On March 28, 2022, FTX Europe announced the appointment per October 1st, 2022 of Dr. Marcel Lötscher, LL.M. MBA, to the newly created position of Head of Regulatory Strategy. Lötscher is being hired to continue FTX’s global expansion into Europe and the Middle East, giving users in European Economic Area and the Middle East access to FTX’s innovative products, including industry-leading derivatives, options, and volatility products, tokenized stocks, and other services and products. He will be focused on working with European regulators, including the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) and the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC).
Patrick Gruhn, Head of FTX Europe, commented on the news, “We’re pleased to bring Marcel on as part of the FTX team. After recently getting our domain approved in Cyprus and receiving our license in the UAE, we’re able to offer traders in Europe and the Middle East FTX’s best-in-class trading platform to invest in a wide range of cryptocurrencies derivatives through a regulated investment firm. We’re excited to have Marcel continue this mission by working with regulators across Europe and the Middle East to build relationships and allow us to offer more products throughout both regions.”
As former Head of Securities and Markets Division and Member of the Executive Board at the Financial Market Authority (FMA) Liechtenstein, Lötscher is a seasoned regulator. Additionally, Lötscher is a member of various expert groups in the fields of financial market law and regulation (including the ESMA Board of Supervisors, the European Regional Committee of IOSCO, and the European Expert Group for Sustainable Finance). Lötscher’s appointments to various leading positions in the financial sphere include his role as a member of executive management at a Swiss financial group.
“As a European regulator, I have always been fascinated by the speed and innovative nature of FinTech companies,” commented Lötscher. “However, I also know legal uncertainty hinders innovation, so I am delighted to accompany FTX Europe on this journey as their Head of Regulatory Strategy. I am excited to be part of this journey and to contribute my knowledge in the areas of asset management and markets regulation, especially in the important field of Green FinTech. Additionally, it is an honor to be allowed to participate in philanthropic projects in the spirit of effective altruism, and these are all visions that I see realized at FTX.”
Lötscher is a lecturer in financial market law and compliance and regularly gives speeches on these topics. Lötscher is responsible for a number of milestones in regard to fintech innovation, including having authorized the first European crypto fund in 2018, the first European tokenized bond in 2018, the first European tokenized fund units in 2019, and the first European tokenized shares in 2021.
Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO of FTX, concluded, “Marcel is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to European regulation, so we’re happy to have him join our team as we look to continue expanding the number of markets we have licenses in. We know he’ll help us make great progress in cementing our presence locally and establishing our regulatory relationships in Europe.”