Financial and Business News

Rostro Appoints Group Strategy Chief as It Expands into Digital Assets and Investment Services

Thursday, 22/01/2026 | 12:54 GMT by Tareq Sikder
  • Sam Steele moves from Scope Prime, the group’s institutional arm, where he was Chief Investment Officer.
  • Rostro has secured a UAE Category 5 license to offer brokerage and trading services in the Gulf region.
Rostro

Sam Steele has joined Rostro Group as Group Chief Strategy Officer; he announced on LinkedIn today (Thursday).

The appointment follows the hiring of Kate Mason-Keaney as Chief People and Organization Officer and the promotion of Pavel Spirin to Group Chief Growth Officer, as the four-year-old financial services holding firm prepares for what it calls “aggressive growth.”

The moves come as Rostro seeks to expand beyond traditional brokerage operations. The group owns the retail broker Scope, previously known as Scope Markets, and has been building businesses in digital assets, investment services, and payments. Company executives say the diversified structure helps cushion the impact when individual market segments slow down.

Steele Moves from Scope To Rostro

Steele most recently served as Chief Investment Officer at Scope Prime, Rostro’s institutional division, for four years. ROSTRO acquired Scope in 2022. Prior to that, he spent five years as Senior Business Development Manager at TradeTech Alpha.

Earlier in his career, Steele held trading roles at UK-based firms. He was a Senior Sales Trader at Gain Capital Group for just over four years and an Equity Sales Trader at City Index for five and a half years.

Rostro Targets Gulf Expansion with License

Rostro has obtained a Category 5 license from the UAE Securities and Commodities Authority. The approval allows the Dubai-based firm to expand brokerage and trading services across the UAE and Gulf region.

Founded in 2021, Rostro operates multiple brokerage and fintech brands. With the license, it can offer more than 60 regional contracts for difference on equities and proprietary indices tracking Dubai and Abu Dhabi markets.

The group has established local banking relationships and is positioning Scope Prime to provide multi-asset prime brokerage services to institutional clients across the Gulf Cooperation Council. Scope Markets will offer retail accounts in multiple base currencies, including UAE dirham and US dollar.

Rostro has also expanded its institutional offerings, launching prime services for crypto CFDs and creating a futures and options division under Saul Knapp, with plans for direct market access through order management system providers.

Sam Steele has joined Rostro Group as Group Chief Strategy Officer; he announced on LinkedIn today (Thursday).

The appointment follows the hiring of Kate Mason-Keaney as Chief People and Organization Officer and the promotion of Pavel Spirin to Group Chief Growth Officer, as the four-year-old financial services holding firm prepares for what it calls “aggressive growth.”

The moves come as Rostro seeks to expand beyond traditional brokerage operations. The group owns the retail broker Scope, previously known as Scope Markets, and has been building businesses in digital assets, investment services, and payments. Company executives say the diversified structure helps cushion the impact when individual market segments slow down.

Steele Moves from Scope To Rostro

Steele most recently served as Chief Investment Officer at Scope Prime, Rostro’s institutional division, for four years. ROSTRO acquired Scope in 2022. Prior to that, he spent five years as Senior Business Development Manager at TradeTech Alpha.

Earlier in his career, Steele held trading roles at UK-based firms. He was a Senior Sales Trader at Gain Capital Group for just over four years and an Equity Sales Trader at City Index for five and a half years.

Rostro Targets Gulf Expansion with License

Rostro has obtained a Category 5 license from the UAE Securities and Commodities Authority. The approval allows the Dubai-based firm to expand brokerage and trading services across the UAE and Gulf region.

Founded in 2021, Rostro operates multiple brokerage and fintech brands. With the license, it can offer more than 60 regional contracts for difference on equities and proprietary indices tracking Dubai and Abu Dhabi markets.

The group has established local banking relationships and is positioning Scope Prime to provide multi-asset prime brokerage services to institutional clients across the Gulf Cooperation Council. Scope Markets will offer retail accounts in multiple base currencies, including UAE dirham and US dollar.

Rostro has also expanded its institutional offerings, launching prime services for crypto CFDs and creating a futures and options division under Saul Knapp, with plans for direct market access through order management system providers.

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About the Author: Tareq Sikder
Tareq Sikder
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A Forex technical analyst and writer who has been engaged in financial writing for 12 years.

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