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According to a Thursday LinkedIn post, Henri Arslanian, a former global head of crypto at PwC, is starting a crypto asset management firm in Dubai. According to the post, Nine Blocks Capital Management will cater to institutional investors and operate as a "market neutral" fund focused on profiting from inefficiencies in the crypto markets using relative value, arbitrage, and quantitative strategies.
Nine Masts - Company’s Largest Stakeholder
The company's largest stakeholder, Hong Kong-based hedge fund Nine Masts, has invested $75 million. Andrew D. Goodwin, a co-founder of Nine Blocks, has prior experience as a portfolio manager. Nine Blocks will also absorb Nine Masts' existing digital assets trading arm. Three of the team's ten members are Cayman Islands-based portfolio managers who work for the business, which maintains an office there. However, Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) has also given a preliminary green light.
High-Profile Crypto Brands Relocating To Dubai
High-profile crypto brands have started relocating to Dubai since the introduction of the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority in March as the city works to establish itself as a financial hub. FTX and Binance have received permission from VARA. The businesses gained by Dubai are those that Singapore and Hong Kong, two well-known Asian economic seats, lost to the cryptocurrency industry.