Quick take:
- Nicolas Bertrand is the new CEO of Konaimu.
- He previously served as the head of derivatives markets and commodities at Italian stock exchange, Borsa Italia.
- Konaimu has been poaching TradFi exchange execs to its C-suite.
Digital asset custodian, Konaimu, has appointed Nicolas Bertrand as its new CEO, Bloomberg first reported. He will start his new role immediately.
Bertrand was formerly the head of derivatives markets and commodities at Italian stock exchange, Borsa Italia. He had been with Borsa Italia over two nearly decade-long stints, beginning from 1999 – 2009 as executive officer and then director, and from 2011 – 2021 as board member and head of derivatives markets and commodities.
His career in traditional finance began in 1997 as an assistant portfolio manager at Citigroup before moving on to Borsa Italia. After first leaving Borsa Italia in 2009, Bertrand joined the London Stock Exchange as head of equities and derivatives, a role he held for almost 10 years.
Now moving onto finance in Web3, Bertrand brings with him 20 years of experience in financial services to Konaimu, which has been poaching TradFi exchange execs to its C-suite. Last April, the company tried to hire the then CEO of the London Metal Exchange, Matthew Chamberlain, who chose to stay and lead the metal marketplace amid the effects of March’s nickel crisis.
Konaimu was launched in 2020 as a joint venture between Japanese investment Nomura, (which recently launched a crypto VC unit) crypto hardware wallet, Ledger, and investment firm Coinshares. It raised $25 million in March last year in Series A funding led by hedge fund manager Alan Howard.
Bertrand told Bloomberg that he has no plans to raise additional funds, but will instead attempt to reduce spending and focus on innovation. He added that Konaimu has provisional regulatory approval to operate in Dubai and will seek similar licensing for the UK.
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