OSL appoints Jeffrey Howard to lead US-regulated prime brokerage for crypto
It was in July that the digital asset trading firm launched its prime brokerage in the Americas, including electronic and OTC execution, coin borrowing and lending, capital introduction and access into deep pools of digital asset liquidity.
OSL has appointed Jeffrey Howard as Head of North America Business Development and Institutional Sales and has acquired a Money Services Business (MSB) registration from FinCEN.
Both are significant moves for the leader in digital asset trading and software-as-a-service (SaaS), a subsidiary of BC Technology Group.
FX prime brokerage and derivatives veteran
Jeffrey Howard is a 25-year prime brokerage and listed derivatives veteran, who has previously worked as Managing Director and Global Head of Prime Services at the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).
At RBS, he oversaw the bank’s listed derivatives, OTC swap clearing, FX prime brokerage, and interest rate prime brokerage businesses.
While at RBS, he served as a board member of the Futures Industry Association (FIA) in the United States, and the Futures & Options Association (FOA) in Europe.
Prior to that, he worked at Merrill Lynch for over 15 years, where he held a number of senior roles including Managing Director and head of the bank’s Americas Futures and Options business, which included the CFTC-regulated Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) unit.
Howard founded and was managing partner of Salveo Capital, a Chicago-based institutional venture capital firm focused on the regulated cannabis industry.
Jeffrey Howard, Head of North America Business Development and Institutional Sales at OSL, commented: “Coming from a long career in traditional regulated financial markets, OSL clearly stood out to me as a forward-thinking global leader in digital asset prime brokerage, custody and exchange SaaS, It’s commitment to regulatory compliance and security is a key differentiator and an important element of its success to date. I’m truly excited to be joining the firm and look forward to driving its winning strategy across North America”.
Fernando Martinez, Head of Americas at OSL, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Jeff to the OSL family as we expand in the United States and Canada. His experience working with institutional clients in regulated markets will be a tremendous asset as we continue our rapid growth trajectory in the region.”
OSL obtains FinCEN authorization
The United States Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has authorized OSL to operate in the United States with an MSB registration.
OSL is a Hong Kong’s SFC-licensed digital asset platform, providing prime brokerage, custody, exchange and SaaS services for institutional clients and professional investors.
The MSB is required to offer a secure, compliant digital asset business to clients in the United States and will serve as the firm’s stepping stone to conquer the digital asset marketplace in the US.
OSL was designed for institutional and professional investors and operates with high KYC, AML, and market surveillance standards and practices across its global businesses.
It was in July that the digital asset trading firm launched its prime brokerage in the Americas, including electronic and OTC execution, coin borrowing and lending, capital introduction and access into deep pools of digital asset liquidity.
Prime brokerage client trading volume in North America has increased to represent more than 40% of OSL Americas’ overall volume.
OSL also provides industry leading digital asset SaaS to institutional clients across the region.
