Interactive Brokers Group 10-Q 2023-03-31

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

Commission File Number: 001-33440

INTERACTIVE BROKERS GROUP, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

One Pickwick Plaza

Greenwich**,** Connecticut 06830

(Address of principal executive office)

(203) 618-5800

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

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 (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ No o

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 and post such files). Yes þ No o

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. (Check one):

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. o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o No þ

As of May 5, 2023, there were 102,993,269 shares of the issuer’s Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share, outstanding and 100 shares of the issuer’s Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share, outstanding.

QUARTERLY REPORT ON FORM 10**-**Q FOR THE QUARTER ENDED MARCH 31, 2023

Tab****le of Contents

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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition

(Unaudited)

See accompanying notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements.

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Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

(Unaudited)

See accompanying notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements.

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Ca****sh Flows

(Unaudited)

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The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the related notes in Item 1, included elsewhere in this report. In addition to historical information, the following discussion also contains forward-looking statements that include risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including those set forth under the heading “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on February 24, 2023 and elsewhere in this report.

When we use the terms “we,” “us,” “our,” and “IBKR,” we mean IBG, Inc. and its subsidiaries (including IBG LLC) for the periods presented. Unless otherwise indicated, the terms “common stock” refer to the Class A common stock of IBG, Inc.

Introduction

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (the “Company” or “IBG, Inc.”) is a holding company whose primary asset is its ownership of approximately 24.5% of the membership interests of IBG LLC. The remaining approximately 75.5% of IBG LLC membership interests are held by IBG Holdings LLC (“Holdings”), a holding company that is owned by our founder and Chairman, Mr. Thomas Peterffy and his affiliates, management and other employees of IBG LLC, and certain other members. The table below shows the amount of IBG LLC membership interests held by IBG, Inc. and Holdings as of March 31, 2023.

We are an automated global electronic broker. We custody and service accounts for hedge and mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), registered investment advisers, proprietary trading groups, introducing brokers and individual investors. We specialize in routing orders and executing and processing trades in stocks, options, futures, forex, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs and precious metals on more than 150 electronic exchanges and market centers in 33 countries and 26 currencies seamlessly around the world. In addition, our customers can use our trading platform to trade certain cryptocurrencies through third-party cryptocurrency service providers that execute, clear and custody the cryptocurrencies.

As an electronic broker, we execute, clear and settle trades globally for both institutional and individual customers. Capitalizing on our proprietary technology, our systems provide our customers with the capability to monitor multiple markets around the world simultaneously and to execute trades electronically in these markets at a low cost, in multiple products and currencies from a single trading account. The ever-growing complexity of multiple market centers across diverse geographies provides us with ongoing opportunities to build and continuously adapt our order routing software to secure excellent execution prices.

Since our inception in 1977, we have focused on developing proprietary software to automate broker-dealer functions. The proliferation of electronic exchanges and market centers since the early 1990s has allowed us to integrate our software with an increasing number of trading venues, creating one automatically functioning, computerized platform that requires minimal human intervention.

Our customer base is diverse with respect to geography and type. Currently, approximately 79% of our customers reside outside the United States (“U.S.”) in over 200 countries and territories, and over 50% of new customers come from outside the U.S. Approximately 58% of our customers’ equity is in institutional accounts such as hedge funds, financial advisors, proprietary trading desks and introducing brokers. Specialized products and services that we have developed successfully attract these accounts. For example, we offer prime brokerage services, including financing and securities lending, to hedge funds; our model portfolio technology and automated share allocation and rebalancing tools are particularly attractive to financial advisors; and our trading platform, global access and low pricing attract introducing brokers.

Business Environment

During the quarter ended March 31, 2023 (“current quarter”), world equities markets were mixed versus the prior-year quarter. Market indices in the U.S., Canada and some parts of Asia/Pacific saw declines, while Europe and other parts of Asia registered gains. Factors affecting the current quarter included tighter monetary policy and higher interest rates across a number of countries; concerns regarding the banking sector; the possibility of recession; and continued geopolitical uncertainty. While market performance varied by country, overall conditions trended toward a more volatile macroeconomic environment. Coinciding with these factors, individual investors, who had helped drive equities market volumes higher in prior years, were less engaged in the current quarter.

The following is a summary of the key economic drivers that affect our business and how they compared to the prior-year quarter:

Global trading volumes. Worldwide, equities volumes at major exchanges declined in the current quarter as investors took a more cautious approach in a less certain environment. In the U.S., according to industry data, U.S. listed cash equities volume decreased by 8%, while average daily volume in exchange-listed equity-based options increased by 8% and in U.S. futures by 4%, compared to the prior-year quarter. While stock trading volumes remain significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels, they were lower in the current quarter versus the prior-year quarter due to a more risk averse environment.

This led to mixed results across our major product types: customer options, futures and foreign exchange volumes were up 2%, 4% and 17%, respectively, while stock volumes declined 22%, compared to the prior-year quarter. In futures, volumes rose most in financial futures such as interest rate, metals and foreign exchange, in part as investors sought to mitigate exposure to persistent inflation, higher interest rates and a stronger U.S. dollar.

Note that while U.S. options, futures and cash equities volumes are readily comparable measures, they reflect most but not all of the global volumes that generate our commission revenue. See “Trading Volumes and Customer Statistics” below in this Item 7 for additional details regarding our trade volumes, contract and share volumes, and customer statistics.

Volatility. U.S. market volatility, as measured by the average Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index (“VIX®”), declined 18%, from an average of 25.4 in the prior-year quarter to 20.7 in the current quarter. Volatility levels had been elevated for most of 2022 due to factors that led to geopolitical uncertainty and more unpredictable world economies and markets, such as the war in Ukraine and consistent, significant interest rate hikes. The current level of volatility is more consistent with long-term trends.

In general, higher volatility typically enhances our performance because it often correlates positively with customer trading activity across product types.

Interest Rates. The U.S. Federal Reserve increased the benchmark federal funds rate twice this quarter, raising rates 25 basis points in February and another 25 basis points in March. The U.S. Treasury yield curve remains inverted, with long-term rates markedly lower than short-term. In nearly every country with developed financial markets, interest rates also rose in the current quarter as central banks take steps to control inflationary pressures.

Higher U.S. benchmark rates have boosted the interest we earn on our segregated cash, the majority of which is invested in short-term U.S. government securities and related in

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We are exposed to various market risks. Our exposures to market risks arise from assumptions built into our pricing models, equity price risk, foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations related to our international operations, changes in interest rates and risks relating to the extension of margin credit to our customers.

Market risk refers to the risk that a change in the level of one or more market prices, rates, indices, implied volatilities (the price volatility of the underlying instrument imputed from option prices), correlations or other market factors, such as market liquidity, will result in losses for a position or portfolio. Generally, we incur trading-related market risk as a result of our remaining market making activities, where the substantial majority of our Value-at-Risk (“VaR”) for market risk exposures is generated. In addition, we incur non-trading-related market risk primarily from investment activities and from foreign currency exposure held in the equity of our foreign subsidiaries, i.e., our non-U.S. brokerage subsidiaries and information technology subsidiaries, and held to meet target balances in our currency diversification strategy.

We use various risk management tools in managing our market risk, which are embedded in our real-time market making systems. We employ certain hedging and risk management techniques to protect us from a severe market dislocation. Our risk management policies are developed and implemented by our Steering Committee, which is chaired by our Chief Executive Officer and comprised of senior executives of our various operating subsidiaries. The strategy of our remaining market making activities is to calculate quotes a few seconds ahead of the market and execute small trades at a tiny but favorable differential as a result. This strategy is made possible by our proprietary pricing model, which evaluates and monitors the risks inherent in our portfolio, assimilates external market data and reevaluates the outstanding quotes in our portfolio many times per second. Our model automatically rebalances our positions throughout each trading day to manage risk exposures on our options and futures positions and the underlying securities and will price the increased risk that a position would add to the overall portfolio into the bid and offer prices we post. Under risk management policies implemented and monitored primarily through our computer systems, reports to management, including risk profiles, profit

and loss analysis and trading performance, are prepared on a real-time basis as well as daily and periodical bases. Although our remaining market making activities are completely automated, the trading process and our risk are monitored by a team of individuals who, in real time, observe various risk parameters of our consolidated positions. Our assets and liabilities are marked-to-market daily for financial reporting purposes and re-valued continuously throughout the trading day for risk management and asset/liability management purposes.

We use a covariant VaR methodology to measure, monitor and review the market risk of our market making portfolios, with the exception of fixed income products, and our currency exposures. The risk of fixed income products, which comprise primarily U.S. government securities, is measured using a stress test.

Pricing Model Exposure

As described above, our proprietary pricing model, which continuously evaluates and monitors the risks inherent in our portfolio, assimilates external market data and reevaluates the outstanding quotes in our entire portfolio many times per second. Certain aspects of the model rely on historical prices of securities. If the behavior of price movements of individual securities diverges substantially from what their historical behavior would predict, we might incur trading losses. We attempt to limit such risks by diversifying our portfolio across many different options, futures and underlying securities and avoiding concentrations of positions based on the same underlying security. Historically, our losses from these events have been immaterial in comparison to our annual trading profits.

Foreign Currency Exposure

As a result of our international activities and accumulated earnings in our foreign subsidiaries, our income and equity are exposed to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates. For example, some of our European and Asian operations are conducted by our Swiss subsidiary, IBKRFS. IBKRFS is regulated by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority as a securities dealer and its financial statements are presented in Swiss francs. Accordingly, IBKRFS is exposed to certain foreign exchange risks as described below:

IBKRFS buys and sells securities denominated in various currencies and carries bank balances and borrows and lends such currencies in its regular course of business. At the end of each accounting period, IBKRFS’ assets and liabilities are revalued into Swiss francs for presentation in its financial statements. The resulting foreign currency gains or losses are reported in IBKRFS’ income statement and, as translated into U.S. dollars for U.S. GAAP purposes, in our condensed consolidated statements of comprehensive income, as a component of other income. ‎

IBKRFS’ financial statements are presented in Swiss francs (i.e., its functional currency) as noted above. At the end of each accounting period, IBKRFS’ equity is translated at the then prevailing exchange rate into U.S. dollars and the resulting translation gain or loss is reported as OCI in our condensed consolidated statements of financial condition and condensed consolidated statements of comprehensive income. OCI is also produced by our other non-U.S. subsidiaries.

Historically, we have taken the approach of not hedging the above exposures, based on the notion that the cost of constantly hedging over the years would amount to more than the random impact of rate changes on our non-U.S. dollar balances. For instance, an increase in the value of the Swiss franc would be unfavorable to the earnings of IBKRFS but would be counterbalanced to some extent by the fact that the translation gain or loss into U.S. dollars is likely to move in the opposite direction.

Our risk management systems incorporate cash forex to hedge our currency exposure at little or no cost. Currency spot positions entered into as part of our currency diversification strategy are held by the parent holding company, IBG LLC. In connection with the development of our currency diversification strategy, we determined to base our equity in GLOBALs, a basket of currencies.

Because we conduct business in many countries and many currencies and because we consider ourselves a global enterprise based in a diversified basket of currencies rather than a U.S. dollar-based company, we actively manage our global currency exposure by maintaining our equity in GLOBALs. The U.S. dollar value of the GLOBAL decreased 1.13% as of March 31, 2023 compared to March 31, 2022. As of March 31, 2023, approximately 24.3% of our equity was denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar.

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The table below presents a comparison of the U.S. dollar equivalent of the GLOBAL for the periods indicated.

The effects of our currency diversification strategy appear in two places in the condensed consolidated financial statements: (1) as a component of other income in the condensed consolidated statements of comprehensive income and (2) as OCI in the condensed consolidated statements of financial condition and the condensed consolidated statements of comprehensive income. The full effect of the GLOBAL is captured in the condensed consolidated statements of comprehensive income.

Reported results on a comprehensive basis reflect the U.S. GAAP convention that requires the reporting of currency translation results contained in OCI as part of reportable earnings.

Interest Rate Risk

We had no variable-rate debt outstanding as of March 31, 2023.

We pay our customers interest based on benchmark overnight interest rates in various currencies, when interest rates are above a benchmark rate plus a small spread, on cash balances above $10 thousand (or equivalent) in securities accounts holding more than $100 thousand and at lower, tiered rates for accounts holding less than $100 thousand (or equivalent) net asset value. In currencies with negative rates, we pass through the cost of holding certain cash balances to our customers; therefore, we charge our customers interest on these cash balances. In a normal rate environment, we typically invest a portion of these funds in U.S. government securities with maturities of up to two years, although given the current interest rate environment, at this time all such investments mature within three months. If interest rates were to increase rapidly and substantially, our net interest income would not increase proportionally with the interest rates for the portion of the funds invested at fixed yields. In addition, the mark-to-market changes in the value of these fixed rate securities will be reflected in other income, instead of net interest income. Our margin balances are priced to a benchmark rate plus a spread, with a minimum charge of 0.75% in U.S. dollars and most foreign currencies.

Based on customer balances and investments outstanding as of March 31, 2023, and assuming reinvestment of maturing instruments in instruments of short-term duration, an unexpected increase of 0.25% over current U.S. dollar interest rate levels would increase our net interest income by approximately $50 million on an annualized basis, assuming the full effect of reinvestment at higher rates. A 0.25% increase in all the relevant non-U.S. dollar benchmark rates would increase our net interest income by $26 million on an annualized basis. Our interest rate sensitivity estimate contains separate assumptions for U.S. dollar rates from other currencies’ rates and it isolates the effects of a rate increase on reinvestments. We do not approximate mark-to-market impact from interest rate changes; if U.S. government securities whose prices were to fall under these scenarios were held to maturity, as intended, then the reduction in other income would be temporary, as the securities would mature at par value. If such securities were sold prior to maturity, the loss would be realized and the proceeds reinvested at prevailing higher interest rates.

We also face the potential for reduced net interest income from customer deposits and margin loans if benchmark rates were to fall. Based on customer balances and investments outstanding as of March 31, 2023, and assuming reinvestment of maturing instruments in instruments of short-term duration, an unexpected decrease in U.S. dollar interest rates of 0.25% would decrease our net interest income by approximately $50 million on an annualized basis, assuming the full effect of reinvestment at lower rates. A 0.25% decrease in all the relevant non-U.S. dollar benchmark rates would decrease our net interest income by $26 million on an annualized basis.

We also face interest rate risk due to positions carried for our remaining market making activities to the extent that long or short stock positions may have been established for future or forward dates on options or futures contracts and the value of such positions is impacted by interest rates. The amount of such risk cannot be quantified, however, the current low level of market making positions does not indicate a material potential exposure.

Dividend Risk

We face dividend risk in our remaining market making activities as we derive revenues and incur expenses in the form of dividend income and expense, respectively, from our inventory of equity securities, and must make payments in lieu of dividends on short positions in equity securities within our portfolio. Projected future dividends are an important component of pricing equity options and other derivatives, and incorrect projections may lead to trading losses. The amount of such risk cannot be quantified, however, the current low level of market making positions does not indicate a material potential exposure.

Margin Loans

We extend margin loans to our customers, which are subject to various regulatory requirements. Margin loans are collateralized by cash and securities in the customers’ accounts. The risks associated with margin credit increase during periods of fast market movements or in cases where collateral is concentrated and market movements occur. During such times, customers who utilize margin loans and who have collateralized their obligations with securities may find that the securities have a rapidly depreciating value and may not be sufficient to cover their obligations in the event of a liquidation. We are also exposed to credit risk when our customers execute transactions, such as short sales of options and equities that can expose them to risk beyond their invested capital.

We expect this kind of exposure to increase with the growth of our overall business. Because we indemnify and hold harmless our clearing houses and counterparties from certain liabilities or claims, the use of margin loans and short sales may expose us to significant off-balance-sheet risk if collateral requirements are not sufficient to fully cover losses that customers may incur and those customers fail to satisfy their obligations. As of March 31, 2023, we had $39.5 billion in margin loans extended to our customers. The amount of risk to which we are exposed from the margin loans we extend to our customers and from short sale transactions by our customers is unlimited and not quantifiable as the risk is dependent upon analysis of a potentially significant and undeterminable rise or fall in stock prices. Our account level margin requirements meet or exceed those required by Regulation T of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve and FINRA portfolio margin rules, as applicable. As a matter of practice, we enforce real-time margin compliance monitoring and liquidate customers’ positions if their equity falls below required margin requirements.

We have a comprehensive policy implemented in accordance with regulatory standards to assess and monitor the suitability of investors to engage in various trading activities. To mitigate our risk, we also continuously monitor customer accounts to detect excessive concentration, large orders or positions, patterns of day trading and other activities that indicate increased risk to us.

Our credit exposure is to a great extent mitigated by our real-time margining system, which automatically evaluates each account throughout the trading day and closes out positions automatically for accounts that are found to be under-margined. While this methodology is effective in most situations, it may not be effective in situations where no liquid market exists for the relevant securities or commodities or where, for any reason, automatic liquidation for certain accounts has been disabled. Our Risk Management Committee continually monitors and evaluates our risk management policies, including the implementation of policies and procedures to enhance the detection and prevention of potential events to mitigate margin loan losses.

Value**-at-**Risk

We estimate VaR using a historical approach, which uses the historical daily price returns of underlying assets as well as estimates of the end of day implied volatility for options. Our one-day VaR is defined as the unrealized loss in portfolio value that, based on historically observed market risk factors, would have been exceeded with a frequency of one percent, based on a calculation with a confidence interval of 99%.

Our VaR model generally takes into account exposures to equity and commodity price risk and foreign exchange rates.

We use VaR as one of a range of risk management tools. Among their benefits, VaR models permit the estimation of a portfolio’s aggregate market risk exposure, incorporating a range of varied market risks and portfolio assets. One key element of the VaR model is that it reflects risk reduction due to portfolio diversification or hedging activities. However, VaR has various strengths and limitations, which include, but are not limited to: use of historical changes in market risk factors, which may not be accurate predictors of future market conditions, and may not fully incorporate the risk of extreme market events that are outsized relative to observed historical market behavior or reflect the historical distribution of results beyond the confidence interval; and reporting of losses in a single day, which does not reflect the risk of positions that cannot be liquidated or hedged in one day. A small proportion of market risk generated by trading positions is not included in VaR. The modeling of the risk characteristics of some positions relies on approximations that, under certain circumstances, could produce significantly different results from those produced using more precise measures. VaR is most appropriate as a risk measure for trading positions in liquid financial markets and will understate the risk associated with severe events, such as periods of extreme illiquidity.

The VaR calculation simulates the performance of the portfolio based on several years of daily price changes of the underlying assets and determines the VaR as the calculated loss that occurs at the 99th percentile.

Since the reported VaR statistics are estimates based on historical data, VaR should not be viewed as predictive of our future revenues or financial performance or of our ability to monitor and manage risk. There can be no assurance that our actual losses on a particular day will not exceed the indicated VaR or that such losses will not occur more than one time in 100 trading days. VaR does not predict the magnitude of losses which, should they occur, may be significantly greater than the VaR amount.

Stress Test

We estimate the market risk of our fixed income portfolio using a risk analysis model provided by a leading external vendor. For corporate bonds, this stress test is configured to calculate the change in value of each fixed income security in the portfolio over one day in five scenarios each of which represents a parallel shift of the U.S. Treasury yield curve. The scenarios are shifts of +/−100 and +/−200 basis points. For U.S. government securities, the stress test is configured to calculate the change in value of each fixed income security in the portfolio over one day in three scenarios each of which represents a parallel shift of the U.S. Treasury yield curve. The scenarios are shifts of +/−50 basis points.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rule 13a-15 under the Exchange Act as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by this quarterly report, our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) are effective, in all material respects, to ensure that information we are required to disclose in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in Securities and Exchange Commission rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

In addition, no change in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) occurred during the period covered by this report quarter that has materially affected, or is likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. We have not experienced any material impact to our internal controls over financial reporting related to our employees working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are continually monitoring and assessing the COVID-19 situation to minimize any impact on the design and operating effectiveness of our internal controls.

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PART II OTHER INFORMATION

ITEM 1**. LEGAL** PROCEEDINGS

There have been no material changes to the legal proceedings disclosed under Part 1, Item 3 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 24, 2023, except as updated in Note 13 - “Commitments, Contingencies, and Guarantees” to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2023.

There have been no material changes to the risk factors disclosed in under Part 1, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 24, 2023.

ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

None

ITEM 3. DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES

None

None

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** Previously filed; incorporated herein by reference.

+ These exhibits relate to management contracts or compensatory plans or arrangements.

• Attached as Exhibit 101 to this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2023, are the following materials formatted in iXBRL (Inline eXtensible Business Reporting Language) (i) the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition, (ii) the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income, (iii) the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, (iv) the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity and (v) Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements tagged in detail levels 1-4.

SIGNA****TURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

Date: May 8, 2023