GCEX, a crypto trading technology provider, has lured Ayman Kobti to join the FCA-regulated firm as Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) operations. The appointment comes as many crypto exchanges seek to fill a gap in the region’s digital assets market by facilitating access to its services and infrastructure.
Prior to GCEX, Ayman spent four years at MENA Solutions, a management consulting firm. He is also a highly experienced FX industry professional, having spent the bulk of his career at CFI Financial Group, a multi-regulated brokerage firm.
Ayman Kobti, Regional Director for GCEX Source: LinkedIn
A seven-year tenure at CFI Lebanon took Ayman’s career between 2010 and 2016, his Linkedin profile shows. During this long stint, he worked his way up through several senior roles within the firm, culminating with the position of Chief Administrative Officer.
CFI Group’s solutions encompass wealth management, portfolio advisory, treasury bonds, commodities and futures, stocks and ETFs, forex, online trading, credit facilities and fiduciary deposits.
According to its website, GCEX was established in 2018 in order to cater to the demand for regulated exposure to the digital asset market. The company leverages its UK authorization to provide funds, brokers, asset managers, professional traders, and banks with compliant Fintech products, including AI applications. Additionally, the offering enables clients to automate on-boarding, offer and trade digital assets and forex with deep Liquidity from top banks, as well as solutions for clearing.
Headquartered in London, GCEX (GC Exchange Limited) is no stranger to the FX space as it has previously completed API integration with two of the leading bridge and institutional liquidity providers, Gold-i’s Matrix NETwork and oneZero.
As the firm ups its profile, Kobti’s appointment makes sense as he brings a wealth of experience and strategic insight, especially relating to traditional asset classes and trading as well as access to global liquidity providers and business associates in the middle east.
Other crypto players, including Binance and its long-standing rival Huobi, have set their eye on the same region.
Binance launched a MENA venture that will focus on creating partnerships with local, compliant players in the region’s digital asset and Blockchain sectors. Furthermore, Huobi has planted its flag in the Middle East since December 2019 and now offers its exchange’s trading platform and liquidity as a white-label service.
