Gaming India: How Jane Street Triggered a SEBI Storm

India's financial landscape has been rocked by an unprecedented regulatory action—one that could reshape how foreign proprietary trading firms operate in the country.

- SHIVANAND PANDIT (GOA)

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the market regulator, has taken decisive action against Jane Street, a renowned New York-based proprietary trading firm known globally for its high-frequency, algorithm-driven strategies. Accused of manipulating the Indian derivatives market, Jane Street's actions have raised fundamental questions about market integrity, investor protection, and regulatory preparedness in India. The unfolding saga reveals not just the scale of manipulation but also the vulnerabilities within India's market structure. It has opened a critical debate: Can Indian regulators and institutions keep pace with the sophistication of global trading giants?

Jane Street entered the Indian market in 2020, positioning itself through entities such as JSI Investments, JSI2 Investments, Jane Street Singapore, and Jane Street Asia Trading. It also tied up with Nuvama Wealth Management to operate in the cash segment. Armed with cutting-edge algorithmic strategies and superior trading infrastructure, the firm set its sights on India's booming derivatives markets.

India, by this time, had become a global epicentre for equity derivatives, with the National Stock Exchange (NSE) accounting for more than 60% of global trades in this segment. The high retail participation and explosive volume growth presented both opportunity and risk—a ripe field for high-frequency trading strategies.

Between January 2023 and March 2025, Jane Street's proprietary trading arms reportedly amassed staggering profits of 36,502 crore. On a single day-January 17, 2024-the firm reportedly earned more than 735 crore. But such profitability soon drew scrutiny. SEBI alleged that these gains stemmed not from fair trading but from coordinated manipulation designed to distort price discovery in the market.

Dissecting the Manipulation: SEBI's Findings