Unusual Whales and Siebert Financial Announce Strategic Partnership to Launch New Series of ETFs
Rhea-AI Summary
Siebert Financial (NASDAQ: SIEB) and Unusual Whales announced a strategic partnership on August 18, 2026 to develop and launch a new series of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The collaboration will combine Unusual Whales’ data on political trading disclosures, options activity, institutional flows and other “shadow data” with Siebert’s product development, distribution capabilities and market relationships.
According to Siebert, the firm contributes approximately $19 billion in assets under management, more than 176,000 retail customer accounts, and 59 years of experience in financial services. Unusual Whales brings a highly engaged audience, including over 5 million followers on X/Twitter. The partners intend to convert these market insights into ETF strategies targeting themes and market activity that have historically been difficult for investors to identify or access through traditional products. Specific ETF strategies, regulatory filings and launch timelines will be detailed in future announcements.
Positive
- Strategic ETF partnership combining Unusual Whales’ market data with Siebert’s product platform
- $19 billion AUM and 176,000 retail accounts support Siebert’s distribution base
- Unusual Whales contributes 5+ million X/Twitter followers, enhancing potential investor reach
- Partnership aligns with Siebert’s strategy to integrate emerging technology and alternative data
Negative
- None.
Market reaction after ETF launch partnership: SIEB +5.18%
Following this news, SIEB has gained 5.18%, reflecting a notable positive market reaction. Argus tracked a peak move of +11.6% during the session. Our momentum scanner has triggered 15 alerts so far, indicating notable trading interest and price volatility. The stock is currently trading at $2.04. Trading volume is exceptionally heavy at 5.5x the average, suggesting very strong buying interest.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus (15 min delayed). Upgrade to Gold for real-time data.
Key Figures
Previous Partnership Reports
| Date | Event | Sentiment | 24h Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 17 | Strategic partnership | Positive | +1.0% | FusionIQ investment and planned ten-year transformation partnership |
| Jul 27 | Strategic partnership | Positive | +0.0% | Kakao Pay Securities collaboration for tokenized Korean stock access |
| Jun 29 | Strategic partnership | Positive | -0.6% | tZERO and Streamex collaboration for tokenized securities distribution |
| Mar 26 | Strategic partnership | Positive | -2.0% | Newsmax financial programming and national advertising collaboration |
| Dec 04 | Strategic partnership | Positive | +0.3% | Kakao Pay Securities distribution of daily U.S. market insights |
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Partnership-tagged events produced mixed reactions, with an average 24-hour move of -0.25%.
Key Terms
exchange-traded funds financial
assets under management financial
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
The partnership combines Unusual Whales’ access to political trading activity, shadow data, and unique market intelligence with Siebert’s financial infrastructure and expertise
MIAMI and NEW YORK, Aug. 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Siebert Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: SIEB) (“Siebert”), a diversified financial services company, and Unusual Whales, a financial data and market intelligence platform, today announced a strategic partnership to develop and launch a series of exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
The partnership brings together two distinct strengths:
- Unusual Whales provides access to a different layer of market intelligence, including political trading disclosures, options activity, market flows and other forms of “shadow data” that can reveal activity and trends beyond traditional financial research; as well as a highly engaged follower base across social media, newsletters and exclusive chats, with more than 5 million followers on X/Twitter alone.
- Siebert provides the financial expertise, infrastructure, and market relationships needed to develop investment products and bring them to investors, thanks also to its circa
$19 billion in Assets Under Management and more than 176,000 retail customer accounts.
Together, the companies intend to transform these insights into ETF strategies that give investors new ways to participate in themes and market activity that have historically been difficult to identify or access through traditional investment products.
“We are incredibly excited about what we can build with Unusual Whales,” said John J. Gebbia, CEO of Siebert Financial. “They have built a powerful window into parts of the market that investors increasingly want to understand, from political trading activity to signals that often sit outside traditional research. Siebert brings a solid financial infrastructure, 59 years of experience, and execution capabilities to turn those insights into real investment products. We believe the ETFs coming from this partnership can be unlike anything currently available to investors.”
Unusual Whales has built a large following by making complex and often hard-to-find market information easier for investors to access and understand. Its platform tracks areas including congressional and political trading disclosures, unusual options activity, institutional flows and other market signals that can provide a different perspective on where capital is moving.
“We built Unusual Whales around a simple idea: retail investors shouldn’t be the last ones to know what’s happening in the market. If politicians are trading, potential insiders are placing large bets, or unusual options activity is bubbling up beneath the surface, regular people deserve the tools to see it too,” said Matt Saincome, CEO of Unusual Whales. “This partnership with Siebert allows us to take insights pulled from our tools, data, and worldview and package them into more easily accessible ETFs with a partner who knows how to build, launch, and scale financial products at scale.”
The collaboration is designed to bridge the gap between market intelligence and investable products. The partnership also reflects Siebert’s broader strategy of combining its established financial infrastructure with emerging technology, data and new forms of market access.
Additional information regarding individual ETF strategies, regulatory filings and anticipated launch dates will be announced separately.
About Unusual Whales
Unusual Whales is an options and equity data platform that has been at the forefront of the intersection of politics and finance since 2019. Unusual Whales is providing data to Siebert Financial for the ETF. It does not recommend, nor condemn, the investments above, and recommends that any investor talk to a qualified professional advisor before investing. There are no expectations that previous or past returns will equal present returns, nor should there be expectation that the ETF will necessarily perform well given previous performance. You can lose some, or all, of your investment. Unusual Whales is not paid for ETF performance and has developed the partnership with Siebert Financial to develop the ETF to provide access to a tradeable ETF. https://unusualwhales.com/
About Siebert Financial Corp.
Siebert is a diversified financial services company and has been a member of the NYSE since 1967, when Muriel Siebert became the first woman to own a seat on the NYSE and the first to head one of its member firms.
Siebert operates through its subsidiaries Muriel Siebert & Co., LLC, Siebert AdvisorNXT, LLC, Park Wilshire Companies, Inc., RISE Financial Services, LLC, Siebert Technologies, LLC, StockCross Digital Solutions, Ltd., Gebbia Media LLC, and Siebert Crypto, LLC. Through these entities, Siebert provides a full range of brokerage and financial advisory services, including securities brokerage; investment banking and capital markets services; investment advisory and insurance offerings; securities lending; corporate stock plan administration solutions; in addition to sports management, entertainment, and media productions. For over 55 years, Siebert has been a company that values its clients, shareholders, and employees. More information is available at https://www.siebert.com/.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements by Siebert
The statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts, including statements about our beliefs and expectations, are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements preceded by, followed by, or that include the words "may," "could," "would," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "plan," "estimate," "target," "project," "intend," and similar words or expressions. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections, or other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements.
These forward-looking statements, which reflect beliefs, objectives, and expectations as of the date hereof, are based on the best judgment of the management of Siebert. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in such statements, including, without limitation, the following: economic, social and political conditions, global economic downturns resulting from extraordinary events; securities industry risks; interest rate risks; liquidity risks; credit risk with clients and counterparties; risk of liability for errors in clearing functions; systemic risk; systems failures, delays and capacity constraints; network security risks; competition; reliance on external service providers; new laws and regulations affecting Siebert's business; net capital requirements; extensive regulation, regulatory uncertainties and legal matters; failure to maintain relationships with employees, customers, business partners or governmental entities; the inability to realize anticipated synergies or successfully implement new business plans; and other consequences associated with risks and uncertainties detailed in Part I, Item 1A - Risk Factors of Siebert's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, and Siebert's filings with the SEC.
Siebert cautions that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive, and new factors may emerge, or changes to the foregoing factors may occur that could impact its business. Siebert undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise these statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except to the extent required by the federal securities laws.
For inquiries, please contact:
Deborah Kostroun
dkostroun@zitopartners.com
+1-201-403-8185
