Malta: Crypto-Friendly Founders Bank Hires Ex Deutsche Executive as New CEO

Founders Bank, a Malta-based blockchain-friendly financial institution has hired Kenan Altunis, former Deutsche Bank chief executive officer, to function as its CEO, according to a Bloomberg report on May 9, 2019.

Altunis Joins Team Crypto

Per sources close to the matter, Founders Bank, a financial institution backed by several heavyweights in the cryptosphere including Changpeng Zhao’s Binance cryptocurrency exchange, has added Kenan Altunis, the highly experienced ex Deutsche Bank executive to its team.

With 12 solid years of experience in the traditional financial industry, Altunis undoubtedly has a lot to offer to Founders bank.

At current, he reportedly functions as a Managing Director in the Markets and Investment Banking division of Unicredit Group. Altunis oversees the firm’s business across multiple regions including New York, London, Hong Kong, Paris and Munich.

The alumnus of Pennsylvania University is reportedly an avid investor in the tech industry, with a key focus on next-generation mobile applications.

While at Deutsche Bank, Altunis served as Managing Director, European Head of Foreign Exchange Sales to Hedge Funds in the Global Markets division of the bank

Altunis left Deutsche Bank in 2018, after reportedly losing his seat on the bank’s executive committee following a restructuring campaign orchestrated by Garth Ritchie, head of investment banking at Deutsche Bank.

Altunis is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Sense Networks, Inc.

It’s worth noting that this is not the first time a top executive is dumping an established traditional financial institution to join the crypto bandwagon, a strong indication that the industry is gradually maturing.

As reported by BTCManager in May 2018, Rob Jesudason, the chief financial officer of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, resigned from the bank to join Block.one, the venture capital firm behind EOS.

The Founders Advantage

Established in 2018, Founders Bank claims to be focused on bridging the gap between the traditional financial ecosystem and the cryptosphere, by offering bitcoin-linked businesses as well as other firms a stable and high tech banking solution.

The bank has been holding talks with the Maltese financial regulators in a bid to obtain a banking license that would enable it to launch operations in Europe and become the first decentralized and community-owned financial institution in the world.

If all goes as planned, Founders Bank could start offering tech and crypto businesses top-tier banking solutions in the coming months.