Cboe Global Markets 10-K 2023-12-31
Filed 2024-02-16. 23 sections, 757K characters. Original on sec.gov · Markdown · JSON
Cover and table of contents
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 10-K
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| ☒ | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the fiscal year ended December 31**, 2023**
or
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| ☐ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from ____________ to ____________
Commission file number: 001-34774
Cboe Global Markets, Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
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| Delaware | 20-5446972 |
| (State or other jurisdiction of | (I.R.S. Employer |
| incorporation or organization) | Identification Number) |
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| 433 West Van Buren Street | |
| Chicago**,** Illinois | 60607 |
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
Registrant's telephone number, including area code
(312) 786-5600
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of Each Class | Trading Symbol (s) | Name of Exchange on Which Registered |
| Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share | CBOE | CboeBZX |
| | | |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☒No ◻
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ◻ No ⌧
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ⌧ No ◻
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ⌧ No ◻
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," "smaller reporting company," and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer ⌧ | Accelerated filer ◻ | Non-accelerated filer ◻ | Smaller reporting company ☐ | Emerging growth company ☐ |
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If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ◻
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
As of June 30, 2023, the aggregate market value of the Registrant's outstanding voting common equity held by non-affiliates was approximately $14.2 billion based on the closing price of $138.01 per share of common stock.
The number of outstanding shares of the registrant's common stock as of February 9, 2024 was 105,581,561 shares of common stock.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of Cboe Global Market’s Definitive Proxy Statement for the 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which will be filed no later than 120 days after December 31, 2023, are incorporated by reference in Part III.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CBOE GLOBAL MARKETS, INC.
2023 FORM 10-K
CERTAIN DEFINED TERMS
Throughout this document, unless otherwise specified or the context so requires:
| ● | “Cboe,” “we,” “us,” “our” or “the Company” refers to Cboe Global Markets, Inc. and its subsidiaries. |
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| ● | “ADV” means average daily volume. |
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| ● | “ADNV” means average daily notional value. |
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| ● | “AFM” refers to the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets. |
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| ● | “ATS” refers to an alternative trading system. |
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| ● | “Bats Global Markets” and “Bats” refer to our wholly-owned subsidiary Bats Global Markets, Inc., now known as Cboe Bats, LLC, and its subsidiaries. |
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| ● | “BIDS Trading” refers to BIDS Trading, L.P., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cboe Global Markets, Inc. The ATS operated by BIDS Trading is not a registered national securities exchange or a facility thereof. |
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| ● | “BYX” refers to Cboe BYX Exchange, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cboe Global Markets, Inc. |
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| ● | “BZX” refers to Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cboe Global Markets, Inc. |
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| ● | “C2” refers to Cboe C2 Exchange, Inc. a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cboe Global Markets, Inc. |
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| ● | “Cboe Asia Pacific” refers to Cboe Asia Pacific Holdings Limited (formerly known as Chi-X Asia Pacific Holdings Limited), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cboe Global Markets, Inc. |
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| ● | “Cboe Australia” refers to Cboe Australia Pty Ltd. (formerly known as Chi-X Australia Pty. Ltd.), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cboe Global Markets, Inc. |
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| ● | “Cboe Canada” refers to the former Aequitas Innovations, Inc. and Neo Exchange Inc. (commonly referred to as “NEO Exchange”), which were wholly-owned subsidiaries of Cboe Global Markets, Inc. |
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| ● | “Cboe Canada Inc.” is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cboe Global Markets, Inc. and a recognized Canadian securities exchange. As of January 1, 2024, the Cboe Canada and MATCHNow entities have been amalgamated into Cboe Canada Inc. |
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| ● | “Cboe Chi-X Europe” refers to Cboe Chi-X Europe Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cboe Global Markets, Inc. |
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| ● | “Cboe Clear Digital” refers to Cboe Clear Digital, LLC (formerly known as Eris Clearing, LLC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cboe Global Markets, Inc. |
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| ● | “Cboe Clear Europe” refers to Cboe Clear Europe N.V. (formerly known as European Central Counterparty N.V., formerly defined as “EuroCCP”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cboe Global Markets, Inc. |
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| ● | “Cboe Digital” refers to Cboe Digital Intermediate Holdings, LLC (formerly known as Eris Digital Holdings, LLC) and its subsidiaries. Prior to rebranding under the Cboe Digital name, Eris Digital Holdings, LLC and its subsidiaries operated under the “ErisX” name. |
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| ● | “Cboe Europe Equities and Derivatives” refers to the combined businesses of Cboe Europe and Cboe NL. |
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| ● | “Cboe Europe” refers to Cboe Europe Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cboe Global Markets, Inc., the UK operator of our Multilateral Trading Facility (“MTF”), our Regulated Market (“RM”), and our Approved Publication Arrangement (“APA”) under its Recognized Investment Exchange (“RIE”) status. |
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| ● | “Cboe Fixed Income” refers to Cboe Fixed Income Markets, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cboe Global Markets, Inc. |
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| ● | “Cboe FX” refers to Cboe FX Markets, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cboe Global Markets, Inc. |
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| ● | “Cboe Japan” refers to Cboe Japan Ltd. (formerly known as Chi-X Japan Ltd.), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cboe Global Markets, Inc. |
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| ● | “Cboe NL” refers to Cboe Europe BV, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cboe Global Markets, Inc., the Netherlands operator of our MTF, RM, and APA. |
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| ● | “Cboe Options” refers to Cboe Exchange, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cboe Global Markets, Inc. |
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| ● | “Cboe SEF” refers to Cboe SEF, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cboe Global Markets, Inc. |
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| ● | “Cboe Trading” refers to Cboe Trading, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cboe Global Markets, Inc. |
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| ● | “CFE” refers to Cboe Futures Exchange, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cboe Global Markets, Inc. |
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| ● | “CFTC” refers to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. |
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| ● | “CSD Br” refers to CSD Central de Serviços de Registro e Depósito aos Mercados Financeiro e de Capitais S.A., a Brazilian trade repository. |
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| ● | “CIRO” refers to the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization. |
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| ● | “EDGA” refers to Cboe EDGA Exchange, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cboe Global Markets, Inc. |
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| ● | “EDGX” refers to Cboe EDGX Exchange, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cboe Global Markets, Inc. |
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| ● | “ESMA” refers to the European Securities and Markets Authority. |
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| ● | “Exchanges” refers to Cboe Options, C2, BZX, BYX, EDGX, and EDGA. |
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| ● | “FASB” refers to the Financial Accounting Standards Board. |
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| ● | “FCA” refers to the UK Financial Conduct Authority. |
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| ● | “FINRA” refers to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. |
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| ● | “GAAP” refers to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States. |
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| ● | “MATCHNow” refers to the former TriAct Canada Marketplace LP, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cboe Global Markets, Inc., which was the operator of a Canadian ATS (known as “MATCHNow”). |
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| ● | “Merger” refers to our acquisition of Bats Global Markets, completed on February 28, 2017. |
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| ● | “OCC” refers to The Options Clearing Corporation. |
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| ● | “OPRA” refers to Options Price Reporting Authority, LLC. |
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| ● | “SEC” refers to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. |
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| ● | “SPX” refers to our S&P 500 Index exchange-traded options products. |
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| ● | “TPH” refers to either a Trading Permit Holder or a Trading Privilege Holder. |
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| ● | “VIX futures” or “VIX options” refers, as applicable, to our Cboe Volatility Index exchange traded options and futures products. |
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TRADEMARK AND OTHER INFORMATION
Cboe®, Cboe Global Markets®, Cboe Clear®, Cboe LIS®, Bats®, BIDS Trading®, BYX®, BZX®, Cboe Volatility Index®, CFE®, EDGA®, EDGX®, ErisX®, EuroCCP®, Hybrid®, LiveVol®, MATCHNow®, NANO®, Options Institute®, Silexx®, VIX®, and XSP® are registered trademarks, and Cboe Futures ExchangeSM, Cboe BIDS EuropeSM, Cboe DigitalSM, C2SM, f(t)optionsSM, HanweckSM, Nanos by CboeSM, The Exchange for the World StageSM, Trade AlertSM, and VIX1DSM are service marks of Cboe Global Markets, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Standard & Poor's®, S&P®, S&P 100®, S&P 500® and SPX® are registered trademarks and DSPXSM is a service mark of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and have been licensed for use by Cboe Exchange, Inc. Dow Jones®, Dow Jones Industrial Average®, DJIA® and Dow Jones Indices are registered trademarks or service marks of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings, LLC, used under license. Russell® and the Russell index names are registered trademarks of Frank Russell Company, used under license. FTSE® and the FTSE indices are trademarks and service marks of FTSE International Limited, used under license. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.
MSCI and the MSCI index names are service marks of MSCI Inc. (“MSCI”) or its affiliates and have been licensed for use by us. Any derivative indices and any financial products based on the derivative indices (“MCSI-Based Products”) are not sponsored, guaranteed or endorsed by MSCI, its affiliates or any other party involved in, or related to, making or compiling such MSCI index. Neither MSCI, its affiliates nor any other party involved in, or related to, making or compiling any MSCI index makes any representations regarding the advisability of investing in such MSCI-Based Products; makes any warranty, express or implied; or bears any liability as to the results to be obtained by any person or any entity from the use of any such MSCI index or any data included therein. No purchaser, seller or holder of any MSCI-Based Product, or any other person or entity, should use or refer to any MSCI trade name, trademark or service mark to sponsor, endorse, market or promote any security without first contacting MSCI to determine whether MSCI’s permission is required.
This Annual Report on Form 10-K includes market share and industry data that we obtained from industry publications and surveys, reports of governmental agencies and internal company surveys. Industry publications and surveys generally state that the information they contain has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but we cannot assure you that this information is accurate or complete. We have not independently verified any of the data from third-party sources nor have we ascertained the underlying economic assumptions relied upon therein. Statements as to our market position are based on the most currently available market data. While we are not aware of any misstatements regarding industry data presented herein, our estimates involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors. Please refer to the “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other filings with the SEC.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. You can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as "may," "might," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential" or "continue," and the negative of these terms and other comparable terminology. All statements that reflect our expectations, assumptions or projections about the future other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including statements in "Business" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations." These forward-looking statements, which are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us, may include projections of our future financial performance based on our growth strategies and anticipated trends in our business. These statements are only predictions based on our current expectations and projections about future events. There are important factors that could cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In particular, you should consider the risks and uncertainties described under "Risk Factors" in this Annual Report and other filings with the SEC.
While we believe we have identified material risks, these risks and uncertainties are not exhaustive. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all risks and uncertainties, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.
Some factors that could cause actual results to differ include:
| ● | the loss of our right to exclusively list and trade certain index options and futures products; |
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| ● | economic, political and market conditions; |
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| ● | compliance with legal and regulatory obligations; |
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| ● | price competition and consolidation in our industry; |
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| ● | decreases in trading or clearing volumes, market data fees or a shift in the mix of products traded on our exchanges; |
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| ● | legislative or regulatory changes or changes in tax regimes; |
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| ● | our ability to protect our systems and communication networks from security vulnerabilities and breaches; |
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| ● | our ability to attract and retain skilled management and other personnel; |
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| ● | increasing competition by foreign and domestic entities; |
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| ● | our dependence on and exposure to risk from third parties; |
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| ● | global expansion of operations; |
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| ● | factors that impact the quality and integrity of our and other applicable indices; |
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| ● | our ability to manage our growth and strategic acquisitions or alliances effectively; |
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| ● | our ability to operate our business without violating the intellectual property rights of others and the costs associated with protecting our intellectual property rights; |
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| ● | our ability to minimize the risks, including our credit, counterparty, investment, and default risks, associated with operating a European clearinghouse; |
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| ● | our ability to accommodate trading and clearing volume and transaction traffic, including significant increases, without failure or degradation of performance of our systems; |
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| ● | misconduct by those who use our markets or our products or for whom we clear transactions; |
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| ● | challenges to our use of open source software code; |
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| ● | our ability to meet our compliance obligations, including managing potential conflicts between our regulatory responsibilities and our for-profit status; |
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| ● | our ability to maintain BIDS Trading as an independently managed and operated trading venue, separate from and not integrated with our registered national securities exchanges; |
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| ● | damage to our reputation; |
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| ● | the ability of our compliance and risk management methods to effectively monitor and manage our risks; |
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| ● | restrictions imposed by our debt obligations and our ability to make payments on or refinance our debt obligations; |
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| ● | our ability to maintain an investment grade credit rating; |
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| ● | impairment of our goodwill, long-lived assets, investments or intangible assets; |
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| ● | the impacts of pandemics; |
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| ● | the accuracy of our estimates and expectations; |
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| ● | litigation risks and other liabilities; and |
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| ● | operating a digital asset business, and clearinghouse, including the expected benefits of our Cboe Digital acquisition, cybercrime, changes in digital asset regulation, losses due to digital asset custody, and fluctuations in digital asset prices. |
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For a detailed discussion of these and other factors that might affect our performance, see Part I, Item 1A of this Report. We do not undertake, and expressly disclaim, any duty to update any forward-looking statement whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. We caution you not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this filing.
PART I
Item 1. Business
The following description of the business should be read in conjunction with the information included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. This description contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ significantly from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements due to the factors set forth in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Overview
Cboe Global Markets, Inc., the world's leading derivatives and securities exchange network, delivers cutting-edge trading, clearing and investment solutions to people around the world. Cboe provides trading solutions and products in multiple asset classes, including equities, derivatives, FX, and digital assets, across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Above all, the Company is committed to building a trusted, inclusive global marketplace that enables people to pursue a sustainable financial future.
Cboe’s subsidiaries include the largest options exchange and the third largest stock exchange operator in the U.S. In addition, the Company operates Cboe Europe, one of the largest stock exchanges by value traded in Europe, and owns Cboe Clear Europe, a leading pan-European equities and derivatives clearinghouse, BIDS Holdings, which owns a leading block-trading ATS by volume in the U.S., and provides block-trading services with Cboe market operators in Europe, Canada, Australia, and Japan, Cboe Australia, an operator of trading venues in Australia, Cboe Japan, an operator of trading venues in Japan, Cboe Digital, an operator of a U.S. based digital asset spot market and a regulated futures exchange, Cboe Clear Digital, an operator of a regulated clearinghouse, and Cboe Canada Inc., a recognized Canadian securities exchange. Cboe subsidiaries also serve collectively as a leading market globally for exchange-traded products (“ETPs”) listings and trading.
The graphic below provides a brief overview of Cboe’s history:

Our Business
Cboe reports on the following six business segments:
| ● | Options. The Options segment includes options on market indices (“index options”), as well as on the stocks of individual corporations (“equity options”) and on ETPs such as exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”), which are “multi-listed” options and listed on a non-exclusive basis. These options are eligible to trade, as applicable, on Cboe Options, C2, BZX, EDGX, and/or other U.S. national security exchanges. Cboe Options is the Company’s primary options market and offers trading in listed options through a single system that integrates electronic trading and traditional open outcry trading on the Cboe Options trading floor in Chicago. C2 Options, BZX Options, and EDGX Options are all-electronic options exchanges, and typically operate with different market models and fee structures than Cboe Options. The Options segment also includes applicable market data fees revenues generated from the consolidated tape plans, the licensing of proprietary options market data, index licensing, routing services, and access and capacity services. |
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| ● | North American Equities. The North American Equities segment includes U.S. equities and ETP transaction services that occur on fully electronic exchanges owned and operated by BZX, BYX, EDGX, and EDGA, equities transactions that occur on the BIDS Trading platform in the U.S. and Canada, and Canadian equities and other transaction services that occur on or through Cboe Canada Inc.’s order books. The North American Equities segment also includes listing services on Cboe Canada Inc., corporate and ETP listings on BZX, applicable market data fees revenues generated from the consolidated tape plans, the licensing of proprietary equities market data, routing services, and access and capacity services. |
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| ● | Europe and Asia Pacific. The Europe and Asia Pacific segment includes the pan-European listed equities and derivatives transaction services, ETPs, exchange-traded commodities, and international depository receipts that are hosted on MTFs operated by Cboe Europe Equities (Cboe Europe and Cboe NL equities exchanges) and Cboe Europe Derivatives (“CEDX”). It also includes the ETP listings business on RMs and clearing activities of Cboe Clear Europe, as well as the equities transaction services of Cboe Australia and Cboe Japan, operators of trading venues in Australia and Japan, respectively, along with equities transactions that occur on the BIDS Trading platform in Australia and Japan. Cboe Europe operates lit and dark books, a periodic auctions book, and Cboe BIDS Europe, a Large-in-Scale (“LIS”) trading negotiation facility for UK symbols. Cboe NL, launched in October 2019 and based in Amsterdam, operates similar business functionality to that offered by Cboe Europe, and provides for trading only in European Economic Area (“EEA”) symbols. Cboe Europe Derivatives, a pan-European derivatives platform launched in September 2021, offers futures and options based on Cboe Europe equity indices, and single stock options. This segment also includes Cboe Europe, Cboe NL, CEDX, Cboe Australia and Cboe Japan revenue generated from the licensing of proprietary market data and from access and capacity services. |
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| ● | Futures. The Futures segment includes transaction services provided by CFE, a fully electronic futures exchange, which includes offerings for trading of VIX futures and other futures products, the licensing of proprietary market data, as well as access and capacity services. |
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| ● | Global FX. The Global FX segment includes institutional FX trading services that occur on the Cboe FX fully electronic trading platform, non-deliverable forward FX transactions (“NDFs”) offered for execution on Cboe SEF, as well as revenue generated from the licensing of proprietary market data and from access and capacity services. The segment includes transaction services for U.S. government securities executed on the Cboe Fixed Income fully electronic trading platform. |
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| ● | Digital. The Digital segment includes a U.S. based digital asset spot market, a regulated futures exchange, and a regulated clearinghouse, as well as revenue generated from the licensing of proprietary market data and from access and capacity services. |
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See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and Note 16 (“Segment Reporting”) in the notes to our consolidated financial statements for discussion of revenues and certain operational and financial metrics, and operating income (or loss) by business segment. Certain activities within our segments operate globally. For information regarding risks related to our international operations see “Risk Factors.”
Executive Transitions
On July 6, 2023, Brian Schell, former Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, announced his departure from the Company to pursue a new professional opportunity outside of the exchange industry. Jill Griebenow, Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer, was appointed to serve as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Chief Accounting Officer effective July 10, 2023, and currently serves as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer.
On September 18, 2023 (the “Effective Date”), Edward T. Tilly, former Chief Executive Officer of the Company, resigned and voluntarily terminated his employment with the Company. Mr. Tilly also resigned as Chairman of the Company’s Board of Directors, effective as of the Effective Date. Mr. Tilly’s resignation followed the conclusion of an investigation led
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Item 1A. Risk Factors.
The risks and uncertainties described below are those that we believe are material at this time relating to our business. These risks and uncertainties, however, are not the only risks and uncertainties that we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial may also significantly impact us. Any of these risks and uncertainties may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows.
Summary of Risk Factors
The following is a summary of the key risks and uncertainties described below that we believe are material to us at this time:
| ● | the loss of our right to exclusively list and trade certain index options and futures products; |
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| ● | economic, political and market conditions; |
|---|
| ● | compliance with legal and regulatory obligations; |
|---|
| ● | price competition and consolidation in our industry; |
|---|
| ● | decreases in trading or clearing volumes, market data fees or a shift in the mix of products traded on our exchanges; |
|---|
| ● | legislative or regulatory changes or changes in tax regimes; |
|---|
| ● | our ability to protect our systems and communication networks from security vulnerabilities and breaches; |
|---|
| ● | our ability to attract and retain skilled management and other personnel; |
|---|
| ● | increasing competition by foreign and domestic entities; |
|---|
| ● | our dependence on and exposure to risk from third parties; |
|---|
| ● | global expansion of operations; |
|---|
| ● | factors that impact the quality and integrity of our and other applicable indices; |
|---|
| ● | our ability to manage our growth and strategic acquisitions or alliances effectively; |
|---|
| ● | our ability to operate our business without violating the intellectual property rights of others and the costs associated with protecting our intellectual property rights; |
|---|
| ● | our ability to minimize the risks, including our credit, counterparty, investment, and default risks, associated with operating a European clearinghouse; |
|---|
| ● | our ability to accommodate trading and clearing volume and transaction traffic, including significant increases, without failure or degradation of performance of our systems; |
|---|
| ● | misconduct by those who use our markets or our products or for whom we clear transactions; |
|---|
| ● | challenges to our use of open source software code; |
|---|
| ● | our ability to meet our compliance obligations, including managing potential conflicts between our regulatory responsibilities and our for-profit status; |
|---|
| ● | our ability to maintain BIDS Trading as an independently managed and operated trading venue, separate from and not integrated with our registered national securities exchanges; |
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| ● | damage to our reputation; |
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| ● | the ability of our compliance and risk management methods to effectively monitor and manage our risks; |
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| ● | restrictions imposed by our debt obligations and our ability to make payments on or refinance our debt obligations; |
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| ● | our ability to maintain an investment grade credit rating; |
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| ● | impairment of our goodwill, long-lived assets, investments or intangible assets; |
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| ● | the impacts of pandemics; |
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| ● | litigation risks and other liabilities; and |
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| ● | operating a digital asset business, and clearinghouse, including the expected benefits of our Cboe Digital acquisition, cybercrime, changes in digital asset regulation, losses due to digital asset custody, and fluctuations in digital asset prices. |
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Risks Relating to Our Business
Loss of our right to exclusively list and trade certain index options and futures could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance.
We hold exclusive licenses to list securities index options on the S&P 500 Index, the Russell 2000 Index, and other indices granted to us by the owners of such indices, and additionally hold exclusive rights to our proprietary VIX Index
methodology that provides the basis for VIX options and futures. In 2023, approximately 69.2% of our transaction and clearing fees less liquidity payments and routing and clearing costs ("net transaction and clearing fees") were generated by futures and index options, the overwhelming majority of which were generated by products based on exclusively licensed indices (e.g., SPX options) and products based on our proprietary VIX methodology (e.g., VIX options and futures). The bulk of this revenue is attributable to our SPX options and VIX options and futures. As a result, our revenues less cost of revenues are dependent in large part on the exclusive licenses we hold for these indices and our ability to maintain our exclusive proprietary rights in the VIX Index methodology and related products and indices.
There is a risk, with respect to each of our current exclusive licenses, that the owner of the index may not renew the license with us on an exclusive basis or at all. In the first event, we would be subject to multiple listing in the trading of what is now an index product traded by us on an exclusive basis, which could result in a loss of market share and negatively impact our profitability. In the second event, we could lose the right to list the index product entirely. The loss or limited use of any of our exclusive index licenses, especially for the S&P 500 Index, for any reason could have a material adverse effect on our business and profitability.
In addition to the risks related to our exclusive licenses, if we are unable to retain exclusive proprietary rights in the VIX Index methodology and related products and indices, our volatility products could be subject to multiple listing which could have a material adverse effect on us.
The EU has adopted legislation affecting providers and users of benchmark indices in the EU. MiFIR requires benchmarks used to value a financial instrument in the EU to be made available on a non-discriminatory basis to all EU trading venues and central counterparty clearinghouses for the purposes of trading and clearing. As a result, owners of such benchmarks must provide licenses on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. While similar legislation to MiFIR has not been proposed in the U.S., if it were passed, it could cause us to lose our exclusive rights to list and trade proprietary and licensed index products. Further, in 2018, the EU implemented the EU Benchmark Regulation, which regulates users, data providers and calculators of benchmarks (“administrators”) in the EU, and among other things (subsequent to the transitional period applicable to third country benchmark administrators) prohibits use of benchmarks provided by administrators outside the EU in connection with EU financial instruments unless the administrator is deemed to be subject to an EU equivalent regulatory regime or the benchmark is endorsed or recognized in the EU. These regulations and other emerging regulatory regimes around the world may impact international customers’ interest in or ability to trade index-based products listed on our U.S. exchanges, as well as impact our expansion into foreign trading of our index-based products and our ability to license proprietary indices for use outside of the U.S.
Furthermore, our competitors may succeed in developing, offering and providing a market for the trading of index-based o
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Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
Not applicable.
Item 1C. Cybersecurity
We maintain policies, procedures and controls designed to safeguard against cybersecurity incidents by protecting the confidentiality, integrity, availability and reliability of our systems, networks and information. These policies, procedures and controls are subject to monitoring, auditing, and evaluation practices, pursuant to our Enterprise Risk Management program, which is supported by a three-line defense strategy that includes, the business lines, the Enterprise Risk Management Committee, the Risk Management and Information Security Department, the Compliance Department and the Internal Audit Department. Further, we have developed and conduct at least annually cybersecurity and data privacy training programs for our employees and our third-party consultants who have access to our systems. At least annually, we also conduct simulations, tabletop exercises, independent third-party cybersecurity penetration assessments, and response readiness tests. In addition, the information technology systems of our self-regulatory organizations are subject to periodic reviews, audits, and inspections by regulatory authorities. We also conduct diligence on cybersecurity practices in connection with our overall risk assessment when evaluating expansion into new regions, strategic opportunities, and new products.
We engage assessors, consultants, auditors and other third parties in connection with developing and evaluating our overall risk management framework. Additionally, our internal audit team periodically engages third parties to co-source internal audits of our information security processes. We strive to utilize best practices in our information security management and follow applicable industry standards.
In support of our risk management framework, we maintain a vendor management policy and program to manage third-party risk. Embedded in our vendor management policy is a defined process to assess the risks related to new vendors. Vendors deemed to be high risk are re-assessed annually. These assessments include security questionnaires and reviews of Service Organization Controls (SOC) Reports, where applicable. Cboe uses a third-party service to help monitor the security posture of our vendors that process and/or store confidential Cboe information.
We have committees, response and management teams, and dedicated positions for managing and assessing cybersecurity risk, including a Chief Information Security Officer, a Chief Risk Officer, an Enterprise Risk Management Committee and a dedicated internal information security team. Our Chief Information Security Officer and Chief Risk Officer have extensive experience in the industry. Our Chief Information Security Officer has over 20 years of experience leading information security programs including 12 years of experience in cybersecurity consulting, building efficient and sustainable cybersecurity programs for large, complex and heavily regulated global enterprises. Our Chief Information Security Officer is currently responsible for developing and executing the Company’s global security strategy and roadmap along with its long-range plan to meet industry and regional regulatory compliance requirements. We have an information security department with associates who are located around the globe. Our Chief Risk Officer’s tenure with Cboe spans 23 years, during which time he has held senior positions in information security and risk management. He is currently responsible for oversight of the Company’s risk function including the enterprise risk management, information security, privacy, vendor management, and IT asset management programs.
Our incident response team is responsible for identifying potential cybersecurity incidents and communicating information regarding the nature and severity of the incident to senior management and others as required by the Company’s written Incident Response Plan. Cybersecurity incidents are tracked pursuant to our incident monitoring processes defined within the Incident Response Plan. Potential cybersecurity incidents may also be reported to our Disclosure Committee to determine if further action and/or public disclosure is required. We have also put in place a vulnerability management program through which our systems are routinely scanned to help identify vulnerabilities and track remediation activities.
The Board recognizes that our business depends on the confidentiality, integrity, availability, performance, security, and reliability of our data and technology systems and devotes time and attention to the oversight of cybersecurity and information security risk. In particular, the Board’s Risk Committee receives recurring updates and reports on information security-related topics from senior management, including from the Company’s Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Risk Officer, and Chief Information Security Officer. More specifically, the Risk Committee receives recurring presentations from senior management on cybersecurity, including architecture and resiliency, incident management, business continuity and disaster recovery, significant information technology changes, data privacy, insider threats, physical security, information related to third-party cyber assessments and risks associated with the use of third party service providers. The Risk Committee also reviews and approves any changes to the related information security and privacy program charter. Further, summaries of the proceedings from prior Risk Committee meetings are provided to the Board on a routine basis.
We have experienced in the past, and we expect to continue to experience, cybersecurity threats and events of varying degrees. However, we are not aware of any of these threats or events having a material impact on our business or our business strategy, results of operations or financial condition results to date. We cannot assure you that we will not experience future threats or events that may be material. Please also refer to the risk factors above for additional information.
Item 2. Properties
The Company is headquartered in Chicago with a network of domestic and global offices across the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia, including main hubs in New York, London, Kansas City and Amsterdam. Our principal properties as of December 31, 2023 are listed in the table below:
| | | | | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | | Classification | Owned/Leased | Lease Expiration | | Approximate Size | ||
| 400 South La Salle Street, Chicago, Illinois | | Former global headquarters and office space; prior trading floor | | Owned* | | N/A | | 300,000 sq. ft. |
| 433 West Van Buren Street, Chicago, Illinois | | New global headquarters and office space | | Leased | | August 2035 | | 185,000 sq. ft. |
| 8050 Marshall Drive, Lenexa, Kansas | | Office space | | Leased | | February 2027, with two 5 year renewal options | | 62,000 sq. ft. |
| 141 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois | | Trading floor and office space | | Leased | | October 2032 | | 40,000 sq. ft. |
| Gustav Mahlerplein 73-83, Amsterdam, Netherlands | | Office space | | Leased | | January 2032 | | 29,500 sq. ft. |
| 17 State Street, New York, New York | | Office space | | Leased | | December 2027 | | 22,000 sq. ft. |
| 11 Monument Street, London, United Kingdom | | Principal UK office space | | Leased | | March 2027, with one 5 year renewal option | | 21,000 sq. ft. |
| 1 Farrer Place, Sydney 2000 Australia | | Office space | | Leased | | December 2026 | | 18,000 sq. ft. |
| Rockwell Business Center Sheridan, Sheridan Street Corner United Street, Highway Hills Mandaluyong City 1550 Philippines | | Office space | | Leased | | November 2028 | | 10,500 sq. ft. |
| One Liberty Plaza, New York, New York | | Office space | | Leased | | May 2027 | | 8,500 sq. ft. |
| 65 Queen Street West Toronto, Ontario, Canada | | Office space | | Leased | | June 2028 | | 8,000 sq. ft. |
*Through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Cboe Building Corporation, we own the building that was previously the global headquarters. As a result of the Merger, there was a reduction in employee workspace needed in Chicago, which led to the decision to market for sale the former headquarters location. The building is currently classified as held for sale. See Note 7 (“Property and Equipment, Net”) of the consolidated financial statements included herein for further information.
We believe that our properties are in good operating condition and adequately serve our current business operations. Generally, our properties are not earmarked for use by a particular segment. Instead, most of our properties are used by two or more segments. We also anticipate that suitable additional or alternative space will be available at commercially reasonable terms for future expansion to the extent necessary.
Our primary data center in the United States is in Secaucus, New Jersey, and its disaster recovery center is in Chicago, Illinois. In Europe, our primary data center is in Slough, England and the secondary data center is in Park Royal, London. In Asia Pacific, our primary data centers are in Tokyo, Japan and Sydney, Australia and secondary data centers are located in Osaka City, Japan and Sydney, Australia.
See Note 7 (“Property and Equipment, Net”) and Note 24 (“Leases”) to the consolidated financial statements included herein for further information.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
Cboe incorporates herein by reference the discussion set forth in Note 21 (“Income Taxes”) and Note 23 (“Commitments, Contingencies, and Guarantees”) of the consolidated financial statements included herein.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Common Stock
The Company’s common stock is listed on Cboe BZX under the trading symbol CBOE. As of January 31, 2024, there were approximately 116 holders of record of our common stock.
Dividends
Each share of common stock, including restricted stock awards and restricted stock units, is entitled to receive dividend and dividend equivalents, respectively, if, as and when declared by the Board of Directors of the Company.
The Company’s expectation is to continue to pay dividends. The decision to pay a dividend, however, remains within the discretion of the Company's Board of Directors and may be affected by various factors, including our earnings, financial condition, capital requirements, level of indebtedness and other considerations our Board of Directors deems relevant. Future debt obligations and statutory provisions, among other things, may limit, or in some cases prohibit, our ability to pay dividends.
As a holding company, the Company’s ability to declare and continue to pay dividends in the future with respect to its common stock will also be dependent upon the ability of its subsidiaries to pay dividends to it under applicable corporate law.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
Not applicable.
Use of Proceeds
Not applicable.
Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers
Share Repurchase Program
In 2011, the Board of Directors approved an initial authorization for the Company to repurchase shares of its outstanding common stock of $100 million and subsequently approved additional authorizations, for a total authorization of $1.8 billion. The program permits the Company to purchase shares, through a variety of methods, including in the open market or through privately negotiated transactions, in accordance with applicable securities laws. It does not obligate the Company to make any repurchases at any specific time or situation.
Under the program, for the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company repurchased 661,721 shares of common stock at an average cost per share of $126.80, totaling $83.9 million. Since inception of the program through December 31, 2023, the Company has repurchased 19,610,088 shares of common stock at an average cost per share of $72.21, totaling $1.4 billion. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $384.0 million of availability remaining under its existing share repurchase authorizations.
The table below shows the purchases of equity securities by the Company which settled during the three months ended December 31, 2023, reflecting the purchase of common stock under the Company's share repurchase program:
| | | | | | | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | | | | | | Total Number of | | Approximate Dollar | |
| | | | | | | | Shares Purchased | | Value of Shares that May | |
| | | | | | | | as Part of Publicly | | Yet Be Purchased Under | |
| | | Total Number of | | Average Price | | Announced Plans | | the Plans or Programs | ||
| Period | Shares Purchased | Paid per Share | or Programs | (in millions) | ||||||
| October 1 to October 31, 2023 | | — | | $ | — | | — | | $ | 389.8 |
| November 1 to November 30, 2023 | | — | | | — | | — | | | 389.8 |
| December 1 to December 31, 2023 | | 33,507 | | | 173.59 | | 33,507 | | | 384.0 |
| Total | | 33,507 | | $ | 173.59 | | 33,507 | | | |
Purchase of common stock from employees
During the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2023, we purchased shares from employees in connection with the settlement of employee tax withholding obligations arising from the vesting of restricted stock units and restricted stock awards. The table below represents repurchases made by or on behalf of us or any “affiliated purchaser” of our common stock during the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2023:
| | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | Total number of shares | | Average price paid | |
| Period | | purchased | | per share | |
| October 1 to October 31, 2023 | | — | | $ | — |
| November 1 to November 30, 2023 | | 243 | | | 176.66 |
| December 1 to December 31, 2023 | | 52 | | | 134.03 |
| Total | | 295 | | | 169.18 |
Stockholder Return Performance Graph
The following graph compares the cumulative total return provided to stockholders on our common stock since December 31, 2018 against the return of the S&P 500 Index and a customized peer group that includes CME Group Inc., Intercontinental Exchange Inc., and Nasdaq, Inc.
An investment of $100, with reinvestment of all dividends, is assumed to have been made in our common stock, the index and the peer groups on December 31, 2018, and its performance is tracked on an annual basis through December 31, 2023.
Comparison of Cumulative Total Return of the
Company, Peer Groups, Industry Indices and/or Broad Markets
COMPARISON OF 5 YEAR CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN*
Among Cboe Global Markets, Inc., the S&P 500 Index
and a Peer Group

| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | 12/18 | | 12/19 | | 12/20 | | 12/21 | | 12/22 | | 12/23 |
| Cboe Global Markets, Inc. | | 100.00 | | 124.16 | | 97.88 | | 139.21 | | 136.20 | | 196.64 |
| S&P 500 | | 100.00 | | 125.72 | | 148.85 | | 191.58 | | 156.88 | | 198.13 |
| Peer Group | | 100.00 | | 122.67 | | 142.87 | | 197.23 | | 162.00 | | 182.70 |
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) is provided to assist the reader in understanding the results of operations, liquidity and capital resources, and critical accounting estimates and policies through the eyes of our management team. The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements of the Company and the notes thereto included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The following discussion contains forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. See “Risk Factors” and “Forward-Looking Statements” above.
A detailed comparison of the Company’s 2022 operating results to its 2021 operating results can be found in the Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations section in the Company’s 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed February 17, 2023 at www.sec.gov_._
INTRODUCTION
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations is organized as follows:
| ● | Executive Summary – Includes an overview of the Company’s business; a description of notable recent developments, current economic, competitive and regulatory trends relevant to our business; the Company’s current business strategy; and the Company’s primary sources of operating and non-operating revenues and expenses. |
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| ● | Results of Operations – Includes an analysis of the Company’s 2023 and 2022 financial results and a discussion of any known events or trends which are likely to impact future results. |
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| ● | Liquidity and Capital Resources – Includes a discussion of the Company’s future cash requirements, capital resources, and financing arrangements. |
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| ● | Critical Accounting Estimates – Provides an explanation of accounting estimates which may have a significant impact on the Company’s financial results and the judgments, assumptions, and uncertainties associated with those estimates. |
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| ● | Recent Accounting Pronouncements – Includes an evaluation of recent accounting pronouncements and the potential impact of their future adoption on the Company’s financial results. |
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Overview
Cboe Global Markets, Inc., the world's leading derivatives and securities exchange network, delivers cutting-edge trading, clearing and investment solutions to people around the world. Cboe provides trading solutions and products in multiple asset classes, including equities, derivatives, FX, and digital assets, across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Above all, the Company is committed to building a trusted, inclusive global marketplace that enables people to pursue a sustainable financial future.
Cboe’s subsidiaries include the largest options exchange and the third largest stock exchange operator in the U.S. In addition, the Company operates Cboe Europe, one of the largest stock exchanges by value traded in Europe, and owns Cboe Clear Europe, a leading pan-European equities and derivatives clearinghouse, BIDS Holdings, which owns a leading block-trading ATS by volume in the U.S., and provides block-trading services with Cboe market operators in Europe, Canada, Australia, and Japan, Cboe Australia, an operator of trading venues in Australia, Cboe Japan, an operator of trading venues in Japan, Cboe Digital, an operator of a U.S. based digital asset spot market and a regulated futures exchange, Cboe Clear Digital, an operator of a regulated clearinghouse, and Cboe Canada Inc., a recognized Canadian securities exchange. Cboe subsidiaries also serve collectively as a leading market globally for exchange-traded products (“ETPs”) listings and trading.
The Company is headquartered in Chicago with offices in Amsterdam, Belfast, Hong Kong, Kansas City, London, Manila, New York, San Francisco, Sarasota Springs, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, and Toronto.
Business Segments
The Company operates six reportable business segments: Options, North American Equities, Europe and Asia Pacific, Futures, Global FX, and Digital, which is reflective of how the Company's chief operating decision-maker reviews and operates the business, as discussed in Note 1 (“Nature of Operations”). Segment performance is primarily evaluated based on operating income (loss). The Company’s chief operating decision-maker does not use segment-level assets or income and expenses below operating income (loss) as key performance metrics; therefore, such information is not presented below. The Company has aggregated all of its corporate costs, as well as other business ventures, within the Corporate Items and Eliminations totals based on the decision that those activities should not be used to evaluate the operating performance of the segments; however, operating expenses that relate to activities of a specific segment have been allocated to that segment.
Options. The Options segment includes options on market indices (“index options”), as well as on the stocks of individual corporations (“equity options”) and on ETPs such as exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”), which are “multi-listed” options and listed on a non-exclusive basis. These options are eligible to trade, as applicable, on Cboe Options, C2, BZX, EDGX, and/or other U.S. national security exchanges. Cboe Options is the Company’s primary options market and offers trading in listed options through a single system that integrates electronic trading and traditional open outcry trading on the Cboe Options trading floor in Chicago. C2 Options, BZX Options, and EDGX Options are all-electronic options exchanges, and typically operate with different market models and fee structures than Cboe Options. The Options segment also includes applicable market data fees revenues generated from the consolidated tape plans, the licensing of proprietary options market data, index licensing, routing services, and access and capacity services.
North American Equities. The North American Equities segment includes U.S. equities and ETP transaction services that occur on fully electronic exchanges owned and operated by BZX, BYX, EDGX, and EDGA, equities transactions that occur on the BIDS Trading platform in the U.S. and Canada, and Canadian equities and other transaction services that occur on or through Cboe Canada Inc.’s order books. The North American Equities segment also includes listing services on Cboe Canada Inc., corporate and ETP listings on BZX, applicable market data fees revenues generated from the consolidated tape plans, the licensing of proprietary equities market data, routing services, and access and capacity services.
Europe and Asia Pacific. The Europe and Asia Pacific segment includes the pan-European listed equities and derivatives transaction services, ETPs, exchange-traded commodities, and international depository receipts that are hosted on MTFs operated by Cboe Europe Equities (Cboe Europe and Cboe NL equities exchanges) and Cboe Europe Derivatives (“CEDX”). It also includes the ETP listings business on RMs and clearing activities of Cboe Clear Europe, as well as the equities transaction services of Cboe Australia and Cboe Japan, operators of trading venues in Australia and Japan, respectively, along with equities transactions that occur on the BIDS Trading platform in Australia and Japan. Cboe Europe operates lit and dark books, a periodic auctions book, and Cboe BIDS Europe, a Large-in-Scale (“LIS”) trading negotiation facility for UK symbols. Cboe NL, launched in October 2019 and based in Amsterdam, operates similar business functionality to that offered by Cboe Europe, and provides for trading only in European Economic Area (“EEA”) symbols. Cboe Europe Derivatives, a pan-Euro
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Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
As a result of our operating activities, we are exposed to market risks such as foreign currency exchange rate risk, equity risk, credit risk, interest rate risk, and liquidity risk. We have implemented policies and procedures to measure, manage and monitor and report risk exposures, which are reviewed regularly by management and our Board of Directors.
Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk
Our operations in Europe, Canada and Asia are subject to increased currency translation risk as revenues and expenses are denominated in foreign currencies, primarily the British pound, Euro, Australian dollar, and Canadian dollar.
We also have de minimis exposure to other foreign currencies, including the Japanese Yen, Philippine Peso, Singapore dollar, and Hong Kong dollar.
For the year ended December 31, 2023, our exposure to foreign-denominated revenues less cost of revenues and expenses is presented by primary foreign currency in the following table (in millions, except percentages):
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | Year Ended | ||||||||||
| | | December 31, 2023 | | |||||||||
| | | British | | | | | | Australian | | |||
| | | Pounds (1) | | | Euros (1) | | | Dollars (1) | | |||
| Foreign denominated % of: | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Revenues less cost of revenues | | | 5.7 | % | | | 3.3 | % | | | 2.1 | % |
| Operating expenses | | | 8.9 | % | | | 6.6 | % | | | 4.8 | % |
| Impact of 10% adverse currency fluctuation on: | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Revenues less cost of revenues | | $ | 11.0 | | | $ | 6.4 | | | $ | 3.9 | |
| Operating expenses | | | 7.6 | | | | 5.7 | | | | 4.1 | |
| (1) | An average foreign exchange rate to the U.S. dollar for the period was used. See Item 7 (“Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”) for the table summarizing the changes in certain operational and financial metrics for more information. |
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Equity Risk
Our investment in European, Canadian, and Asia Pacific operations is exposed to volatility in currency exchange rates through translation of our net assets or equity to U.S. dollars. The assets and liabilities of our European businesses are denominated in British pounds or Euros. The assets and liabilities of our Canadian businesses are denominated in Canadian dollars. The assets and liabilities of our Asia Pacific businesses are denominated in Australian dollars, Japanese Yen, Singapore dollars, Hong Kong dollars, or Philippine Pesos. Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may create volatility in our reported results as we are required to translate foreign currency reported statements of financial condition and operational results into U.S. dollars for consolidated reporting. The translation of these non-U.S. dollar statements of financial condition into U.S. dollars for consolidated reporting results in a cumulative translation adjustment, which is recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income, net within stockholders' equity on our consolidated balance sheet.
Our primary exposure to this equity risk as of December 31, 2023 is presented by foreign currency in the following table (in millions):
| | | | | | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | British | | | | Canadian | |||
| | Pounds (1) | | Euros (1) | | Dollars (1) | ||||
| Net equity investment in Cboe Europe Equities and Derivatives, Cboe Clear Europe, and Cboe Canada | $ | 633.6 | | $ | 175.9 | | $ | 531.7 | |
| Impact on consolidated equity of a 10% adverse currency fluctuation | | 63.4 | | | 17.6 | | | 53.2 |
| (1) | Converted to U.S. dollars using the foreign exchange rate of British pounds per U.S. dollar, Euros per U.S. dollar, and Canadian dollars per U.S. dollar, respectively, as of December 31, 2023. |
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Credit Risk
We are exposed to credit risk from third parties, including customers, counterparties and clearing agents. These parties may default on their obligations due to bankruptcy, lack of liquidity, operational failure or other reasons. We limit our exposure to credit risk by considering such risk when selecting the counterparties with which we make investments and execute agreements.
We do not have counterparty credit risk with respect to trades matched on our exchanges in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. With respect to listed equities, we deliver matched trades of our customers to the NSCC without taking on counterparty risk for those trades. NSCC acts as a central counterparty on all equity transactions occurring on BZX, BYX, EDGX and EDGA and, as such, guarantees clearance and settlement of all of our matched equity trades. Similarly, with respect to U.S. listed equity options and futures, we deliver matched trades of our customers to the OCC, which acts as a central counterparty on all transactions occurring on Cboe Options, C2, BZX, EDGX and CFE and, as such, guarantees clearance and settlement of all of our matched options and futures trades. With respect to U.S. government securities transactions, we deliver matched trades to FICC’s GSD without taking on counterparty risk for those trades. FICC GSD acts as a central counterparty on all U.S. government securities transactions occurring on Cboe Fixed Income and, as
such, guarantees clearance and settlement of all of those matched trades. With respect to Canadian equities, we deliver matched trades of our customers to The Canadian Depository for Securities, which acts as a central counterparty on all transactions occurring on MATCHNow and, as such, guarantees clearance and settlement of all of our matched Canadian equities trades. The BIDS Trading ATS platform delivers matched trades to BOA, which delivers the matched trades to the NSCC. BOA guarantees the trade until one day after the trade date, after which time the NSCC provides a guarantee. Thus, BIDS Trading is potentially exposed to credit risk to the counterparty between the trade date and one day after the trade date in the event BOA fails. With respect to Australian equities and derivatives, we deliver matched trades of our customers to ASX Clear Pty Ltd and ASX Settlement Pty Ltd. ASX Clear Pty Ltd acts as a central counterparty on all transactions occurring on Cboe Australia and, as such, guarantees clearance and settlement on all of our matched trades in Australia. With respect to Japanese equities, we deliver matched trades of our customers to the Japanese Securities Clearing Corporation, which acts as a central counterparty on all transactions occurring on Cboe Japan and, as such, guarantees clearance and settlement on all of our matched trades in Japan.
With respect to orders Cboe Trading routes to other markets for execution on behalf of our customers, Cboe Trading is exposed to some counterparty credit risk in the case of failure to perform on the part of our clearing firms, Morgan Stanley or Wedbush. Morgan Stanley and Wedbush guarantee trades until one day after the trade date, after which time NSCC provides a guarantee. The BIDS Trading ATS platform delivers matched trades to BOA, which delivers the matched trades to the NSCC. Thus, Cboe Trading is potentially exposed to credit risk to the counterparty to a trade routed to another market center between the trade date and one day after the trade date in the event that Morgan Stanley or Wedbush fails. The BIDS Trading ATS platform is potentially exposed to counterparty credit risk on equities trades between the trade date and one day after the trade date in the event that BOA fails. We believe that any potential requirement for us to make payments under these guarantees is remote and accordingly, have not recorded any liability in the consolidated financial statements for these guarantees.
Historically, we have not incurred any liability due to a customer’s failure to satisfy its contractual obligations as counterparty to a system trade. Credit difficulties or insolvency, or the perceived possibility of credit difficulties or insolvency, of one or more larger or more visible market participants could also result in market-wide credit difficulties or other market disruptions.
We do not have counterparty credit risk with respect to institutional spot FX trades occurring on our platform because Cboe FX is not a counterparty to any FX transactions. All transactions occurring on our platform occur bilaterally between two banks or prime brokers as counterparties to the trade. While Cboe FX does not have direct counterparty risk, Cboe FX may suffer a decrease in transaction volume if a bank or prime broker experiences an event that causes other prime brokers to decrease or revoke the credit available to the prime broker experiencing the event. Therefore, Cboe FX may have risk that is related to the credit of the banks and prime brokers that trade FX on the Cboe FX platform.
We also have credit risk related to transaction fees that are billed in arrears to customers on a monthly basis. Our potential exposure to credit losses on these transactions is represented by the receivable balances in our balance sheet. Our customers are financial institutions whose ability to satisfy their contractual obligations may be impacted by volatile securities markets.
The Company is exposed to further credit and investment risk through our clearing operations. Cboe Clear Europe holds material amounts of clearing participant collateral, both cash and non-cash deposits, which are held or invested primarily to provide security of capital while minimizing credit risk as well as liquidity and market risks. Cboe Digital holds amounts of clearing participant collateral including cash and digital assets, which are held primarily to provide security of capital while minimizing credit risk as well as custody, valuation and market risks. The following is a summary of the risks associated with these deposits and how these risks are mitigated:
| ● | Credit Risk - The credit risk is predominantly in the event a clearing participant fails to meet a financial or contractual obligation and related to custodians and settlement banks. Cboe Clear Europe attempts to mitigate this risk through minimum participant requirements for clearing participants and monitoring their financial health. To cover potential loss to Cboe Clear Europe in the event of a clearing participant default, collateral is required from clearing participants. Besides potential defaults of clearing participants, the main credit risk faced by the clearinghouse is exposure to clearing participants when a trade fails to settle. To help mitigate this risk, a fail fee is charged to discourage late settlements. This fee covers Cboe Clear Europe’s costs but also acts as a deterrent as required by applicable settlement efficiency regulation. Cboe Clear Digital sets minimum financial requirements on custodian institutions and any clearing member that may expose the clearinghouse to credit risk. The financial strength of custodians and such clearing members are monitored routinely. Furthermore, Cboe Digital requires clearing members to post collateral (full or margined, depending on the product eligible for clearing) or other forms of financial guarantee and their trading activities are subject to pre-trade checks |
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| enforced by Cboe Digital Exchange and administered by Cboe Clear Digital. On June 5, 2023, the CFTC approved an amended order of registration for Cboe Clear Digital to clear digital asset futures on a margined basis for futures commission merchants. The new products launched January 12, 2024. As of December 31, 2023, Cboe Digital does not expect a material loss concerning credit risk on any member participant, custodian, or settlement bank. |
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| ● | Liquidity Risk - Liquidity risk is the risk Cboe Clear Europe may not be able to meet its payment obligations in the right currency, in the right place and at the right time. To help mitigate this risk, Cboe Clear Europe monitors its liquidity requirements closely and maintains funds and assets in a manner which attempt to minimize the risk of loss or delay in the access by the clearinghouse to such funds and assets. For example, holding funds with a central bank where possible or making only short-term investments serves to help reduce liquidity risks. Liquidity is mainly required for securities settlement. The payment and settlement obligations generally stem from the function of Cboe Clear Europe as a cash equity clearinghouse: shares are bought and sold by clearing participants on a trading platform or OTC, and netted to settle two days later. During the settlement the actual payment for and delivery of the shares take place, this process requires intraday liquidity. If counterparties, which receive shares against payment, are unable to settle, an overnight liquidity need arises. The overnight liquidity is typically very short term, and is usually limited to a few days. Cboe Clear Digital monitors its liquidity requirements closely and maintains funds and assets in a manner which attempt to minimize the risk of loss or delay in the access by the clearinghouse to such funds and assets. For example, only allowing highly liquid USD denominated assets to be posted as collateral. Cboe Clear Digital may not be able to meet its payment obligations in a timely manner in the event of delay in payment or default by a clearing member. |
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Cboe Clear Europe entered into a €1.25 billion committed syndicated multicurrency revolving and swingline credit facility that is available to be drawn by Cboe Clear Europe towards (a) financing unsettled amounts in connection with the settlement of transactions in securities and other items processed through Cboe Clear Europe’s clearing system and (b) financing any other liability or liquidity requirement of Cboe Clear Europe incurred in the operation of its clearing system, however we can give no assurance that this facility will be sufficient to meet all such obligations or sufficiently mitigate Cboe Clear Europe’s liquidity risk to meet its payment obligations when due.
| ● | Custody Risk – Cboe Digital holds customer digital clearing assets through accounts with third party custodians and, in the case of hot and warm wallets, through self-custody. Cboe Digital’s custody strategy is designed to maximize liquidity and efficient access to assets by making those assets readily available. Cboe Digital monitors its cash and the digital asset balances it maintains with custodians. Digital assets require control of one or more unique public and private keys relating to the local or online digital wallet in which the digital assets are held. The networks require one or more private keys relating to a digital wallet to authorize a spending transaction. If private keys are lost or destroyed, this could prevent the ability to transfer the corresponding digital asset. Security breaches, computer malware, and computer hacking attacks have been a prevalent concern in digital asset markets. Cboe Digital has committed to securely store digital assets it holds on behalf of users. As such, Cboe Digital may be liable to its users for losses arising from theft or loss of user private keys. Cboe Digital has no reason to believe it will incur any expense associated with such potential liability because (i) it has no known or historical experience of claims to use as a basis of measurement, (ii) it accounts for and continually verifies the amount of digital assets within its control, and (iii) it has established security around custodial private keys to minimize the risk of theft or loss. |
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| ● | Valuation Risk - Cboe Digital is exposed to risk with respect to digital asset prices and valuations which are largely based on the supply and demand for those digital assets in financial markets. Cboe Digital’s valuation governance framework includes numerous controls and other procedural safeguards that are intended to maximize the quality of fair value measurements. New products and valuation techniques are reviewed and approved by senior management. Cboe Digital’s valuation process for digital assets are fair value estimates that are also validated by the finance control function independently. Independent price verification is performed by finance control through benchmarking fair value estimates with observable market prices or other independent sources. Reasonably designed controls and governance framework are in place and are intended to help ensure quality third-party pricing sources were used. |
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| ● | Market Risk - Cboe Clear Europe is also exposed to market risk in the event that a clearing participant defaults and the market prices of the securities in its open positions have moved adversely so the clearinghouse can only close out the participant’s obligations at a loss. To help mitigate market risk, Cboe Clear Europe collects collateral on an end of day and intraday basis from clearing participants to cover for the probable loss during normal market conditions, together with contributions to the clearing fund to cover losses if a default occurred |
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| during extreme but plausible market conditions. Adverse movements in exchange rates affecting the value of obligations and collateral are factored into the calculation of the amount of collateral to be collected. To help ensure an orderly market, Cboe Digital maintains digital assets to support its clearing operations which may be subject to significant changes in value and therefore exposed to market risk with the fluctuation in market prices. Cboe Digital monitors this risk on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. The business model is such that Cboe Digital earns digital assets and at times may accumulate positions that are subject to market risk. Customer positions do have market risk based on daily activity and settlement prices. Cboe Clear Digital is also exposed to market risk in the event that a clearing participant defaults and the market prices of the securities in its open positions have moved adversely so the clearinghouse can only close out the participant’s obligations at a loss or the clearing participant has already realized trading losses in excess of the collateral at the time of default or the combination of the two. Cboe Clear Digital collects collateral on an end of day and intraday basis from clearing participants that are clearing margin eligible futures contracts. Cboe Clear Digital only allows collateral in USD at this time. Cboe Clear Digital maintains pre-funded resources to cover probable losses during normal market conditions due to default of clearing participants. Cboe Clear Digital clearing members clearing spot digital assets mostly operate on a fully funded basis. Cboe Clear Digital may allow certain well qualified members to trade in the spot market without fully funding their accounts. Cboe Clear Digital collects collateral from such members to cover probable losses under extreme but plausible market conditions as determined by Cboe Clear Digital. The adequacy of such collateral is routinely reviewed. |
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| ● | Investment Risk – Cboe Clear Europe as of December 31, 2023 held $834.6 million of clearing member margin deposits, clearing funds, and interoperability funds which are held or invested primarily to provide security of capital while minimizing credit, market and liquidity risks. Effective August 14, 2023, Cboe Clear Europe enacted changes in its rules, and is able to invest the cash collateral received in the form of interoperability fund deposits from clearing participants in certain investments, typically securities issued by pre-approved sovereign issuers and reverse repurchase agreements with overnight maturities. When investments are made in accordance with the policy, Cboe Clear Europe receives the amount of investment earnings and pays the clearing participants those earnings minus a set basis point cost of collateral. Cboe Clear Europe is able to direct the investment of the cash interoperability fund deposits received from the clearing participants within the program parameters and receive an economic benefit from those investments. See Note 14 (“Clearing Operations”) for more information. In the event that a sovereign government or reverse repurchase agreement counterparty defaults, the value we hold as collateral might not be sufficient to cover our capital requirements in the event of defaults. While Cboe Clear Europe seeks to achieve a reasonable rate of return which may generate interest income for clearing participants, Cboe Clear Europe is primarily concerned with preservation of capital and managing the risks associated with these deposits. As Cboe Clear Europe passes on interest revenues (minus costs) to the clearing members, this could include negative or reduced yield due to market conditions. While Cboe Clear Europe has policies and procedures that strive to help ensure that clearing participant collateral is protected, Cboe Clear Europe cannot absolutely assure that these measures and safeguards will be sufficient to protect margin deposits, clearing funds, and interoperability funds from a default or that we will not be materially and adversely affected in the event of a significant default. |
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On a regular basis, we review and evaluate changes in the status of our counterparties’ creditworthiness. Credit losses such as those described above could adversely affect our consolidated financial position and results of operations. Any such effects to date have been minimal.
Interest Rate Risk
We have exposure to market risk for changes in interest rates relating to our cash and cash equivalents, financial investments, and indebtedness. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, our cash and cash equivalents and financial investments were $600.7 million and $524.4 million, respectively, of which $244.3 million and $226.1 million is held outside of the United States in various foreign subsidiaries in 2023 and 2022, respectively. The remaining cash and cash equivalents and financial investments are denominated in U.S. dollars. We do not use our investment portfolio for trading or other speculative purposes. Due to the nature of these investments, we have not been exposed to, nor do we anticipate being exposed to, material risks due to changes in interest rates, assuming no change in the amount or composition of our cash and cash equivalents and financial investments.
As of December 31, 2023, we had $1,439.2 million in outstanding debt, all of which relates to our Senior Notes, which bear interest at fixed interest rates. Changes in interest rates will have no impact on the interest we pay on fixed-rate obligations. We are also exposed to changes in interest rates as a result of borrowings under our Revolving Credit Agreement and the Cboe Clear Europe Credit Facility, as these facilities bear interest at fluctuating rates. As of December
31, 2023, there were no outstanding borrowings under our Revolving Credit Agreement or Cboe Clear Europe Credit Facility, respectively. See Note 12 (“Debt”) to the consolidated financial statements for a discussion of debt agreements.
Liquidity Risk
We are exposed to liquidity risk under certain circumstances in relation to the cross-acceleration and cross-default provisions within the Term Loan Agreement and the Revolving Credit Agreement as a result of the Company, as guarantor, entering into the Cboe Clear Europe Credit Facility. A default of the Facility may allow lenders to accelerate any related drawn amounts and may result in the acceleration of the Company’s other outstanding debt to which a cross-acceleration or cross-default provision applies, which may limit the Company’s liquidity, business and financing activities. See Note 12 (“Debt”) to the consolidated financial statements for a discussion of debt agreements.
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
| | |
|---|---|
| Cboe Global Markets, Inc. and Subsidiaries | |
| Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID 185) | 107 |
| Consolidated Financial Statements: | |
| Consolidated Balance Sheets | 111 |
| Consolidated Statements of Income | 112 |
| Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income | 113 |
| Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity | 114 |
| Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows | 115 |
| Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements | 116 |
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Stockholders and Board of Directors of Cboe Global Markets, Inc.:
Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Cboe Global Markets, Inc. and subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, changes in stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2023, and the related notes (collectively, the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2023, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, and our report dated February 16, 2024 expressed an unqualified opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
Basis for Opinion
These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matters
The critical audit matters communicated below are matters arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matters below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matters or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate.
Evaluation of goodwill impairment analysis for the Europe and Asia Pacific reporting unit
As discussed in Notes 2 and 10 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company tests goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level annually, or in interim periods if certain events occur indicating that the carrying value may be impaired. This involves estimating the fair value of the reporting unit using a discounted cash flow model.
We identified the evaluation of the Company’s goodwill impairment analysis for the Europe and Asia Pacific reporting unit as a critical audit matter. The determination of the fair value of the Europe and Asia Pacific reporting unit required management to make assumptions about the forecasted revenue growth rates and operating margin assumptions within the discounted cash flow model used in the income approach. Evaluating these assumptions involved a higher degree of auditor judgment and the use of professionals with specialized skills and knowledge. Changes to these assumptions could impact the conclusions reached regarding the recoverability of goodwill for the Europe and Asia Pacific reporting unit.
The following are the primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter. We evaluated the design and tested the operating effectiveness of certain internal controls related to the Europe and Asia Pacific reporting unit goodwill impairment analysis, including controls over the forecasted revenue growth rates and operating margin assumptions. We evaluated the Company’s forecasted revenue growth rates and operating margins by comparing historical revenue growth rate and operating margin forecasts to actual results. In addition, we involved valuation professionals with specialized skills and knowledge, who assisted with evaluating the forecasted revenue growth rates and operating margin assumptions by comparing them to peer companies.
Evaluation of unrecognized tax benefits
As discussed in Notes 2 and 21 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company recognizes the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based upon the technical merits of the position. The tax benefit recognized in the consolidated financial statements from such a position is measured based upon the largest benefit that has greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement.
We identified the evaluation of unrecognized tax benefits in certain jurisdictions as a critical audit matter. A higher degree of auditor judgment and the involvement of professionals with specialized skills and knowledge was required to evaluate the Company’s estimate of tax benefits to be realized upon ultimate settlement of its tax positions.
The following are the primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter. We evaluated the design and tested the operating effectiveness of certain internal controls over the Company’s unrecognized tax benefits process, including controls over the estimate of tax benefits to be realized upon ultimate settlement of tax positions. We evaluated the Company’s ability to estimate its unrecognized tax benefits by comparing historical unrecognized tax benefits to actual results upon the conclusion of examinations by applicable taxing authorities. In addition, we involved tax professionals with specialized skills and
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Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
Not applicable.
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
(a) Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
The Company's management, with the participation of its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of the Company's disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) and Rule 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”)) as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based upon that evaluation, the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that, as of the end of such period, the Company's disclosure controls and procedures are effective.
(b) Management's Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. The Company’s internal control system has been designed to provide reasonable assurance to management and the Board of Directors regarding the preparation and fair presentation of published financial statements.
Management assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023. Management based its assessment on criteria for effective internal control over financial reporting described in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Management’s assessment included evaluating the design of our internal control over financial reporting and testing the operational effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. The results of its assessment were reviewed with the audit committee of the Board of Directors.
As of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we have integrated the acquired Cboe Canada and Cboe Digital operations into our overall internal controls over financial reporting.
No changes occurred in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting during fourth quarter 2023 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Based on its assessment of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting, management believes that, as of December 31, 2023, internal control over financial reporting is effective.
The effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023 has been audited by KPMG LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report on page 109.
Item 9B. Other Information
None of our directors or executive officers adopted or terminated a Rule 10b5-1 trading agreement (as defined in Item 408(c) of Regulation S-K) during the quarter ended December 31, 2023.
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections
Not applicable.
PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
Information relating to our directors, including our audit committee and audit committee financial experts and the procedures by which stockholders can recommend director nominees, and our executive officers will be in our definitive Proxy Statement for our 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders planned to be held on May 16, 2024, which will be filed within 120 days of the end of our fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 (“2024 Proxy Statement”) and is incorporated herein by reference. Information relating to our executive officers is included on pages 32 and 33 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Code of Ethics
We have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Accounting Officer, as well as all other employees and directors. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is available on our website at https://ir.cboe.com/corporate-governance/code-of-business-conduct-and-ethics. We will also provide a copy of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics to stockholders at no charge upon written request.
Item 11. Executive Compensation
Information relating to our executive officer and director compensation and the compensation committee of our Board of Directors will be in the 2024 Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
Information relating to security ownership of certain beneficial owners of our common stock, information relating to the security ownership of our management, and equity compensation plan information will be in the 2024 Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
Information regarding certain relationships and related transactions and director independence will be in the 2024 Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services
Information regarding principal accountant fees and services will be in the 2024 Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.
PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules
| (a) | Documents filed as part of this report |
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| (1) | Financial Statements |
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Our consolidated financial statements and the related reports of management and our independent registered public accounting firm which are required to be filed as part of this report are included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K beginning at page 107. These consolidated financial statements are as follows:
| ● | Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 |
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| ● | Consolidated Statements of Income for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 |
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| ● | Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 |
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| ● | Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 |
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| ● | Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 |
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| ● | Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements |
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| (2) | Financial Statement Schedules |
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The Company has not included any financial statement schedules because they are not applicable or the required information is included in the consolidated financial statements or notes thereto.
| (3) | List of Exhibits |
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See (b) Exhibits below
| (b) | Exhibits |
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| 101.LAB | | | iXBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document (filed herewith). | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | | | |
| 101.PRE | | | iXBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document (filed herewith). | |
| | | | | |
| 104 | | | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded as Inline XBRL document). | |
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*Indicates Management Compensatory Plan, Contract or Arrangement.
+Certain confidential portions (as indicated therein) of this exhibit have been omitted.
Item 16. Form 10-K Summary
None.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Cboe Global Markets, Inc. | |||
| | | (Registrant) | ||
| | | | ||
| Date: February 16, 2024 | | By: | /s/ Jill M. Griebenow | |
| | | Name: | Jill M. Griebenow | |
| | | Title: | Executive Vice President, Chief Financial | |
| | | | Officer (Principal Financial Officer) |
POWERS OF AT****TORNEY
KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Fredric J. Tomczyk, as attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and re-substitution, to sign on his or her behalf, individually and in any and all capacities, including the capacities stated below, any and all amendments to this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting to said attorney-in-fact and agent, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agent, or his substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities on the dates indicated.
| | | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SIGNATURE | | TITLE | | DATE |
| | | | | |
| /s/ FREDRIC J. TOMCZYK | | Chief Executive Officer | | February 16, 2024 |
| Fredric J. Tomczyk | | (Principal Executive Officer) | | |
| | | | | |
| /s/ JILL M. GRIEBENOW | | Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer | | February 16, 2024 |
| Jill M. Griebenow | | (Principal Financial Officer) | | |
| | | | | |
| /s/ ALLEN L. WILKINSON | | Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer | | February 16, 2024 |
| Allen L. Wilkinson | | (Principal Accounting Officer) | | |
| | | | | |
| /s/ WILLIAM M. FARROW III | | Chairman | | February 16, 2024 |
| William M. Farrow III | | | | |
| | | | | |
| /s/ EDWARD J. FITZPATRICK | | Director | | February 16, 2024 |
| Edward J. Fitzpatrick | | | | |
| | | | | |
| /s/ IVAN K. FONG | | Director | | February 16, 2024 |
| Ivan K. Fong | | | | |
| | | | | |
| /s/ JANET P. FROETSCHER | | Director | | February 16, 2024 |
| Janet P. Froetscher | | | | |
| | | | | |
| /s/ JILL R. GOODMAN | | Director | | February 16, 2024 |
| Jill R. Goodman | | | | |
| | | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SIGNATURE | | TITLE | | DATE |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| /s/ ERIN A. MANSFIELD | | Director | | February 16, 2024 |
| Erin A. Mansfield | | | | |
| | | | | |
| /s/ CECILIA H. MAO | | Director | | February 16, 2024 |
| Cecilia H. Mao | | | | |
| | | | | |
| /s/ ALEXANDER J. MATTURRI | | Director | | February 16, 2024 |
| Alexander J. Matturri | | | | |
| | | | | |
| /s/ JENNIFER J. McPEEK | | Director | | February 16, 2024 |
| Jennifer J. McPeek | | | | |
| | | | | |
| /s/ RODERICK A. PALMORE | | Director | | February 16, 2024 |
| Roderick A. Palmore | | | | |
| | | | | |
| /s/ JAMES E. PARISI | | Director | | February 16, 2024 |
| James E. Parisi | | | | |
| | | | | |