AllianceBlock announces extensive expansion with new C-level hires

By Gaia Lamperti

AllianceBlock, the open-source technology offering traditional financial institutions globally compliant and data-driven access to new opportunities in decentralized finance, has announced an extensive expansion with eight new C-level hires, a new office in the heart of Crypto Valley and the creation of 30 new jobs by the end of 2021.

The firm allows regulated financial entities around the globe to tap into innovative DeFi products and protocols while facilitating more efficient processes and reduced costs. in the latest migration of institutional executives to DeFi, AllianceBlock’s new hires come from some of the largest finance and technology firms in the world, including Barclays, Deutsche Bank, Deloitte, Accenture, Bank of America and SEBA Bank.

Each new member will play a pivotal role in growing, scaling, and generating revenue for the company as it moves to its next phase of development. The new C-Level Executives will lay the foundation for growth, new use cases, and increased revenue and reach. They include:

• Meryem Yacoubi Soussane, Chief Sales Officer (Formerly Deutsche Bank; Lehman Brothers; Nomura Bank; Societe Generale)
• Anders Christensen, Chief Marketing Officer / Head of Ecosystem (Formerly Avaloq; Accenture Strategy; BBVA Wealth; Barclays; Deloitte)
• Houman Falakshahi, Chief Research Officer (Formerly Barclays Capital; Family office Geneva; LLoyds Bank; Societe Generale; Finance Concepts)
• Gerben van den Bergh, Chief Innovation Officer (Formerly PostNL; Cognizant)
• Andrei Platonov, Chief Business Development Officer (Formerly ASCOM Group JSC)
• Christen Oesterbye, Chief Operating Officer – (Formerly Tivoli Software (IBM); Netigy Inc.; SafeNet Inc., IOV42 Ltd; SEBA Bank)
• Matthieu Mariapragassam, Head of Quantitative Analytics (Formerly Barclays Capital; Murex)
• Ed Newey, Chief HR Officer – (Formerly Emerson; Michael Page International; Deloitte; Iov42)

Rachid Ajaja, CEO and Co-founder of AllianceBlock said: “We are delighted to have onboarded a high number of C-Level executives from valuable backgrounds. They will leverage their experience and networks to help move the needle in areas such as research and development, business development, human resources, marketing, ecosystem and much more. We look forward to seeing AllianceBlock and its world-class talent take our ongoing mission to redefine the world of finance to the next level.”

With the DeFi sector rapidly expanding, yet often in a fragmented way, AllianceBlock offers the infrastructure and tools that institutional finance needs to seamlessly access new opportunities in decentralised finance. To date, AllianceBlock has announced partnerships and collaborations with leading industry players including Chainlink, Ocean Protocol, CertiK, Injective Protocol, and Hedera Hashgraph, as well as having joined the London Stock Exchange Group’s Partner Platform. The DeFi powerhouse has also made significant product developments, among which was the Mainnet launch of the AllianceBridge, a fully decentralized interoperability solution.

“This wave of institutional executives joining our team is a real, tangible example that proves that the merger of the two financial worlds is happening and that DeFi is legitimate and here to stay,” Ajaja commented. “To have grown from a team of three to over 80 in such a short space of time is a testament to our hard work and commitment. However, above all, it is a testament to the real market demand for a gateway that will make DeFi technology compliant and compatible with traditional finance. This is just the beginning.”

AllianceBlock is on the path to disrupt the $100 trillion securities market with its globally compliant decentralized capital market. Its technology, led by a team of ex-JP Morgan, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs investment bankers and quants, has already been incubated by three of Europe’s most prestigious incubators, Station F, L39, and Kickstart Innovation in Zurich.

The company also opened a new office in the small town of Zug, just outside Zurich, which has been dubbed “Crypto Valley” over the many industry companies drawn to the jurisdiction over its friendly blockchain and crypto regulation. “The strategic opening of our new office in Crypto Valley, alongside our existing office in Utrecht, will strengthen our position at the vanguard of finance within the burgeoning global blockchain industry,” Matthijs de Vries, CTO and Co-founder of AllianceBlock said. “We are proud to be contributing to the Crypto Valley ecosystem and to be part of its continued growth and success.”