In the latest executive move, Andrew Lane, CEO of London-based Acuity Trading, has become CEO of MarketReader. The latter is an artificial intelligence startup that Acuity invested in two weeks ago. Co-founder Jens Nordvig, who has led MarketReader since 2021 and previously worked as a currency strategist at Goldman Sachs and Nomura, will move to a position on the board of directors.
Andrew Lin, CEO, Acuity Trading, Source: LinkedIn
Lin will retain his position as CEO of Acuity and will run the two companies in parallel, with each company continuing to operate under its own brand. Acuity disclosed its investment in MarketReader earlier this month without sharing financial details or the size of its stake, and neither company has said whether Acuity has a majority ownership. The deal was announced a day before Acuity unveiled a separate co-integration agreement with US engagement firm WNSTN to bring third-party chatbot technology to its broker-focused intelligence suite.
Learn more about New CEO for Acuity Trading at MarketReader.
Kira Financial appoints former FP Markets executive as CEO of Global Partnerships
Meanwhile, Kira Financial Brokers has appointed Sophie Stabler as Head of Global Partnerships, adding an experienced executive to lead its institutional broking strategy. She joins the Dubai-based company as it expands across regulated CFD markets and grows its global partner network.
Sophie Stabler, Source: LinkedIn
In her new role, Stabler will manage relationships with IBs in multiple regions and work with business development teams to support partners and long-term growth. She has over a decade of Forex and CFD brokerage experience, most recently working as a Strategic Planning and Operations Consultant, supporting regulated brokers with growth strategy and operational planning.
Show more about Kira Financial Brokers has appointed Sophie Stabler as Head of Global Partnerships.
Eightcap appoints new CEO
Bryn Newell has been appointed CEO of Melbourne-headquartered brokerage Eightcap, a role he took up at the start of 2026. Meanwhile, the broker’s UK chief executive, Oli Rosewell, has announced his departure from the company after around eight months in the role.
Brian Newell, Source: LinkedIn
Newell’s promotion comes just a few months after the departure of Alex Howard, who served as CEO of Eightcap from early 2023 until approximately September 2024. It is not clear whether anyone else led the company in the meantime. Newell joined Eightcap in mid-2021 as CTO, later becoming CIO before taking on the CEO role. He previously spent 14 years at National Australia Bank, leaving as Chief Technology Officer.
Find out more about Eightcap appoints Bryn Newell as new CEO.
OKX appoints former Bybit VIP executive to lead CIS region
In the cryptocurrency space, OKX has brought in Maxim Orlov, former CEO of Bybit and Crypto.com, to lead its operations in the CIS region, focusing on institutional and VIP clients. Orlov has more than 15 years of experience in traditional banking and crypto, including four years at Bybit managing high-value client operations across Western Europe, CIS and Latin America.
Maxim Orlov, Source: LinkedIn
The exchange is building a regional team focused on VIPs, including the role of VIP Relationship Manager for the CIS region that reports to Orlov and requires frequent Russian-language travel for in-person meetings with clients. VIP clients typically achieve higher margins despite lower trading volume, and OKX’s VIP tier starts at $100,000 in balance or trading volume, supported by a revised fee structure introduced in March as competition for institutional flow intensified among major exchanges.
Highlight more about OKX has hired Maxim Orlov, former CEO of Bybit and Cypto.com.
Kirill Chernikov returns to Spotware as chief of staff
Meanwhile, Kirill Chernikov returned to Spotware Systems as chief of staff, a move he described as a homecoming. In a post on LinkedIn, he said he was back “where much of my fintech story was written,” and will rejoin the cTrader ecosystem to pick up where he left off.
Kirill Chernikov, Source: LinkedIn
During his time away from cTrader, Chernikov spent a year as CEO of Markets CRM, a CRM platform focused on the needs of CFD and Forex brokers. He said he’s proud of what the team has built there, highlighting the strong group of colleagues, core product features and services designed to make a real impact for brokers.
Show more about Kirill Chernikov returns to Spotware Systems as Chief of Staff.
Empire FX appoints second CEO of Pepperstone Africa
In Africa, Empire FX has appointed Linda Muriuki as its new Head of Sales. She joins the company from Pepperstone, where she managed large client accounts and supported the broker’s regional trading efforts. She reports to Chief Operating Officer Sahil Patel, who was appointed by Empire FX from Pepperstone’s Africa business last Thursday.
Linda Muriuki
Patel spent more than six years building Pepperstone’s African operations, leading its entity in Kenya from 2020 before finishing his term as head of Africa. With both Patel and Muriuki now holding key trading roles at Empire FX, the broker has appointed two senior executives from the same competitor, each with direct experience of the African market, to solidify its trading leadership.
View more about the former Empire FX label Pepperstone CEO Linda Nakata Muriuki is the new head of sales.
Trading 212 Head of Product Leaves
Trading 212 Head of Product Sergey Ryabov left his position six months after joining the brokerage from Revolut. He confirmed his departure in an update on LinkedIn, saying he plans to focus on artificial intelligence.
Sergey Ryabov, Source: LinkedIn
Riabov joined Trading 212 in December and has worked on product development, platform improvements, and AI-related initiatives. He described the company as moving quickly and relying heavily on data to guide decisions.
Find out more about Exit Trading 212 Head of Product Sergey Ryabov.
In the latest executive move, Andrew Lane, CEO of London-based Acuity Trading, has become CEO of MarketReader. The latter is an artificial intelligence startup that Acuity invested in two weeks ago. Co-founder Jens Nordvig, who has led MarketReader since 2021 and previously worked as a currency strategist at Goldman Sachs and Nomura, will move to a position on the board of directors.
Andrew Lin, CEO, Acuity Trading, Source: LinkedIn
Lin will retain his position as CEO of Acuity and will run the two companies in parallel, with each company continuing to operate under its own brand. Acuity disclosed its investment in MarketReader earlier this month without sharing financial details or the size of its stake, and neither company has said whether Acuity has a majority ownership. The deal was announced a day before Acuity unveiled a separate co-integration agreement with US engagement firm WNSTN to bring third-party chatbot technology to its broker-focused intelligence suite.
Learn more about New CEO for Acuity Trading at MarketReader.
Kira Financial appoints former FP Markets executive as CEO of Global Partnerships
Meanwhile, Kira Financial Brokers has appointed Sophie Stabler as Head of Global Partnerships, adding an experienced executive to lead its institutional broking strategy. She joins the Dubai-based company as it expands across regulated CFD markets and grows its global partner network.
Sophie Stabler, Source: LinkedIn
In her new role, Stabler will manage relationships with IBs in multiple regions and work with business development teams to support partners and long-term growth. She has over a decade of Forex and CFD brokerage experience, most recently working as a Strategic Planning and Operations Consultant, supporting regulated brokers with growth strategy and operational planning.
Show more about Kira Financial Brokers has appointed Sophie Stabler as Head of Global Partnerships.
Eightcap appoints new CEO
Bryn Newell has been appointed CEO of Melbourne-headquartered brokerage Eightcap, a role he took up at the start of 2026. Meanwhile, the broker’s UK chief executive, Oli Rosewell, has announced his departure from the company after around eight months in the role.
Brian Newell, Source: LinkedIn
Newell’s promotion comes just a few months after the departure of Alex Howard, who served as CEO of Eightcap from early 2023 until approximately September 2024. It is not clear whether anyone else led the company in the meantime. Newell joined Eightcap in mid-2021 as CTO, later becoming CIO before taking on the CEO role. He previously spent 14 years at National Australia Bank, leaving as Chief Technology Officer.
Find out more about Eightcap appoints Bryn Newell as new CEO.
OKX appoints former Bybit VIP executive to lead CIS region
In the cryptocurrency space, OKX has brought in Maxim Orlov, former CEO of Bybit and Crypto.com, to lead its operations in the CIS region, focusing on institutional and VIP clients. Orlov has more than 15 years of experience in traditional banking and crypto, including four years at Bybit managing high-value client operations across Western Europe, CIS and Latin America.
Maxim Orlov, Source: LinkedIn
The exchange is building a regional team focused on VIPs, including the role of VIP Relationship Manager for the CIS region that reports to Orlov and requires frequent Russian-language travel for in-person meetings with clients. VIP clients typically achieve higher margins despite lower trading volume, and OKX’s VIP tier starts at $100,000 in balance or trading volume, supported by a revised fee structure introduced in March as competition for institutional flow intensified among major exchanges.
Highlight more about OKX has hired Maxim Orlov, former CEO of Bybit and Cypto.com.
Kirill Chernikov returns to Spotware as chief of staff
Meanwhile, Kirill Chernikov returned to Spotware Systems as chief of staff, a move he described as a homecoming. In a post on LinkedIn, he said he was back “where much of my fintech story was written,” and will rejoin the cTrader ecosystem to pick up where he left off.
Kirill Chernikov, Source: LinkedIn
During his time away from cTrader, Chernikov spent a year as CEO of Markets CRM, a CRM platform focused on the needs of CFD and Forex brokers. He said he’s proud of what the team has built there, highlighting the strong group of colleagues, core product features and services designed to make a real impact for brokers.
Show more about Kirill Chernikov returns to Spotware Systems as Chief of Staff.
Empire FX appoints second CEO of Pepperstone Africa
In Africa, Empire FX has appointed Linda Muriuki as its new Head of Sales. She joins the company from Pepperstone, where she managed large client accounts and supported the broker’s regional trading efforts. She reports to Chief Operating Officer Sahil Patel, who was appointed by Empire FX from Pepperstone’s Africa business last Thursday.
Linda Muriuki
Patel spent more than six years building Pepperstone’s African operations, leading its entity in Kenya from 2020 before finishing his term as head of Africa. With both Patel and Muriuki now holding key trading roles at Empire FX, the broker has appointed two senior executives from the same competitor, each with direct experience of the African market, to solidify its trading leadership.
View more about the former Empire FX label Pepperstone CEO Linda Nakata Muriuki is the new head of sales.
Trading 212 Head of Product Leaves
Trading 212 Head of Product Sergey Ryabov left his position six months after joining the brokerage from Revolut. He confirmed his departure in an update on LinkedIn, saying he plans to focus on artificial intelligence.
Sergey Ryabov, Source: LinkedIn
Riabov joined Trading 212 in December and has worked on product development, platform improvements, and AI-related initiatives. He described the company as moving quickly and relying heavily on data to guide decisions.
Find out more about Exit Trading 212 Head of Product Sergey Ryabov.
