Citadel Securities
Citadel Securities LLC is a private American market‑making firm based in Miami, Florida. It provides liquidity and trade execution for both individual investors and institutions, and it trades across stocks, futures, options, currencies, bonds, and more. It is the largest designated market maker on the New York Stock Exchange and is separate from the hedge fund Citadel LLC, though both were founded by Kenneth C. Griffin.
In 2022, Citadel Securities moved its headquarters from Chicago to Miami and announced plans to build a new building there. Peng Zhao, who joined the firm in 2006, has been CEO since 2017. Kenneth Griffin serves as chairman and Jim Esposito as president.
The firm posted 2024 revenue of about $9.7 billion and net income of about $4.2 billion, with roughly 1,600 employees in 2023. It operates globally, with trading in more than 35 countries and a large share of the US equity market. In 2020 it bought IMC’s NYSE market‑making unit, strengthening its position as the biggest market maker on the NYSE. It has expanded into Hong Kong and other regions, and in 2024 began trading Euro and Sterling interest‑rate swaps, with Paris named as its European trading hub.
Citadel Securities grew rapidly and, in 2022, attracted a major investment from Sequoia Capital and Paradigm Operations, valuing the firm at about $22 billion. It has helped launch or participate in new exchanges and platforms and is a major force in modern electronic trading.
The company has faced regulatory scrutiny over the years, including penalties related to trading practices and reporting. It has been part of public debates over payment‑for‑order‑flow and market access, and a civil lawsuit over the GameStop episode was dismissed.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 19:07 (CET).