Citadel Securities Expands High-Touch Equities Business in Asia with Top Hires

Citadel Securities LLC is expanding its operations in Asia through a series of high-profile recruitments and the introduction of its high-touch equities business to the region, according to reporting from Bloomberg Markets on April 29, 2026.

The expansion includes the deployment of the firm’s High Touch Equities business, which was officially launched by Citadel Securities on November 6, 2025. The firm stated that the business was developed through the application of technology.

Growth of Asia-Based Investment Teams

The current move by the market-making arm follows a broader trend of growth for the organization’s presence in Asian capital markets. In a report published on October 4, 2024, it was noted that Citadel’s US$64 billion hedge fund business had increased its Asia fundamental equities headcount to more than 60 people over a period of just over three years.

This growth represents a reversal of previous cutbacks made in the years following the global financial crisis, a period during which other competitors also retreated from the region. To support this expansion, the hedge fund business has integrated several key leaders into its regional strategy.

• Nick Taylor returned to the firm in 2020 and currently leads regional event-driven investing.
• Sachin Kewalramani was hired in 2021 to head fundamental equities in Asia.
• Portfolio managers Doris Yang and Jerry Jiang were scheduled to begin their roles in early 2025.

The addition of Yang and Jiang was expected to bring the number of pods within the regional fundamental equities business to nine.

Industry Context and the Multi-Manager Model

The expansion of Citadel’s regional teams aligns with a wider industry shift toward one-stop shops that provide investors with access to multiple strategies. This model is often associated with multi-manager firms, frequently referred to as pod shops.

Data from a September 2023 report by Goldman Sachs prime brokers indicated that approximately 55 of these multi-manager firms nearly tripled their combined assets globally between 2017 and 2022. This growth occurred during a period when the rest of the global hedge fund industry experienced stagnation.

However, this growth trend faced headwinds in the following year. An updated report from Goldman Sachs in September 2024 stated that assets for these multi-manager firms declined for the first time in seven years. The report attributed this decline to elevated interest rates and a cooling of interest resulting from higher costs being passed on to clients.

By recruiting high-profile talent and introducing specialized equities businesses to Asia, Citadel Securities is positioning its infrastructure to capture regional growth and talent despite the broader volatility affecting multi-manager asset levels.