Komainu named Nicolas Bertrand chief executive officer on September 26, 2022. Bloomberg first reported the move. The Nomura-backed digital asset custodian confirmed it on its own site on September 2712. Bertrand had spent more than a decade at Borsa Italiana, most recently as its head of derivatives and commodities. He started at Komainu immediately, based in London.
The second CEO appointment at Komainu on the record since 2020
Leadership moves CryptoLately has verified at Komainu, by year
- 2022: 1
- 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 4 |
18 CEO appointments on the record in 2022
CEO appointments CryptoLately has verified, by year; 2026 through Oct. 2, 2026
- 2022: 18
- 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 8 |
| 2020 | 7 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | 18 |
| 2023 | 17 |
| 2024 | 26 |
| 2025 | 35 |
| 2026 | 18 |
A stock exchange resume for a crypto custodian
Komainu built its pitch for Bertrand around market infrastructure experience. Its announcement said he brought “over 20 years of experience in market infrastructure and digital assets, including more than a decade at Borsa Italiana and the London Stock Exchange”1. He had also served as an ambassador at the Global Blockchain Business Council. Several digital asset firms had hired him as an adviser before Komainu named him CEO.
Jezri Mohideen, chief executive of Laser Digital, Nomura's digital asset subsidiary, welcomed Bertrand on behalf of Komainu's board. “On behalf of Komainu's board of directors, we would like to extend warm welcome to Nicolas. As CEO he will capitalize on emerging opportunities and lead the entity through its next phase of growth,” Mohideen said1. Bertrand answered with his own read on the market he was entering. “Blockchain technology has become the underlying infrastructure of the global technology revolution powering the disruptive potential of digital assets. As the industry continues to mature and attract additional institutional participants, the need for regulated, trustworthy and independent digital asset custody services will only grow,” Bertrand said.
Spending plans and a Dubai license
The Block reported that Bertrand told Bloomberg he planned to skip additional fundraising, cut spending and keep Komainu focused on innovation2. Komainu had already won provisional approval from Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority to serve clients there. Bertrand said the firm would seek a similar license in the UK1. Komainu had tried once before to hire a chief executive from outside crypto. In April 2022, Komainu approached London Metal Exchange CEO Matthew Chamberlain, who chose to stay at the exchange during a nickel market crisis.
Komainu launched with funding from CoinShares, Nomura and Ledger. It raised $25 million in a Series A round led by hedge fund manager Alan Howard in March 20212.
What came next
Bertrand stepped down as Komainu's chief executive "with immediate effect" on February 15, 2024. A company spokesperson told Financial News he left for personal reasons3. Komainu's chief technology officer, Robert Johnson, took over as interim CEO that day, February 15, 2024. “Bertrand will be around for a few months in whatever capacity we need him to be but I'll be taking care of day-to-day business at Komainu with immediate effect,” Johnson said. During Bertrand's tenure, Komainu added the VARA license in Dubai. It also won the UK Financial Conduct Authority's approval for digital asset custody and collateral management. Both licenses were goals Bertrand named when he took the job1.
Sources
- Komainu, "Leading Institutional Digital Asset Custodian Komainu Appoints Nicolas Bertrand as CEO," Sept. 27, 2022, https://komainu.com/insights/leading-institutional-digital-asset-custodian-komainu-appoints-nicolas-bertrand-as-ceo/
- Jeremy Nation, "Komainu taps former Italian stock exchange head as CEO," The Block, Sept. 26, 2022, https://www.theblock.co/post/172942/komainu-taps-former-italian-stock-exchange-head-as-ceo
- Brian Danga, "Nomura's Komainu CEO Steps Down with 'Immediate Effect,'" DailyCoin, Feb. 15, 2024, https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMigAFBVV95cUxPR1dsTE5tQkRxcElFdERnLTJTeUJfQ1otUEFUcnFLWi1qWllrQmZzZXhBNWhZaVhEQjd6SFd4VDNwSDZTR0k1WUFicW9qLUZPSDFiMVJmeDMzMUludzFfLVZOejUtMHBBUXNTS1VZSzdmNkZlZ3dhYjkxS2JqWE41bQ?oc=5