Services

 

Navigate Complexity. Scale Innovation. Deliver Results.

Handleport provides C-suite advisory, technical innovation, and strategic guidance to exchanges, trading venues, FinTech ventures, and institutional clients across traditional finance, blockchain protocols, and DeFi infrastructure. With over 20 years bridging capital markets and distributed systems, we bring proven execution capability to complex challenges.  

FinTech Consulting & C-Suite Advisory

Regulatory Strategy & Licensing

 

Strategic guidance for exchanges, trading platforms, and financial technology ventures

Building and scaling financial infrastructure requires deep market knowledge combined with technical execution capability. Our advisory practice spans exchange design, product development, regulatory strategy, and business transformation.

Core capabilities:

  • Exchange and trading venue architecture

  • Product development and market positioning

  • Capital raising strategy (track record: £15M+ raised across multiple ventures)

  • Team scaling and operational transformation

  • Strategic partnerships and market maker relationships

Recent engagements:

Client profile: Derivative exchanges, crypto trading platforms, institutional investors, venture studios, private equity firms conducting FinTech due diligence.

Sales & Marketing

 

Intellectual Property Development & R&D

Patent development, protocol innovation, and technical R&D for financial infrastructure

Innovation in financial technology requires both theoretical insight and practical implementation capability. Our IP development practice combines patent creation with active protocol development in blockchain and DeFi clearing infrastructure.

Patent portfolio:

  • 5 granted/filed US patents spanning risk management systems, trading platforms, and derivatives infrastructure (1999-2013)

  • Perpetual futures patent (2013) - filed years before crypto perpetual swaps became a multi-trillion dollar market

  • Full patent details and commercial applications available in project documentation

Current R&D activities:

  • Pascal Protocol: On-chain clearing infrastructure for derivatives, solving portfolio margining in trustless environments

  • Jetstream: Professional derivatives platform (futures and options, not perps) with integrated clearing

  • DeFi capital efficiency research and implementation

Mathematical and quantitative expertise:

  • Portfolio risk calculation and cross-margin optimization

  • Pricing model development for complex derivatives

  • Real-time hedging algorithms for crypto treasury operations

  • High-frequency trading system architecture (co-architected first commercial algo HFT platform, 1999)

Approach: We combine theoretical innovation with practical implementation, ensuring IP creation serves commercial objectives rather than existing purely as academic exercise.

Blockchain & Crypto Infrastructure 

Protocol development, tokenomics design, and regulatory navigation for Web3 ventures

Traditional finance and decentralized systems require fundamentally different approaches to risk, settlement, and governance. Our blockchain practice bridges this gap, bringing institutional-grade infrastructure design to on-chain environments.

Technical capabilities:

  • Smart contract architecture for derivatives clearing

  • Oracle integration and mark-to-market mechanisms

  • Tokenomics and protocol incentive design

  • Layer 2 optimization (experience pushing Arbitrum complexity limits)

  • Cross-chain settlement mechanisms

Regulatory & compliance:

  • Multiple payment license applications (PSD2 in UK, EU, US - all approved)

  • Crypto exchange regulatory strategy across jurisdictions

  • VASP registration and compliance frameworks

  • Treasury management and automated hedging systems

Case studies:

Market positioning: Not another perps platform - we're building the infrastructure that brings proper risk management on-chain.

License applications, regulatory navigation, and compliance frameworks across multiple jurisdictions

Financial services regulation varies dramatically by jurisdiction and product type. Our regulatory practice provides practical guidance based on direct experience writing license applications and engaging with regulators globally.

Track record:

  • Payment licenses (PSD2): Successfully obtained approvals in UK (2x), EU (2x), and US

  • Exchange licenses: MTF application (FCA), product approvals (BaFin), associated CFTC submissions

  • Crypto regulations: VASP registrations, exchange licensing across jurisdictions

  • Personally authored multiple regulatory filings and served as registered compliance officer (FCA)

Jurisdictional experience: UK (FCA), Germany (BaFin), US (SEC, CFTC, FinCEN), Malta, Spain, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia

Approach: We focus on pragmatic regulatory strategy that balances compliance requirements with commercial objectives, leveraging relationships across regulatory bodies and industry associations..

Technical Architecture & Development Oversight

 

System design, development team management, and quality assurance for complex platforms

Building financial infrastructure at scale requires rigorous architecture and disciplined execution. Our technical oversight ensures delivery meets institutional standards while managing distributed development teams effectively.

Capabilities:

  • Platform architecture design (exchange matching engines, clearing systems, payment infrastructure)

  • Development team management (experience: 200+ developers across multiple jurisdictions)

  • Outsourced team oversight and quality control

  • Technical due diligence for investment decisions

  • System integration and vendor management

Notable achievements:

  • Maintained 200-person Ukrainian development team operations during wartime

  • Built product function from scratch at BVNK, scaling team 14→75 staff in 6 months while maintaining profitability

  • Architected cloud-based clearing and settlement platform for ICDX from scratch

  • Implemented OKR frameworks across multiple portfolio companies

Technical background: C++ HFT platforms, algorithmic trading systems, blockchain protocols, payment processing infrastructure, exchange connectivity.

Expert Witness & Litigation Support

 

Technical expertise and expert testimony for commodities trading and FinTech disputes

Complex financial litigation requires expert witnesses who can explain technical systems and market practices clearly to legal teams and courts. Our expert witness practice provides credible testimony backed by deep operational experience.

Experience:

  • Multiple engagements as 30(b)(6) witness representing Cantor Fitzgerald in IP litigation

  • Expert reports covering commodities trading, exchange operations, and trading technology

  • Deposition and courtroom testimony experience

  • Technical analysis for financial market disputes

Areas of expertise:

  • Commodities derivatives trading (all asset classes)

  • Exchange and trading platform operations

  • Electronic trading systems and HFT infrastructure

  • Patent disputes involving trading technology

  • Market microstructure and execution quality

Credentials: 20+ years hands-on experience in roles ranging from floor trader to C-suite executive across multiple major institutions.

 

Speaking Engagements & Industry Leadership

 

Handleport regularly contributes to industry discourse through conference speaking, panel participation, and thought leadership.

Recent engagements:

  • Chair: TradeTech Architecture stream (multiple years)

  • Chair: Energy Risk conference

  • Panel participant: Dodd-Frank announcement, FIA Chicago

  • Media appearances: CNBC (Consensus 2024), Energy Risk video series

  • Published articles: CryptoSlate, FinanceFeeds, industry publications

Professional networks:

  • LinkedIn: 26,000+ followers, 3,000+ connections

  • Twitter/X: 72,000+ followers

  • Regular conference circuit participation.

 

Engagement Models

 

Advisory retainers: Ongoing strategic guidance for exchanges, platforms, and ventures

Project-based consulting: Defined scope engagements for specific initiatives (license applications, due diligence, product development)

Interim executive roles: C-suite coverage during transitions or growth phases

Expert witness services: Litigation support and expert testimony

Board positions: Non-executive director / Advisory roles for appropriate organizations

Initial consultation: 30-minute exploratory discussion to assess fit and scope.