directors to be elected at the meeting. In the election of directors (Proposal 1), you may either vote “FOR,” “AGAINST” or “ABSTAIN” as to each nominee. Cumulative voting is not permitted. Under the majority voting standard, in uncontested elections of directors, such as this election, each director must be elected by the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast by the shares present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote. A majority of the votes cast means that the number of votes cast “FOR” a candidate for director exceeds the number of votes cast “AGAINST” that candidate for director. Brokers do not have discretionary authority to vote for directors. Abstentions and broker non-votes will not count as a vote cast “FOR” or “AGAINST” a nominee’s election and thus will have no effect in determining whether a director nominee has received a majority of the votes cast.

Other Items. For the ratification of our independent registered public accounting firm (Proposal 2), the adoption of a resolution approving, on a non-binding, advisory basis, the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers (Proposal 3), and the approval of an amendment to increase the aggregate number of shares of our Common Stock that may be issued or used for awards under the MarketAxess Holdings Inc. 2012 Incentive Plan (Proposal 4), the proposals will be decided by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares present in person or represented by proxy. Abstentions will be counted as shares present and entitled to vote on these proposals and will have the same effect as negative votes. Broker non-votes will not be counted as shares present and entitled to vote.

Certain stockholder-related matters

We do not know of any stockholder proposals that may be properly presented at the Annual Meeting. For information regarding inclusion of stockholder proposals in our 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, see the information in this Proxy Statement under the section heading Other Matters — Stockholder proposals for 2019 Annual Meeting.

AVAILABILITY OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS

Householding of Annual Meeting materials

The Company and some banks, brokers and other nominee record holders may participate in the practice of “householding” proxy statements and their accompanying documents. This means that only one copy of our Proxy Statement is sent to multiple stockholders in your household. We will promptly deliver a separate copy of these documents to you upon written or oral request to our Investor Relations Department at MarketAxess Holdings Inc., 299 Park Avenue, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10171 or 212-813-6000. If you want to receive separate copies of our proxy statements in the future, or if you are receiving multiple copies and would like to receive only one copy per household, you should contact your bank, broker or other nominee record holder, or you may contact us at the above address and phone number.

Additional information

We are required to file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Copies of these filings are available through our Internet website at www.marketaxess.com or the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. We will furnish copies of our SEC filings (without exhibits), including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, without charge to any stockholder upon written or oral request to our Investor Relations Department at MarketAxess Holdings Inc., 299 Park Avenue, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10171 or 212-813-6000.

PROPOSAL 1 — ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

The first proposal to be voted on at the Annual Meeting is the election of directors. Our Board currently consists of 11 directors, 10 of whom are not our employees. Each of the nominees for director was elected by the Company’s stockholders on June 8, 2017, except for Emily Portney, who was appointed to the Board as of October 18, 2017. The directors will be elected for a term that begins at the Annual Meeting and ends at the 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Each director will hold office until such director’s successor has been elected and qualified, or until such director’s earlier resignation or removal.

Your vote

If you sign the enclosed proxy card and return it to the Company, your proxy will be voted FOR all directors, for terms expiring at the 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, unless you specifically indicate on the proxy card that you are casting a vote against one or more of the nominees or abstaining from such vote.

A majority of the votes cast by stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting is required for the election of each director. Accordingly, the directorships to be filled at the Annual Meeting will be filled by the nominees receiving a majority of votes for their election. In the election of directors, stockholders will be given the choice to cast votes for or against the election of directors or to abstain from such vote. The number of shares voted for a director must exceed the number of votes cast against that director. Abstentions and broker non-votes will be excluded entirely from the vote and will have no effect on the outcome of the vote.

Board recommendation

The first proposal to be voted on at the Annual Meeting is the election of directors. Our Board currently consists of 10 directors, 9 of whom are not our employees. Each of the nominees for director was elected by the Company’s stockholders on June 4, 2015. The directors will be elected for a term that begins at the Annual Meeting and ends at the 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Each director will hold office until such director’s successor has been elected and qualified, or until such director’s earlier resignation or removal.

Your vote

If you sign the enclosed proxy card and return it to the Company, your proxy will be votedFOR all directors, for terms expiring at the 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, unless you specifically indicate on the proxy card that you are casting a vote against one or more of the nominees or abstaining from such vote.

A majority of the votes cast by stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting is required for the election of directors. Accordingly, the directorships to be filled at the Annual Meeting will be filled by the nominees receiving a majority of votes for their election. In the election of directors, stockholders will be given the choice to cast votes for or against the election of directors or to abstain from such vote. The number of shares voted for a director must exceed the number of votes cast against that director. Abstentions and broker non-votes will be excluded entirely from the vote and will have no effect on the outcome of the vote.

Board recommendation

THE BOARD UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE “FOR” THE ELECTION OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING NOMINEES:

Richard M. McVey

Steven L. Begleiter

Stephen P. Casper

Jane Chwick

William F. Cruger

David G. Gomach

Carlos M. Hernandez

Ronald M. Hersch

John Steinhardt

James J. Sullivan

Each of these nominees is currently serving as a director on our Board, and each nominee has agreed to continue to serve on the Board if he or she is elected at the Annual Meeting. If any nominee is unable (or for whatever reason declines) to serve as a director at any time before the Annual Meeting, proxies may be voted for the election of a qualified substitute designated by the current Board, or else the size of the Board will be reduced accordingly. Biographical information about each of the nominees is included below underDirector information.

Qualifications for director nominees

The minimum qualifications for Board consideration are:

A director must have an exemplary reputation and record for honesty in his or her personal dealings and business or professional activity. All directors must demonstrate strong leadership skills and should possess a basic understanding of financial matters; have an ability to review and understand the Company’s financial and

other reports; and be able to discuss such matters intelligently and effectively. He or she also needs to exhibit qualities of independence in thought and action. A candidate should be committed first and foremost to the interests of the stockholders of the Company. Persons who represent a particular special interest, ideology, narrow perspective or point of view would not, therefore, generally be considered good candidates for election to our Board. The key experience, qualifications and skills each of our directors brings to the Board that are important in light of our business are included in their individual biographies below.

Our Board does not have a formal written policy with regard to the consideration of diversity in identifying director nominees. Our Corporate Governance Guidelines, however, require the Board’s Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee to review the qualifications of the directors and the composition of the Board as a whole. This assessment includes not only the independence of the directors, but consideration of required minimum qualifications, skills, expertise and experience in the context of the needs of the Board and its ability to oversee the Company’s business.

Director information

At the recommendation of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, the Board has nominated the persons named below to serve as directors of the Company for a term beginning at the Annual Meeting and ending at the 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

Steven L. Begleiter Director since April 2012		Steven L. Begleiter (54) has been a Senior Principal at Flexpoint Ford, LLC, a private equity group focused on investments in financial services and healthcare, since October 2008. Prior to joining Flexpoint Ford, Mr. Begleiter spent 24 years at Bear Stearns & Co., serving first as an investment banker in the Financial Institutions Group and then as Senior Managing Director and member of its Management and Compensation Committee from 2002 to September 2008. Mr. Begleiter also served as head of Bear Stearns’ Corporate Strategy Group. Mr. Begleiter currently serves on the board of directors of WisdomTree Investments, Inc. and on the board of directors of certain portfolio companies of Flexpoint Ford, LLC. Mr. Begleiter received a B.A. in Economics from Haverford College. Mr. Begleiter brings many years of leadership experience in the financial services and private equity industries to the Board. Mr. Begleiter also has extensive industry knowledge and perspectives on mergers and acquisitions and capital formation.
Stephen P. Casper Director since April 2004		Stephen P. Casper (66) is retired. Mr. Casper was the President of TRG Management L.P., the investment manager of the TRG Global Opportunity Master Fund, Ltd., from April 2010 to August 2012. From September 2008 to April 2010, Mr. Casper was a partner of Vastardis Capital Services, which provides fund administration and securities processing outsourcing services to hedge funds, funds of funds and private equity funds and their investment management sponsors. Prior to this, Mr. Casper was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Charter Atlantic Corporation, the holding company of Fischer Francis Trees & Watts, Inc. (“FFTW”), a specialist manager of U.S., global and international fixed-income portfolios for institutional clients, and Malbec Partners, a manager of single-strategy hedge funds. From April 2004 to January 2008, Mr. Casper was the President and CEO of FFTW. Mr. Casper joined FFTW as Chief Financial Officer in 1990 and was appointed Chief Operating Officer in May 2001. From 1984 until 1990, Mr. Casper was Treasurer of the Rockefeller Family Office. Mr. Casper has been a member of the Board of Directors of the KLS Diversified Fund, the KS Rates Fund and the KLS Credit Opportunities Fund, all of which are fixed income hedge funds, since July 2012. Mr. Casper is Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of GMO LLC, a global investment management firm providing clients with asset management solutions and services, since May 2014. Mr. Casper is a member of the Investment Committee of the Brooklyn Museum. Mr. Casper is a Certified Public Accountant and received a B.B.A. in accounting from Baruch College, from which he graduated magna cum laude, Beta Gamma Sigma, and an M.S. in finance and accounting from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
		Mr. Casper’s experience in the fixed-income markets and financial services industry and his experience in financial reporting and accounting roles bring extensive public accounting, financial reporting, risk management and leadership skills to the Board.

Jane Chwick Director since October 2013		Jane Chwick (53) has been Co-CEO of Trewtec, Inc., a technology advisory firm designed to help board members and CEOs evaluate the technology function in their companies, since September 2014. Prior to this role, she was a Partner and Co-Chief Operating Officer of the Technology Division of Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. where she was responsible for financial and business planning, technical strategy and ongoing management of an 8,000-person organization until her retirement in April 2013. During her 30 year career at Goldman Sachs, Ms. Chwick held a number of senior positions, including Global Head of Technology of the Securities Division and Global Head of Derivatives Technology. During her tenure, she drove the design, build and integration of technology across all of Goldman Sachs’ derivatives businesses, including fixed income, commodities, currencies and equities. Ms. Chwick is a member of the Board of Directors of Voya Financial, Inc. and also serves as a board member of the Queens College Foundation and of Girls Who Code. Ms. Chwick received a B.A. in Mathematics from Queens College and an M.B.A. from St. Johns University with a concentration in MIS and Quantitative Analysis.
		Ms. Chwick’s extensive technology leadership experience gained in a global financial services firm, combined with her depth of market knowledge and industry insight, bring valuable skills and strategic perspective to the Board.
William F. Cruger Director since November 2013		William F. Cruger (57) was most recently Vice Chairman of Investment Banking at JP Morgan and Co. where he was responsible for key client relationships on a global basis until his retirement in August 2013. Previously, Mr. Cruger held a number of senior positions at JP Morgan, including Managing Director in the Financial Institutions group from 1996 to 2011. During this time, he oversaw the rationalization of the firm’s private equity investments in trading platforms and related ventures at LabMorgan from 2000 to 2001. Prior to this, Mr. Cruger ran the firm’s investment banking practices in Japan from 1991 to 1996, Latin America from 1989 to 1991 and Emerging Asia from 1984 to 1988. He currently serves as a board member of People’s United Financial, Inc. and Virtu Financial, Inc., and has previously served on the boards of Archipelago, Credittrade and Capital IQ. Mr. Cruger received a B.A. from Clark University and an M.B.A. from Columbia University. Mr. Cruger’s diverse experience in investment banking at a global financial services firm, his extensive knowledge of financial institutions and financial markets, his leadership roles as a director of other financial services firms, and his international business experience bring critical skills and strategic insight to the Board.
David G. Gomach Director since February 2005		David G. Gomach (57) is retired. Mr. Gomach was the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of School Specialty, Inc. from September 2006 through June 2007, having joined as Executive Vice President — Finance in August 2006. Prior to School Specialty, Mr. Gomach held various positions at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (“CME”) from 1987 to 2004. From June 1997 until his retirement from the CME in November 2004, he served as Chief Financial Officer. From 1996 until

		1997, Mr. Gomach served as Vice President, Internal Audit and Administration. Also, during his tenure at the CME, he was a Senior Director and Assistant Controller. Prior to joining the CME, Mr. Gomach held positions at Perkin-Elmer, Singer Corporation and Mercury Marine, a subsidiary of Brunswick Corporation. From April 2011 to October 2012, Mr. Gomach served as a director and member of the audit committee for Eladian Partners, a privately held multi-asset class trading company. Mr. Gomach is a Certified Public Accountant and received a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse and an M.B.A. from Roosevelt University.
		Mr. Gomach brings to the Board leadership experience from his prior roles and deep knowledge of public accounting, financial reporting and risk management matters facing public companies in the financial services industry, including internal controls and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.
Carlos M. Hernandez Director since February 2006		Carlos M. Hernandez (54) is Head of Global Banking at JPMorgan, serves on the JPMorgan Chase Executive Committee and is a member of the Corporate & Investment Bank’s leadership team. Prior to this position, Mr. Hernandez was Global Head of Investor Services and led JPMorgan’s Global Equities and Prime Services business. He previously managed the Origination and Distribution business for the Americas, Institutional Equities for the Americas and Global Equity Capital Markets at JPMorgan. Before joining the Equities division, Mr. Hernandez was head of Investment Banking, Latin America. Mr. Hernandez has been with JPMorgan since 1986, working on a wide array of advisory and financing transactions for both corporations and governments, across various product groups and geographic regions. Mr. Hernandez currently serves on the boards of The Brunswick School in Connecticut and John Hopkins School of Sciences in Maryland. In 2005, he served on the board of the Securities Industries Association. Mr. Hernandez has a B.S. in Business from the State University of New York and an M.B.A. from Columbia University.
		Mr. Hernandez has a broad range of leadership experience and a deep understanding of the global financial markets and financial services and securities industries, including the particular needs of an international corporation. Mr. Hernandez also has a unique understanding of, and experience with, our broker-dealer clients and their needs, particularly in the context of recent regulatory reform.
Ronald M. Hersch Director since July 2000		Ronald M. Hersch (68) was a Senior Managing Director at Bear Stearns and Co. Inc. from June 1992 until his retirement in April 2007. Mr. Hersch was responsible for directing the firm’s futures business, as well as coordinating eCommerce activities and initiatives within the Fixed-Income Division. Mr. Hersch is a former Chairman of the Futures Industry Association. He has previously served on the board of directors of Bond Desk Group, LLC, the Chicago Board of Trade, and the National Futures Association, the self-regulatory organization responsible for futures industry oversight. Mr. Hersch received a B.A. from Long Island University.

		Mr. Hersch’s experience with regulatory and policy issues gives him valuable insight into strategies for navigating the regulatory matters affecting the financial services industry generally and the Company in particular. Mr. Hersch also brings significant leadership experience to the Board and a deep understanding of the fixed-income and derivatives markets.
John Steinhardt Director since April 2000		John Steinhardt (62) is a founder, and has been a Managing Partner, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Co-Chief Investment Officer, of KLS Diversified Asset Management since July 2007. From July 2006 until July 2007, Mr. Steinhardt managed a private investment portfolio. Mr. Steinhardt was the founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Spectrum Investment Group from January 2005 to July 2006. Until October 2004, Mr. Steinhardt was Head of North American Credit Markets for JPMorgan Chase & Co. and a member of the Management Committee of the Investment Banking Division of JPMorgan Chase & Co. Prior to the merger of J.P. Morgan & Co. and the Chase Manhattan Bank, Mr. Steinhardt was the Head of U.S. Securities at Chase Securities Inc. and a member of the Management Committee from 1996 to 2000. He currently serves on the board of directors of the 92nd Street Y and the board of trustees of the Central Park Conservancy. Mr. Steinhardt received a B.S. in Economics from St. Lawrence University and an M.B.A from Columbia University.
		Mr. Steinhardt brings substantial leadership experience at a number of financial institutions and extensive experience in the financial markets that we serve. Mr. Steinhardt also has a deep knowledge and understanding of the requirements of operating in a highly regulated industry.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND BOARD MATTERS

Director independence

The Board of Directors has determined that each of our current directors, other than Mr. McVey, currently meet the independence requirements contained in the NASDAQ listing standards and applicable tax and securities rules and regulations. None of these non-employee directors has a relationship with the Company or its subsidiaries that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director.

In compliance with the NASDAQ listing standards, we have a Board of Directors comprised of a majority of independent directors. The NASDAQ listing standards have both objective tests and a subjective test for determining who is an “independent director.” The objective tests state, for example, that a director is not considered independent if he is an employee of the Company or is a partner in or controlling shareholder or executive officer of an entity to which the Company made, or from which the Company received, payments in the current or any of the past three fiscal years that exceed 5% of the recipient’s consolidated gross revenue for that year. The subjective test states that an independent director must be a person who lacks a relationship that, in the opinion of the Board, would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director.

None of the non-employee directors were disqualified from “independent” status under the objective tests. In assessing independence under the subjective test, the Board took into account the standards in the objective tests, and reviewed and discussed additional information provided by the directors and the Company with regard to each director’s business and personal activities as they may relate to MarketAxess’ management. Based on all of the foregoing, as required by the NASDAQ listing standards, the Board made a substantive determination as to each of the independent directors that no relationship exists which, in the opinion of the Board, would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director.

The Board has not established categorical standards or guidelines to make these subjective determinations, but considers all relevant facts and circumstances.

In addition to Board-level standards for director independence, the directors who serve on the Audit Committee and the Compensation Committee each satisfy standards established by the SEC and the NASDAQ listing rules providing that to qualify as “independent” for purposes of membership on the Audit Committee or the Compensation Committee, members of such committees may not accept directly or indirectly any consulting, advisory or other compensatory fee from the Company other than their director compensation. Also, each of the directors who serve on the Compensation Committee has been determined to be a “non-employee director” for purposes of the applicable SEC rules and regulations and an “outside director” for purposes of the applicable tax rules.

In making its independence determinations, the Board considered transactions occurring since the beginning of 2013 between the Company and entities associated with the independent directors or members of their immediate family. In each case, the Board determined that, because of the nature of the director’s relationship with the entity and/or the amount involved, the relationship did not impair the director’s independence. The Board’s independence determinations included reviewing the relationship of certain of our directors who are or, for a portion of the past three years, were senior employees of broker-dealer and institutional investor clients. In addition, the Board considered that Mr. Hernandez is the Co-Head of Global Banking at JPMorgan Chase & Co. (“JPMorgan”), which accounted for 5.6% of the Company’s consolidated gross revenue for 2015, and is the administrative agent and sole lender under our credit agreement, provides cash management services to the Company and operates our share repurchase program.

We do not have a director tenure requirement, as we believe our efforts to regularly refresh the Board with new directors, as well as natural turnover, has achieved the appropriate balance between maintaining longer-term directors with deep institutional knowledge and new directors who bring new perspectives and diversity to our Board. Notwithstanding this belief and the fact that our corporate governance guidelines and NASDAQ Global Select Market rules do not deem long-tenured directors to be non-independent, our Board reviews director tenure in connection with its director independence determinations.

How nominees to our Board are selected

Candidates for election to our Board of Directors are nominated by our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and ratified by our full Board of Directors for nomination to the stockholders. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee operates under a charter, which is available on our corporate website atwww.marketaxess.com.

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will give due consideration to candidates recommended by stockholders. Stockholders may recommend candidates for the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee’s consideration by submitting such recommendations directly to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee by mail or electronically. In making recommendations, stockholders should be mindful of the discussion of minimum qualifications set forth above underQualifications for director nominees. However, just because a recommended individual meets the minimum qualification standards does not imply that the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will necessarily nominate the person so recommended by a stockholder. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may also engage outside search firms to assist in identifying or evaluating potential nominees.

Board leadership structure

Our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) also serves as the Chairman of the Board (the “Chairman”), and we have a Lead Independent Director who is responsible, among other things, for consulting with the Chairman regarding the agenda for each Board meeting and coordinating the activities of the non-employee directors, including presiding over the executive sessions of non-employee directors. We believe that this structure is appropriate for the Company because it allows one person to speak for and lead the Company and the Board, while also providing for effective oversight by an independent Board through a Lead Independent Director. Our CEO, as the individual with primary responsibility for managing the Company’s strategic direction and day-to-day operations, is in the best position to provide Board leadership that is aligned with our stockholders’ interests as well as the Company’s needs. Our overall corporate governance policies and practices, combined with the strength of our independent directors, minimize any potential conflicts that may result from combining the roles of CEO and Chairman.

Mr. Casper currently serves as the Lead Independent Director. The full Board, by majority vote, elects the Lead Independent Director.

The Board has established other structural safeguards that serve to preserve the Board’s independent oversight of management. First, the Board is comprised almost entirely of independent directors who are highly qualified and experienced, and who exercise a strong, independent oversight function. The Board’s Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee are comprised entirely of, and are chaired by, independent directors. Second, independent oversight of our CEO’s performance is provided through a number of Board and committee processes and procedures, including regular executive sessions of non-employee directors and annual evaluations of our CEO’s performance against pre-determined goals. The Board believes that these safeguards preserve the Board’s independent oversight of management and provide a balance between the authority of those who oversee the Company and those who manage it on a day-to-day basis.

Board committees

The Audit Committee of our Board of Directors reviews, acts on and reports to our Board of Directors with respect to various auditing and accounting matters, including the recommendation of our independent registered public accounting firm, the scope of the annual audits, the fees to be paid to the independent registered public accounting firm, the performance of the independent registered public accounting firm and our accounting practices. The Audit Committee currently consists of Mr. Gomach (Chair), Ms. Chwick, Mr. Cruger and Mr. Hersch. The Board of Directors has determined that each member of the Audit Committee is an independent director in accordance with NASDAQ listing standards and that Mr. Gomach and Mr. Cruger are Audit Committee financial experts, as defined by SEC guidelines and as required by the applicable NASDAQ listing standards. For information regarding the experience and qualifications of our Audit Committee financial experts,

see the information in this Proxy Statement under the section headingProposal 1 — Election of Directors — Director information.

The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors recommends, reviews and oversees the salaries, benefits and equity incentive plans for our employees, consultants, directors (other than non-employee directors) and other individuals whom we compensate. The Compensation Committee also administers our compensation plans. The Compensation Committee currently consists of Messrs. Steinhardt (Chair), Begleiter and Hersch. The Board of Directors has determined that each member of the Compensation Committee is an “independent director” in accordance with NASDAQ listing standards, a “non-employee director” under the applicable SEC rules and regulations and an “outside director” under the applicable tax rules. The Compensation Committee may form subcommittees and delegate authority to such subcommittees or individuals as it deems appropriate.

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board of Directors selects nominees for director positions to be recommended by our Board of Directors for election as directors and for any vacancies in such positions, develops and recommends for our Board of Directors the Corporate Governance Guidelines of the Company and oversees the annual review of the performance of the Board of Directors, each director and each committee. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee currently consists of Messrs. Hersch (Chair), Casper and Cruger. The Board of Directors has determined that each member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is an independent director in accordance with NASDAQ listing standards.

The Risk Committee assists the Board with its oversight of the Company’s risk management activities, with particular responsibility for overseeing designated areas of risk that are not the primary responsibility of another committee of the Board or retained for the Board’s direct oversight. Items delegated to the Risk Committee by the Board include technology risk, credit risk and regulatory risk. The Risk Committee currently consists of Ms. Chwick (Chair), Mr. Casper and Mr. Sullivan.

The Investment Committee assists the Board in monitoring whether the Company has adopted and adheres to a rational and prudent investment and capital management policy; whether management’s investment and capital management actions are consistent with attainment of the Company’s investment policy, financial objectives and business goals; the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements pertaining to investment and capital management; the competence, performance and compensation of the Company’s external money managers; and such other matters as the Board or Investment Committee deems appropriate. The Investment Committee currently consists of Messrs. Steinhardt (Chair), Hernandez and Sullivan.

Meetings and attendance

During the year ended December 31, 2015, the full Board held six meetings; the Audit Committee held five meetings; the Compensation Committee held three meetings; the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee held three meetings; the Risk Committee held four meetings; and the Audit and Risk Committees held two joint meetings. The non-management directors met in executive session without management directors or employees at each of the meetings of the Board during 2015. We expect each director to attend each meeting of the full Board and of the committees on which he or she serves and to attend the annual meeting of stockholders. All directors attended at least 75% of the meetings of the full Board and the meetings of the committees on which they served and eight of the ten directors attended our 2015 annual meeting of stockholders.

Board involvement in risk oversight

The Company’s management is responsible for defining the various risks facing the Company, formulating risk management policies and procedures, and managing the Company’s risk exposures on a day-to-day basis. The Board’s responsibility is to monitor the Company’s risk management processes by informing itself of the Company’s material risks and evaluating whether management has reasonable controls in place to address the material risks. The Board is not responsible, however, for defining or managing the Company’s various risks.

The Board of Directors monitors management’s responsibility for risk oversight through regular reports from management to the Risk and Audit Committees and the full Board. Furthermore, the Risk and Audit Committees report on the matters discussed at the committee level to the full Board. The Risk and Audit Committees and the full Board focus on the material risks facing the Company, including strategic, operational, market, technology, credit, liquidity, legal and regulatory risks, to assess whether management has reasonable controls in place to address these risks. In addition, the Compensation Committee is charged with reviewing and discussing with management whether the Company’s compensation arrangements are consistent with effective controls and sound risk management. Finally, risk management is a factor that the Board and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee consider when determining who to nominate for election as a director of the Company and which directors serve on the Risk and Audit Committees. The Board believes this division of responsibilities provides an effective and efficient approach for addressing risk management.

The Company’s management-level Risk Committee assists management’s efforts to assess and manage risk. The management-level Risk Committee is chaired by the Company’s Chief Risk Officer and is comprised of department heads and other managers. The management-level Risk Committee assesses the Company’s business strategies and plans and insures that appropriate policies and procedures are in place for identifying, evaluating, monitoring, managing and measuring significant risks. The management-level Risk Committee regularly prepares updates and reports for the Board Risk Committee and the Board of Directors.

Code of Conduct, Code of Ethics and other governance documents

The Board has adopted a Code of Conduct that applies to all officers, directors and employees, and a Code of Ethics for the CEO and Senior Financial Officers, which includes Mr. DeLise, our Chief Financial Officer. Both the Code of Conduct and the Code of Ethics for the CEO and Senior Financial Officers, as well as any amendments to, or waivers under, the Code of Ethics for the CEO and Senior Financial Officers, can be accessed in theInvestor Relations — Corporate Governance — Overview section of our website atwww.marketaxess.com.

You may also obtain a copy of these documents by writing to MarketAxess Holdings Inc., 299 Park Avenue, 10th Floor, New York, New York 10171, Attention: Investor Relations.

Copies of the charters of our Board’s Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, Investment Committee, Risk Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, as well as a copy of the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines, can be accessed in theInvestor Relations — Corporate Governance section of our website.

Communicating with our Board members

Although our Board of Directors has not adopted a formal process for stockholder communications with the Board, we make every effort to ensure that the views of stockholders are heard by the Board or by individual directors, as applicable, and we believe that this has been an effective process to date. Stockholders may communicate with the Board by sending a letter to the MarketAxess Holdings Inc. Board of Directors, c/o General Counsel, 299 Park Avenue, 10th Floor, New York, New York 10171. The General Counsel will receive the correspondence and forward it to the Chairman of the Board and the Lead Independent Director, or to any individual director or directors to whom the communication is directed, as appropriate. Notwithstanding the above, the General Counsel has the authority to discard or disregard any communication that is unduly hostile, threatening, illegal or otherwise inappropriate or to take any other appropriate actions with respect to such communications.

In addition, any person, whether or not an employee, who has a concern regarding the conduct of the Company or our employees, including with respect to our accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing issues, may, in a confidential or anonymous manner, communicate that concern in writing by addressing a letter to the Chairman of the Audit Committee, c/o Corporate Secretary, at our corporate headquarters address, which is 299 Park Avenue, 10th Floor, New York, New York 10171, or electronically, at our corporate website,www.marketaxess.com under the headingInvestor Relations — Corporate Governance — Overview, by clicking theConfidential Ethics Web Form link.

Director compensation

Our Board of Directors recommends, reviews and oversees the compensation, including equity awards, for our non-employee directors. All directors, other than Mr. McVey, are regarded as non-employee directors. Mr. McVey receives no additional compensation for his service as a director. In 2015, we increased the annual cash retainer payable to each non-employee director from $60,000 to $70,000 and we raised the annual equity retainer value from $90,000 to $95,000, while reducing the per meeting fee as described below. In August 2015, we granted 972 shares of restricted stock to each non-employee director. One-half of the award vested on November 30, 2015 and the balance is scheduled to vest on May 31, 2016. The number of shares of restricted stock granted was determined on the date of grant by dividing the equity grant value of $95,000 by $97.72, the average of the closing price of our Common Stock for the ten trading days up to and including the grant date (“Share Calculation”). We expect to continue to compensate our non-employee directors with a combination of cash and equity awards. All equity awards to non-employee directors are made under the Company’s 2012 Incentive Plan.

The Company and the Board of Directors believe that equity-based awards are an important factor in aligning the long-term financial interest of the non-employee directors and stockholders. As such, the Board of Directors adopted stock ownership guidelines for the non-employee directors. A subsection of the ownership guidelines, the holding requirements, were most recently revised in April 2016 and require that non-employee directors hold not less than a number of shares of Common Stock equal in value to three times the annual base cash retainer payable to a director, or $210,000, calculated using a price of $124.08 per share, which was the average of the closing price of our Common Stock for the ten trading days up to and including the date the general ownership guidelines were last updated. The designated level of ownership generally must be achieved within five years after the director has become a Board member and must be maintained throughout the non-employee director’s service with the Company. All shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by the director, including shares purchased and held personally, vested and unvested restricted shares, vested and unvested restricted stock units, settled performance shares, and shares deferred under a non-qualified deferred compensation arrangement, count toward the minimum ownership requirement; vested and unvested stock options are excluded. Additionally, non-employee directors must hold all shares granted for service for a minimum of five years from the date of grant, and a non-employee director cannot dispose of more than 50% of the total number of shares granted for service until after such director’s retirement from the Board. Directors are also required, for a period of six months following his or her departure from the Board, to comply with the provisions of the Company’s Insider Trading Policy that, among other things, prohibit trading in the Company’s securities during specified blackout periods. All of our non-employee directors have either achieved the designated level of ownership or are in the five year period following their appointment or election to the Board during which they are expected to achieve compliance.

In addition to the Board retainer and equity awards, the Lead Independent Director (“Lead Director”) receives a supplemental annual retainer of $40,000. In 2015, the Company gave the Lead Director the choice to have the supplemental retainer paid all in cash or half in cash and half awarded as restricted stock. The Lead Director chose for half (or $20,000) to be awarded in the form of restricted stock, which equated to 205 shares based on the average of the closing price of our Common Stock for the ten trading days up to and including the date of grant. One-half of the award vested on November 30, 2015 and the balance is scheduled to vest on May 31, 2016. The chairs of the Audit and Compensation Committees receive a supplemental annual retainer of $20,000 and $15,000, respectively. The chairs of the Nominating and Corporate Governance, Risk and Investment Committees receive a supplemental annual retainer of $10,000 each. In addition, in 2015 we reduced the amount that each non-employee director receives for each meeting of our Board of Directors and for each committee meeting that the director attends from $1,500 to $1,000 in coordination with the increases in director compensation described above.

The Compensation Committee has retained the services of Grahall LLC (“Grahall”) as its independent compensation consultant. Grahall reports directly to the Compensation Committee in its role and has conducted an annual review of director compensation levels and a bi-annual review of director pay structure and practices, and in each event, shares the results of those reviews with the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee then submits any proposed changes in pay level or program structure to the full Board for its consideration, and if appropriate, approval.

Director compensation for fiscal 2015

PROPOSAL 2 — RATIFICATION OF SELECTION OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC

ACCOUNTING FIRM

The Audit Committee of our Board has appointed the firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (“PwC”) as our independent registered public accounting firm to audit our consolidated financial statements for the year ending December 31, 2016, and the Board is asking stockholders to ratify that selection. Although current law, rules and regulations, as well as the charter of the Audit Committee, require our independent registered public accounting firm to be engaged, retained and supervised by the Audit Committee, the Board considers the selection of our independent registered public accounting firm to be an important matter of stockholder concern and considers a proposal for stockholders to ratify such selection to be an important opportunity for stockholders to provide direct feedback to the Board on an important issue of corporate governance. In the event that stockholders fail to ratify the appointment, the Audit Committee will reconsider whether or not to retain PwC, but may ultimately determine to retain PwC as our independent registered public accounting firm. Even if the appointment is ratified, the Audit Committee, in its sole discretion, may direct the appointment of a different independent registered public accounting firm at any time during the year if the Audit Committee determines that such a change would be in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders.

Your vote

Unless proxy cards are otherwise marked, the persons named as proxies will voteFOR the ratification of PwC as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2016. Approval of this proposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Common Stock present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on the proposal.

Board recommendation

THE BOARD UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE “FOR” RATIFICATION OF PWC AS THE COMPANY’S INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR THE YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2016.

Information about our independent registered public accounting firm

PwC has audited our consolidated financial statements each year since our formation in 2000. Representatives of PwC will be present at our Annual Meeting, will have the opportunity to make a statement if they desire to do so, and will be available to respond to appropriate questions from stockholders.

In 2011, the Company, in the ordinary course of its business, entered into a bulk data agreement with PwC for the purpose of supporting valuation conclusions reached by PwC in the normal course of PwC’s audit and other work for its clients. Pursuant to the agreement, the Company provides bond pricing data to PwC on terms consistent with the terms of similar data sales agreements entered into by the Company. The aggregate annual revenue to the Company from the data agreement is $235,000 and, in 2015, PwC purchased an additional service under the data agreement for a one-time fee of $36,000. On an annual basis, the Audit Committee evaluates the effect of such agreement on the independence of PwC and has concurred with the opinion of the Company and PwC that the arrangement constitutes an “arm’s-length” transaction that would not affect PwC’s independence.

Audit and other fees

The aggregate fees billed by our independent registered public accounting firm for professional services rendered in connection with the audit of our annual financial statements set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 and the audit of our broker-dealer subsidiaries’ annual financial statements, as well as fees paid to PwC for tax compliance and planning and other services, are set forth below.

Except as set forth in the following sentence, the Audit Committee, or a designated member thereof, pre-approves 100% of all audit, audit-related, tax and other services rendered by PwC to the Company or its subsidiaries. The Audit Committee has authorized the CEO and the Chief Financial Officer to purchase permitted non-audit services rendered by PwC to the Company or its subsidiaries up to, and including, a limit of $10,000 per service and an annual aggregate limit of $20,000 for all such services.

Immediately following the completion of each fiscal year, the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm shall submit to the Audit Committee (and the Audit Committee shall request from the independent registered public accounting firm), as soon as possible, a formal written statement describing: (i) the independent registered public accounting firm’s internal quality-control procedures; and (ii) all relationships between the independent registered public accounting firm and the Company, including at least the matters set forth in Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1(Independence Discussion with Audit Committees), in order to assess the independent registered public accounting firm’s independence.

Immediately following the completion of each fiscal year, the independent registered public accounting firm also shall submit to the Audit Committee (and the Audit Committee shall request from the independent registered public accounting firm), a formal written statement of the fees billed by the independent registered public accounting firm to the Company in each of the last two fiscal years for each of the following categories of services rendered by the independent registered public accounting firm: (i) the audit of the Company’s annual financial statements and the reviews of the financial statements included in the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or services that are normally provided by the independent registered public accounting firm in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements; (ii) assurance and related services not included in clause (i) that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of the Company’s financial statements, in the aggregate and by each service; (iii) tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning services, in the aggregate and by each service; and (iv) all other products and services rendered by the independent registered public accounting firm, in the aggregate and by each service.

Set forth below is information regarding fees paid by the Company to PwC during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014.

REPORT OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Audit Committee currently consists of Mr. Gomach (Chair), Ms. Chwick, Mr. Cruger and Mr. Hersch. Each member of the Audit Committee is independent, as independence is defined for purposes of Audit Committee membership by the listing standards of NASDAQ and the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC. The Board has determined that each member of the Audit Committee is financially literate, in other words, is able to read and understand fundamental financial statements, including the Company’s balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement, as required by NASDAQ rules. In addition, the Board has determined that Mr. Gomach and Mr. Cruger satisfy the NASDAQ rule requiring that at least one member of our Board’s Audit Committee have past employment experience in finance or accounting, requisite professional certification in accounting, or any other comparable experience or background that results in the member’s financial sophistication, including being or having been a chief executive officer, chief financial officer or other senior officer with financial oversight responsibilities. The Board has also determined that Mr. Gomach and Mr. Cruger are “financial experts” as defined by the SEC.

The Audit Committee appoints our independent registered public accounting firm, reviews the plan for and the results of the independent audit, approves the fees of our independent registered public accounting firm, reviews with management and the independent registered public accounting firm our quarterly and annual financial statements and our internal accounting, financial and disclosure controls, reviews and approves transactions between the Company and its officers, directors and affiliates, and performs other duties and responsibilities as set forth in a charter approved by the Board of Directors. A copy of the Audit Committee charter is available in theInvestor Relations — Corporate Governance — Overview section of the Company’s website.

During fiscal year 2015, the Audit Committee met five times. The Company’s senior financial management and independent registered public accounting firm were in attendance at such meetings. Following each quarterly meeting during 2015, the Audit Committee conducted a private session with the independent registered public accounting firm, without the presence of management. The Audit Committee also met jointly with the Risk Committee two times during 2015.

The management of the Company is responsible for the preparation and integrity of the financial reporting information and related systems of internal controls. The Audit Committee, in carrying out its role, relies on the Company’s senior management, including particularly its senior financial management, to prepare financial statements with integrity and objectivity and in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and relies upon the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm to review or audit, as applicable, such financial statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”).

We have reviewed and discussed with senior management the Company’s audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2015 which are included in the Company’s 2015 Annual Report on Form 10-K. Management has confirmed to us that such financial statements (i) have been prepared with integrity and objectivity and are the responsibility of management and (ii) have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles.

In discharging our oversight responsibility as to the audit process, we have discussed with PwC, the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, the matters required to be discussed by PCAOB AU 380Communication with Audit Committees, as currently in effect, which requires our independent registered public accounting firm to provide us with additional information regarding the scope and results of their audit of the Company’s financial statements, including: (i) their responsibilities under generally accepted auditing standards, (ii) significant accounting policies, (iii) management judgments and estimates, (iv) any significant accounting adjustments, (v) any disagreements with management and (vi) any difficulties encountered in performing the audit.

We have received the written disclosures and the letter from PwC required by applicable requirements of the PCAOB regarding PwC’s communications with us concerning independence, and have discussed with PwC their independence.

Based upon the foregoing review and discussions with our independent registered public accounting firm and senior management of the Company, we have recommended to our Board that the financial statements prepared by the Company’s management and audited by its independent registered public accounting firm be included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, for filing with the SEC. The Committee also has appointed PwC as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2016.

As specified in its Charter, it is not the duty of the Audit Committee to plan or conduct audits or to determine that the Company’s financial statements are complete and accurate and in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. These are the responsibilities of the Company’s management and independent registered public accounting firm. In discharging our duties as a Committee, we have relied on (i) management’s representations to us that the financial statements prepared by management have been prepared with integrity and objectivity and in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and (ii) the report of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm with respect to such financial statements.

Submitted by the Audit Committee of the

Board of Directors:

David G. Gomach — Chair

Jane Chwick

William F. Cruger

RonaldDavid G. Gomach

Carlos M. Hersch

Richard G. Ketchum

Emily H. Portney

John Steinhardt

James J. Sullivan

Each of these nominees is currently serving as a director on our Board, and each nominee has agreed to continue to serve on the Board if he or she is elected at the Annual Meeting. If any nominee is unable (or for good cause declines) to serve as a director at any time before the Annual Meeting, proxies may be voted for the election of a qualified substitute designated by the current Board, or else the size of the Board will be reduced accordingly. Biographical information about each of the nominees is included below under Director information.

Qualifications for director nominees

The minimum qualifications for Board consideration are:

A director must have an exemplary reputation and record for honesty in his or her personal dealings and business or professional activity. All directors must demonstrate strong leadership skills and should possess a basic understanding of financial matters; have an ability to review and understand the Company’s financial and other reports; and be able to discuss such matters intelligently and effectively. He or she also needs to exhibit qualities of independence in thought and action. A candidate should be committed first and foremost to the interests of the stockholders of the Company. Persons who represent a particular special interest, ideology, narrow perspective or point of view would not, therefore, generally be considered good candidates for election to our Board. The key

experience, qualifications and skills each of our directors brings to the Board that are important in light of our business are included in their individual biographies below.

Our Board does not have a formal written policy with regard to the consideration of diversity in identifying director nominees. Our Corporate Governance Guidelines, however, require the Board’s Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee to review the qualifications of the directors and the composition of the Board as a whole. This assessment includes not only the independence of the directors, but consideration of required minimum qualifications, skills, expertise and experience in the context of the needs of the Board and its ability to oversee the Company’s business.

Director information

At the recommendation of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, the Board has nominated the persons named below to serve as directors of the Company for a term beginning at the Annual Meeting and ending at the 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND BOARD MATTERS

Director independence

The Board of Directors has determined that each of our current directors, other than Mr. McVey, currently meet the independence requirements contained in the NASDAQ listing standards and applicable tax and securities rules and regulations. None of these non-employee directors has a relationship with the Company or its subsidiaries that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director.

In compliance with the NASDAQ listing standards, we have a Board of Directors comprised of a majority of independent directors. The NASDAQ listing standards have both objective tests and a subjective test for determining who is an “independent director.” The objective tests state, for example, that a director is not considered independent if he is an employee of the Company or is a partner in or controlling shareholder or executive officer of an entity to which the Company made, or from which the Company received, payments in the current or any of the past three fiscal years that exceed 5% of the recipient’s consolidated gross revenue for that year. The subjective test states that an independent director must be a person who lacks a relationship that, in the opinion of the Board, would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director.

None of the non-employee directors were disqualified from “independent” status under the objective tests. In assessing independence under the subjective test, the Board took into account the standards in the objective tests, and reviewed and discussed additional information provided by the directors and the Company with regard to each director’s business and personal activities as they may relate to MarketAxess’ management. Based on all of the foregoing, as required by the NASDAQ listing standards, the Board made a substantive determination as to each of the independent directors that no relationship exists which, in the opinion of the Board, would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director.

The Board has not established categorical standards or guidelines to make these subjective determinations, but considers all relevant facts and circumstances.

In addition to Board-level standards for director independence, the directors who serve on the Audit Committee and the Compensation Committee each satisfy standards established by the SEC and the NASDAQ listing rules providing that to qualify as “independent” for purposes of membership on the Audit Committee or the Compensation Committee, members of such committees may not accept directly or indirectly any consulting, advisory or other compensatory fee from the Company other than their director compensation. Also, each of the directors who serve on the Compensation Committee has been determined to be a “non-employee director” for purposes of the applicable SEC rules and regulations and an “outside director” for purposes of the applicable tax rules.

In making its independence determinations, the Board considered transactions occurring since the beginning of 2015 between the Company and entities associated with the independent directors or members of their immediate family. In each case, the Board determined that, because of the nature of the director’s relationship with the entity and/or the amount involved, the relationship did not impair the director’s independence. The Board’s independence determinations included reviewing the relationship of certain of our directors who are or, for a portion of the past three years, were senior employees of broker-dealer and institutional investor clients. In addition, the Board considered that Mr. Hernandez is the Head of Global Banking at JPMorgan Chase & Co., which accounted for approximately 5% of the Company’s consolidated gross revenue for 2017, and is the administrative agent and sole lender under our credit agreement, provides cash and investment management services to the Company and operates our share repurchase program.

We do not have a director tenure requirement, as we believe our efforts to regularly refresh the Board with new directors, as well as natural turnover, has achieved the appropriate balance between maintaining longer-term directors with deep institutional knowledge and new directors who bring new perspectives and diversity to our Board. Notwithstanding this belief and the fact that our corporate governance guidelines and NASDAQ Global Select Market rules do not deem long-tenured directors to be non-independent, our Board reviews director tenure in connection with its director independence determinations.

How nominees to our Board are selected

Candidates for election to our Board of Directors are nominated by our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and ratified by our full Board of Directors for nomination to the stockholders. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee operates under a charter, which is available on our corporate website at www.marketaxess.com.

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will give due consideration to candidates recommended by stockholders. Stockholders may recommend candidates for the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee’s consideration by submitting such recommendations directly to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee as described below under Communicating with our Board members. In making recommendations, stockholders should be mindful of the discussion of minimum

qualifications set forth above under Qualifications for director nominees. However, just because a recommended individual meets the minimum qualification standards does not imply that the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will necessarily nominate the person so recommended by a stockholder. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may also engage outside search firms to assist in identifying or evaluating potential nominees.   Ms. Portney was recommended to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board by Mr. Cruger.

Board leadership structure

Our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) also serves as the Chairman of the Board (the “Chairman”), and we have a Lead Independent Director who is responsible, among other things, for consulting with the Chairman regarding the agenda for each Board meeting and coordinating the activities of the non-employee directors, including presiding over the executive sessions of non-employee directors. We believe that this structure is appropriate for the Company because it allows one person to speak for and lead the Company and the Board, while also providing for effective oversight by an independent Board through a Lead Independent Director. Our CEO, as the individual with primary responsibility for managing the Company’s strategic direction and day-to-day operations, is in the best position to provide Board leadership that is aligned with our stockholders’ interests as well as the Company’s needs. Our overall corporate governance policies and practices, combined with the strength of our independent directors, minimize any potential conflicts that may result from combining the roles of CEO and Chairman.

Mr. Casper currently serves as the Lead Independent Director. The full Board, by majority vote, elects the Lead Independent Director.

The Board has established other structural safeguards that serve to preserve the Board’s independent oversight of management. First, the Board is comprised almost entirely of independent directors who are highly qualified and experienced, and who exercise a strong, independent oversight function. The Board’s Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, and Risk Committee are comprised entirely of, and are chaired by, independent directors. Second, independent oversight of our CEO’s performance is provided through a number of Board and committee processes and procedures, including regular executive sessions of non-employee directors and annual evaluations of our CEO’s performance against pre-determined goals. The Board believes that these safeguards preserve the Board’s independent oversight of management and provide a balance between the authority of those who oversee the Company and those who manage it on a day-to-day basis.

Board committees

The Audit Committee of our Board of Directors reviews, acts on and reports to our Board of Directors with respect to various auditing and accounting matters, including the recommendation of our independent registered public accounting firm, the scope of the annual audits, the fees to be paid to the independent registered public accounting firm, the performance of the independent registered public accounting firm and our accounting practices. The Audit Committee currently consists of Messrs. Gomach (Chair), Casper and Cruger. The Board of Directors has determined that each member of the Audit Committee is both an independent director in accordance with NASDAQ listing standards and an Audit Committee financial expert, as defined by SEC guidelines and as required by the applicable NASDAQ listing standards. For information regarding the experience and qualifications of our Audit Committee financial experts, see the information in this Proxy Statement under the section heading Proposal 1 — Election of Directors — Director information.

The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors recommends, reviews and oversees the salaries, benefits and equity incentive plans for our employees, consultants, directors (other than non-employee directors) and other individuals whom we compensate. The Compensation Committee also administers our compensation plans. The Compensation Committee currently consists of Messrs. Steinhardt (Chair) and Begleiter. The Board of Directors has determined that each member of the Compensation Committee is an “independent director” in accordance with NASDAQ listing standards, a “non-employee director” under the applicable SEC rules and regulations and an “outside director” under the applicable tax rules. The Compensation Committee may form subcommittees and delegate authority to such subcommittees or individuals as it deems appropriate.

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board of Directors selects nominees for director positions to be recommended by our Board of Directors for election as directors and for any vacancies in such positions, develops and recommends for our Board of Directors the Corporate Governance Guidelines of the Company and oversees the annual review of the performance of the Board of Directors, each director and each committee. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee currently consists of Mr. Cruger (Chair), Mr. Casper and Ms. Chwick. The Board of Directors has determined that each member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is an independent director in accordance with NASDAQ listing standards.

The Risk Committee assists the Board with its oversight of the Company’s risk management activities, with particular responsibility for overseeing designated areas of risk that are not the primary responsibility of another committee of the Board or

retained for the Board’s direct oversight. Items delegated to the Risk Committee by the Board include technology risk, credit risk and regulatory risk. The Risk Committee currently consists of Ms. Chwick (Chair), Mr. Ketchum, Ms. Portney and Mr. Sullivan.

The Investment Committee assists the Board in monitoring whether the Company has adopted and adheres to a rational and prudent investment and capital management policy; whether management’s investment and capital management actions are consistent with attainment of the Company’s investment policy, financial objectives and business goals; the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements pertaining to investment and capital management; the competence, performance and compensation of the Company’s external money managers; and such other matters as the Board or Investment Committee deems appropriate. The Investment Committee currently consists of Messrs. Steinhardt (Chair), Hernandez and Sullivan.

Meetings and attendance

The following table sets forth chairs and membership structure of the Board and each standing Board committee, and the number of Board and Board committee meetings held during 2017.

(1) The Audit and Risk Committees held five and four meetings, respectively, plus one joint Audit and Risk Committee meeting.

The non-management directors met in executive session without management directors or employees at each of the meetings of the Board during 2017. We expect each director to attend each meeting of the full Board and of the committees on which he or she serves and to attend the annual meeting of stockholders. All directors attended at least 75% of the meetings of the full Board and the meetings of the committees on which they served and eight of ten directors attended our 2017 annual meeting of stockholders (not counting Ms. Portney, who was not a director at the time of our 2017 annual meeting).

Board involvement in risk oversight

The Company’s management is responsible for defining the various risks facing the Company, formulating risk management policies and procedures, and managing the Company’s risk exposures on a day-to-day basis. The Board’s responsibility is to monitor the Company’s risk management processes by informing itself of the Company’s material risks and evaluating whether management has reasonable controls in place to address the material risks. The Board is not responsible, however, for defining or managing the Company’s various risks.

The Board of Directors monitors management’s responsibility for risk oversight through regular reports from management to the Risk and Audit Committees and the full Board. Furthermore, the Risk and Audit Committees report on the matters discussed at the committee level to the full Board. The Risk and Audit Committees and the full Board focus on the material risks facing the Company, including strategic, operational, market, technology, credit, liquidity, legal and regulatory risks, to assess whether management has reasonable controls in place to address these risks. In addition, the Compensation Committee is charged with reviewing and discussing with management whether the Company’s compensation arrangements are consistent with effective controls and sound risk management. Finally, risk management is a factor that the Board and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee consider when determining who to nominate for election as a director of the Company and which directors serve on the Risk and Audit Committees. The Board believes this division of responsibilities provides an effective and efficient approach for addressing risk management.

The Company’s Global Management Team assists management’s efforts to assess and manage risk. The Global Management Team is chaired by the CEO and is comprised of the Company’s senior managers with global oversight. The Global Management Team assesses the Company’s business strategies and plans and insures that appropriate policies and procedures are in place for identifying, evaluating, monitoring, managing and measuring significant risks. The Chief Risk Officer regularly prepares updates and reports for the Global Management Team, Board Risk Committee and the Board of Directors.

Code of Conduct, Code of Ethics and other governance documents

The Board has adopted a Code of Conduct that applies to all officers, directors and employees, and a Code of Ethics for the CEO and Senior Financial Officers, which includes Mr. DeLise, our Chief Financial Officer. Both the Code of Conduct and the Code of Ethics for the CEO and Senior Financial Officers, as well as any amendments to, or waivers under, the Code of Ethics for the CEO and Senior Financial Officers, can be accessed in the Investor Relations — Corporate Governance — Overview section of our website at www.marketaxess.com.

You may also obtain a copy of these documents by writing to MarketAxess Holdings Inc., 299 Park Avenue, 10th Floor, New York, New York 10171, Attention: Investor Relations.

Copies of the charters of our Board’s Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, Investment Committee, Risk Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, as well as a copy of the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines, can be accessed in the Investor Relations — Corporate Governance section of our website.

Communicating with our Board members

Although our Board of Directors has not adopted a formal process for stockholder communications with the Board, we make every effort to ensure that the views of stockholders are heard by the Board or by individual directors, as applicable, and we believe that this has been an effective process to date. Stockholders may communicate with the Board by sending a letter to the MarketAxess Holdings Inc. Board of Directors, c/o General Counsel, 299 Park Avenue, 10th Floor, New York, New York 10171. The General Counsel will receive the correspondence and forward it to the Chairman of the Board and the Lead Independent Director, or to any individual director or directors to whom the communication is directed, as appropriate. Notwithstanding the above, the General Counsel has the authority to discard or disregard any communication that is unduly hostile, threatening, illegal or otherwise inappropriate or to take any other appropriate actions with respect to such communications.

In addition, any person, whether or not an employee, who has a concern regarding the conduct of the Company or our employees, including with respect to our accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing issues, may, in a confidential or anonymous manner, communicate that concern in writing by addressing a letter to the Chairman of the Audit Committee, c/o Corporate Secretary, at our corporate headquarters address, which is 299 Park Avenue, 10th Floor, New York, New York 10171, or electronically, at our corporate website, www.marketaxess.com under the heading Investor Relations — Corporate Governance — Overview, by clicking the Confidential Ethics Web Form link.

Director compensation

The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors has retained the services of Grahall LLC (“Grahall”) as its independent compensation consultant. Grahall reports directly to the Compensation Committee in its role and has conducted an annual review of director compensation levels and a bi-annual review of director pay structure and practices, and in each event, shares the results of those reviews with the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee then submits any proposed changes in pay level or program structure to the full Board for its consideration, and if appropriate, approval.

Grahall reviews and recommends compensation structure and adjustments based on the board compensation of the following:

All directors, other than Mr. McVey, are regarded as non-employee directors. Mr. McVey receives no additional compensation for his service as a director.

In 2017, we made the following changes to our Director compensation program, effective August 2017:

We believe that these changes are appropriate given recent structural changes to director pay that were observed in the market and the pay levels that were indicated by the market data.  The changes result in a cash/equity mix that is consistent with market practice and desirable to ensure the alignment of the long-term financial interests of our non-employee directors with those of our stockholders.  The director pay recommendations resulted in pay levels just above the 50^th percentile of board compensation for our proxy and ISS peers

A summary of the structure of our Director pay program that was in effect prior to August 2017 is as follows:

A summary of the structure of our Director pay program that is in effect as of August 2017 is as follows:

In August 2017, we granted 518 shares of restricted stock to each non-employee director. The shares are scheduled to vest over the duration of the non-employee directors’ service year: one-half of the award vested on November 30, 2017 and the balance is scheduled to vest on May 31, 2018. The number of shares of restricted stock granted was determined on the grant date by dividing the equity grant value of $105,000 by $202.54, the average of the closing price of our Common Stock for the ten trading days up to and including the grant date. We expect to continue to compensate our non-employee directors with a combination of cash and equity awards. All equity awards to non-employee directors are made under the Company’s 2012 Incentive Plan.

Mr. Ketchum, who was appointed to the Board of Directors in April 2017, was awarded 82 additional shares for his partial year of service (April to June 2017).  

Ms. Portney was granted 337 shares effective November 1, 2017 in conjunction with her appointment to the Board of Directors on October 18, 2017.     This award will be fully vested on May 31, 2018.

Below is a summary of the amount and form of actual compensation received by each non-employee director in 2017:

Share Ownership & Holding Guidelines

To better align the interests of non-employee directors and stockholders, the Board of Directors has adopted stock ownership guidelines for our non-employee directors.  In July 2017, the Board increased the holding requirement to require that non-employee directors hold not less than the number of shares of Common Stock equal in value to four times the annual base cash retainer payable to a director, or $320,000.  As of April 2018, the holding requirement was equal to 1,648 shares, calculated using a price of $194.22 per share, which was the average of the daily closing price of our Common Stock for the twelve-month period ended on March 31, 2018.   This new calculation method was implemented by the Board in April 2018 and is intended to moderate the variability of the stock price. The holding requirement must be achieved within five years after the director has become a Board member and maintained throughout the non-employee director’s service with the Company. All shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by

the director, including shares purchased and held personally, vested and unvested restricted shares, vested and unvested restricted stock units, settled performance shares, and shares deferred under a non-qualified deferred compensation arrangement, count toward the minimum ownership requirement. Vested and unvested stock options and unearned performance shares are excluded.

In addition to the ownership guidelines, all non-employee directors must hold all shares granted for service for a minimum of five years from the date of grant, and a non-employee director must hold no less than 50% of the total number of shares granted for service until they retire from the Board. Directors are also required, for a period of six months following his or her departure from the Board, to comply with the Company’s Insider Trading Policy that, among other things, prohibits trading in the Company’s securities during specified blackout periods.

All of our non-employee directors have either achieved the designated level of ownership or are in the five-year period following their appointment or election to the Board during which they are expected to achieve compliance:

Our equity plan provides for the accrual of dividends (or dividend equivalents) on unvested shares.   However, dividends are not paid and are subject to forfeiture until all restrictions on the shares have lapsed.

We do not provide any retirement benefits or other perquisites to our non-employee directors.

PROPOSAL 2 — RATIFICATION OF SELECTION OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

The Audit Committee of our Board has appointed the firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (“PwC”) as our independent registered public accounting firm to audit our consolidated financial statements for the year ending December 31, 2018, and the Board is asking stockholders to ratify that selection. Although current law, rules and regulations, as well as the charter of the Audit Committee, require our independent registered public accounting firm to be engaged, retained and supervised by the Audit Committee, the Board considers the selection of our independent registered public accounting firm to be an important matter of stockholder concern and considers a proposal for stockholders to ratify such selection to be an important opportunity for stockholders to provide direct feedback to the Board on an important issue of corporate governance. In the event that stockholders fail to ratify the appointment, the Audit Committee will reconsider whether or not to retain PwC, but may ultimately determine to retain PwC as our independent registered public accounting firm. Even if the appointment is ratified, the Audit Committee, in its sole discretion, may direct the appointment of a different independent registered public accounting firm at any time during the year if the Audit Committee determines that such a change would be in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders.

Your vote

Unless proxy cards are otherwise marked, the persons named as proxies will vote FOR the ratification of PwC as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2018. Approval of this proposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Common Stock present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on the proposal.

Board recommendation

THE BOARD UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE “FOR” RATIFICATION OF PWC AS THE COMPANY’S INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR THE YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2018.

Information about our independent registered public accounting firm

PwC has audited our consolidated financial statements each year since our formation in 2000. Representatives of PwC will be present at our Annual Meeting, will have the opportunity to make a statement if they desire to do so, and will be available to respond to appropriate questions from stockholders.

In 2011, the Company, in the ordinary course of its business, entered into a bulk data agreement with PwC for the purpose of supporting valuation conclusions reached by PwC in the normal course of PwC’s audit and other work for its clients. Pursuant to the agreement, the Company provides bond pricing data to PwC on terms consistent with the terms of similar data sales agreements entered into by the Company. The aggregate annual revenue to the Company from the data agreement is $235,000. On an annual basis, the Audit Committee evaluates the effect of such agreement on the independence of PwC and has concurred with the opinion of the Company’s management and PwC that the arrangement constitutes an “arm’s-length” transaction that would not affect PwC’s independence.

Audit and other fees

The aggregate fees billed by our independent registered public accounting firm for professional services rendered in connection with the audit of our annual financial statements set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 and the audit of our broker-dealer subsidiaries’ annual financial statements, as well as fees paid to PwC for tax compliance and planning and other services, are set forth below.

Except as set forth in the following sentence, the Audit Committee, or a designated member thereof, pre-approves 100% of all audit, audit-related, tax and other services rendered by PwC to the Company or its subsidiaries. The Audit Committee has authorized the CEO and the Chief Financial Officer to purchase permitted non-audit services rendered by PwC to the Company or its subsidiaries up to, and including, a limit of $10,000 per service and an annual aggregate limit of $20,000 for all such services.

Immediately following the completion of each fiscal year, the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm shall submit to the Audit Committee (and the Audit Committee shall request from the independent registered public accounting firm), as soon as possible, a formal written statement describing: (i) the independent registered public accounting firm’s internal quality-control procedures; and (ii) all relationships between the independent registered public accounting firm and the Company, including at least the matters set forth in Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1 (Independence Discussion with Audit Committees), in order to assess the independent registered public accounting firm’s independence.

Immediately following the completion of each fiscal year, the independent registered public accounting firm also shall submit to the Audit Committee (and the Audit Committee shall request from the independent registered public accounting firm), a formal written statement of the fees billed by the independent registered public accounting firm to the Company in each of the last two fiscal years for each of the following categories of services rendered by the independent registered public accounting firm: (i) the audit of the Company’s annual financial statements and the reviews of the financial statements included in the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or services that are normally provided by the independent registered public accounting firm in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements; (ii) assurance and related services not included in clause (i) that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of the Company’s financial statements, in the aggregate and by each service; (iii) tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning services, in the aggregate and by each service; and (iv) all other products and services rendered by the independent registered public accounting firm, in the aggregate and by each service.

Set forth below is information regarding fees paid by the Company to PwC during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016.

REPORT OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Audit Committee currently consists of Mr. Gomach (Chair), Mr. Casper and Mr. Cruger. Each member of the Audit Committee is independent, as independence is defined for purposes of Audit Committee membership by the listing standards of NASDAQ and the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC. The Board has determined that each member of the Audit Committee is financially literate, in other words, is able to read and understand fundamental financial statements, including the Company’s balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement, as required by NASDAQ rules. In addition, the Board has determined that each member of the Audit Committee satisfies the NASDAQ rule requiring that at least one member of our Board’s Audit Committee have past employment experience in finance or accounting, requisite professional certification in accounting, or any other comparable experience or background that results in the member’s financial sophistication, including being or having been a chief executive officer, chief financial officer or other senior officer with financial oversight responsibilities. The Board has also determined that each member of the Audit Committee is a “financial expert” as defined by the SEC.

The Audit Committee appoints our independent registered public accounting firm, reviews the plan for and the results of the independent audit, approves the fees of our independent registered public accounting firm, reviews with management and the independent registered public accounting firm our quarterly and annual financial statements and our internal accounting, financial and disclosure controls, reviews and approves transactions between the Company and its officers, directors and affiliates, and performs other duties and responsibilities as set forth in a charter approved by the Board of Directors. A copy of the Audit Committee charter is available in the Investor Relations — Corporate Governance — Overview section of the Company’s website.

During fiscal year 2017, the Audit Committee met five times. The Company’s senior financial management and independent registered public accounting firm were in attendance at such meetings. Following each quarterly meeting during 2017, the Audit Committee conducted a private session with the independent registered public accounting firm, without the presence of management. The Audit Committee also had one joint meeting with the Risk Committee during 2017.

The management of the Company is responsible for the preparation and integrity of the financial reporting information and related systems of internal controls. The Audit Committee, in carrying out its role, relies on the Company’s senior management, including particularly its senior financial management, to prepare financial statements with integrity and objectivity and in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and relies upon the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm to review or audit, as applicable, such financial statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”).

We have reviewed and discussed with senior management the Company’s audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2017 which are included in the Company’s 2017 Annual Report on Form 10-K. Management has confirmed to us that such financial statements (i) have been prepared with integrity and objectivity and are the responsibility of management and (ii) have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles.

In discharging our oversight responsibility as to the audit process, we have discussed with PwC, the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, the matters required to be discussed by PCAOB AS 1301 Communication with Audit Committees, as currently in effect, which requires our independent registered public accounting firm to provide us with additional information regarding the scope and results of their audit of the Company’s financial statements, including: (i) their responsibilities under generally accepted auditing standards, (ii) significant accounting policies, (iii) management judgments and estimates, (iv) any significant accounting adjustments, (v) any disagreements with management and (vi) any difficulties encountered in performing the audit.

We have received the written disclosures from PwC concerning their independence, as required by applicable requirements of the PCAOB, and we have discussed with PwC their independence.

Based upon the foregoing review and discussions with our independent registered public accounting firm and senior management of the Company, we have recommended to our Board that the financial statements prepared by the Company’s management and audited by its independent registered public accounting firm be included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, for filing with the SEC. The Committee also has appointed PwC as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2018.

As specified in its Charter, it is not the duty of the Audit Committee to plan or conduct audits or to determine that the Company’s financial statements are complete and accurate and in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. These are the responsibilities of the Company’s management and independent registered public accounting firm. In discharging our duties as a Committee, we have relied on (i) management’s representations to us that the financial statements prepared by management have been prepared with integrity and objectivity and in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and (ii) the report of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm with respect to such financial statements.

PROPOSAL 3 — ADVISORY VOTE ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

In accordance with the requirements of Section 14A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (which was added by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the related rules of the SEC (“(the “Dodd-Frank Act”)), the Company is providing its stockholders the opportunity to cast an advisory vote on the compensation of its named executive officers. This proposal, commonly known as a “say-on-pay” proposal, gives the Company’s stockholders the opportunity to express their views on the named executive officers’ compensation. We will include an advisory vote on executive compensation on an annual basis at least until the next shareholder advisory vote on the frequency of such votes.

As described in detail in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis below, the Company’s named executive officer compensation program is designed to attract, reward and retain the caliber of officers needed to ensure the Company’s continued growth and profitability. The primary objectives of the program are to:

The Company seeks to accomplish these goals in a manner that is aligned with the long-term interests of the Company’s stockholders. The Company believes that its named executive officer compensation program achieves this goal with its emphasis on long-term equity awards and performance-based compensation, in addition to short-term (annual) incentive awards, specifically cash incentives, which has enabled the Company to successfully motivate and reward its named executive officers. The Company believes that its ability to retain its current high-performing team of seasoned executive officers is critical to its continuing financial success and that its focus on the long-term interests of its named executive officers aligns with the interests of its stockholders.

For these reasons, the Board recommends a vote in favor of the following resolution:

“RESOLVED, that the compensation paid to the Company’s named executive officers, as disclosed in the Company’s proxy statement for the 20162018 Annual Meeting, pursuant to the compensation disclosure rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, compensation tables and narrative discussion, is hereby APPROVED.”

As an advisory vote, this proposal is not binding upon the Company, our Board or our Compensation Committee. Notwithstanding the advisory nature of this vote, our Board and the Compensation Committee, which is responsible for designing and administering the Company’s named executive officer compensation program, value the opinions expressed by stockholders in their vote on this proposal, and will consider the outcome of the vote when making future compensation decisions for named executive officers. The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Common Stock present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote is required to approve this Proposal 3.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE APPROVAL, ON AN ADVISORY BASIS, OF THE COMPENSATION OF THE COMPANY’S NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AS DISCLOSED IN THIS PROXY STATEMENT.

PROPOSAL 4 — APPROVAL OF THE ADOPTION OF AN AMENDMENT AND RESTATEMENTTO INCREASE THE AGGREGATE NUMBER OF SHARES OF COMMON STOCK THAT MAY BE ISSUED OR USED FOR AWARDS UNDER THE MARKETAXESS HOLDINGS INC. 2012 INCENTIVE PLAN AND THE PERFORMANCE CRITERIA USED IN SETTING PERFORMANCE GOALS FOR AWARDS THEREUNDER INTENDED TO BE PERFORMANCE-BASED UNDER CODE SECTION 162(M)

Stockholders are being asked to approve of an amendment and restatement of(the “Amendment”) to the MarketAxess Holdings Inc. 2012 Incentive Plan (as amended and restated effective June 7, 2012)2016), as amended effective as of April 19, 2017 (the “2012 Incentive Plan”) and the performance criteria used in setting performance goals for awards thereunder intended to be performance-based under Code Section 162(m). Our Board approved the amendment and restatement of the PlanAmendment on April 20, 2016 (as amended and restated, the “2012 Incentive Plan”),17, 2018, subject to, and to be effective upon, the approval of the 2012 Incentive PlanAmendment by our stockholders at the Annual Meeting. The Amendment modifies the 2012 Incentive Plan’s aggregate share reserve to be 4,310,176 shares of our Common Stock. This number includes our current share reserve of 3,960,176 shares of our Common Stock and 350,000 new shares of our Common Stock as described below.  All other existing provisions of the Plan generally remain in effect, although we have extended the term of the 2012 Incentive Plan untilremain in effect.

The Amendment would increase the number of shares of Common Stock reserved for issuance under the plan by 350,000 shares. As of April 20, 2026 (currently, the Plan is scheduled to expire on April 18, 2022). In addition to the foregoing,16, 2018, a total of 148,429 shares of our stockholders are being asked to approve the Section 162(m) performance goalsCommon Stock remained available for future grants under the 2012 Incentive Plan. We believe that the current share reserve amount is insufficient to meet our future needs with respect to attracting, motivating and retaining key executives and employees in a competitive market for talent.  If the 2012 Incentive Plan as described below, so that certain incentiveis not approved, we may be unable to continue to offer competitive equity packages to attract and retain employees, and we may need to consider other compensation alternatives.

We designed the 2012 Incentive Plan to reflect strong equity plan governance practices. The 2012 Incentive Plan has a number of features intended to address stockholder concerns related to equity plans, including:

The Board believes that if Proposal 4 is obtained orapproved, we will be able to continue to:

The Board recommends that stockholders approve other designated performance criteriathe Amendment. If stockholders do not approve the Amendment, the requested changes will not take effect. In such a case, we may continue to grant awards under the 2012 Incentive Plan at or priorin accordance with the current share reserve and the current terms under the 2012 Incentive Plan.

We anticipate filing a Registration Statement on Form S-8 with the SEC to register the firstadditional shares of our Common Stock that will be included in the aggregate share reserve under the 2012 Incentive Plan following stockholders’ meeting in 2017. Notwithstanding the foregoing, awards of stock options and stock appreciation rights will qualify as exempt performance-based compensation under Section 162(m)approval of the Code even if the stockholders do not approve the 162(m) performance goals. The Board believes it is important to retain the ability to grant incentive compensation that qualifies as “performance-based” compensation in order to retain the corporate tax deductibility of the payments.Amendment.

Summary of the 2012 Incentive Plan

The following description of the 2012 Incentive Plan is a summary, taking into account the recent amendments,Amendment, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the 2012 Incentive Plan aand the Amendment. This summary does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the text of the 2012 Incentive Plan, as amended by the Amendment. A copy of whichthe Amendment is attached as Appendix A.

PurposePurpose. The purpose of the 2012 Incentive Plan is to enhance the profitability and value of the Company for the benefit of its stockholders by enabling the Company to offer eligible employees, consultants and non-employee directors incentive awards in order to attract, retain and reward such individuals and strengthen the mutuality of interests between such individuals and the Company’s stockholders.

AdministrationAdministration. The 2012 Incentive Plan is administered by a committee (the “Committee”), which with regard to employees and consultants is intended to consist of two or more non-employee directors, each of whom will be, to the extent required, a non-employee director as defined in Rule 16b-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, an outside director as defined under Section 162(m) of the Code, an independent director as defined under NASDAQ Listing Rule 5605(a)(2) and, as may be applicable, independent as provided pursuant to rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission under Dodd-Frank. Currently, the Compensation Committee of the Board, which meets these requirements, serves as the Committee under the 2012 Incentive Plan with regard to employees and consultants. Our Board serves as the Committee with respect to the application of the 2012 Incentive Plan to non-employee directors.

The Committee has full authority to administer and interpret the 2012 Incentive Plan, to grant awards under the 2012 Incentive Plan, to determine the persons to whom awards will be granted, to determine the types of awards to be granted, to determine the terms and conditions of each award, to determine the number of shares of Common Stock to be covered by each award and to make all other determinations in connection with the 2012

Incentive Plan and the awards thereunder as the Committee, in its sole discretion, deems necessary or desirable. The terms and conditions of individual awards are set forth in written agreements that are consistent with the terms of the 2012 Incentive Plan.

No awards may be granted under the 2012 Incentive Plan after April 20, 2026. Awards granted prior to such date, however, may extend beyond such date and the provisions of the 2012 Incentive Plan will continue to apply thereto.

No award (other than stock options and stock appreciation rights) that is intended to be “performance-based” under Section 162(m) of the Code will be granted on or after the first meeting of the Company’s stockholders that occurs in the fifth year following the year stockholders approve the 2012 Incentive Plan unless the performance goals described below are re-approved (or other designated performance goals are approved) by the stockholders.

Available Shares. The aggregate number of shares of Common Stock that may be issued or used for reference purposes under the 2012 Incentive Plan or with respect to which awards may be granted may not exceed 3,960,1764,310,176 shares, (which is the same number of shares that were available prior to the amendment and restatement of the 2012 Incentive Plan), which may be either authorized and unissued Common Stock or Common Stock held in or acquired for the treasury of the Company. In general, if awards under the 2012 Incentive Plan are cancelled for any reason, or expire or terminate unexercised, the shares covered by such awards will again be available for the grant of awards under the 2012 Incentive Plan. The number of shares of Common Stock available for awards under the 2012 Incentive Plan will be reduced by the total number of exercisable awards exercised (regardless of whether the shares of Common Stock underlying such awards are not actually issued as the result of net settlement) and any shares of Common Stock used to pay any exercise price or tax withholding obligation with respect to any award. In addition, the Company may not use the cash proceeds it receives from the exercise of stock options to repurchase shares of Common Stock on the open market for reuse under the 2012 Incentive Plan. Awards that may be settled solely in cash will not be deemed to use any shares of Common Stock that may be issued under the 2012 Incentive Plan.

The maximum number of shares of Common Stock with respect to which any award of stock options, stock appreciation rights, other stock-based awards or shares of restricted stock for which the grant of such award or the lapse of the relevant restriction period is subject to the attainment of specified performance goals that may be granted under the 2012 Incentive Plan during any fiscal year to any eligible employee or consultant will be 600,000 shares per type of award; however, the maximum number of shares of Common Stock for all types of awards to any such individual will be 1,000,000 shares during any fiscal year. There are no annual limits on the number of shares of Common Stock with respect to an award of restricted stock that is not subject to the attainment of specified performance goals to eligible employees or consultants. The maximum number of shares of Common Stock with respect to which performance shares may be granted under the 2012 Incentive Plan during any fiscal year will be 200,000 shares. The maximum value at grant of performance units that may be granted under the 2012 Incentive Plan during any fiscal year will be $2,500,000. The

maximum number of shares of Common Stock subject to any award that may be granted under the 2012 Incentive Plan during any fiscal year of the Company to any non-employee director will be 25,000 shares.

The individual maximum share limitations, the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock available for the grant of awards and the exercise price of an award in accordance with the 2012 Incentive Plan may be adjusted by the Committee to reflect any change in our capital structure or business by reason of certain corporate transactions or events in accordance with the terms of the 2012 Incentive Plan.

Eligibility and Types of Awards. All of our employees, consultants and non-employee directors are eligible to be granted nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, performance shares, performance units and other stock-based awards. As of March 31, 2016,April 16, 2018, we had 357434 employees, 3555 consultants and 1011 non-employee directors (including a non-employee director of one of our subsidiaries).directors.  In addition, our employees and employees of our affiliates that qualify as subsidiaries or parent corporations (as defined under Section 424 of the Code) are eligible to be granted incentive stock options under the 2012 Incentive Plan. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee at grant, awards granted under the 2012 Incentive Plan are subject to termination or forfeiture if the recipient engages in Detrimental Activity (as defined in the 2012 Incentive Plan)

prior to, or during the one-year period after any vesting or exercise of the award. “Full value awards” (e.g., restricted stock or restricted stock units), will be subject to a minimum one-year vesting schedule for performance-based awards and three-year vesting for time-based awards.  “Appreciation awards” (e.g.,stock options and stock appreciation rights), will be subject to a vesting schedule of no less than three equal annual installments on the first, second and third anniversaries of the grant date. However, accelerated vesting will be permitted in certain limited events (such as death, disability, retirement or change in control)control or a participant’s termination of employment by the company without cause or by the participant for good reason), and a more generous vesting schedule is permitted with respect to a “basket” of up to 5% of the aggregate share reserve and, in addition to such “basket,” for awards that are made as annual awards to non-employee directors or are made to non-employee directors upon their initial election or appointment as a director.reserve.

Any dividends or dividend equivalents paid on “full-value awards” will be subject to the same vesting requirements as the underlying award.

Stock Options. The Committee may grant nonqualified stock options and incentive stock options (only to eligible employees) to purchase shares of Common Stock. The Committee will determine the number of shares of Common Stock subject to each option, the term of each option (which may not exceed ten years (or five years in the case of an incentive stock option granted to a 10% stockholder)), the exercise price, the vesting schedule (if any) and the other material terms of each option. No stock option may have an exercise price less than the fair market value of the Common Stock at the time of grant (or, in the case of an incentive stock option granted to a 10% stockholder, 110% of fair market value).

Options will be exercisable at such time or times and subject to such terms and conditions as determined by the Committee at grant and the exercisability of such options may be accelerated by the Committee in its sole discretion. Upon the exercise of an option, the participant must make payment of the full exercise price, either (i) in cash, check, bank draft or money order; (ii) solely to the extent permitted by law, through the delivery of irrevocable instructions to a broker reasonably acceptable to the Company to deliver promptly to the Company an amount equal to the purchase price; or (iii) on such other terms and conditions as may be acceptable to the Committee.

Stock Appreciation Rights. The Committee may grant stock appreciation rights (“SARs”) either with a stock option that may be exercised only at such times and to the extent the related option is exercisable (“Tandem SAR”) or independent of a stock option (“Non-Tandem SAR”). A SAR is a right to receive a payment in Common Stock or cash (as determined by the Committee) equal in value to the excess of the fair market value of one share of Common Stock on the date of exercise over the exercise price per share established in connection with the grant of the SAR. The exercise price per share of Common Stock subject to a SAR may not be less than fair market value at the time of grant. The Committee may also grant “limited SARs,” either as Tandem SARs or Non-Tandem SARs, which may become exercisable only upon the occurrence of a change in control (as defined in the 2012 Incentive Plan) or such other event as the Committee may, in its sole discretion, designate at the time of grant or thereafter.

Restricted Stock. The Committee may award shares of restricted stock. Except as otherwise provided by the Committee upon the award of restricted stock, the recipient generally has the rights of a stockholder with respect to the shares, subject to the conditions and restrictions generally applicable to restricted stock or specifically set forth in the recipient’s restricted stock agreement.

Recipients of restricted stock are required to enter into a restricted stock agreement with the Company that states the restrictions to which the shares are subject, which may include satisfaction of pre-established performance goals, and the criteria or date or dates on which such restrictions will lapse.

If the grant of restricted stock or the lapse of the relevant restrictions is based on the attainment of performance goals, the Committee will establish for each recipient the applicable performance goals, formulae or standards and the applicable vesting percentages with reference to the attainment of such goals or satisfaction of such formulas or standards while the outcome of the

performance goals is substantially uncertain.

Performance Shares. The Committee may award performance shares. A performance share is the equivalent of one share of Common Stock. The grant of performance shares will specify one or more performance criteria to meet within a specified period determined by the Committee at the time of grant. A minimum level of acceptable

achievement will also be established by the Committee. If, by the end of the performance period, the recipient has achieved the specified performance goals, he or she will be deemed to have fully earned the performance shares. To the extent earned, the performance shares will be paid to the recipient at the time and in the manner determined by the Committee in cash, shares of Common Stock or any combination thereof.

Performance Units. The Committee may award performance units. Performance units will have a fixed dollar value. A performance unit is the right to receive Common Stock or cash of equivalent value. The grant of performance units will specify one or more performance criteria to meet within a specified performance cycle determined by the Committee at the time of grant. A minimum level of acceptable achievement will also be established by the Committee. If, by the end of the performance cycle, the recipient has achieved the specified performance goals, he or she will be deemed to have fully earned the performance units. To the extent earned, the performance units will be paid to the recipient at the time and in the manner determined by the Committee in cash, shares of Common Stock or any combination thereof.

Other Stock-Based Awards. The Committee may, subject to limitations under applicable law, make a grant of such other stock-based awards (including, without limitation, stock equivalent units, restricted stock units and awards valued by reference to book value of shares of Common Stock) under the 2012 Incentive Plan that are payable in cash or denominated or payable in or valued by shares of Common Stock or factors that influence the value of such shares. The Committee will determine the terms and conditions of any such other awards, which may include the achievement of certain minimum performance goals for purposes of compliance with Section 162(m) of the Code and/or a minimum vesting period.

Performance Goals. Code Section 162(m) requires that performance awards be based upon objective performance measures. If an award is intended to be “performance-based” under Code Section 162(m), the performance goals willmay be based on one or more of the following criteria with regard to the Company (or any subsidiary, division or other operational unit of the Company):

In addition, performance goals may be based upon the attainment of specified levels of Company (or subsidiary, division or other operational unit of the Company) performance under one or more of the measures described above relative to the performance of other corporations.

To the extent permitted under Section 162(m) of the Code (including, without limitation, compliance with any requirements for stockholder approval), theThe Committee may: (i) designate additional business criteria on which the performance goals may be based; or (ii) adjust, modify or amend the aforementioned business criteria.

Change in Control. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee at the time of grant, awards subject to vesting and/or restrictions will not accelerate and vest or cause the lapse of restrictions upon a change in control (as defined in the 2012 Incentive Plan) of the Company. Instead, such awards will be, in the discretion of the Committee, (i) assumed and continued or substituted in accordance with applicable law; (ii) purchased by the Company for an amount equal to the excess of the price of the Company’s Common Stock paid in a change in control over the exercise price of the award(s) (such purchase price not to exceed the fair market value of the Common Stock at the time of purchase), or (iii) cancelled if the price of the Common Stock paid in a change in control is less than the exercise price of the award. The Committee may also, in its sole discretion, provide for accelerated vesting or lapse of restrictions of an award at any time.

In the event of a merger or consolidation in which the Company is not the surviving corporation or in the event of a transaction that results in the acquisition of all or substantially all of the Company’s Common Stock or assets, the Committee may elect to terminate all outstanding exercisable awards granted under the 2012 Incentive Plan, provided that during the period from notification of such termination to the date of consummation of the relevant transaction (which must be at least 20 days) each participant shall have the right to exercise all of his or her exercisable awards in full (without regard to any restrictions on exercisability), contingent on the consummation of such transaction.

Amendment and Termination. Notwithstanding any other provision of the 2012 Incentive Plan, the Board may at any time amend any or all of the provisions of the 2012 Incentive Plan, or suspend or terminate it entirely, retroactively or otherwise;provided, however, that, unless otherwise required by law or specifically provided in the 2012 Incentive Plan, the rights of a participant with respect to awards granted prior to such amendment, suspension or termination may not be adversely affected without the consent of such participant, and provided further that the approval of our stockholders will be obtained to the extent required by applicable law. Further, notwithstanding any other provision of the 2012 Incentive Plan, the Committee may amend the 2012 Incentive Plan in respect of any participant to the extent required in order to comply with (i) the IFPRU Remuneration Code published by the UK Financial Conduct Authority and/or (ii) any other applicable UK law and/or UK regulatory requirements relating to the remuneration of any participant.

Miscellaneous. Generally, awards granted under the 2012 Incentive Plan are nontransferable (other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution), except that the Committee may provide for the transferability of nonqualified stock options at the time of grant or thereafter to certain family members.

Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences. The rules concerning the federal income tax consequences with respect to options granted and to be granted pursuant to the 2012 Incentive Plan are quite technical. Moreover, the applicable statutory provisions are subject to change (possibly with retroactive effect), as are their interpretations and applications, which may vary in individual circumstances. Therefore, the following is designed to provide a general understanding of the U.S. federal income tax consequences. In addition, the following discussion does not set forth any gift, estate, social security or state or local tax consequences that may be applicable and is limited to the U.S. federal income tax consequences (state, local and other tax consequences are not addressed below) to individuals who are citizens or residents of the U.S., other than those individuals who are taxed on a residence basis in a foreign country.

The U.S. federal income tax law is technical and complex and the discussion below represents only a general summary. The following summary is included for general information only and does not purport to address all the tax considerations that may be relevant. Each recipient of a grant is urged to consult his or her own tax advisor as to the specific tax consequences to such grantee and the disposition of Common Stock.

Incentive Stock Options. In general, an employee will not realize taxable income upon either the grant or the exercise of an incentive stock option and the Company will not realize an income tax deduction at either such time. In general, however, for purposes of the alternative minimum tax, the excess of the fair market value of the shares of Common Stock acquired upon exercise of an incentive stock option (determined at the time of exercise) over the exercise price of the incentive stock option will be considered income. If the recipient was continuously employed on the date of grant until the date three months prior to the date of exercise and such recipient does not sell the Common Stock received pursuant to the exercise of the incentive stock option within either (i) two years after the date of the grant of the incentive stock option or (ii) one year after the date of exercise, a subsequent sale of the Common Stock will result in long-term capital gain or loss to the recipient and will not result in a tax deduction to the Company.

To the extent that the aggregate fair market value (determined as of the time of grant) of the Common Stock with respect to which incentive stock options are exercisable for the first time by an eligible employee during any calendar year under the 2012 Incentive Plan and/or any other stock option under the 2012 Incentive Plan of the Company, any subsidiary or any parent exceeds $100,000, such options will be treated as nonqualified stock options. In addition, if the recipient is not continuously employed on the date of grant until the date three months prior to the date of exercise or a recipient disposes of the Common Stock acquired upon exercise of the incentive stock option within either of the above-mentioned time periods, the recipient will generally realize as ordinary income an amount equal to the lesser of (i) the fair market value of the Common Stock on the date of exercise over the exercise price, or (ii) the amount realized upon disposition over the exercise price. In such event, subject to the limitations under Sections 162(m) and 280G of the Code (as described below), the Company generally will be entitled to an income tax deduction equal to the amount recognized as ordinary income. Any gain in excess of such amount realized by the recipient as ordinary income would be taxed at the rates applicable to short-term or long-term capital gains (depending on the holding period).

Nonqualified Stock Options not deemed to be deferral arrangements under Code Section 409A. A recipient will not realize any taxable income upon the grant of a nonqualified stock option and the Company will not receive a deduction at the time of such grant unless such option has a readily ascertainable fair market value (as determined under applicable tax law) at the time of grant. Upon exercise of a nonqualified stock option, the recipient generally will realize ordinary income in an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value of the Common Stock on the date of exercise over the exercise price. Upon a subsequent sale of the Common Stock by the recipient, the recipient will recognize short-term or long-term capital gain or loss depending upon his or her holding period for the Common Stock. Subject to the limitations under Sections 162(m) and 280G of the Code (as described below), the Company will generally be allowed a deduction equal to the amount recognized by the recipient as ordinary income. Generally, a non-qualified stock option granted with an exercise price that is not less than fair market value of the stock subject to the non-qualified option will not be deemed to be deferred compensation under Section 409A of the Code.

All Options. With regard to both incentive stock options and nonqualified stock options, the following also apply: (i) any of our officers and directors subject to Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, may be subject to special tax rules regarding the income tax consequences concerning their stock options; (ii) any entitlement to a tax deduction on the part of the Company is subject to the applicable tax rules (including, without limitation, Section 162(m) of the Code regarding the $1,000,000 limitation on deductible compensation); and (iii) in the event that the payment, exercisability or vesting of any award is accelerated because of a change in ownership (as defined in Code Section 280G(b)(2)), and such payment of an award, either alone or together with any other payments made to certain participants, constitutes a parachute payment under Code Section 280G, then subject to certain exceptions, a portion of such payment would be nondeductible to the Company and the participant would be subject to a 20% excise tax on such portion of the payment.

In general, Section 162(m) of the Code denies a publicly held corporation a deduction for federal income tax purposes for compensation in excess of $1,000,000 per year per person to its “covered employees” (generally, its chief executive officer and three other executive officers (other than its chief financial officer) whose compensation is disclosed in its proxy statement), subject to certain exceptions. Compensation paid under certain qualified performance-based compensation arrangements, which (among other things) provide for compensation based on pre-established objective performance goals established by a compensation committee that is comprised solely of two or more “outside directors,” is not considered in determining whether a “covered employee’s” compensation exceeds $l,000,000. Options will generally qualify under one of these exceptions if they are granted under a plan that states the maximum number of shares with respect to which options may be granted to any recipient during a specified period of time and the plan under which the options are granted is approved by stockholders and is administered by a committee comprised of outside directors. Subject to stockholder approval of the Section 162(m) performance goals under the 2012 Incentive Plan, it is intended that certain awards under the 2012 Incentive Plan will satisfy these requirements so that the income recognized in connection with awards will not be included in a “covered employee’s” compensation for the purpose of determining whether such individual’s compensation exceeds $1,000,000.

Code Section 409A. Code Section 409A provides that all amounts deferred under a nonqualified deferred compensation plan are includible in a participant’s gross income to the extent such amounts are not subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture, unless certain requirements are satisfied. If the requirements are not satisfied, in addition to current income inclusion, interest at the underpayment rate plus 1% will be imposed on the participant’s underpayments that would have occurred had the deferred compensation been includible in gross income for the taxable year in which first deferred or, if later, the first taxable year in which such deferred compensation is not subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture. The amount required to be included in income is also subject to an additional 20% tax. While most awards under the 2012 Incentive Plan are anticipated to be exempt from the requirements of Code Section 409A, awards that are not exempt are intended to comply with Code Section 409A.

The 2012 Incentive Plan is not subject to any of the requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended. The 2012 Incentive Plan is not, nor is it intended to be, qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code.

Future Plan Awards.Because futureThe grant of additional stock-based awards under the 2012 Incentive Plan will be granted in the future and the nature of any such awards are subject to the discretion of the Committee (or, in the case of awards to non-employee directors, the Board). Accordingly, other than the annual grants to our non-employee directors, it is not possible to determine the number, amount and type number, recipients, and other terms of such awards cannotto be determined atgranted under the 2012 Incentive Plan as a result of the proposed amendment (or that would have been granted in 2017 had this time.proposed amendment of the 2012 Incentive Plan then been in effect).  Information regarding our recent practices with respect to annual and long-term incentive awards and stock-based compensation under the 2012 Incentive Plan is presented in the “Summary Compensation” table and these related tables: “Grants of Plan-Based Awards,” “Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End,” and “Options Exercised and Stock Vested,Vested.” elsewhere

The annual equity grants in this Proxy Statement,August for non-employee directors generally vest as follows: one-half of the award vests on November 30 of the year of grant, and in our financial statements for the fiscal year ended Decemberremaining half vests on May 31 2015, inof the Annual Report that accompanies this Proxy Statement.following year.  The following table shows the amount of such awards.  

Equity Compensation Plan Information

The following table provides certain information regarding our common stock authorized for issuance under the 2012 Incentive Plan (without giving effect to this proposal) as of December 31, 2015:2017: