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Citadel Securities Adds Nearly 100 Asia Pacific Staff

The trading firm is expanding its Asian operations, with almost half of new hires based in Hong Kong.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Stock Markets

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Citadel Securities added nearly 100 Asia Pacific employees, lifting its Asian headcount to about 400 and expanding its Hong Kong office by 40 percent. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Citadel Securities added nearly 100 employees across Asia Pacific, bringing its Asian headcount to approximately 400. The firm is also expanding its Hong Kong office at Two International Finance Centre by 40%.

Why it matters

Asia Pacific is Citadel Securities' second-largest source of revenue outside the US, and the hiring signals a deepening commitment to trading across Asian markets. The expansion reflects efforts to grow client activity in the region.

Citadel Securities' Asian headcount is approximately 400 after adding nearly 100 employees this year, with almost half of new hires based in Hong Kong. The source does not disclose revenue figures for the region, and the timeline for the 40% Hong Kong office expansion is not specified.

The players

Citadel Securities

A global market maker and trading firm that operates equities and fixed income businesses across the US and Asia.

Peng Zhao

The chief executive of Citadel Securities, who leads the firm's global trading operations.

Prakash Subramanian KV

Newly appointed country head for India and Singapore at Citadel Securities.

Richard Smerin

Newly appointed global head of structured products at Citadel Securities.

The details

Citadel Securities is seeking partnerships with local and international banks to expand trading across Asian markets rather than replicating its US model. The firm launched a high-touch equities trading service for institutional investors, and the number of active clients using it doubled between the first and second halves of 2026.

Timeline

  1. First half of 2026: active high-touch service clients were recorded before doubling.

  2. Second half of 2026: active high-touch service clients doubled over the first half.

  3. This year (2026): nearly half of new Asian hires were based in Hong Kong.

Market Landscape

Citadel Securities is considering block trading capabilities in Asia through bank partnerships rather than replicating its US model. The firm's Asian expansion places it among global trading houses competing to capture institutional flow across the region.

Institutional investors in Asia may gain access to a high-touch equities trading service as Citadel Securities expands its regional operations. Retail and institutional investors could see changes in trading execution as the firm builds bank partnerships across Asian markets.

The takeaway

Expansion in Asia by major trading firms signals growing competition for institutional order flow in the region. Investors tracking Asian equity markets may see more liquidity options develop in the coming period.

What happens next

Citadel Securities is considering introducing similar block trading capabilities in Asia, though no timeline has been set.

Further reading

For broader context on trading activity across global exchanges, see Stock Markets.

Source note: This article includes information reported by Hedgeweek.

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