Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Wintermute Commits $1 Billion to Build HFT and AI Infrastructure for Traditional Markets

Funded from retained earnings, the plan leverages recent U.S. broker-dealer registration to expand into equities, options, ETFs with a goal of more than 50% revenue from non-crypto markets by late 2027.

Overview

  • The company announced Wednesday that it will spend about $1 billion over five years to build high-frequency trading systems and AI data-center capacity to trade equities, commodities, foreign exchange and prediction markets.
  • Wintermute’s U.S. affiliate secured broker-dealer status last week, which allows the firm to trade stocks and options and act as an authorized participant for exchange-traded products.
  • Management says the investment will be paid from retained earnings and that the firm was profitable in 2025 and expects to remain so this year.
  • The move responds to weaker crypto activity: average daily crypto volume fell to roughly $10 billion in 2026 from about $15 billion in 2025, and non-crypto revenue currently makes up about 10% of the business.
  • The plan includes doubling the New York team from 17 people and raising global headcount about 40% next year, but Wintermute will face large incumbents that already operate extensive low-latency trading networks and data centers.