Financial and Business News

OpenFX Taps LMAX Group's Former Commercial Director Alex Rowles as Head of Trading and Risk

Wednesday, 10/12/2025 | 18:00 GMT by Jared Kirui
  • Rowles joins OpenFX after spending seven years at LMAX, a trading venue and liquidity provider.
  • Alongside his appointment, OpenFX also named two other product leaders, Sourav Karmakar and Ethan Mackie.
Alex Rowles

OpenFX has moved to deepen its institutional operations by appointing Alex Rowles as its new Head of Trading and Risk, adding a seasoned markets specialist just as cross-border payments and stablecoin flows draw more regulatory and operational scrutiny.

OpenFX Scales Its Multi-Region Trading Platform

"What the team at OpenFX is building feels very similar—just applied to a much harder problem: cross-border payments and global FX liquidity. Proprietary market-making, real-time inventory management, and smart routing across stablecoins, FX desks, dark pools, and derivatives… all under one roof," Rowles commented on LinkedIn.

"It’s rare to see this level of infrastructure inside a payments company. In just 18 months, the team has already built a proprietary liquidity engine powering 11 currencies, with a roadmap to scale to 150."

Rowles joins OpenFX after a seven-year spell at LMAX, where he held senior roles at the trading venue and liquidity provider. He initially served as Head of Trading before moving into a Commercial Director position for the final two years of his tenure. Rowles’ experience also includes previous roles as Societe Generale, including a stint as FX Trader.

More moves: CFI Promotes Charbel Saleh to Global Head of Business Operations

Other Appointments at OpenFX

Besides Alex Rowles, OpenFX also appointed Sourav Karmakar as the INR Product Lead. Karmakar previously served as Associate Vice President for Growth Product and Revenue.

The other appointment saw the onboarding to Ethan Mackie to Product Operations. He previously served as Manager of the Office of the CPO at global payments firm Thredd, based in the US.

OpenFX positions itself as a payment’s provider serving PSPs and remittance payment companies, with a focus on cross-border flows and integration with stablecoin infrastructure. The firm also offers on-ramp and off-ramp solutions for stablecoins, connecting fiat and digital assets for institutional and corporate clients.

OpenFX has moved to deepen its institutional operations by appointing Alex Rowles as its new Head of Trading and Risk, adding a seasoned markets specialist just as cross-border payments and stablecoin flows draw more regulatory and operational scrutiny.

OpenFX Scales Its Multi-Region Trading Platform

"What the team at OpenFX is building feels very similar—just applied to a much harder problem: cross-border payments and global FX liquidity. Proprietary market-making, real-time inventory management, and smart routing across stablecoins, FX desks, dark pools, and derivatives… all under one roof," Rowles commented on LinkedIn.

"It’s rare to see this level of infrastructure inside a payments company. In just 18 months, the team has already built a proprietary liquidity engine powering 11 currencies, with a roadmap to scale to 150."

Rowles joins OpenFX after a seven-year spell at LMAX, where he held senior roles at the trading venue and liquidity provider. He initially served as Head of Trading before moving into a Commercial Director position for the final two years of his tenure. Rowles’ experience also includes previous roles as Societe Generale, including a stint as FX Trader.

More moves: CFI Promotes Charbel Saleh to Global Head of Business Operations

Other Appointments at OpenFX

Besides Alex Rowles, OpenFX also appointed Sourav Karmakar as the INR Product Lead. Karmakar previously served as Associate Vice President for Growth Product and Revenue.

The other appointment saw the onboarding to Ethan Mackie to Product Operations. He previously served as Manager of the Office of the CPO at global payments firm Thredd, based in the US.

OpenFX positions itself as a payment’s provider serving PSPs and remittance payment companies, with a focus on cross-border flows and integration with stablecoin infrastructure. The firm also offers on-ramp and off-ramp solutions for stablecoins, connecting fiat and digital assets for institutional and corporate clients.

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About the Author: Jared Kirui
Jared Kirui
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Jared is an experienced financial journalist passionate about all things forex and CFDs.

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