All about Anatoliy Knyazev

Anatoliy Knyazev is one of the founders and Managing Partners of EXANTE, which is a Malta-based investment company that has clients from over 100 countries. The broker currently has $2 billion in assets under management (AUM), and it operates across various continents, with offices in London, Cyprus, Malta, and Hong Kong.

Early years and educational background

Knyazev received his master’s degree in Mathematics and Computer Scienceand also has a strong background in computation and statistics. Shortly after his graduation, he began working as a software developer at Netcracker Technology Corporation, a multinational provider of business support systems (BSS), operations support systems (OSS), and software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualisation (NFV) solutions.

Knyazev’s early career experience allowed him to develop his professional and practical skills, which were based on his extensive academic knowledge. This later becomes a key reason for EXANTE’s technological supremacy in the investment broker landscape.

It was also during this time that Knyazev began applying his expertise in mathematics to trading. As he specialised in cybernetics and computational mathematics, Knyazev entered the world of arbitrage trading of derivative products. He also found a lot of applications in the practice of algorithmic trading, which allowed him to meet a community of like-minded traders and investors. He also managed to create a counterparty network that led him to meet EXANTE’s co-founder Alexey Kirienko.

Knyazev and Kirienko both have deep knowledge of probability theory and statistics, as such, they tried to find patterns in financial market behaviour. They also experimented with creating their own trading software in 2007. Over time, the two gained an understanding of how they could create proprietary software and solutions for the wider trading community. This sparked the idea of launching their own brokerage firm – which the duo did in 2011, with a third co-founder, GatisEglitis.

Working at EXANTE

Knyazev, Kirienko and Eglitis founded EXANTE with the vision that it would provide a sophisticated yet accessible way for investors to participate in global markets. One of the key differences between EXANTE and most other brokers – according to its founders – is that it focuses on providing lasting investment infrastructure that can make a difference in the field. This means offering its own trading solutions, including a bespoke trading platform.

The EXANTE trading platform was created in-house, and it provides clients with direct market access to over 600,000 financial instruments in more than 50 markets around the world – all from a single multi-currency account. It can be used on both desktop and mobile, and traders can even switch between devices seamlessly. Some of the products the brokerage firm offers include stocks, currencies, Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs), bonds, and derivatives such as futures and options. The trading platform itself also boasts an outstanding network of more than 1,100 servers around the world to ensure the lowest latencies and safe data transfer.

In order to stay true to its mission of increasing accessibility to everyone, the brokerage firm caters to retail traders of all skill and experience levels. It offers a transparent pricing model for trade execution alongside competitive spreads and no hidden fees. EXANTE also works together with professional investors, family offices, wealth managers, banks, and other financial institutions. The brokerage firm is even a partner to some of the biggest names in the field, such as ING Group, Bank of China, HSBC, and Santander.

EXANTE is regulated globally, by the MFSA in Malta, the CySEC in Cyprus, the SFC in Hong Kong, and the FCA in the UK. It undergoes regular audits by a Big Four company to ensure the protection of client data and funds. As EXANTE operates in the EU, it is also compliant with MiFID II regulations, a legislative framework that aims to protect traders and investors in the EU. This means traders can rest well knowing their funds are safe and protected.

Other achievements and passions

Aside from founding EXANTE, Knyazev is a passionate ambassador of cryptocurrencies, as he has a keen interest in homogenising and unifying global financial systems. He also founded the world’s first cryptocurrency hedge fund called Bitcoin Fund, which has its shares tied to the market price of Bitcoin, in addition to an altcoin index fund called XAI Fund. Bitcoin Fund became the world’s most profitable hedge fund in 2013 and had a cumulative growth rate of 10,000% by 2017, according to Bloomberg.

Knyazev has even authorised several journal articles and participated in numerous conferences worldwide. These conferences have discussed the benefits, relevance, and potential of cryptocurrencies. He has also been invited to comment on relevant topics, such as Bitcoin dynamics and adoption, in established and well-respected newspapers such as The Independent and the Financial Times.