Gemini, the US-based cryptocurrency exchange founded by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, is expanding globally, with a focus on the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. Leading this effort is Saad Ahmed, Head of APAC, now based in Singapore.

Ahmed, who joined Gemini in November 2023, brings experience from Uber and Grab. In this interview, he discusses crypto investor trends, regulatory challenges, and Gemini’s strategy for Asia. He also shares insights on how global events, like the US elections, may impact the crypto industry and outlines Gemini’s international expansion plans.

How do you think crypto adoption is growing?

As stated in our report published recently, crypto investors are very resilient. Despite price action in 2022 and 2023, most countries showed a marginal fall in crypto ownership, or it relatively stayed the same. Crypto owners are hodlers who continue to hodl, showing a long-term belief that this asset class has a place in a balanced portfolio.

We see stability in hodling, and people who left in 2021 or 2022 are saying they’re going to come back. 7 out of 10 in most markets said they would be allocating to crypto in the next 12 to 18 months. This paints a positive picture of resiliency and that the asset class is here to stay.

People are looking at catalysts like macro factors, US elections, and Fed rate cuts. Crypto investors are resilient and many are likely to come back in the next 12 to 18 months.

What would you say about the lack of regulatory clarity as a barrier to industry growth?

Regulatory clarity is about consistency across different jurisdictions. In the crypto industry, there are differences in how regulators are trying to regulate this asset class. Innovation usually leads to regulation. There’s a need for consistent regulation that applies across jurisdictions, making it easier for global entities to operate.

Singapore has regulatory clarity, with a focus on customer protection, encouraging dialogue between industry, customers, and regulators. They have a clear framework of rules to comply with. Despite this, some respondents still said they’d like to see more regulatory clarity, which is intriguing.

What do you expect from the US election, and how would that affect your business?

7 out of 10 people said the candidate’s stance on digital assets is an important issue in their decision-making. It’s not the only issue they care about, but it is a partisan issue being discussed in national discourse. This is the first time in a US election that this has happened.

Taken in context with everything else happening in the industry, like Bitcoin ETFs giving legitimacy to the asset class, this topic being discussed as part of campaign strategy for both parties is a good thing for the industry. It helps drive forward the dialogue around this industry and its importance. More people are realizing how it fits as part of their portfolio.

Gemini delisted the controversial Terra Luna Classic (LUNC) in September. What was the reason behind this decision?

We go through a process of auditing every asset we list and delist. We have a robust infrastructure and processes for what goes into an asset being on the platform. There’s due diligence on the founders, what the project stands for, token distribution, and what the project does.

The process involves both the compliance and legal teams. Once a project is listed, it is recorded in the system, with an infrastructure cost tied to maintaining the listing.

Various factors are evaluated to determine whether a token should remain listed or be delisted. This is done regularly, taking a holistic approach to better manage the infrastructure. New projects are added, while those no longer driving demand are removed, as many tokens experience a hype cycle of about six months before interest declines.

Do you agree that fees are comparatively higher in Gemini than in other exchanges?

There are broadly three things customers care about liquidity on the platform, product, and fees. Most people have a preference for which they value most. You could have lower fees but wider spreads, or higher fees and tighter spreads.

These are choices exchanges make when building their framework. Our understanding is that our fees are quite competitive. We need to add more liquidity.

We’re working on areas that can drive better liquidity and depth on our platform. Our fees are generally competitive, and we’re working on improving liquidity.

What kind of business scale does Gemini have in APAC?

The US is our largest market, but we’ve been present in APAC for four years. We’ve always had an office in Singapore and a team here. We built for Singapore in 2020, being one of the first exchanges with an SGD onramp. Today, we have about 40 employees in Singapore, our APAC HQ.

Over the last year, we’ve built out a strong leadership team with new heads of compliance, general counsel, strategy, institutional sales, and expansion and growth. We are eager for growth, investing in the market, and continuing to build localized experiences, onboarding flows, and payment rails.

We’re thinking of a feature set that appeals to customers in Asia and building from an Asia-focused perspective. We’re now driving expansion from Singapore to other parts of Asia.

As a global exchange, what do you care the most about?

As a global exchange, we care about building for the customers in the region. It’s how we build the best experience and give them the products and services they really want. We can’t build a global product and expect everyone to use it. We need to localize our product and offering to make it relevant.

That’s why we have a team in the APAC region. We want to drive adoption through localized products. In 2024, we’ve seen the legitimacy of this asset class with ETFs and big traditional finance names joining the industry. We’re playing a part in driving the adoption of this technology.

The legitimacy means more people will find a place for this asset class in their portfolio. We’re building products to help make that transition easier for as many people as possible.

Arthur Hayes, co-founder and former CEO of the cryptocurrency trading platform BitMEX, has recently made headlines with significant investments in the memecoin sector, particularly through his notable purchase of Pepe (PEPE). 

Hayes’ optimism towards memecoins, expressed in a recent social media post on X (formerly Twitter), has coincided with a significant surge in PEPE’s value, reflecting a broader resurgence in interest within the crypto market.

PEPE Price Soars Following Hayes’ Investment

On-chain analytics platform Lookonchain revealed that Hayes invested $250,000 in PEPE by purchasing approximately 24.39 billion tokens on Binance on Friday. This investment comes as PEPE is experiencing a notable upward trajectory, reaching its highest price in nearly three months at $0.0000109. 

CoinGecko data shows that the token has recorded impressive gains of 34%, 45%, and 38% over the past week, two weeks, and month, respectively. The recent price movements of PEPE are further supported by a substantial increase in trading volume, which surged by 41% in the last 48 hours to nearly $2.5 billion.

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This uptick in trading activity is indicative of heightened investor interest, likely fueled by a bullish sentiment following the US Federal Reserve’s decision to cut interest rates on September 18, which has provided a favorable environment for various cryptocurrencies, including the memecoin sector.

Currently trading at $0.0000107, PEPE is up 17% in the latest trading hours. However, it remains down 37% from its all-time high of $0.0000171 reached in May. Despite this decline, Hayes’s endorsement appears to be a catalyst for continued investor interest.

Support For Mog Coin And The Mother Iggy Token

Hayes’s involvement in the memecoin space extends beyond PEPE. He has also shown support for two other tokens: Mog Coin (MOG) and the Mother Iggy (MOTHER) token, associated with Australian singer Iggy Azalea and built on the Solana blockchain. 

While Lookonchain has not confirmed whether Hayes invested in these tokens as he did with PEPE, his endorsement has already positively impacted MOG’s price, which is currently trading at $0.00000165—a gain of over 10% following Hayes’s announcement.

MOG has recorded a colossal year-to-date surge of 10,398%, alongside a 5.70% increase in trading volume. Despite these gains, it remains 32% below its peak of $0.0000024 reached in July.

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Conversely, the MOTHER token has struggled to maintain momentum, trading down nearly 14% in the past 24 hours. However, it has seen substantial gains of 75% over the last week and 176% in the past two weeks, signaling that it remains an asset of interest despite recent volatility.

Overall, Haye’s support for the memecoin sector shows the traction that this part of the market has gained over the past year in particular, outperforming the largest cryptocurrencies on the market by a clear margin.

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

BeInCrypto’s comprehensive Europe Crypto Roundup covers the latest news and trends shaping the continent’s crypto landscape. With reporters across key markets like Germany, France, and the UK, we provide in-depth insights into evolving regulatory environment, adoption rates, major industry events, and market movements. 

This week’s roundup covers Societe Generale’s partnership with Bitpanda, Kraken’s acquisition of a Dutch broker to boost its European expansion, and other major stories.

Dutch Regulator Warns of Crypto Pump-and-Dump Risks 

The Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) has issued a warning about the dangers of cryptocurrency pump-and-dump schemes, just ahead of new European Union regulations under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). MiCA, which will come into effect on December 30, will explicitly ban crypto market manipulation tactics schemes across the Europe.

According to an official press release, the AFM will oversee the enforcement of these new rules in the Netherlands. The regulator has investigated several pump-and-dump schemes and plans to enforce strict measures once MiCA takes full effect.

A pump-and-dump scheme involves artificially inflating the price of a cryptocurrency by spreading misleading or exaggerated information. Promoters typically buy the asset at a low price, generate hype to attract public investment, and then sell their holdings at the inflated price.

Read more: What Is Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA)?

Hanzo van Beusekom, a member of the AFM’s executive board, highlighted that pump-and-dump schemes “undermine trust” in the crypto market, which is “essential for the long-term potential of digital assets.”

Societe Generale Forge Partners with Bitpanda for Euro Stablecoin

Global banking giant Societe Generale has teamed up with Bitpanda to expand the role of stablecoins in the financial system. The partnership focuses on promoting Societe Generale’s euro-denominated stablecoin, EUR CoinVertible (EURCV), through its blockchain subsidiary, Societe Generale-FORGE.

Bitpanda will help drive mainstream adoption of the EURCV, which will play a key role in the European crypto industry. According to Lukas Enzersdorfer-Konrad, Deputy CEO of Bitpanda, euro-based stablecoins will be critical for integrating traditional finance with digital assets.

“Fully regulated stablecoins are the bridge that will make it possible. We will work with Societe Generale-FORGE to bring that future one step closer,” he stated.

Stablecoins act as the primary link between fiat currencies and the world of cryptocurrencies. Providing investors with access to regulated stablecoins is a crucial step for attracting more investment into the crypto market.

Societe Generale’s EURCV stablecoin will be compliant with the MiCA regulations and will be listed on Bitpanda’s trading platform. As of 2023, Societe Generale ranks as the world’s 19th largest banking group, managing over $1.7 trillion in total assets.

Assetera Launches Secondary Tokenized Real-World Asset Market on Polygon

Assetera, Europe’s first regulated blockchain-based secondary market for tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), is set to launch on Polygon. Regulated by the Austrian Financial Market Authority, Assetera will use its own smart contracts on the Polygon blockchain.

The platform will cater to retail, professional, and institutional clients, offering tokenized financial instruments such as securities, money market instruments, fund units, and derivatives. In addition, Assetera will provide tokenized RWAs like real estate and art.

All trading will be conducted directly on the Polygon network, using stablecoins for purchase, clearing, and settlement via atomic swaps. The platform will operate 24/7 without manual intervention.

Read more: How To Invest in Real-World Crypto Assets (RWA)?

Assetera will support both custodial and non-custodial wallets, with plans to introduce bank-managed wallets. The platform has partnered with Sumsub, Chainalysis, and Fireblocks to ensure Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance.

Kraken Acquires Dutch Broker BCM to Boost European Expansion

Kraken has acquired Coin Meester (BCM), one of the Netherlands’ oldest registered crypto brokers, as part of its ongoing push to expand across Europe. This acquisition strengthens Kraken’s presence in the Dutch market and enhances its ability to operate with a registered Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license in France and Poland.

Brian Grahan, Kraken’s managing director for Europe, highlighted the importance of the acquisition in a September 24 announcement.

“The completion of the BCM acquisition is a key milestone in our European expansion, allowing us to leverage our strong footprint and market-leading position in euro volume and liquidity to significantly grow our market share in the years ahead,” he stated.

Kraken has ramped up its European expansion over the last two years, preparing for the upcoming regulatory framework. The exchange can now offer regulated VASP services directly or through partnerships in several countries, including Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Ireland, France, Poland, and the Netherlands.