Scott Kurtis Joins Meraki Global Advisors as Chief Operating Officer

Park City, New York and Hong Kong, May 9, 2023 – Meraki Global Advisors (Meraki), a leading global multi-asset outsourced trading firm, today announced that hedge fund veteran Scott Kurtis has joined the firm as Chief Operating Officer.

In Scott Kurtis’ new position, he will oversee Meraki’s financial, operational, and administrative functions; this includes governance and execution of systems and processes that support its growing outsourced trading mandates. Among his responsibilities, he will be implementing processes and technology that leverage data to drive efficient operations.

“In his position as COO, Scott Kurtis will focus on innovation, process improvement and efficiency across our global offices. His extensive background trading globally across many asset classes for both traditional and hedge fund investment managers, and his wide-ranging experience in operational and technology functions will play a major role in propelling our firm into the future,” said Benjamin Arnold, Founder & Managing Partner of Meraki.

To date, Kurtis’ hedge fund industry career has focused on trading, technology, treasury functions, middle and back-office operations. He’s well-versed in internal and external audits, compliance, operational assessments, process improvement, software selections, outsourced C-Suite management, risk management. Specific risk expertise centers on portfolio, operational and counterparty risk.

Most recently, Kurtis worked as a Senior International Trader for Artisan Partners and Harris Associates where he specialized in European and Asian equities. Previous positions also include serving as Director of Operations, Head Trader, and Partner at Asian Century Quest Capital (ACQ), a New York-based hedge fund focused on Asian investments with satellite offices in Hong Kong and Tokyo. During ACQ’s nine-year growth from $5 million to $2 billion in assets under management, he built the fund’s operational framework, risk management systems, and treasury operations. Prior to ACQ, he worked as an Asian trader for Maverick Capital and as an international sales-trader for Goldman Sachs in Chicago.

He earned his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management in 2018 and graduated from Northwestern University in 2001 with a BS in Journalism and a dual degree in Economics. He received the 2000 Vandy Christie Award for outstanding loyalty and dedication to the tennis program as a member of the varsity tennis team.

---

About Meraki Global Advisors

Meraki Global Advisors was founded with a rebellious determination to deliver truly conflict-free services to asset managers. Headquartered in Park City, Utah with offices in New York and Hong Kong, Meraki provides outsourced global multi-asset trading, leverage management, and capital introduction services to the asset management industry. Meraki Global Advisors LLC is a FINRA member and SEC Registered. Meraki Global Advisors (HK) Ltd is licensed and regulated by the Securities & Futures Commission of Hong Kong.

For more information visit the Meraki Global Advisors website and LinkedIn page
Contact:
Mary McAvey
VP of Business Development
(646) 666-7041
mm@mga-us.com

Park City, New York, and Hong Kong, August 22, 2022 – Meraki Global Advisors (“Meraki”), a leading global multi-asset outsourced trading firm, today announced that Jeffrey Ho will join the Hong Kong team as Managing Director of Trading. Mr. Ho will be based in the newly launched Hong Kong office where he will help meet the growing demand for its Outsourced Trading services in the Asia Pacific region.

Meraki has achieved considerable growth since the firm’s inception in 2019, as buy-side firms become aware of the advantages that a multi-asset outsourced trading partner can provide. As of late, portfolio managers’ desire to trade across all asset classes in response to the pandemic and market dislocations has soared. Meraki has been well positioned in the APAC region to assist asset managers who trade up and down the capital structure through a sophisticated outsourcing model which is fully aligned and integrated with their investment teams.

“With the recent official launch of our Hong Kong based operation, we are thrilled to be welcoming Jeffrey to Meraki as part of our high caliber team of global traders”, said Donald Lee, Managing Director, and Head of Asia Pacific for Meraki. “The demand for more bespoke and differentiated services continues to grow along with the steady adoption of outsourced trading services. With the addition of Jeffrey and his deep and lengthy experience in trading Asia Pacific markets our ability to provide cross asset trading solutions to asset managers based in Asia and around the world will be further enhanced”.

Jeffrey Ho has over 25 years of buy-side experience trading global markets in both Europe and Asia. Before joining Meraki, Jeffrey was a trader at Tora Outsourced Trading where he focused on global multi-asset trading. Prior to Tora, he was a Trader at Segantii Capital Management for two years. Jeffrey also spent 15 years at with Deutsche Bank (DB) in Hong Kong where he was a Director and Senior Cash Trader. In this role he managed risk associated with principal/facilitation portfolios, hedged multi-currency baskets and sourced block liquidity. Jeffrey began his career on the proprietary trading desk at ING Baring in Hong Kong.

About Meraki Global Advisors 

Meraki Global Advisors was founded with a rebellious determination to deliver truly conflict-free services to asset managers. Headquartered in Park City, Utah with offices in New York and Hong Kong, Meraki provides outsourced global multi-asset trading, leverage management, and capital introduction services to the asset management industry. Meraki Global Advisors LLC is a FINRA member and SEC Registered. Meraki Global Advisors (HK) Ltd is licensed and regulated by the Securities & Futures Commission of Hong Kong.

Media Contact

+1.435.214.0772
info@mga-us.com
https://www.merakiglobaladvisors.com/

A traditional finance outsourced trading operation that dabbles in everything from equities to structured products is entering the cryptocurrency arena. 

Goldman Sachs veteran Ben Arnold’s Meraki Global Advisors has been building out its initial crypto book with a small number of digital-asset-focused hedge funds and plans to expand further into the space in short order. The venture is one of the first — if not the inaugural — traditional finance outsourced trading firms entering digital assets. 

Park City, Utah-based Meraki is also in the process of inking a number of partnerships with crypto-native operations, including Mike Novogratz’s Galaxy Digital. Arnold and his team are aiming to start by executing spot crypto trades during US trading hours, with plans to expand in Asia down the line. The firm already has a presence in Hong Kong and New Zealand.

There’s also a plan for a capital-introduction-like service to help crypto natives with promising strategies who lack the requisite expertise to woo institutional investors and the Wall Street crowd more broadly. 

Institutional investors’ moving into crypto has brought with it the demands for solid service providers considered a prerequisite for traditional finance hedge funds — which Arnold said he sees as an opening. 

Michael Ashby, Meraki’s chief operating officer who is leading the crypto effort, said an increasing number of hedge funds are becoming “crossover funds,” or introducing crypto to their stock-trading strategies.

Considering the value of new launches in traditional finance has shrunk in the past couple of years as deep-pocketed limited partners redeem funds from underperforming portfolio managers, digital assets offer Meraki another revenue stream, according to Ashby. The firm’s median client now oversees about $1.3 billion in assets under management. 

Meraki has about half a dozen incoming or trial clients. 

Traditional finance veteran Duncan Simmons, who is prepping his own digital assets-focused hedge fund launch, said he’ll be one of Meraki’s first clients once his startup kicks off trading. Simmons’ venture, Aqxa Research, plans to start trading this summer. 

Simmons, who previously worked in stock-picking roles for firms including Coatue Management and Iridian Asset Management, said if launching a traditional finance-focused hedge fund is “difficult,” then getting an institutional crypto strategy off the ground is “extremely difficult, given the immaturity in the industry.” 

“Service providers and the trading ventures are fractured,” he said. “So, that all has to be solved with people…having a service provider that can give you that kind of service is extremely useful.”

Read More

Simon Kelt joins Meraki Global Advisors as Head of Asia Pacific Trading

Meraki Global Advisors, the industry’s leading global multi-asset outsourced trading firm, today announced the hire of Simon Kelt as Head of APAC Trading to meet the growing demand for its outsourced trading services in the Asia Pacific region.

Meraki has achieved considerable growth since the firm launched in Park City, Utah nearly two years ago as more buy-side firms become aware of the advantages that a multi-asset outsourced trading partner can provide. As of late, portfolio managers’ desire to trade across all asset classes in response to the pandemic and market dislocations has soared. Meraki has been well positioned to assist asset managers who trade up and down the capital structure through a sophisticated outsourcing model which is fully aligned and integrated with their investment teams.

Kelt brings more than 15 years of global multi-asset trading experience from roles based in Hong Kong, India, and London. He spent the last ten years in Asia, most recently at HSBC in Hong Kong trading Asian equities and derivatives with a focus on greater China where he was instrumental in developing and building out the business. Simon began his career at JP Morgan in London where he worked on the equity swaps desk before progressing to trade European equities for Libertas Capital.

Meraki’s full-service outsourced solutions are tailored to the individual needs of each manager. The integrated, supplemental, and emerging manager solutions they provide are designed to meet the unique demands of managers of all sizes and maturities, while also being completely customizable. “Meraki understands the challenges facing fund managers who want to execute their global cross-asset strategies and grow their businesses. We help them execute on their strategy while saving them the burden of building and maintaining an in-house trading desk. Adding value to investment teams through bespoke solutions is Meraki’s alpha model. Managers receive the same internal desk feel and function from traders with unrivaled Asia expertise, buy- and sell-side experience, and pedigree”, noted Kelt.

“Adding Simon is the first step towards Meraki’s overseas expansion ahead of our official launch of a Hong Kong based operation slated for later this year. Building upon the strong momentum and client adoption for our services in the Asia Pacific region, we are confident that our expansion to the region will greatly enhance the services we provide our diverse and growing client list”, said Benjamin Arnold, Founding Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Meraki. “Adding a high caliber multi-asset trader like Simon to our roster of accomplished buy- side traders is very exciting. We anticipate he will have a significant impact on our clients and the differentiated outsourced trading services we provide them.”

About Meraki Global Advisors

Meraki Global Advisors was founded with a rebellious determination to deliver conflict-free services to Asset Managers. Headquartered in Park City, Utah with offices in New York and Hong Kong, Meraki provides outsourced Global Multi-Asset Trading, Leverage Management, and Capital Introduction services to the Asset Management industry. Meraki’s unique model adds value to asset managers through bespoke solutions under a structure that investment teams can identify with and understand. FINRA member and SEC Registered.

For more information on Meraki Global Advisors LLC, please email info@merakiglobaladvisors.com