Epic Markets raised $10 million in pre-seed funding from Karatage in July 2026. The Citadel Securities veterans’ multi-asset brokerage remains under development, with its launch date, regulatory licences and trading terms yet to be confirmed.
Epic Markets Completes $10 Million Funding Round in July 2026
Epic Markets announced on 21 July 2026 that it had completed a $10 million pre-seed funding round, provided exclusively by London-based investment firm Karatage. The company was co-founded by former Citadel Securities foreign exchange executives Kevin Kimmel and Bryan Seegers and remains at the product development, team-building and regulatory application stage.
The transaction is a pre-seed funding round rather than a conventional seed round for a company that has already entered a mature expansion phase. Pre-seed funding is typically used to establish a company, develop its technology platform, prepare for regulatory compliance, recruit core personnel and conduct initial market validation. Epic Markets has not disclosed the company valuation associated with the round, the investor’s equity stake, board arrangements or plans for subsequent funding.
“We will build a multi-asset brokerage platform founded on institutional-grade execution standards.”
The two founders said the new platform would provide multi-asset brokerage services to retail traders, with execution quality positioned as a central product proposition. However, “institutional-grade execution standards” currently represent a stated development objective. Epic Markets has not yet disclosed independently verifiable technical data such as its order-routing model, liquidity providers, average execution speed, slippage statistics or order rejection rate.
(Sources: Epic Markets,funding announcement, published: 21 July 2026, for statements concerning the funding amount, sole investor and platform positioning; Finance Magnates,Citadel Veterans Raise US$10 Million Pre-Seed to Launch CFD Broker Epic Markets, published: 21 July 2026, for the funding stage and the company’s development status.)
$10 Million Funding to Support Platform Development
Epic Markets has not disclosed how the $10 million will be allocated. Based on the standard preparations required to launch a broker, the funding may cover the following development areas, although its final use remains subject to future company announcements:
Applying for the financial services or derivatives licences required in target markets and establishing customer identification, anti-money laundering and transaction-monitoring controls.
Developing account systems, trading terminals, client portals, market data connectivity, risk management and order execution infrastructure.
Integrating banks, payment institutions, custodians, liquidity providers and post-trade reporting systems.
Recruiting personnel for compliance, technology, trading, risk control, customer service and business development.
Determining the markets served, client categories, product range, fee structure and risk disclosure standards.
Founding Team Comes from Citadel Securities’ FX Business
Kevin Kimmel will serve as Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Epic Markets. Publicly available career information shows that he previously served as Global Head of Electronic Foreign Exchange at Citadel Securities and spent more than ten years in the firm’s electronic FX division. Before joining Citadel Securities, he also held electronic trading-related roles at JPMorgan, YellowJacket and Tradeweb.
Bryan Seegers will serve as Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer. From 2019 to 2025, he was responsible for foreign exchange business development at Citadel Securities. He previously worked at Jefferies, ADSS, Alpari and MultiBank, with responsibilities spanning electronic FX trading, algorithmic execution, liquidity management and retail brokerage.
Both founders left Citadel Securities in 2025 and formally disclosed the Epic Markets funding in July 2026. Their professional backgrounds indicate that the company has experience in electronic trading and foreign exchange liquidity. However, whether that institutional trading expertise can be converted into a stable service for retail clients will depend on the regulatory structure, technical implementation, client asset arrangements and actual execution data.
(Source: FX News Group,Exclusive: Former Citadel FX Execs Raise $10M to Launch Online Retail Brokerage Epic Markets, published: 21 July 2026, for the founders’ career histories, management positions and planned launch timetable.)
Epic Markets Disclosures and Outstanding Questions
| Item | Date | Disclosed Information | Outstanding Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Funding | 21 July 2026 | Completed a $10 million pre-seed funding round, with Karatage as the sole investor | Company valuation, equity stake and subsequent funding arrangements |
| Management Team | July 2026 | Kevin Kimmel appointed Chief Executive Officer and Bryan Seegers appointed Chief Commercial Officer | Names of other directors, senior executives and compliance officers |
| Business Positioning | July 2026 | Development of a multi-asset brokerage platform for retail clients, with products expected to includeCFDs | Full product list, account types, trading fees and platform name |
| Launch and Regulation | Planned for 2026 | Media reports point to the US and UAE markets, while the company is pursuing regulatory applications | Licensed entities, licence numbers, approval dates and actual service regions |
Company Has Not Announced a Formal Launch Date or Regulatory Licence
Epic Markets’ website and social media information indicate that the company remains at an early preparatory stage. Finance Magnates reported on 21 July 2026 that a regulatory disclaimer on the company’s website suggested the platform was expected to offer at least contracts for difference, while public information also identified the United Arab Emirates as the company’s location.
FX News Group reported on the same day that Epic Markets planned to establish operations in the United States and the United Arab Emirates and intended to launch during 2026, although the relevant regulatory authorisations remained under application. As of 21 July 2026, the company had not identified any approved regulator, licensed legal entity or licence number in its public announcements.
Completing a funding round and obtaining financial services authorisation are separate stages. Securing investment demonstrates that the company has capital available to continue developing the platform, but it does not replace regulatory approval or prove that the company is already authorised to accept client registrations, deposits or trades.
Further Disclosures Required Before Operations Begin
Identify the legal entities that will enter into client agreements and operate the business, including their jurisdictions of incorporation, legal names and office addresses.
Disclose the relevant regulators, licence numbers, authorised activities and restricted client jurisdictions.
Explain how client funds will be held, including segregation arrangements, custodian banks and insolvency protection measures.
Describe the trading model, order execution policy, liquidity sources, conflicts-of-interest procedures and risk control mechanisms.
Publish account types, minimum deposits, spreads, commissions, overnight charges and deposit and withdrawal rules.
Confirm the formal launch date and state whether the website has begun accepting applications for live accounts.
Until this information is formally disclosed, Epic Markets is more accurately described as a funded brokerage project preparing for launch, rather than a fully operational retail broker with completed regulatory authorisation.
(Sources: Finance Magnates,Citadel Veterans Raise US$10 Million Pre-Seed to Launch CFD Broker Epic Markets, published: 21 July 2026, for information concerning the company’s website, CFD disclaimer and publicly disclosed licensing status; FX News Group,Exclusive: Former Citadel FX Execs Raise $10M to Launch Online Retail Brokerage Epic Markets, published: 21 July 2026, for its planned US and UAE presence and pending regulatory applications.)
Questions About Epic Markets’ Funding and Business
Did Epic Markets raise seed or pre-seed funding?
The funding announced by the company on 21 July 2026 was a $10 million pre-seed round. Pre-seed funding is typically used during the early stages of a company’s development for product development, recruitment, regulatory preparation and market validation. Epic Markets has not disclosed plans for a subsequent seed round or larger financing.
Who invested in Epic Markets?
The funding was provided exclusively by London-based investment firm Karatage. The public announcement did not identify any other institutional or individual investors and did not disclose Karatage’s equity stake in Epic Markets, any board seat or other transaction terms.
Has Epic Markets already obtained a regulatory licence?
As of 21 July 2026, the company had not identified any approved regulatory licence, licensed legal entity or licence number in its public announcements. Industry media reported that its regulatory applications remained in progress, meaning the completion of the funding round should not be interpreted as financial services authorisation.
Which trading products does Epic Markets plan to offer?
The company describes itself as a multi-asset retail brokerage platform, while its website disclaimer indicates that its offering is expected to include at least contracts for difference. Whether it will also cover forex, indices, commodities, shares or other assets remains subject to the publication of its formal product list and regulatory documents.
When does Epic Markets plan to launch?
Media reports indicate that the company plans to proceed with its launch during 2026 and intends to establish operations in the United States and the United Arab Emirates. However, it has not announced a specific opening date or explained whether separate licensed entities will provide services in the two jurisdictions.
