* Appointees have extensive experience leading technology teams through high-growth transformations
* Further strengthens the company’s technology, innovation, governance and security capabilities
* Following Sygnum’s January USD 800m post-money valuation, executives join as Sygnum further scales its secure digital platform, enters new markets and co-develops innovative solutions with strategic investors

Fernando Luis Vázquez Cao
Fernando Luis Vázquez Cao is an open-source software industry veteran with over twenty years’ experience across technology innovation and governance, capital markets and digital assets and holds unparalleled knowledge of the Asian financial services sector from both a business and technical perspective. He is currently CEO of SBI Digital Asset Holdings, part of the TSE-listed financial conglomerate SBI Group, with advisory, tokenization and issuance, digital exchange, and digital custody business lines under his remit.

Fernando’s career began in academia where he first became deeply involved with the budding Linux community. This led him to the corporate world with a number of roles at the NTT Group, eventually becoming a founding member and technical director of NTT's Open Source Software Center, where he built a team that made major contributions to open source projects that underpin modern cloud and Internet services. He then transitioned into the fintech world, joining Japanese giant SBI, where he held C-level business and technical positions before assuming his current role in July 2020. He is also a board member of regulated financial institutions in Asia and Europe and the Cardano Foundation.

Commenting on the announcement, Fernando Luis Vázquez Cao said, “I look forward to joining the Sygnum team at such a pivotal time in their development, and to contributing my technology experience to bringing their inspiring vision of Future Finance securely and rapidly to new global audiences.”

Al-Noor Ramji has extensive experience in large-scale transformations across the banking, technology and software industries, successfully leading organisations through phases of high growth and global expansion. He is a Tata Motors Board member and former Group Chief Digital Officer of Prudential plc, a listed global financial services group with over 18 million customers, where he founded and built the first Asian and African platform-based ecosystem businesses as well as the super app ‘Pulse” for rapid growth of new generation customers. Prior to this, Al-Noor managed technology funds for Silicon Valley venture capital firm Northgate, and held CEO and EVP positions at Misys, BT Group, Calypso Technologies and the Swiss Bank Corporation.

“Sygnum is entering a new phase of its operations where driving the scalability and agility of its technology platform is central to enabling future growth. I welcome the opportunity to contribute my experience to Sygnum’s Board and technology leadership as they continue to shape the development of the global digital asset ecosystem,” says Al-Noor Ramji.

Both technology leaders join Sygnum at an important time. Following its January USD 90m funding round and reaching the milestones of USD 2 billion Assets under Administration and over 1,000 global clients, Sygnum is accelerating its plans to further scale its secure digital platform, enter new international markets and co-develop solutions with strategic investors. They join the experienced Sygnum Board comprised of Sygnum Co-Founder and Chairman Luka Müller, Vice-Chairwoman Gabriela Maria Payer, former MAS executive committee member Chua Kim Leng, Sygnum Co-Founder Manuel Krieger, Swiss Life board member Thomas Buess and former UBS Group CEO, Peter Wuffli.

Sygnum Co-Founder and Chairman Luka Müller adds, “I am delighted to welcome Fernando and Al-Noor to the Sygnum Board and look forward to working with them to further strengthen our technology leadership, governance and innovation capabilities. “