Gemini hires Hudson River Trading alum Brad Vopni to spearhead institutional expansion

Gemini, the crypto exchange founded by bitcoin billionaire twins Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, has brought on crypto longtimer Brad Vopni to spearhead its institutional expansion.

Vopni is joining as head of institutional after previously serving as head of digital assets at Hudson River Trading, one of the largest electronic trading companies in the U.S. Prior to that, Vopni led NextShares’s capital markets business, where he helped develop one of the industry's first actively managed, portfolio-protected ETFs. CoinDesk was first to report the news on Wednesday.

"This hire means that Gemini will continue its long history of serving institutions alongside retail customers," a Gemini spokesperson told The Block. "This is a pivotal moment for the industry and Brad's addition to the team will help Gemini meet the increasing demand we are seeing from institutions who want to build crypto into their strategies."

Gemini submitted a confidential IPO filing earlier this year, backed by Goldman Sachs and Citigroup in an effort to raise capital for global scaling. After a rocky few years amid the post-COVID bear market, which saw the shuttering of its "Earn" lending program and multiple rounds of layoffs, the exchange is looking to expand its foothold around the world and in new sectors.

For instance, Gemini brought on former Kraken executive Mark Jennings to lead its Europe expansion in January and hired Dan Chen as its new chief financial officer in March. The exchange is a major service provider for multiple ETF issuers, including VanEck and Purpose, which issued "the largest staking ether ETF in North America," and has a growing presence in the custody space.

Gemini operates as a New York Trust Company, following established state regulatory standards, which appeals to institutional investors seeking compliance and security. In February, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said it would not pursue an enforcement action against the exchange following a protracted dispute over alleged securities law violations.

Vopni is also a founding member of the Association for Digital Asset Markets and holds FINRA’s Series 7, 63, and 24 licenses.

The Block has reached out to Gemini for a statement