Have you ever wondered why some crypto trading firms seem to be everywhere at once while others fade into the background? In a market that never sleeps, being physically close to your clients and regulators can make all the difference. One Singapore-based player just pulled off a move that feels almost old-school in its ambition – they basically planted flags in every major financial hub in under a year.
The Quiet Giant of Institutional Crypto Trading Just Got Louder
While most headlines chase memecoin pumps or the latest ETF inflow numbers, a different kind of story has been unfolding behind the scenes. A digital asset firm that many retail traders have never even heard of has grown its team by 50% in twelve months, moved into bigger headquarters, and opened doors in five new cities. More importantly, they’ve locked in the kind of regulatory green lights that institutions actually care about.
This isn’t just expansion for the sake of a press release. This is what happens when serious money decides crypto isn’t a side bet anymore.
From 100 to 157 Heads – And Counting
Growing headcount by half in this market is no small feat. We’re not talking about hiring community managers or TikTok editors. These are quants, structurers, compliance officers, and traders who can run a book through Singapore breakfast while handing off to London lunch and New York dinner without missing a beat.
The new Singapore HQ at Prudential Tower now houses 119 people alone. Walk through those floors and you’ll hear Mandarin, Hindi, Arabic, and half a dozen European languages – all discussing vol surfaces and funding rates before most of us have had coffee.
The Geography Lesson Every Institution Needed
Location still matters, even in crypto. Maybe especially in crypto.
- New York – because that’s where the traditional finance crowd finally admitted they need crypto exposure
- Abu Dhabi – fast becoming the Middle East’s answer to Singapore for digital assets
- Kuala Lumpur – quietly building itself into a Southeast Asian trading hub
- Ho Chi Minh City – yes, really, because Vietnam is moving faster than most people realize
- London – expanded coverage, because Europe hasn’t gone away despite everything
In my view, the most interesting addition might actually be Abu Dhabi. While everyone watches Dubai’s flashy marketing, ADGM has been methodically building one of the most sophisticated regulatory frameworks in the world for digital assets. Getting a Financial Services Permission there isn’t just a rubber stamp – it’s a signal.
Licenses That Actually Mean Something
Any firm can trade crypto. Not every firm can offer regulated spot, derivatives, and structured products to a pension fund in a way that keeps the compliance department happy.
Securing a Major Payment Institution license from MAS is already hard enough. Adding the ADGM Financial Services Permission on top creates something fairly rare: a firm that can legitimately claim to operate under two of the toughest – and most respected – regulatory regimes outside the United States.
“Institutions want a partner with deep market expertise, full-spectrum execution and regulatory integrity in the hubs that matter.”
– Founder of the firm
He’s not wrong. I’ve spoken to enough family offices and hedge funds this year to know the conversation has shifted. Two years ago they asked “Should we do crypto?” Last year it was “How much?” Now it’s “Who can actually execute without giving our compliance team a heart attack?”
24/7 Coverage Isn’t Marketing – It’s Table Stakes
Crypto trades when London is asleep and New York is having brunch on Sunday. Anyone who tells you otherwise is either very new or trying to sell you something.
Having actual humans in actual offices across time zones changes everything. When a Middle Eastern sovereign fund wants to roll a billion-dollar basis trade at 3 AM Singapore time, someone is there to answer the phone. When a European fund needs to hedge ETH exposure during US trading hours, the desk in London already knows their risk limits.
This sounds basic until you realize how many “global” crypto firms are actually three guys in Discord and a Cayman foundation.
The Client List Speaks for Itself
When your client roster includes Nasdaq-listed companies and platforms backed by the largest asset manager on earth, you’re clearly doing something right.
These aren’t retail liquidity chasers. These are institutions that spent months – sometimes years – doing due diligence before allocating a single dollar. The fact that they’re choosing a Singapore-headquartered firm over household names from traditional finance tells you everything about where the center of gravity has shifted.
Why This Actually Matters for the Rest of Us
Here’s the part most people miss: institutional adoption isn’t just about bigger price tags. It’s about better markets.
Every time a serious player like this builds proper infrastructure, we all benefit. Tighter spreads. Deeper liquidity. More sophisticated products that actually make sense. Less of the wild swings that scare normal people away.
Think about it this way: the difference between crypto markets in 2021 and 2025 isn’t just higher prices. It’s that you can now execute a $50 million block trade without moving the market 5%. That didn’t happen by accident.
The Road Ahead
None of this guarantees success, of course. Regulatory landscapes shift. Competitors don’t sleep. But watching a firm methodically build what looks increasingly like the Goldman Sachs of digital assets – complete with proper licenses, global offices, and institutional-grade execution – feels different.
In a weird way, it feels almost… mature.
And maybe that’s the real story here. Not the headcount numbers or the new office locations, but what they represent: the quiet professionalization of an industry that spent years convincing the world it didn’t need suits and corner offices.
Turns out it did. It just needed them in Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and New York instead of Wall Street.
The next time someone tells you crypto is still just speculation and memes, remember there are 157 people spread across seven cities right now, making sure the grown-ups can participate without losing sleep.
That’s not the sexiest narrative. But it might be the most important one we’ve got.
