Kalshi looks to tackle insider trading by asking some users for their employer info
The prediction market platform Kalshi will soon require users to disclose their employer before placing certain trades that involve sensitive information, the company confirmed to NBC News on Tuesday.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The new requirement will apply to markets deemed at higher risk for insider trading or market manipulation, according to Kalshi.Markets that could trigger the requirement include those tied to corporate performance, national security and major geopolitical events, including the Iran war.
Users subject to the requirement will be asked to submit employment information through an online form.According to a Kalshi spokesperson, the platform will not verify employment unless an investigation is warranted, although there could be certain instances where a person is blocked from trading a particular contract based on their employment.
Kalshi said one example of that might be a Google employee seeking to trade on a Google-related prediction market — a scenario that actually played out at Kalshi’s top competitor, Polymarket, last month.The employee in question was charged with insider trading after allegedly using confidential Google search data to place trades.The changes at Kalshi, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, come as prediction markets face growing scrutiny over insider trading and market manipulation, particularly around elections.Earlier this year, Kalshi fined and suspended three political candidates for trading on their own elections — conduct the company described at the time as “political insider trading.”Alongside the new employer-disclosure requirements, Kalshi also announced a series of what it called “market integrity” updates, including a “risk scoring framework” designed to identify markets with elevated insider trading risk.
The framework will also assess whether markets pose potential national security concerns.While Kalshi d...