Nomura’s Komainu CEO Steps Down with ‘Immediate Effect’

• An executive has resigned from Komainu.
• Komainu is a crypto custodian backed by Nomura.
• The executive will remain at the company for some time.

Nicolas Bertrand, the CEO of Nomura-backed crypto custody firm Komainu, has stepped down from his role “with immediate effect,” a spokesperson from the company said on Thursday.

The development comes hardly two weeks after the company shared an optimistic future in its 2024 Custody Outlook report, revealing an ambitious plan to launch multi-custodian off-exchange settlement of up to T+4 hours through Copper’s ClearLoop.

Komainu CEO Steps Down

According to a Financial News report on February 15, Nicolas Bertrand has stepped down as the chief executive of Komainu for “personal reasons.” The company’s chief technology officer (CTO) Robert Johnson has now taken charge as the interim CEO.

Before joining Komainu in September 2022, Bertrand worked at Borsa Italiana as the head of derivatives and commodities and previously headed equities and derivatives at the London Stock Exchange Group.

Bertrand’s exit from Komainu follows rapid global expansion efforts by the company. During his time as the CEO, the company acquired an operating license from Dubai’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA) and the FCA’s approval to provide digital asset custody and collateral management services in the UK.

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