Jump Trading Eyes Kalshi, Polymarket Stakes As Institutional Interest Grows: Report

Authored by Sam Bourgi via CoinTelegraph.com,

Jump Trading, a Chicago-based quantitative trading company, is reportedly set to acquire minority stakes in prediction market platforms Polymarket and Kalshi, underscoring growing institutional interest in the rapidly expanding sector.

The equity stakes would be obtained in exchange for providing trading liquidity on both platforms, Bloomberg reported Monday, citing people familiar with the discussions.

While the report did not disclose specific ownership percentages, Bloomberg said Jump’s stake in Polymarket would scale based on the liquidity the company ultimately provides.

Founded more than two decades ago, Jump Trading has long been a major player in proprietary financial trading and has expanded aggressively into digital assets. It has been active as both a market maker and venture investor in crypto, backing blockchain infrastructure projects and exchanges through its affiliated investment arms.

Polymarket and Kalshi are the two largest prediction market platforms, each commanding multibillion-dollar valuations following recent funding rounds.

As previously reported by Cointelegraph, Polymarket raised $2 billion from NYSE parent Intercontinental Exchange, valuing the company at $9 billion. In early December, Kalshi secured $1 billion in funding at an $11 billion valuation.

While both platforms allow users to trade on the outcomes of real-world events, they operate under different models. Polymarket is a decentralized platform built on the Polygon blockchain that enables onchain settlement of prediction contracts, whereas Kalshi operates as a centralized, federally regulated exchange in the United States.

Polymarket’s monthly volume has surged at the start of 2026. Source: Dune

Prediction markets gain traction, but still face regulatory hurdles

Prediction markets gained mainstream attention after Polymarket’s event contracts accurately forecast the outcome of the 2024 US presidential election, highlighting the sector’s potential as a real-time information and risk-pricing tool. Industry analysts now estimate that prediction markets could generate trillions of dollars in annual trading volume by the end of the decade.

Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, a research and consulting company specializing in the global gambling and gaming industry, has identified sports-related contracts as a major driver of that growth. Speaking to CNBC in December, Eilers & Krejcik partner emeritus Chris Grove said sports betting could account for nearly half of the sector’s projected expansion.

Despite Polymarket’s early lead, Kalshi had largely caught up, with trading volumes at similar levels as of October. Source: Messari

Despite the growth potential, Grove cautioned that legal and regulatory challenges could slow adoption. 

Kalshi, which operates as a federally regulated prediction market, has received approval from the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission to run as a Designated Contract Market. However, the platform is facing pushback at the state level. Regulators in Nevada, Maryland, New Jersey and Ohio have challenged Kalshi’s offerings, triggering ongoing litigation and cease-and-desist actions.