FCA regulated institutional crypto and FX broker GCEX has announced that Singapore based venture capital firm True Global Ventures (TGV) has invested US$4 million into the company, via its True Global Ventures 4 Plus Fund. Founded by serial fintech entrepreneur Lars Holst (CFH Clearing), GCEX is a regulated digital brokerage which enables brokers, funds and professional traders to access deep liquidity in digital assets and FX.

GCEX’s groundbreaking innovation comes from bridging the gap between traditional finance and digital assets including STOs and Cryptocurrencies. The firm offers exposure and access to traditional and digital markets using Tier 1 and trusted providers, and provides institutional and professional clients with an end-to-end plug-and-play trading platform for digital assets and FX. GCEX’s best-in-class platform covers regulation, custody, safety of funds, liquidity and technology (both backend and frontend).

Lars Holst explains,

“We are currently seeing an influx of institutional money which indicates that the market is ready to embrace digital assets. Our infrastructure has been built and is proving to be in demand. Brokers are looking for solutions and most institutions want to get started investing in digital assets without having to deal with issues like custody and blockchain directly. It naturally falls into our sweet spot to bridge the gap between institutional investors and cryptocurrency; through our partnerships with traditional FX houses and technology, institutions can gain crypto exposure through a trusted platform. The investment from TGV Plus provides us with much-needed capital to continue on our rapid growth trajectory while adhering to regulatory requirements and best practices.”

Dusan Stojanovic, Founding Partner of TGV4 Plus Fund adds,

“We are excited to support one of the fastest-growing companies in this field. This is largely a greenfield market where GCEX can provide a regulated solution within both crypto and FX together. We believe that GCEX is on track to become a dominant global player.”

“With the rapidly growing demand from institutions for trading digital assets and a surge of ‘shady’ businesses in this sector, one of the biggest problems brokers, funds and professional traders face in this industry is finding regulated and professional providers who can provide access to multiple trading venues and exchanges. GCEX solves this issue, facilitating the trading of digital assets for institutional clients.”

GCEX said that it addresses the main obstacles to adoption in the following ways:

Counterparty risk – GCEX banks with “household names”, a rarity in this space, and with strong regulatory, institutional and tier 1 connections, is able to provide all FX legs which most brokers have struggled to offer in a meaningful way, including on and off ramping. Traditional finance clients can feel safe in the knowledge that familiar standards and expectations are adhered to – but in a new asset class insured, regulated and compliant.

Transparent trading conduct – Unlike some venues, GCEX operates the best execution possible and also conducts active monitoring, KYT, and anomaly detection on trading for suspicious activity.

Custody and hacking – GCEX works with several advanced custody solutions reducing friction in handling a new asset class. They address institutional concerns by providing third-party specialists and insured custody.

Technology integration – Via FIX API and other industry standards, GCEX offers a full stack from account management to back-office in a regulated setting that allows brokers to get more involved in this space without the fears and trepidation of dealing with other unregulated and/or offshore venues.

With the recognition of innovative blockchain use cases, TGV4 Plus invests in talented serial entrepreneurs, leading globally ambitious blockchain start-ups. The fund is dedicated to blockchain companies, primarily in late-stage Series B and C across four verticals: entertainment, infrastructure, financial services, data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI). Founded by an international group of “super angels”, TGV’s partners are entrepreneurs, business angels, family offices, and institutional investors, many with co-investment rights in future equity rounds.

GCEX is an FCA regulated professional and institutional technology-agnostic platform, allowing brokers, funds and other professional traders to access deep liquidity. GCEX offers exposure and access to traditional and digital markets using Tier 1 and trusted providers for FX and traditional finance. GXEX is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 828730).