The Webull-Citadel PFOF Relationship
Webull, the Chinese-owned discount brokerage popular with young active traders, uses PFOF arrangements with Citadel Securities and other market makers. Webull's Chinese ownership and its use of Citadel as a primary market maker has raised additional national security and market integrity concerns among some legislators.
The Financial Scale
In 2020-2023, Webull received tens of millions in payment for order flow. This payment came primarily from Citadel Securities in exchange for routing Webull customers' equity orders to Citadel for execution. Citadel paid this amount because it expected to extract significantly more value from executing Webull's customers' orders — through spread capture — than it paid for the order flow. The difference represents value extracted from Webull customers through execution quality degradation.
Regulatory Actions
Congressional scrutiny regarding Chinese ownership; no specific PFOF enforcement action.
What Webull Customers Should Know
Webull customers can find out how their orders are routed by accessing the broker's SEC Rule 606 quarterly report, typically available in the "Legal Disclosures" or "About" section of the broker's website. For investors concerned about PFOF, alternative brokers that route to exchanges directly — including Fidelity (for equity orders) and Interactive Brokers (with direct routing option) — are available.