Lars Holst’s GCEX Group has further strengthened its presence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region with the latest addition of Olivier Honsberger to its Board of Directors of GCEX MENA.

GCEX MENA Onboards Olivier Honsberger

The digital prime brokerage will benefit from Honsberger’s extensive experience in the region. Announced on Thursday, Honsberger will oversee the day-to-day operations of the company. He will take up a key role in developing the firm’s growth strategy in the region.

“GCEX is a dynamic fintech Fintech Financial Technology (fintech) is defined as ay technology that is geared towards automating and enhancing the delivery and application of financial services. The origin of the term fintechs can be traced back to the 1990s where it was primarily used as a back-end system technology for renowned financial institutions. However, it has since grown outside the business sector with an increased focus upon consumer services.What Purpose Do Fintechs Serve?The main purpose of fintechs would be to suppl Financial Technology (fintech) is defined as ay technology that is geared towards automating and enhancing the delivery and application of financial services. The origin of the term fintechs can be traced back to the 1990s where it was primarily used as a back-end system technology for renowned financial institutions. However, it has since grown outside the business sector with an increased focus upon consumer services.What Purpose Do Fintechs Serve?The main purpose of fintechs would be to suppl Read this Term with a huge amount of potential in the region and a very forward-thinking ethos,” Honsberger said. “GCEX’s strong credentials and its ongoing focus on staying ahead of the curve made it a very appealing organization for me to join.”

Before joining the MENA subsidiary of GCEX, Honsberger chaired Global Millennial Capital PIF’s Advisory and Investment Committee for two years. Moreover, he was a founding member of the fund.

His other significant industry experience includes a 22-year-long tenure at Mirabaud Group. He joined that company as a Wealth Manager in March 1999 and climbed the corporate ladder to become the Chief Executive Officer of Mirabaud (Middle East) and Board Director of Mirabaud (Abu Dhabi).

“Olivier has an extremely impressive track record in the region, having built a private Swiss bank in the UAE from scratch and grown the business in the Middle East to USD 4 billion assets under management,” said the Managing Director of GCEX MENA, Mehtap Önder, who came onboard last July as the Group opened its Dubai office.

“We are very excited about his appointment, and I am looking forward to working closely with him to put solid foundations in place to grow our business in the Middle East.”

Check out the latest FMLS session on "Opportunities and Pitfalls in M&As," where GCEX's Lars Holst was a panelist.

GCEX Is Aggressively Growing

GCEX, founded in 2018, has expanded aggressively with its services of digital prime brokerage to institutional and professional clients. The Group now holds regulatory licenses in the United Kingdom and Denmark, and it operates from its offices in London, Copenhagen, Glasgow, Kuala Lumpur, and Dubai.

GCEX generated £1.89 million in revenue and £1.42 million in operating profit in 2021, which was its first annual financials. In addition, it received $4 million in funding from True Global Ventures 4 Plus Fund.

Meanwhile, the Group strengthened its leadership with many new hires last year. GCEX onboarded Marilu Revelli as a Managing Director, Alex Iakobachvili as Vice President of Business Development, and Michael Aagaard as the Managing Director of Operations in Denmark.