Jane Street paid its employees $9.4bn in 2025 after generating record revenues of $40bn, surpassing even JPMorgan's trading income of $35.8bn. The New York-based proprietary trading firm distributed roughly a quarter of its annual earnings to its 3,500-person workforce, translating to approximately $2.7mn per employee.

The payout illustrates just how lucrative proprietary trading has become. Jane Street, alongside rivals Hudson River Trading and Citadel Securities, collectively generated more than $60bn in revenues last year. Early-career roles at these firms rank among finance's highest-paying positions, with quantitative traders starting at $300,000 base pay before bonuses.

Founded in 2000, Jane Street has leveraged market electronification and post-crisis regulations to reshape trading alongside a small group of peers. The firm invested in AI ventures including Anthropic and Thinking Machines Lab, which contributed to record earnings as those companies' valuations surged. Operating as a partnership where leaders hold stakes, the firm has grown into a significant market-maker across equities and options markets in the US and Asia.