Portofino Technologies’ Ambitious Plans for 2025
Portofino Technologies, a prominent crypto market making firm headquartered in Switzerland, is setting its sights high for 2025. In an exclusive interview with CoinDesk, CEO Leonard Lancia shared insights into the company’s strategic plans for expansion.
The firm is actively considering the establishment of new offices in major financial hubs, specifically New York and Singapore. According to Lancia, this move is part of a broader strategy to enhance Portofino’s global presence in the rapidly evolving cryptocurrency market.
Portofino Technologies operates under regulatory frameworks in the U.K., Switzerland, and the British Virgin Islands. Additionally, the firm is keen on expanding its licensing to comply with the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, which officially took effect on December 30 of the previous year.
In recent months, Portofino has bolstered its team with several high-profile senior hires. Notably, Dipak Shah has been appointed as the head of over-the-counter (OTC) trading, operating from the London office. Shah comes to Portofino from the esteemed Japanese investment bank Nomura, where he served as the head of FX options trading. His impressive background also includes tenures at major Wall Street institutions such as Citi and Goldman Sachs. In his own words, Shah emphasized, “While clients and liquidity provision remain our number one priority, we are also committed to investing in trading and technology talent to enhance and scale our operations.”
Portofino aims to solidify its position as a key player across its three primary business segments: electronic market making, OTC trading, and token services. Shah elaborated, “We have already recruited many high-caliber individuals in London and plan further expansion in Asia and New York, specifically focusing on trading personnel.”
Founded in 2021 by two former leaders of Citadel Securities, Leonard Lancia and Alex Casimo, Portofino Technologies successfully raised $50 million in equity funding in late 2022. The firm has established itself as a significant player in the crypto trading arena, reporting over $100 billion in trading volume during 2024.
Despite facing challenges due to several key departures last year, as reported by CoinDesk, the company is determined to rebuild and strengthen its operations moving forward.
