Alex Gerko, founder of London-based market maker XTX Markets, earned a record £895 million from the firm's 2025 trading profits, a 31% increase from the year before. The payout came as XTX's revenue jumped 44% to £3.9 billion, driven by turbulent markets.
A record payout split among traders
Gerko earned £895 million from XTX Markets' 2025 profits. That is up from £683 million the year before, a 31% increase. Companies House filings show the payout came from a £1.7 billion pool of the firm's 2025 trading profits, shared between Gerko and his quantitative traders and top tech developers.
The other 23 people in the pool split £833 million between them, an average of £36.2 million each. XTX Markets declined to comment on the payout. Gerko holds approximately 75% ownership in XTX, according to Crypto Briefing, which explains why the firm's record year translated so directly into his record payday.
How XTX makes its money
XTX uses vast computing power and AI processing to identify tiny margins on millions of trades spanning stocks, bonds, commodities and other assets. Gerko founded the firm in 2015, and it has grown into one of the world's biggest market makers, though it remains smaller than rivals such as Jane Street and Citadel Securities. The firm handles about $250 billion of trades a day and employs about 250 people.
Revenue jumps on volatile markets
XTX's revenue increased 44% last year to £3.9 billion, up from £2.7 billion the year before, boosted by turbulent markets. As a result, the firm is building a data centre in Finland to manage its growing computing needs.
Beyond trading
Gerko is one of the UK's biggest taxpayers, according to Sunday Times estimates, and set up a family office named Cromulon Capital in 2024 to manage his wealth. In June, he lost a legal battle over £22.5 million of tax on profits he and other traders made at hedge fund GSA Capital, before he spun out XTX. His personal wealth is now estimated between $13 billion and $17 billion, according to Crypto Briefing.
Sources: Markets, Crypto Briefing
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