Leadership

Experienced operators. Independent thinkers.

Our leadership team combines decades of institutional investment experience with operational depth in digital assets, regulatory compliance, and client management.

KT

Kuzma Tarasov

CEO & Co-Founder

k.tarasov@bankingbureau.com

Former Managing Director at a Tier 1 investment bank with 18 years in multi-asset portfolio management and structured products. Led over $4B in institutional mandates across Asia, North America, and EMEA.

Multi-Asset AllocationInstitutional SalesRisk Governance
XL

Xia Liu

CIO & Co-Founder

x.liu@bankingbureau.com

PhD in Financial Mathematics from NUS. Previously led quantitative research at a global hedge fund covering systematic equity and macro strategies. Published researcher in factor-based asset allocation.

Quantitative ResearchFactor ModelsRisk Management
MS

Marcel van Straaten

Chief Operating Officer

m.vanstraaten@bankingbureau.com

15 years in financial services operations, compliance, and technology. Former COO of a registered investment adviser managing over $2B AUM. Led multiple MAS regulatory reviews with zero material findings.

OperationsRegulatory ComplianceTechnology Infrastructure
JT

James Thornton

Head of Digital Asset Strategy

j.thornton@bankingbureau.com

Former Head of Institutional Trading at a leading digital asset exchange. Eight years building custody, settlement, and trading infrastructure for institutional crypto participants.

Digital AssetsCustody InfrastructureInstitutional Trading
IZ

Irina Zhevnyak

Head of Associate & Member Investments

i.zhevnyak@bankingbureau.com

12 years serving family offices and endowments across Asia Pacific. Previously at a global wealth management platform where she managed relationships representing over $1.5B in discretionary assets.

Family OfficesEndowmentsRelationship Management
NR

Nurfarzdilah Rahman

General Counsel

n.rahman@bankingbureau.com

Securities attorney with 14 years in financial regulation, investment adviser compliance, and digital asset law. Former Deputy General Counsel at a registered broker-dealer. Specialises in MAS regulatory frameworks.

Securities LawComplianceDigital Asset Regulation

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