This Thursday, post-trade services provider Cobalt announced that it has appointed Anoushka Rayner (nee Hampton) as Global Head of Sales and Business Development.

According to Cobalt, Rayner will be "responsible for managing Cobalt’s commercial relationships and will play a key role in scaling up the business as it gets ready for its launch later this year."

Rayner joins Cobalt from Traiana - a subsidiary of NEX that provides an array of different pre and post-trade services to financial institutions.

Based in the firm's New York office, Rayner worked as a Global FX Sales Specialist for the company. And she won't be the only ex-Traiana executive at her new company either.

Not Alone

Andrew Coyne, who co-founded the  Blockchain  Blockchain Blockchain comprises a digital network of blocks with a comprehensive ledger of transactions made in a cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin or other altcoins.One of the signature features of blockchain is that it is maintained across more than one computer. The ledger can be public or private (permissioned.) In this sense, blockchain is immune to the manipulation of data making it not only open but verifiable. Because a blockchain is stored across a network of computers, it is very difficult to tamper with. The Evolution of BlockchainBlockchain was originally invented by an individual or group of people under the name of Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008. The purpose of blockchain was originally to serve as the public transaction ledger of Bitcoin, the world’s first cryptocurrency.In particular, bundles of transaction data, called “blocks”, are added to the ledger in a chronological fashion, forming a “chain.” These blocks include things like date, time, dollar amount, and (in some cases) the public addresses of the sender and the receiver.The computers responsible for upholding a blockchain network are called “nodes.” These nodes carry out the duties necessary to confirm the transactions and add them to the ledger. In exchange for their work, the nodes receive rewards in the form of crypto tokens.By storing data via a peer-to-peer network (P2P), blockchain controls for a wide range of risks that are traditionally inherent with data being held centrally.Of note, P2P blockchain networks lack centralized points of vulnerability. Consequently, hackers cannot exploit these networks via normalized means nor does the network possess a central failure point.In order to hack or alter a blockchain’s ledger, more than half of the nodes must be compromised. Looking ahead, blockchain technology is an area of extensive research across multiple industries, including financial services and payments, among others. Blockchain comprises a digital network of blocks with a comprehensive ledger of transactions made in a cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin or other altcoins.One of the signature features of blockchain is that it is maintained across more than one computer. The ledger can be public or private (permissioned.) In this sense, blockchain is immune to the manipulation of data making it not only open but verifiable. Because a blockchain is stored across a network of computers, it is very difficult to tamper with. The Evolution of BlockchainBlockchain was originally invented by an individual or group of people under the name of Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008. The purpose of blockchain was originally to serve as the public transaction ledger of Bitcoin, the world’s first cryptocurrency.In particular, bundles of transaction data, called “blocks”, are added to the ledger in a chronological fashion, forming a “chain.” These blocks include things like date, time, dollar amount, and (in some cases) the public addresses of the sender and the receiver.The computers responsible for upholding a blockchain network are called “nodes.” These nodes carry out the duties necessary to confirm the transactions and add them to the ledger. In exchange for their work, the nodes receive rewards in the form of crypto tokens.By storing data via a peer-to-peer network (P2P), blockchain controls for a wide range of risks that are traditionally inherent with data being held centrally.Of note, P2P blockchain networks lack centralized points of vulnerability. Consequently, hackers cannot exploit these networks via normalized means nor does the network possess a central failure point.In order to hack or alter a blockchain’s ledger, more than half of the nodes must be compromised. Looking ahead, blockchain technology is an area of extensive research across multiple industries, including financial services and payments, among others. Read this Term-based  Technology Provider  Technology Provider A technology provider is an individual, company, or entity that creates, render services and sells software applications or hardware. Currently, there are four types of tech providers which are as followed:Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) – Functioning as a subscription-based licensing and delivery model, SaaS is centrally hosted and may also be referred to as on-demand software. Tech Hardware – Powerful tech providers such as Apple, Oculus Rift, FitBit, and Samsung are examples of tech hardware providers because the majority of their products sold are tangible pieces of equipment that come fine-tuned with a related operating system. Marketplace – Sometimes coined as network or platform, marketplace tech providers connect buyers with sellers within the same industry. Extension of Offline Business – These tech providers seek to provide more convenience to users through the usability of the internet, a couple of examples include businesses involved in e-commerce or even your online banking app. Who Relies on Technology Providers?You can think of a tech provider as a business that fulfills the need for a technology component. The relationship isn’t as symbiotic as it may always appear but through the aid of a technology provider role, tech providers are better able to fulfill the needs of their customers, or in this case, components. Tech providers as well-known as indispensable entities within the B2B forex industry. This includes relationships with brokers that helps improve offerings for clients.There are also a wide range of tech providers who specialize in providing high-demand technological goods and services also reside within the B2C industry.Within this space there is more diversity while the demand to develop more consumer-friendly solutions is ever-present. A technology provider is an individual, company, or entity that creates, render services and sells software applications or hardware. Currently, there are four types of tech providers which are as followed:Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) – Functioning as a subscription-based licensing and delivery model, SaaS is centrally hosted and may also be referred to as on-demand software. Tech Hardware – Powerful tech providers such as Apple, Oculus Rift, FitBit, and Samsung are examples of tech hardware providers because the majority of their products sold are tangible pieces of equipment that come fine-tuned with a related operating system. Marketplace – Sometimes coined as network or platform, marketplace tech providers connect buyers with sellers within the same industry. Extension of Offline Business – These tech providers seek to provide more convenience to users through the usability of the internet, a couple of examples include businesses involved in e-commerce or even your online banking app. Who Relies on Technology Providers?You can think of a tech provider as a business that fulfills the need for a technology component. The relationship isn’t as symbiotic as it may always appear but through the aid of a technology provider role, tech providers are better able to fulfill the needs of their customers, or in this case, components. Tech providers as well-known as indispensable entities within the B2B forex industry. This includes relationships with brokers that helps improve offerings for clients.There are also a wide range of tech providers who specialize in providing high-demand technological goods and services also reside within the B2C industry.Within this space there is more diversity while the demand to develop more consumer-friendly solutions is ever-present. Read this Term in 2015, was the CEO of Traiana from 2012 to 2015. Given that she joined Traiana in 2016, Rayner's appointment is unlikely to be a case of one colleague following another to a new company.

Prior to working for Traiana, Rayner worked for a short period of time as a Sales Director for smartTrade Technologies.

More notably, she was Global Head of FX Option Sales at FXCMPro - the broker's institutional service - from 2010 to 2014. She also worked for a number of years as the company's Head of Spot FX Sales.

Rayner also has an array of experience in the institutional space having started her career over 20 years ago on HSBC's FX Prop Desk. After leaving the banking giant, she then moved on to join UBS, working for four years on the Swiss bank's FX Spot Desk.

Darren Coote, who was appointed as a Managing Director by Cobalt in September, welcomed Rayner to her new company on Thursday.

“We are very pleased to welcome Anoushka to our ranks as we work towards re-engineering the largest and most liquid financial market in the world," he said. "She brings a wealth of experience and contacts to Cobalt and is a key part of our plans as we prepare to launch later this year."