Arthur Dantchik
American trader; co-founder of Susquehanna International Group; former principal funder of the Kohelet Policy Forum in Israel
| Arthur Dantchik
| |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 November 1957 (Forbes) Brooklyn, New York (Forbes) |
| Nationality | American |
| Residence | Gladwyne, Pennsylvania (Forbes) |
| Occupation | Trader, investor |
| Known for | Co-founder of Susquehanna International Group; Claws Foundation |
| Education | SUNY Binghamton (BS) |
Arthur Dantchik (born 25 November 1957) is an American trader and a co-founder, with his school and university friend Jeff Yass, of Susquehanna International Group, one of Wall Street's largest trading firms.[1] Forbes says Susquehanna's most valuable holding is its stake in ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok; Dantchik oversaw the firm's China venture team when it backed ByteDance's founder in 2012, and Calcalist reported that he sat on ByteDance's board.[1][2] On 10 November 2026 the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list ranked Arthur Dantchik 139th in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$19.5 billion; Forbes lists the source of wealth as trading, investments.[1][3] In the annual World's Billionaires list published in 2026, Forbes had ranked Arthur Dantchik 171st, at US$16.9 billion.[4] Dantchik was the main funder of Israel's Kohelet Policy Forum, the think tank behind the Netanyahu government's 2023 judicial overhaul. He stopped funding it in August 2023, saying Israel needed "to focus on healing and national unity".[2][5] His main charitable vehicle is the Claws Foundation.[6][5]
Early life and education
Dantchik was born in Brooklyn.[1] He met Jeff Yass at Bayside High School in Queens, and the two shared a room at SUNY Binghamton in the late 1970s.[1]
Susquehanna International Group
After university, Dantchik and Yass went to Las Vegas to play professionally, starting with US$1,600; back in New York they made money at the racetrack and at poker while Yass moved into options trading.[7][1] They co-founded Susquehanna in 1987.[1] InfluenceWatch says the firm, based in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, was founded with four other poker-playing colleagues.[6] As a managing director, Dantchik recruits and trains traders using poker tournaments.[1] Forbes reports that Susquehanna has invested in hundreds of private companies, the most valuable being ByteDance. Dantchik oversaw the firm's venture team in China when it became one of the first investors in Zhang Yiming in 2012.[1] Calcalist described Dantchik in 2023 as a member of ByteDance's board and, citing Shomrim, said he was behind at least 13 investments in Israeli technology companies, including Payoneer, Outbrain and eToro.[2]
Wealth
Forbes lists his source of wealth as trading and investments and classes him as self-made.[1]
Wealth history
Forbes has included this entry in its annual World's Billionaires list in 4 of the editions from 2001 to 2026 checked for this profile, starting with 2023. The table gives the rank and estimated net worth in each annual list, and, where applicable, the rank and estimate in the Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans.[4][1]
| Year | World's Billionaires rank | Net worth (US$ bn) | Forbes 400 rank | Forbes 400 net worth (US$ bn) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | – | – | 104 | 7.5 |
| 2023 | 317 | 7.2 | 137 | 7.3 |
| 2024 | 391 | 7.0 | 71 | 12.3 |
| 2025 | 153 | 14.6 | 62 | 16.3 |
| 2026 | 171 | 16.9 | 59 | 19.5 |
Philanthropy
Dantchik's philanthropy is mostly run through the Claws Foundation, set up in 2004 and administered by Sterling Foundation Management.[5][6] InfluenceWatch lists Dantchik, Jeff Yass and Alan P. Dye as its directors and describes it as the main philanthropic vehicle of Dantchik and Yass.[6] Shomrim reported, from IRS filings, that Dantchik gave about US$220 million to Claws between 2013 and 2020, about US$110 million of it in 2020, and that over the previous decade its funding had come only from him.[5] Its US grants have gone to conservative think tanks, hospitals and synagogues. In Israel it has funded groups including the Taub Center and the Shalom Hartman Institute, and in 2021 it gave about US$500,000 to the American Friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.[5] InfluenceWatch's summary of its latest (2024) filing shows assets of about US$6.2 million and expenses of US$18.8 million.[6]
Kohelet Policy Forum
Shomrim reported that the funding of the Kohelet Policy Forum, a conservative think tank that played a leading part in promoting the Netanyahu government's judicial overhaul, had long been secret, and that Dantchik's role was first reported by Haaretz in March 2021.[5] In August 2023 Calcalist reported that Dantchik, the forum's main donor, had stopped funding it. In a statement he said: "I stopped donating to think tanks in Israel, including the Kohelet Policy Forum. I believe what is most critical at this time is for Israel to focus on healing and national unity." People close to him said that Jeff Yass, who had been named in reports as a Kohelet donor, had never given to it.[2] Later that month Shomrim and TheMarker reported, from IRS documents, that in 2021 Claws gave about US$12 million to the newly formed Silver Valley Research Foundation, a non-profit nominally devoted to medical research. Most of that money went that year to the Central Fund of Israel, which in 2021 gave Kohelet 25 million shekels (about US$7.7 million), its only recorded donation that year, and a further 29 million shekels in 2022. Shomrim noted that Dantchik held no official role in these foundations. Dantchik and Kohelet declined to comment.[5]
Political activity
In 2010 Dantchik gave US$1.5 million to the campaign of Anthony H. Williams in Pennsylvania's Democratic primary for governor; InfluenceWatch says he and Yass backed Williams for his support for school vouchers. In 2015 Dantchik, Yass and their Susquehanna partner Joel Greenberg gave US$6.6 million to a super PAC supporting Williams's campaign for mayor of Philadelphia.[6] Itemised federal records for 2021–2026 show smaller gifts from him, listed below.[8]
Across the 3 non-memo records retrieved for the 2022–2026 cycles, the filtered total is US$4,350 (a lower bound). The largest recipient committees, as named in the filings, were TIM SCOTT FOR SENATE (US$2,900), JOSEPH CHAPLIK FOR CONGRESS (US$1,000), BAISLEY FOR SENATE (US$450).[8]
| Cycle | Total (US$, lower bound) | Records | Largest recipient committees (as filed with the FEC) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $2,900 | 1 | TIM SCOTT FOR SENATE ($2,900) |
| 2026 | $1,450 | 2 | JOSEPH CHAPLIK FOR CONGRESS ($1,000); BAISLEY FOR SENATE ($450) |
International and political links
This section uses the same ten headings for every profile in this series. Only specific, sourced actions are included; company-level and foundation-level actions are labelled as such. Where nothing was found, the entry reads "No documented involvement found in sources checked."
Israel (investments, operations, donations, contracts, statements)
He was the main funder of the Kohelet Policy Forum until August 2023 (see Kohelet Policy Forum).[2][5] Shomrim reported that Kohelet's funding in 2021 and 2022 came through the Central Fund of Israel. Calcalist reported that he was behind at least 13 investments in Israeli technology companies.[5][2]
Zionist or pro-Israel organisations and lobbying groups
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Jewish communal charities
The Claws Foundation has given to synagogues and, in 2021, about US$500,000 to the American Friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.[5]
Gulf states
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
China
Forbes says he oversaw Susquehanna's China venture team, an early investor in ByteDance; Calcalist reported that he sat on ByteDance's board.[1][2]
Russia
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
India
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Palestinian or Arab causes
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Home government
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Other international links
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
See also
Notes
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Forbes, Forbes profile record for Arthur Dantchik (Forbes data feed behind forbes.com/profile/arthur-dantchik/) Forbes, live record, read 10 November 2026, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Adrian Filut, Calcalist Exclusive: Arthur Dantchik, the main donor of Forum Kohelet, stops financial support of the organization Calcalist (Ctech), 4 August 2023, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ Forbes, Forbes Real-Time Billionaires data feed Forbes, live; downloaded 10 November 2026 13:47 UTC, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Forbes, Forbes World's Billionaires list data feed, annual editions 2001–2026 (one file per year at this path with the year substituted; all 26 files downloaded and read) Forbes, annual lists; downloaded 20 October 2026, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 5.9 Uri Blau, Shomrim Investigation Uncovers: U.S. Billionaire Danchik Channels Funds to Kohelet through American 'Medical Research' Institution Shomrim – The Center for Media and Democracy (with TheMarker), 22 August 2023, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 InfluenceWatch, Claws Foundation InfluenceWatch (Capital Research Center), profile updated 2021; filing data to 2024, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ Robert Huber, Beating the Odds Philadelphia Magazine, 26 August 2009, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 U.S. Federal Election Commission, OpenFEC Schedule A (itemised individual contributions) query, contributor name "DANTCHIK, ARTHUR"; 2026 cycle shown in link, the 2022, 2024 and 2026 cycles were queried together with the same parameters; top 100 records by amount; records filtered by employer/occupation and name, memo entries excluded U.S. Federal Election Commission, data as filed; queried 10 November 2026, accessed 10 November 2026.