Leading Institutional Digital Asset Custodian Komainu Appoints Nicolas Bertrand as CEO

The European leading digital asset custodian securing several billion dollars accelerates its institutional strategy by recruiting Nicolas Bertrand as its new CEO. The mission of the former Head of Derivatives Markets and Commodities of Borsa Italiana, will be to scale the company and to expand Komainu’s global footprint.

Komainu (“the Company”), the European leading regulated digital asset custody built by institutions for institutions, today announced the appointment of Nicolas Bertrand as its Chief Executive Officer to lead Komainu throughout its next growth phase and further help bridge the worlds of traditional and decentralised finance for institutions.

Bertrand brings over 20 years of experience in market infrastructure and digital assets, including more than a decade at Borsa Italiana and the London Stock Exchange, whilst being an ambassador at the Global Blockchain Business Council and having advised several digital asset businesses. Bertrand has significant experience in scaling and running global teams at leading financial services institutions, most recently as Head of Derivatives and Commodities and member of the Management Committee at the Borsa Italiana (Euronext Group).

Bertrand will be steering Komainu through the current market environment, which whilst challenging, also creates significant opportunities for the growing business to provide regulated and institutional-grade digital asset services.

On the news, Bertrand commented, “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.”
Komainu has made large strides in recent months, including the launch of its presence in Dubai, where Komainu has received its provisional regulatory approval from the Government of Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority [VARA], to service institutional clients in the region. Over the years, Komainu has established itself as one of the leading digital asset custody providers for institutional clients, providing the same safeguards and protections investors are accustomed to in traditional finance.

Jezri Mohideen, CEO at Laser Digital – Nomura’s new Digital Asset subsidiary – remarked: “Whilst the digital asset ecosystem has been impacted by the global macro environment, institutional adoption is continuing to accelerate, presenting significant opportunities for Komainu. 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. Nicolas has a strong professional background in financial market infrastructure as well as digital assets and his experience will be key to delivering additional value to Komainu and its global client base.”

Komainu was founded in 2018 as a joint venture between global investment bank Nomura, digital asset security firm Ledger, and full-service digital asset investment and trading group CoinShares, to fill a gap in the marketplace and provide institutions with secure and compliant custody solutions enabling exposure to the global digital assets ecosystem. The organisation draws on expertise from banking, fund management and cyber-security to provide best-in-class regulatory compliance, anti-money laundering and insurance solutions.

Bertrand concluded, “I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to join the Komainu team and to contribute to its next stage of development. With its regulated and independent institutional custody platform for cryptocurrencies and digital assets, Komainu provides the much-needed backbone to support the natural evolution of our industry.”

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About Komainu

Komainu is the first hybrid custodian offering safe-keeping for institutional client’s digital assets. Created by the Japanese investment bank, Nomura, digital asset investment house, CoinShares and digital asset security company, Ledger, Komainu is solving the problem of decentralised and secure digital asset custody by providing a single application-based solution to institutions, allowing multi-asset support benefits, regulatory compliance and insurance. Headquartered in Jersey, Komainu merges best in class financial services with the highest security standards for the next generation of institutional custody. For more information, please visit: https://www.komainu.com/

Media Contact: press@komainu.com