Sydney investment banker Oliver Curtis, convicted of conspiring to commit insider trading, should receive a full-time prison sentence, commonwealth prosecutors say.

Curtis faces a maximum five-year term for trading securities based on secret information provided by his former friend John Hartman.

The 30-year-old was found guilty of conspiring to commit insider trading on 45 separate occasions between May 2007 and June 2008 by a jury two weeks ago.

He shared in $1.4 million in profits by trading investment products on the say-so of Mr Hartman.

The New South Wales Supreme court heard sentencing submissions in Curtis' case today.

Defence barrister Murugan Thangaraj SC said Curtis had already been rehabilitated and jail was not the only option for him.

Crown prosecutor David Staehli SC told the hearing Curtis' actions were a form of cheating and the sentence needed to act as a disincentive to others.

He said insider trading was not a victimless crime and Curtis saw an opportunity, "took it and ran with it".

"It's a form of cheating," Mr Staehli said.

Curtis' wife Roxy Jacenko, the founder of the Sweaty Betty PR agency, has supported him throughout the trial.

Friend played a greater role in offending: defence

At the hearing today, Mr Thangaraj said Hartman played a much greater role in the offending.

"Mr Hartman determined when it started. Mr Hartman determined when it finished," Mr Thangaraj said.

"It's not a case where the only way to achieve general deterrence is to impose a full-time custodial sentence.

"Two witnesses gave character evidence ... one was a former colleague ... who said Curtis had frequently worked with confidential information ... and his professionalism was never in doubt."

Hartman has previously told the court the pair were "best friends" and described how they made profits from buying and selling shares.

He said the purpose had been to make money and "it was a bit of game".

Hartman has already been convicted for his role in the trades and others, and has agreed to cooperate with authorities.

Funds used to pay rent on $3,000 apartment, car, motorbike

Prosecutors said Hartman, who worked for Orion Asset Management, told Curtis when to buy and sell "contracts for difference" and at what price, using information not available to the public.

The court was told Hartman provided the inside information using a messaging technique called "pinning" on a Blackberry device that Curtis had bought for him.

The court heard that during the time of the offences and Hartman shared a $3,000 per week Bondi apartment, allegedly, funded by the proceeds of the transactions.

It was also alleged that the proceeds funded a car, motorbike and a holiday.

The jury was told Hartman was forbidden from trading Australian shares, because of his role at Orion.

The trades were made in the name of Curtis' company, Encounter Investments, through CMC Markets.

Justice Lucy McCullum is due to hand down the sentence next Friday.