Role of Quants in Crypto: Javier Rodriguez Alarcon, XBTO Chief Commercial Officer & Head of Digital Investment Strategies

Interviews with Leaders in Fintech & Web3

04/09/24 • 49 min

Summary
Javier Rodriguez Alarcon, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Asset Management at XBTO, discusses the role of XBTO as a full service digital assets provider, focusing on institutional investors. He explains the three main business verticals of XBTO: capital markets, investment management, and a platform business.
Before moving to crypto, Javier was in TradFi at Goldman Sachs as the Global Head of Client Portfolio Management and EMEA Head of Quantitative Investment Strategies. Prior to that he was at Barclays Global Investors, now part of Blackrock.
Key takeaways
-Javier breaks down step-by-step how quant investors use technology and numerical processes to apply statistical modelling to investment decisions and portfolio construction.
-The convergence of traditional finance and crypto is happening, but legacy technology is a challenge. Javier thinks the full adoption of crypto and digital assets in financial transactions is likely in the future and discussing how institutions utilise crypto derivatives (for the major coins) and the role of decentralised exchanges vs centralised exchanges.
-If you are in a technical role, soft skills such as communication and the ability to explain complex concepts, are crucial for you to stand out in the financial industry and crypto
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Javier Rodriguez Alarcon and XBTO
02:50 Javier's Background as a Quant Investor
04:16 The Impact of Cloud Computing and AI
09:25 Javier's Transition from TradFi to Crypto
14:19 The Challenges of Convergence in the Financial Industry
23:48 Decentralized Exchanges vs. Centralized Exchanges
27:21 Quantitative Analysis in Portfolio Construction
35:12 Skills and Advice for Young Professionals in Crypto
45:24 The Future of Crypto and Digital Assets
49:14 Advice for Javier's 18-Year-Old Self

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04/09/24 • 49 min

Interviews with Leaders in Fintech & Web3 - Role of Quants in Crypto: Javier Rodriguez Alarcon, XBTO Chief Commercial Officer & Head of Digital Investment Strategies

Transcript

Matt (00:01.272)
Hi, this is Matthew Cheung from Work in Fintech and today we are delighted to be joined by Javier Rodriguez Alarcon, who is the Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Asset Management at XBTO. Javier has a quant background in investment management and he spent 13 years at Goldman Sachs as the Global Head of Client Portfolio Management, as well as the EMEA Head of QIS or Quant Investment Strategies. As well as that, he's cut his teeth in a number of other financial institution

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