Salim Sebbata, a well-known name in the retail trading industry, has left Capital.com to join GTN as its Chief Commercial Officer for its European operations, FinanceMagnates.com has learned. The appointment came as the priority of the company, according to Sebbata, is “organic growth in Europe.”
“We have a strong enough product and the right regulatory footprint to build that organically,” he said, addressing GTN’s commercial strategy on the continent.
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Tapping “a Large and Underserved Segment in the UK and Europe”
Before joining GTN, Sebbata was Capital.com's Head of M&A and Corporate Development. He stayed in that role for about one and a half years, overseeing the company's M&A strategy and supporting its global expansion initiatives.
In his new role, he will be responsible for translating GTN's infrastructure into additional revenue-generating relationships in Europe. He elaborated that his “immediate job” is to ensure the right UK and European firms are aware of GTN's product capabilities and “understand what it means for their business.”
“GTN's FCA authorisation allows us to offer both Omnibus and Tripartite Model B services to wealth managers, fintechs, and other investment firms that are authorised to trade on behalf of clients but need a custody partner,” he said. “That's a large and underserved segment in the UK and Europe – opening it up commercially is a core part of my mandate.”
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The broker currently offers access to over three million stocks across eight asset classes and over 90 markets, all through a single API framework and front ends. Sebbata also sees a few other priority pillars for GTN, which are “deepening relationships with established financial institutions looking to broaden their investment offering by adding fractional stocks, fixed income and funds – but also true flexible multi-asset class and global coverage.”
“GTN's model — B2B and B2B2C, co-branded or API-embedded — gives us unusual flexibility, and I want to use that flexibility aggressively in the UK and Europe,” Sebbata added. “The flexibility of the firm is what sets us apart – usually, transfers of client assets at other firms we compete with fail not because of some US equity issue, but due to the percentage of exotic assets in the end-client accounts. We can cater to this.”
With over three decades in the industry, Sebbata brings experience from firms such as CMC Markets, E*TRADE, and Mubasher Global. He was the CEO of BUX’s UK unit and its CFD division when the businesses were sold as part of the group’s divestment process.
When asked about the possibility of M&A in GTN’s European commercial strategy, Sebbata highlighted the company’s backing by IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and SBI Group. He also stressed GTN's genuine focus on the B2B opportunity.
“Consolidation is actually a tailwind for GTN, not a headwind,” he added. “When platforms merge or get acquired, their distribution capability increases, and they need to offer additional investing solutions and markets.”
“The White Space We See Is Around Integrated Infrastructure”
GTN holds multiple licences globally but primarily operates in Europe under its Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) authorisation, obtained in September 2024. The UK licence also followed the appointment of Christopher Gregory as GTN's CEO for Europe. His task was also to expand the company's presence in the region, which was supposed to be part of its global growth strategy.
When asked about GTN's plans to obtain a licence within the European Union, Gregory said that “our FCA authorisation provides a robust regulatory foundation and allows us to serve institutional partners and fintech platforms across multiple jurisdictions.”
Interestingly, GTN is strengthening its offering under the FCA licence when several other established players have left not only the United Kingdom but also Europe. Gregory, however, pointed out that GTN's business model is not in the direct-to-consumer retail space.
“We focus on B2B and B2B2C partnerships, accessible through a single infrastructure layer,” he added. “GTN provides the capability to firms looking to respond to that structural shift.”
He further highlighted that GTN is looking to tap into a market where fintech platforms are seeking partners that can provide end-to-end capital markets infrastructure, not just execution.
“The white space we see is around integrated infrastructure,” Gregory continued. “Many providers still offer fragmented services, forcing fintechs to stitch together multiple vendors. GTN’s focus is to provide a unified stack — multi-market connectivity, multi-asset class trading, post-trade services and custody — through a single integration.”
“The next phase of fintech isn’t about trading apps – it’s about embedded investing infrastructure.”
