Akuna Capital
 | |
_Downtown,_S_Wabash_Ave,_%22_CNA_Center_%22_1972._(4825718231).jpg) Corporate headquarters at 333 South Wabash | |
| Company type | Privately held |
|---|---|
| Industry | Financial services |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Founders | Andrew Killion Mitchell Skinner |
| Headquarters | 333 South Wabash, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Key people | Andrew Killion (Chairman) |
| Products | Proprietary trading Algorithmic trading High-frequency trading |
Number of employees | 580 (2022) |
| Website | www |
Akuna Capital is a United States-based proprietary trading firm headquartered in Chicago, with additional offices located in London, Shanghai, and Sydney.
Background
Established in 2011 by Andrew Killion, Akuna Capital began operations in Chicago, a prominent center for derivatives and options markets.[1][2] Killion, who previously served as a partner at Optiver, relocated from Sydney to found the company. The term "Akuna" is inspired by an Australian Aboriginal expression that translates to flowing water.[2][3]
The company also runs a related broker-dealer entity known as Akuna Securities.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name Between 2021 and 2022, Bloomberg News recognized Akuna Capital for providing some of the highest monthly compensation packages for interns within the financial industry.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
History
In 2015, Akuna Capital arranged a $4.5 million tax incentive agreement with the state of Illinois, pledging to employ ten individuals equally divided between trading and software development roles.
The firm experienced a $5.4 million loss in 2019 attributed to cryptocurrency holdings and investments in startup ventures.
In early 2023, Akuna implemented an 11% reduction in its global workforce, including withdrawing offers from certain incoming employees. By mid-2023, the company further downsized its Asia-Pacific team by 40%.