Ken Griffins, Founder of Citadel Securities, once called cryptocurrency ‘Jihadist’, yet now the long-awaited crypto securities are here.
The long-rumored Citadel Crypto venture has arrived, reshaping the crypto landscape in real-time.
Ken Griffin, founder of Citadel Securities, once dismissed cryptocurrency as a “jihadist call” against the U.S. dollar. Fast-forward to 2025, and his firm is pivoting into the sector.
Citadel Securities is set to provide liquidity on major platforms like Coinbase, Binance, and Crypto.com—signaling a major shift in institutional backing for digital assets.
Citadel Crypto: From Skeptic to Market Maker
Citadel Securities, the trading giant behind $503 billion in daily activity and a third of U.S. stock trades, is stepping into the crypto ring. Hints of this move surfaced at the UBS Financial Services Conference in February, where Griffin teased a shift in strategy.
JUST IN: $65 billion Citadel Securities is looking to become a liquidity provider for Bitcoin & crypto, betting on President Trump’s embrace of the industry 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/1inIgAlpY4
— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) February 24, 2025
Now, sources confirm Citadel Crypto will be a digital assets market maker, building specialized trading teams offshore to sidestep U.S. regulatory hurdles.
“It’s a signal of a bigger market shift,” says Calvin Shen from Hex Trust, even if initial liquidity gains are gradual.
Regulatory Winds Favor Crypto
Citadel’s crypto pivot isn’t happening in a vacuum. The Trump administration has been busy crafting a friendlier regulatory landscape for digital assets, including creating an SEC crypto task force headed by Hester Peirce, a known industry ally.
Ken Griffin, who once blasted the sector for its lack of controls, now applauds these moves. Speaking to the South Florida Business Journal, he said, “Markets clean themselves up when tier-one players are allowed to participate. I’d like to see that happen in crypto.”
A New Chapter for Institutional Crypto Adoption
Citadel isn’t a total stranger to crypto. In 2023, they launched EDX Markets with Charles Schwab and Fidelity Investments. Built for institutions, EDX split trading from custody, avoiding the pitfalls that sank exchanges like FTX.
Its non-custodial model quickly attracted interest from cautious financial heavyweights, with Singapore emerging as a key growth hub.
The collapse of FTX in 2022, marred by reckless risk practices, left an industry rattled. Citadel’s institutional-grade ethos stands in opposition to that chaos.
Citadel Securities’s decision to enter crypto is less about their bottom line and more about the industry’s evolution. This isn’t just about one firm—it’s a reflection of a broader shift among legacy finance.
There will be hurdles—regulation, rug pulls, execution, and the lingering volatility of the crypto market, but the significance is hard to miss.
Citadel’s move legitimizes an industry still shaking off its growing pains and opens the door to deeper institutional involvement.
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Key Takeaways
The long-rumored Citadel Crypto venture has arrived, reshaping the crypto landscape in real time.
Citadel Securities jumping into crypto is less about their bottom line and more about the industry’s evolution.
