Overview
Chicago Trading Company trades options with its own money, standing ready to buy and sell contracts tied to stocks, stock indexes, commodities, and interest rates so other investors can trade when they need to. It began on Chicago's trading floors in US index options and became one of the firms that exchanges such as Cboe and CME appoint to keep prices quoted in their markets. Its traders, quantitative researchers, and engineers build pricing models and automated systems that quote prices and manage risk, and the firm earns money from the small gap between the prices at which it buys and sells. Five options traders founded it in 1995, and it is based in Chicago.
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About Chicago Trading Company
Industries
Company Size
501-1,000
Company Stage
Debt Financing
Total Funding
$300M
Headquarters
Chicago, Illinois
Founded
1995
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Pay tracks results: CTC London's 2025 trading income rose 78% and key staff bonuses nearly doubled, per August 2026 accounts.
- Entry pay is high: CTC pays 2027 graduate traders and engineers a $200,000 base and summer interns $16,500 a month.
- Engineers drive its plan: CTC aims to automate more trading, and 13 of 24 openings in October 2026 are engineering.
What critics are saying
- Cuts hit London: CTC London's August 2026 filing shows office staff halved to 18 and £2 million paid in severance.
- A bigger rival keeps growing: in March 2026, Dutch market maker Optiver reported trading income up 30% to €4.6 billion.
- No Asia office means night shifts: CTC's Asia-hours options traders work 4pm to 1am Chicago time, Sunday through Thursday.
What makes Chicago Trading Company unique
- Technologists sit at the top: CTO Josh Schubkegel became co-CEO in January 2026, alongside 20-year CTC veteran Lauren Rauch.
- It backs venues needing market makers: CTC Ventures' 22 investments include stock exchange MEMX and sports-betting exchange Sporttrade.
- Non-traders get flexibility: CTC's job posts say every team except Trading follows a hybrid workplace model.
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Funding
Total Funding
$300M
Above
Industry Average
Funded Over
0 Rounds
Benefits
Health Insurance
Parental Leave
Wellness Program
Flexible Work Hours
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
7%1 year growth
7%2 year growth
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Kero Gaming has closed a $3m Series A funding round, led by SIG Sports, to support what it calls "a new phase of accelerated growth."
Susquehanna International Group, IMC, and CTC have invested in SpectrAxe to transform the $300 billion/day FX options market. SpectrAxe's Series A funding will enhance its all-to-all CLOB platform, enabling direct trading among market participants and reducing market fragmentation. The investment supports SpectrAxe's global expansion and platform improvements, aiming to modernize OTC FX options trading by replacing manual methods with an exchange-style environment.
Chicago Trading Company (CTC) has hired Citi's Ben Miller as head of institutional ETF sales for EMEA.
MEMX, a market operator founded by members to benefit all investors, today announced the successful completion of a strategic equity round of funding
Chicago Trading Company is Hiring for 37 Jobs on Simplify!
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About Chicago Trading Company
Industries
Company Size
501-1,000
Company Stage
Debt Financing
Total Funding
$300M
Headquarters
Chicago, Illinois
Founded
1995
Chicago Trading Company is Hiring for 37 Jobs on Simplify!
Find jobs on Simplify and start your career today