Jump Trading Group doubles down on prediction markets as Wall Street takes notice

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.

During the 2026 FIFA World Cup, prediction markets saw over $50 billion in combined monthly trading volume across platforms.

The Wall Street migration is real

Jump isn’t alone in this push. DRW, another Chicago trading powerhouse, and Susquehanna International Group have both established dedicated teams to explore prediction markets.

Jump is even gamifying its recruitment pipeline around this thesis. The firm launched the Jump Trading Probability Cup, a global soccer forecasting competition hosted on SportsPredict that ran from June 11 to July 19, 2026. The prize for the top performer: a paid fellowship at Jump’s Chicago headquarters.

What this means for investors and traders

For crypto-native users, the Polymarket angle is particularly relevant. Jump’s equity stake in a platform built on Polygon means one of Wall Street’s heaviest hitters now has skin in the game of onchain prediction markets.

With Jump, DRW, and Susquehanna all building teams, the market-making side of prediction markets is getting crowded. That’s great for traders who benefit from tighter spreads, but it means the easy arbitrage opportunities between platforms will compress quickly.

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