Also, Iress' partnership with Kaiko and Consob's warning list.
Read today's FX/CFDs, crypto and fintech sectors' dynamic news.
HFM Hires Markets.com’s Yaqub
Tale as Country Head in Kenya
HFM, a retail forex and CFDs
brokerage that recently rebranded from HotForex, has appointed Yaqub Tale as
its Head of Country in Kenya. Tale until the appointment was a Regional
Business Consultant for East Africa at online trading provider, Markets.com,
for nearly two years.
Tale, who brings about five
years of trading industry experience to the new role, announced his appointment
on Thursday through LinkedIn, noting that he is “ready to hit the ground
running.”
According to his LinkedIn
profile, Tale started out his journey in the trading industry in October 2018
as an Account Relationship Manager at EGM Securities. Later, he would rise to
Head of Partnerships at the Kenya-based non-dealing forex brokerage in January
2020.
Deutsche Börse’s 360T Appoints Head of Sales for Central Europe
360T, one of Europe’s biggest
institutional forex trading platforms, has elevated Sarah Pittroff to the
position of Head of Sales for Central Europe. The executive announced her
appointment through LinkedIn on Thursday.
Sarah Pittroff, new Head of Sales for Central Europe at 360T
Pittroff is a long-time
executive of 360T, having joined the Deutsche Börse Group’s global FX unit in
July 2010 as a Key Account Manager for Germany. She served as the Head of
Corporate Sales for Germany over the past five years.
According to her LinkedIn
profile, Pittroff previously worked for Bloomberg between 2007 and 2010 as
Account Manager for Financial Sales.
Mary Anne Wiley Selected as New
Chair of Nasdaq Canada
Nasdaq has appointed Mary Anne
Wiley, the Director and Chair of the Nominating Committee of Nasdaq Canada, as
the new Chair of the Canadian Exchange Board. Wiley, who is the Former Managing
Director and Head of iShares Canada at BlackRock, replaces Michael Foulkes who
has retired after serving as the Chair of the Board since 2018, Nasdaq said on Thursday.
The former MD’s appointment caps
other selections made to the Board of Directors, Nasdaq said. The other appointments include Susan Monteith and Gerry Throop as Independent Directors and Dan Kessou as the Director and Chief Executive Officer. Furthermore, Tal Cohen and Kevin
Kennedy were tapped as Directors.
Nasdaq Canada was established to extend
Nasdaq's North American trading platform in Canada.
FCA Gears Up to Boost Whistleblower Confidence
The UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is taking steps to improve the confidence of whistleblowers, primarily by enhancing interaction. The regulator will provide more details to whistleblowers on steps taken based on the shared information.
The financial watchdog will improve the use of whistleblowers' information and improve ways of capturing the information.
"We need the intelligence whistleblowers provide to identify and act on problems in the firms we regulate," said Therese Chambers, the Executive Director of Enforcement and Market Oversight at the FCA.
"We want to make sure we're capturing and using the information provided by whistleblowers as effectively as possible, and to give them as much information as the law allows on how we have acted on their concerns."
Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), which provides digital infrastructure in the financial services industry, reported revenue of $2 billion for the first quarter of 2023. The figure came in 15 percent higher year-over-year and 7 percent greater than the previous quarter.
The company ended the three months with a net income of $259 million, which doubled quarter-over-quarter. EBITDA at $944 million was 13 percent higher than the previous quarter, with an adjusted margin of 47 percent.
Following the first quarter's results, Equinix is now eying to end 2023 with revenue between $8.175 billion and $8.275 billion, which is an increase of 13 to 14 percent over the previous year. In addition, it aims for an EBITDA between $3.635 billion and $3.715 billion.
"We had a strong start to the year... as our outlook remains positive with the overall demand for digital transformation fueling our conviction around the long-term secular drivers of our business," said Charles Meyers, the President and CEO at Equinix.
Consob Flags 4 More Illegal Trading Platforms
Consob, the financial market regulator in Italy, has added four additional names to its elaborated list of illegal financial services platforms offering services in the country.
The recently added names are:
IKON CFD
BTC Capital Group
Trezocapital
EZ2GO Ltd
Access to these platforms will be blocked at the internet provider level. The latest addition has taken the total number of websites blocked out since July 2019 to 886.
Iress Taps Kaiko for Digital Assets Data
Iress has partnered with Kaiko to deliver cryptocurrency market data to institutional clients. The data service is available in Iress's FeedOS format, enabling clients to integrate them into existing workflows.
Salloum AbouSaleh, MD at Iress
"At Iress we continually talk to clients about their evolving data needs. We constantly monitor the market for additional capabilities we can add to our offering, giving clients the very best information possible to guide their trading decisions," said Salloum AbouSaleh, Iress' Managing Director for Americas.
"In Kaiko we have found the perfect best-in-class partner to help us add to the universe of data we provide. Kaiko's high-quality data also crucially covers a wealth of historical data, making it extremely valuable to clients."
CryptoOrange Adds Paysafe as Payments Partner
The cryptocurrency exchange, CryptoOrange announced its partnership with the payments platform, Paysafe to enhance deposit and withdrawal methods for international users.
Paysafe also facilitates the payments infrastructure for several other major crypto exchanges, including Binance. Recently, the company expanded its reach in Latin America with the acquisition of two local payments companies.
"Providing our customers with a seamless payment experience is absolutely central to our success," said Dejan Jurša, the Founder of CryptoOrange. "By partnering with Paysafe, through one contact and connection, we can offer the widest range of payment options to our customers, provide a smoother payment process, and expand more easily into new territories."
OKX Ventures Backs AlienSwap
OKX Ventures, the investment arm of crypto exchange OKX, has invested an unknown sum in the community-based NFT marketplace and aggregator AlienSwap. The investment came two months after the beta launch of AlienSwap.
The NFT platform will use the proceeds to scale its growth and aims to become one of the top NFT marketplaces. Currently, with more than $50 million in trading volume, AlienSwap ranks third in daily active users and fifth in daily trading volume on the Ethereum network.
"The new investments will be used to expand the AlienSwap engineering team, develop innovative liquidity tools and trading products for NFTs, and increase investment in NFT infrastructure to enhance the community's trading experience," said Ying Mu, the Founder of AlienSwap.
HFM Hires Markets.com’s Yaqub
Tale as Country Head in Kenya
HFM, a retail forex and CFDs
brokerage that recently rebranded from HotForex, has appointed Yaqub Tale as
its Head of Country in Kenya. Tale until the appointment was a Regional
Business Consultant for East Africa at online trading provider, Markets.com,
for nearly two years.
Tale, who brings about five
years of trading industry experience to the new role, announced his appointment
on Thursday through LinkedIn, noting that he is “ready to hit the ground
running.”
According to his LinkedIn
profile, Tale started out his journey in the trading industry in October 2018
as an Account Relationship Manager at EGM Securities. Later, he would rise to
Head of Partnerships at the Kenya-based non-dealing forex brokerage in January
2020.
Deutsche Börse’s 360T Appoints Head of Sales for Central Europe
360T, one of Europe’s biggest
institutional forex trading platforms, has elevated Sarah Pittroff to the
position of Head of Sales for Central Europe. The executive announced her
appointment through LinkedIn on Thursday.
Sarah Pittroff, new Head of Sales for Central Europe at 360T
Pittroff is a long-time
executive of 360T, having joined the Deutsche Börse Group’s global FX unit in
July 2010 as a Key Account Manager for Germany. She served as the Head of
Corporate Sales for Germany over the past five years.
According to her LinkedIn
profile, Pittroff previously worked for Bloomberg between 2007 and 2010 as
Account Manager for Financial Sales.
Mary Anne Wiley Selected as New
Chair of Nasdaq Canada
Nasdaq has appointed Mary Anne
Wiley, the Director and Chair of the Nominating Committee of Nasdaq Canada, as
the new Chair of the Canadian Exchange Board. Wiley, who is the Former Managing
Director and Head of iShares Canada at BlackRock, replaces Michael Foulkes who
has retired after serving as the Chair of the Board since 2018, Nasdaq said on Thursday.
The former MD’s appointment caps
other selections made to the Board of Directors, Nasdaq said. The other appointments include Susan Monteith and Gerry Throop as Independent Directors and Dan Kessou as the Director and Chief Executive Officer. Furthermore, Tal Cohen and Kevin
Kennedy were tapped as Directors.
Nasdaq Canada was established to extend
Nasdaq's North American trading platform in Canada.
FCA Gears Up to Boost Whistleblower Confidence
The UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is taking steps to improve the confidence of whistleblowers, primarily by enhancing interaction. The regulator will provide more details to whistleblowers on steps taken based on the shared information.
The financial watchdog will improve the use of whistleblowers' information and improve ways of capturing the information.
"We need the intelligence whistleblowers provide to identify and act on problems in the firms we regulate," said Therese Chambers, the Executive Director of Enforcement and Market Oversight at the FCA.
"We want to make sure we're capturing and using the information provided by whistleblowers as effectively as possible, and to give them as much information as the law allows on how we have acted on their concerns."
Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), which provides digital infrastructure in the financial services industry, reported revenue of $2 billion for the first quarter of 2023. The figure came in 15 percent higher year-over-year and 7 percent greater than the previous quarter.
The company ended the three months with a net income of $259 million, which doubled quarter-over-quarter. EBITDA at $944 million was 13 percent higher than the previous quarter, with an adjusted margin of 47 percent.
Following the first quarter's results, Equinix is now eying to end 2023 with revenue between $8.175 billion and $8.275 billion, which is an increase of 13 to 14 percent over the previous year. In addition, it aims for an EBITDA between $3.635 billion and $3.715 billion.
"We had a strong start to the year... as our outlook remains positive with the overall demand for digital transformation fueling our conviction around the long-term secular drivers of our business," said Charles Meyers, the President and CEO at Equinix.
Consob Flags 4 More Illegal Trading Platforms
Consob, the financial market regulator in Italy, has added four additional names to its elaborated list of illegal financial services platforms offering services in the country.
The recently added names are:
IKON CFD
BTC Capital Group
Trezocapital
EZ2GO Ltd
Access to these platforms will be blocked at the internet provider level. The latest addition has taken the total number of websites blocked out since July 2019 to 886.
Iress Taps Kaiko for Digital Assets Data
Iress has partnered with Kaiko to deliver cryptocurrency market data to institutional clients. The data service is available in Iress's FeedOS format, enabling clients to integrate them into existing workflows.
Salloum AbouSaleh, MD at Iress
"At Iress we continually talk to clients about their evolving data needs. We constantly monitor the market for additional capabilities we can add to our offering, giving clients the very best information possible to guide their trading decisions," said Salloum AbouSaleh, Iress' Managing Director for Americas.
"In Kaiko we have found the perfect best-in-class partner to help us add to the universe of data we provide. Kaiko's high-quality data also crucially covers a wealth of historical data, making it extremely valuable to clients."
CryptoOrange Adds Paysafe as Payments Partner
The cryptocurrency exchange, CryptoOrange announced its partnership with the payments platform, Paysafe to enhance deposit and withdrawal methods for international users.
Paysafe also facilitates the payments infrastructure for several other major crypto exchanges, including Binance. Recently, the company expanded its reach in Latin America with the acquisition of two local payments companies.
"Providing our customers with a seamless payment experience is absolutely central to our success," said Dejan Jurša, the Founder of CryptoOrange. "By partnering with Paysafe, through one contact and connection, we can offer the widest range of payment options to our customers, provide a smoother payment process, and expand more easily into new territories."
OKX Ventures Backs AlienSwap
OKX Ventures, the investment arm of crypto exchange OKX, has invested an unknown sum in the community-based NFT marketplace and aggregator AlienSwap. The investment came two months after the beta launch of AlienSwap.
The NFT platform will use the proceeds to scale its growth and aims to become one of the top NFT marketplaces. Currently, with more than $50 million in trading volume, AlienSwap ranks third in daily active users and fifth in daily trading volume on the Ethereum network.
"The new investments will be used to expand the AlienSwap engineering team, develop innovative liquidity tools and trading products for NFTs, and increase investment in NFT infrastructure to enhance the community's trading experience," said Ying Mu, the Founder of AlienSwap.
First CNN, Now CNBC: Kalshi’s Event Odds Go Prime Time
Marketing in 2026 Audiences, Costs, and Smarter AI
Marketing in 2026 Audiences, Costs, and Smarter AI
As brokers eye B2B business and compete with fintechs and crypto exchanges alike, marketers need to act wisely with often limited budgets. AI can offer scalable solutions, but only if used properly.
Join seasoned marketing executives and specialists as they discuss the main challenges they identify in financial services in 2026 and how they address them.
Attendees of this session will walk away with:
- A nuts-and-bolts account of acquisition costs across platforms and geos
- Analysis of today’s multi-layered audience segments and differences in behaviour
- First-hand account of how global brokers balance consistency and local flavour
- Notes from the field about intelligently using AI and automation in marketing
Speakers:
-Yam Yehoshua, Editor-In-Chief at Finance Magnates
-Federico Paderni, Managing Director for Growth Markets in Europe at X
-Jo Benton, Chief Marketing Officer, Consulting | Fractional CMO
-Itai Levitan, Head of Strategy at investingLive
-Roberto Napolitano, CMO at Innovate Finance
-Tony Cross, Director at Monk Communications
#fmls #fmls25 #fmevents #FintechMarketing #AI #DigitalStrategy #Fintech #Innovation
Connect with us at:
🔗 LinkedIn: / financemagnates-events
👍 Facebook: / financemagnatesevents
📸 Instagram: / fmevents_official
🐦 Twitter: / f_m_events
🎥 TikTok: / fmevents_official
As brokers eye B2B business and compete with fintechs and crypto exchanges alike, marketers need to act wisely with often limited budgets. AI can offer scalable solutions, but only if used properly.
Join seasoned marketing executives and specialists as they discuss the main challenges they identify in financial services in 2026 and how they address them.
Attendees of this session will walk away with:
- A nuts-and-bolts account of acquisition costs across platforms and geos
- Analysis of today’s multi-layered audience segments and differences in behaviour
- First-hand account of how global brokers balance consistency and local flavour
- Notes from the field about intelligently using AI and automation in marketing
Speakers:
-Yam Yehoshua, Editor-In-Chief at Finance Magnates
-Federico Paderni, Managing Director for Growth Markets in Europe at X
-Jo Benton, Chief Marketing Officer, Consulting | Fractional CMO
-Itai Levitan, Head of Strategy at investingLive
-Roberto Napolitano, CMO at Innovate Finance
-Tony Cross, Director at Monk Communications
#fmls #fmls25 #fmevents #FintechMarketing #AI #DigitalStrategy #Fintech #Innovation
Connect with us at:
🔗 LinkedIn: / financemagnates-events
👍 Facebook: / financemagnatesevents
📸 Instagram: / fmevents_official
🐦 Twitter: / f_m_events
🎥 TikTok: / fmevents_official
Much like their traders in the market, brokers must diversify to manage risk and stay resilient. But that can get costly, clunky, and lengthy.
This candid panel brings together builders across the trading infrastructure space to uncover the shifting dynamics behind tools, interfaces, and full-stack ambitions.
Attendees will hear:
-Why platform dependency has become one of the most overlooked risks in the trading business?
-Buy vs. build: What do hybrid models look like, and why are industry graveyards filled with failed ‘killer apps’?
-How AI is already changing execution, risk, and reporting—and what’s next?
-Which features, assets, and tools gain the most traction, and where brokers should look for tech-driven retention?
Speakers:
-Stephen Miles, Chief Revenue Officer at FYNXT
-John Morris, Co-Founder at FXBlue
-Matthew Smith, Group Chair & CEO at EC Markets
-Tom Higgins, Founder & CEO at Gold-i
-Gil Ben Hur, Founder at 5% Group
#fmls #fmls25 #fmevents #Brokers #Trading #Fintech #FintechInnovation #TradingTechnology #Innovation
Connect with us at:
🔗 LinkedIn: / financemagnates-events
👍 Facebook: / financemagnatesevents
📸 Instagram: / fmevents_official
🐦 Twitter: / f_m_events
🎥 TikTok: / fmevents_official
Much like their traders in the market, brokers must diversify to manage risk and stay resilient. But that can get costly, clunky, and lengthy.
This candid panel brings together builders across the trading infrastructure space to uncover the shifting dynamics behind tools, interfaces, and full-stack ambitions.
Attendees will hear:
-Why platform dependency has become one of the most overlooked risks in the trading business?
-Buy vs. build: What do hybrid models look like, and why are industry graveyards filled with failed ‘killer apps’?
-How AI is already changing execution, risk, and reporting—and what’s next?
-Which features, assets, and tools gain the most traction, and where brokers should look for tech-driven retention?
Speakers:
-Stephen Miles, Chief Revenue Officer at FYNXT
-John Morris, Co-Founder at FXBlue
-Matthew Smith, Group Chair & CEO at EC Markets
-Tom Higgins, Founder & CEO at Gold-i
-Gil Ben Hur, Founder at 5% Group
#fmls #fmls25 #fmevents #Brokers #Trading #Fintech #FintechInnovation #TradingTechnology #Innovation
Connect with us at:
🔗 LinkedIn: / financemagnates-events
👍 Facebook: / financemagnatesevents
📸 Instagram: / fmevents_official
🐦 Twitter: / f_m_events
🎥 TikTok: / fmevents_official
Educators, IBs, And Other Regional Growth Drivers
Educators, IBs, And Other Regional Growth Drivers
When acquisition costs rise and AI generated reviews are exactly as useful as they sound, performing and fair partners can make or break brokers.
This session looks at how these players are shaping access, trust and user engagement, and what the most effective partnership models look like in 2025.
Key Themes:
- Building trader communities through education and local expertise
- Aligning broker incentives with long-term regional strategies
- Regional regulation and the realities of compliant acquisition
- What’s next for performance-driven partnerships in online trading
Speakers:
-Adam Button, Chief Currency Analyst at investingLive
-Zander Van Der Merwe, Key Individual & Head of Sales at TD Markets
-Brunno Huertas, Regional Manager – Latin America at Tickmill
-Paul Chalmers, CEO at UK Trading Academy
#fmls #fmls25 #fmevents #Brokers #FinanceLeadership #Trading #Fintech #BrokerGrowth #FintechPartnerships #RegionalMarkets
Connect with us at:
🔗 LinkedIn: / financemagnates-events
👍 Facebook: / financemagnatesevents
📸 Instagram: / fmevents_official
🐦 Twitter: / f_m_events
🎥 TikTok: / fmevents_official
When acquisition costs rise and AI generated reviews are exactly as useful as they sound, performing and fair partners can make or break brokers.
This session looks at how these players are shaping access, trust and user engagement, and what the most effective partnership models look like in 2025.
Key Themes:
- Building trader communities through education and local expertise
- Aligning broker incentives with long-term regional strategies
- Regional regulation and the realities of compliant acquisition
- What’s next for performance-driven partnerships in online trading
Speakers:
-Adam Button, Chief Currency Analyst at investingLive
-Zander Van Der Merwe, Key Individual & Head of Sales at TD Markets
-Brunno Huertas, Regional Manager – Latin America at Tickmill
-Paul Chalmers, CEO at UK Trading Academy
#fmls #fmls25 #fmevents #Brokers #FinanceLeadership #Trading #Fintech #BrokerGrowth #FintechPartnerships #RegionalMarkets
Connect with us at:
🔗 LinkedIn: / financemagnates-events
👍 Facebook: / financemagnatesevents
📸 Instagram: / fmevents_official
🐦 Twitter: / f_m_events
🎥 TikTok: / fmevents_official
The Leap to Everything App: Are Brokers There Yet?
The Leap to Everything App: Are Brokers There Yet?
As the arms race to bundle investing, personal finance, and wallets under super apps grows fiercer, brokers are caught between a rock and a hard place.
This session explores unexpected ways for industry players to collaborate as consumer habits evolve, competitors eye the traffic, and regulation becomes more nuanced.
Speakers:
-Laura McCracken,CEO | Advisory Board Member at Blackheath Advisors | The Payments Association
-Slobodan Manojlović,Vice President | Lead Software Engineer at JP Morgan Chase & Co.
-Jordan Sinclair, President at Robinhood UK
-Simon Pelletier, Head of Product at Yuh
Gerald Perez, CEO at Interactive Brokers UK
#fmls #fmls25 #fmevents #Brokers #FinanceLeadership #Trading #Fintech #Innovation
Connect with us at:
🔗 LinkedIn: / financemagnates-events
👍 Facebook: / financemagnatesevents
📸 Instagram: / fmevents_official
🐦 Twitter: / f_m_events
🎥 TikTok: / fmevents_official
As the arms race to bundle investing, personal finance, and wallets under super apps grows fiercer, brokers are caught between a rock and a hard place.
This session explores unexpected ways for industry players to collaborate as consumer habits evolve, competitors eye the traffic, and regulation becomes more nuanced.
Speakers:
-Laura McCracken,CEO | Advisory Board Member at Blackheath Advisors | The Payments Association
-Slobodan Manojlović,Vice President | Lead Software Engineer at JP Morgan Chase & Co.
-Jordan Sinclair, President at Robinhood UK
-Simon Pelletier, Head of Product at Yuh
Gerald Perez, CEO at Interactive Brokers UK
#fmls #fmls25 #fmevents #Brokers #FinanceLeadership #Trading #Fintech #Innovation
Connect with us at:
🔗 LinkedIn: / financemagnates-events
👍 Facebook: / financemagnatesevents
📸 Instagram: / fmevents_official
🐦 Twitter: / f_m_events
🎥 TikTok: / fmevents_official
Mind The Gap: Can Retail Investors Save the UK Stock Market?
Mind The Gap: Can Retail Investors Save the UK Stock Market?
As the dire state of listing and investment in the UK goes from a financial services problem to a national challenge, the retail investing industry is taken to task.
Join a host of executives and experts for a candid conversation about the future of millions of Brits, as seen from a financial services standpoint:
-Are they happy with the Leeds Reform, in principle and in practice?
-Is it the government’s job to affect the ‘saver’ mentality? Is it doing well?
-What can brokers and fintechs do to spur UK investment?
-How can the FCA balance greater flexibility with consumer protection?
Speakers:
-Adam Button, Chief Currency Analyst at investingLive
-Nicola Higgs, Partner at Latham & Watkins
-Dan Lane, Investment Content Lead at Robinhood UK
-Jack Crone, PR & Public Affairs Lead at IG
-David Belle, Founder at Fink Money
#fmls #fmls25 #fmevents #Brokers #FinanceLeadership #Trading #Fintech #RetailInvesting #UKFinance
Connect with us at:
🔗 LinkedIn: / financemagnates-events
👍 Facebook: / financemagnatesevents
📸 Instagram: / fmevents_official
🐦 Twitter: / f_m_events
🎥 TikTok: / fmevents_official
As the dire state of listing and investment in the UK goes from a financial services problem to a national challenge, the retail investing industry is taken to task.
Join a host of executives and experts for a candid conversation about the future of millions of Brits, as seen from a financial services standpoint:
-Are they happy with the Leeds Reform, in principle and in practice?
-Is it the government’s job to affect the ‘saver’ mentality? Is it doing well?
-What can brokers and fintechs do to spur UK investment?
-How can the FCA balance greater flexibility with consumer protection?
Speakers:
-Adam Button, Chief Currency Analyst at investingLive
-Nicola Higgs, Partner at Latham & Watkins
-Dan Lane, Investment Content Lead at Robinhood UK
-Jack Crone, PR & Public Affairs Lead at IG
-David Belle, Founder at Fink Money
#fmls #fmls25 #fmevents #Brokers #FinanceLeadership #Trading #Fintech #RetailInvesting #UKFinance
Connect with us at:
🔗 LinkedIn: / financemagnates-events
👍 Facebook: / financemagnatesevents
📸 Instagram: / fmevents_official
🐦 Twitter: / f_m_events
🎥 TikTok: / fmevents_official
