Asif Razzaq Joins Dubai’s MidChains as Head of Trading

Asif Razzaq, a former forex executive at Sharia-compliant Noor Bank, has joined MidChains as the Head of Trading.

Razzaq announced his appointment on Wednesday in an update to his LinkedIn profile.

The executive’s role is based in Dubai where he will help MidChains empower retail investors and link global institutions to the Middle East and the North Africa region.

Before the new appointment, Razzaq spent four years and one month at Noor Bank, which was acquired in 2020 by the Dubai Islamic Bank. He joined the firm in August 2016.

MidChains is a regulated virtual asset trading platform provider based in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.

“By changing the way people exchange, MidChains seeks to democratize new ways of gaining and holding wealth, with the transparency and regulation that makes it safe for all,” Rassaq wrote on his LinkedIn profile.

"We act as a key access point for crypto and virtual asset products," he added.

Rassaq's Career Dossier

Razaaq’s career spans almost two decades. He started out as a forex dealer for retail bank AIB in the United Kingdom in February 2004.

In seven years, he rose to become the Head of EM FX Options Trading at pan-European commercial bank UniCredit.

At UniCredit, Rassaq worked for a little more than three years, helping the bank to trade and manage option books in Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Between 2005 and 2016, the executive worked in other firms apart from UniCredit.

He joined HSBC, a leading British bank and financial services firm, as a forex dealer in April 2005.

Razzaq spent 10 months at HSBC before leaving to join another British bank, Standard Chartered Bank, as an FX Options Trader.

Between September 2014 and August 2016, he served as the Head of FX and PM at Banque Saudi Fransi, a Saudi joint stock company.