Citadel Financial Technologies (CFT) is a key subsidiary of the Citadel Group that focuses on the research and development of financial technology and quantitative technology. It provides advanced technical support to Citadel LLC (a multi-strategy hedge fund) and Citadel Securities (a global electronic market maker), and is the group's technical hub and innovation engine in the field of quantitative trading and AI technology.
Founding date
Investment professionals
As of March 2025
Citadel Financial Technologies has the following core responsibilities within the Group:
AI and quantitative research platform development: Build high-performance computing architecture, machine learning engine and big data analysis platform to support global quantitative trading strategies.
Core transaction and risk management system: Develop and maintain key infrastructure such as the group's dedicated order management system (OMS), execution system (EMS), real-time risk control platform, etc.
Cutting-edge technology transformation: Work closely with investment and trading teams to quickly transform the latest research results into practical applications.
Cross-market support: Provide quantitative execution and model support for stocks, futures, foreign exchange, fixed income and other markets to ensure stable operation of trading systems around the world.
Relative value:
Macro:
We are committed to attracting and developing the highest performing team in the industry, from establishing one of the most robust intern classes each year to recruiting experienced professionals. Our team is made up of people with a passion for applying their understanding of the macroeconomic environment to financial markets.
We work in an entrepreneurial environment that maximizes people’s talents, contributing to our growth and a strong track record of advancing careers. The majority of our senior portfolio managers were promoted from within.
Colleagues collaborate to identify and debate their best ideas. We embrace creativity, new strategies and unique ways of doing things from all team members.
We take every opportunity to share information and teach one another. In addition to learning on the desk, our teams have abundant resources for professional growth. From career management courses to tailored, one-on-one coaching, technical training, leadership development opportunities and external speakers’ series, we believe we are a premier destination for learning.
Our relentless focus on, and investment in, our team, tools and resources allow us to discover and act on opportunities.
We have a best-in-class computational platform that allows us to synthesize an unparalleled amount of data. As a result, we see things faster and more clearly.
We continually develop and improve our portfolio construction and risk management techniques. Our teams develop the conviction to deploy risk at scale, even in periods of volatility or uncertainty. Our scale and scope ensure our central teams of engineers, quantitative researchers, economists and traders benefit from each other’s expertise while focusing on what they do best.
Our market understanding and experience lead many in the industry to seek out partnership on cutting-edge initiatives in market transparency, SEFs and other market structure efforts.
Lukas Vogt Head of Citadel Financial Technologies
Lukas Vogt began his career at Deutsche Bank Quantitative Research (Frankfurt), held senior roles at Renaissance Technologies (New York), and joined Citadel in 2019. In 2020, he was appointed Head of Citadel Financial Technologies.
From 2006 to 2010, he served as a junior quantitative analyst at Deutsche Bank Quantitative Research. He led the development of European equity market strategies based on statistical arbitrage, achieving an annualized return of 18% with over €500 million in assets under management. He was also the first at the firm to apply machine learning algorithms (random forests) to commodity spread forecasting, earning an internal innovation award.
From 2011 to 2018, he was a senior quantitative strategist at Renaissance Technologies. He contributed to algorithmic optimization for the Medallion Fund, focusing on nonlinear time-series analysis and market sentiment factor modeling. He led the development of a “Dynamic Risk Parity AI Model,” which delivered a 32% annualized return during 2015’s market turbulence. His team was named “Quant Team of the Year” by Institutional Investor.
Since 2019, he has served as Co-Founder and Chief Quantitative Strategy Officer at Citadel Financial Technologies.
He founded an AI-driven macro quantitative hedge fund with $5 billion in assets under management, focusing on cross-asset arbitrage and event-driven strategies. In 2022, his team achieved a 45% annualized return during the Federal Reserve’s rate hike cycle with the “Black Swan Adaptive System,” earning a nomination for “Best Hedge Fund of the Year” by The Wall Street Journal.
