Michael Mosier

BC Technology Group’s Prime Brokerage for Digital Assets Makes Moves in the US and Canada

OSL has appointed Jeffrey Howard as the BC Technology Group’s subsidiary looks to establish itself in the United States as a regulated prime brokerage firm.

Jeffrey Howard Becomes The Face of OSL in the US and Canada

The provider of digital asset trading and software-as-a-service (SaaS) has not only hired the 25-year prime brokerage and listed derivatives veteran as Head of North America Business Development and Institutional Sales, but has also acquired a Money Services Business (MSB) registration from the US FinCEN.

Fernando Martinez, Head of Americas at OSL, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Jeff to the OSL family as we expand in the United States and Canada. His experience working with institutional clients in regulated markets will be a tremendous asset as we continue our rapid growth trajectory in the region.”

Jeffrey Howard, Head of North America Business Development and Institutional Sales, said: “Coming from a long career in traditional regulated financial markets, OSL clearly stood out to me as a forward-thinking global leader in digital asset prime brokerage, custody and exchange SaaS. It’s commitment to regulatory compliance and security is a key differentiator and an important element of its success to date. I’m truly excited to be joining the firm and look forward to driving its winning strategy across North America.”

The new OSL face has previously been Managing Director and Global Head of Prime Services at the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), where he oversaw the bank’s listed derivatives, OTC swap clearing, FX prime brokerage, and interest rate prime brokerage businesses.

Howard has also served as a board member of the Futures Industry Association (FIA) in the United States, and the Futures & Options Association (FOA) in Europe.

The industry veteran spent most of his career at Merrill Lynch – more than 15 years – where he held a number of senior roles including Managing Director and head of the bank’s Americas Futures and Options business, which included the CFTC-regulated Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) unit.

Howard has also founded Salveo Capital, a Chicago-based institutional venture capital firm focused on the regulated cannabis industry.

OSL Registers With FinCEN for Compliant Digital Asset Prime Brokerage

As to the MSB, the US Treasury Department requires that firms register in order to offer compliant digital asset business to clients in the United States.

OSL is headquartered in Hong Kong and is authorized by the jurisdiction’s SFC as a digital asset platform, providing prime brokerage, custody, exchange and SaaS services for institutional clients and professional investors.

OSL Americas offers a market-leading prime brokerage, including electronic and OTC execution and coin borrowing and lending, and access to deep pools of digital asset liquidity. It also provides industry leading digital asset SaaS to institutional clients across the region.

OSL Americas’ over-the-counter (OTC) and electronic RFQ/API offer access to market liquidity with complete privacy, capital efficiency, and price quotes. Each trade is conducted and executed directly with the customer and with no on-exchange price slippage or order book discovery. This ensures instant, seamless, secure transactions with near instant settlement.

The appointment of Howard and the registration with FinCEN was the next step in OSL and BC Technology Group’s global expansion. The prime brokerage will be able to cater to institutional and professional investors with high standards in KYC, AML, and market surveillance.