Jump Trading Group, one of the most influential high-frequency trading firms on the planet, is making a serious bet that prediction markets aren’t a fad. They’re treating them like the next asset class worth staffing up for.
The Chicago-based firm has doubled its dedicated prediction markets team to roughly 20 people in 2026, according to Simon Johansen, Jump’s head of prediction markets.
From niche bets to institutional infrastructure
The firm acquired equity stakes in both Kalshi and Polymarket, the two dominant prediction market platforms, in exchange for providing market-making services. Those deals were struck around February 2026.
By May 2026, Jump had facilitated Kalshi’s first institutional block trade liquidity. Block trades are how institutions move large positions without disrupting markets.
