SEC Investigating Susquehanna International Group's Allegations of Insider Trading Involving Futu and Tiger Brokers, Profiting $100 Million Through Options Bets

Odaily reported that, according to sources familiar with the matter, U.S. regulators are investigating allegations brought by Susquehanna International Group. The allegations claim that an unknown insider trader profited $100 million through options bets ahead of the recent Chinese regulatory crackdown on cross-border brokerages Futu and Tiger Brokers. Susquehanna made these allegations public in a lawsuit filed in the Manhattan federal court on June 29.

The sources indicated that the U.S. SEC is reviewing the trades described in the market maker's complaint. In its lawsuit, Susquehanna claims it lost over $70 million as the counterparty to much of the alleged insider trading. The lawsuit states that traders purchased options traded on U.S. exchanges of Chinese securities firms, which subsequently became the target of a regulatory crackdown on May 22. The scope and stage of the SEC investigation are currently unclear. A U.S. judge on June 29 granted Susquehanna's request to freeze the relevant accounts. The Chinese government stated that Futu and Tiger Brokers were providing unlicensed trading services to mainland residents. The stock prices of both companies fell following the announcement on May 22. Futu was fined 1.85 billion yuan in regulatory penalties, and founder Leaf Li saw his wealth decrease by $1.7 billion in a single day. (Straits Times)