A massive hiring wave reveals trading firms are no longer viewing Polymarket as a niche betting tool

Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email A massive hiring wave reveals trading firms are no longer viewing Polymarket as a niche betting tool While rising volume on Polymarket and Kalshi is attracting quantitative firms to prediction markets, they aren t focusing on event outcomes; rather, they re exploiting market inefficiencies for profit. By Oliver Knight | Edited by Aoyon Ashraf Jun 6, 2026, 1:00 p.m. 6 min read Make preferred on Giants quant firms are building out prediction market trading desk. (Modified by CoinDesk) What to know : Major quantitative trading firms like DRW, Wintermute and IMC are building dedicated desks to trade on prediction markets such as Polymarket and Kalshi, treating them as a serious asset class. These firms are less focused on forecasting outcomes than on exploiting short-term pricing inefficiencies across platforms, using high-speed arbitrage and market microstructure strategies honed in traditional finance and crypto. While veteran sports betting groups still drive most of the pricing accuracy, institutional players are entering fast as volumes surge and new infrastructure, including onchain exchanges like HyperLiquid, is built ahead of major events like the 2026 World Cup. Chicago-based trading giant DRW has spent decades profiting from mismatches between different asset classes, and now it s building a dedicated prediction market desk targeting platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi.