21Shares Announces New Hires and Expands to Middle East

New country heads for Germany, France and BeLux are joined by a Head of Middle East,
who will lead 21Shares’ market expansion to Dubai and the Middle East

Zurich, Switzerland – August 17, 2022 – 21Shares AG (“21Shares”), the world’s largest issuer of cryptocurrency exchange traded products (ETPs), today announced the addition of three new hires across Europe and the Middle East. Sherif El-Haddad, Head of Middle East, Marina Baudéan, Head of France and BeLux, and Oliver Schäfer, Head of Germany, have joined 21Shares, bringing their extensive finance and sales experiences to the company.

Sherif El-Haddad joins 21Shares as Head of Middle East based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates – where he will lead 21Shares’ market expansion in the region. El-Haddad previously served as Head of Asset Management at Al Mal Capital. Before that, he was the Managing Partner of Pearl Capital Management and led the asset management division of EFG Hermes for over 13 years. El-Haddad has extensive experience in the financial services sector across the Middle East and a broad set of capabilities and networks. El-Haddad holds an accounting degree from The American University in Cairo.

“In addition to Switzerland, where 21Shares is based, Dubai is one of the most exciting and favorable locations for crypto and blockchain businesses. As 21Shares embarks on its Middle East expansion, I am proud to be part of this growth journey. ” Sherif El-Haddad commented.

Marina Baudéan joins 21Shares as Head of France, Belgium and Luxembourg – where she is responsible for developing the 21Shares footprint in these regions to meet investors’ growing appetite for digital assets. Baudéan comes from a traditional finance background, having previously worked in the fixed income markets in a variety of client facing roles. In 2000, she started at Tradeweb, a leading electronic trading platform, before pursuing a career at Barclays, where she spent more than 15 years developing the BARX franchise and most recently, leading the electronic rates distribution team in EMEA. Similar to other team members at 21Shares, Baudéan decided to leave traditional finance to explore this exciting opportunity in the blockchain and cryptocurrency world. Baudéan holds a master’s degree in Business Administration and Management from ISC Paris.

Oliver Schäfer joins 21Shares as Head of Germany – where he is responsible for further development and expansion of sales and business development in the region. Schäfer brings more than 20 years of experience across leading companies in the financial sector. Before joining 21Shares, Schäfer worked at a corporate finance consultancy and an independent fund boutique. He also spent almost five years in private banking at SEB Bank AG and 15 years in asset management at J.P. Morgan AG covering wholesale clients with a focus on private banks, independent asset managers and family offices. Schäfer studied business administration in Frankfurt and Hamburg.

Commenting on the company’s new hires and market expansion, Isabell Moessler, Head of Distribution EMEA at 21Shares said: “We’re so glad to welcome Sherif, Marina and Oliver to our fast-growing team. Their experience will help us gain even more traction in our European core markets and begin our entrance into the Middle East.”

21Shares recently launched its Crypto Winter Suite, a set of products designed to help investors weather the bear market and provide various ways to enter the asset class. Recent product launches in the Crypto Winter Suite include the world’s cheapest Bitcoin ETP (CBTC) as well as two risk-controlled products, the 21Shares S&P Risk Controlled Bitcoin Index ETP (SPBTC) and 21Shares S&P Risk Controlled Ethereum Index ETP (SPETH).

To learn more about 21Shares, please visit www.21shares.com.

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Press Contacts:

Arielle Sobel, Head of Global Communications, press@21shares.com 
Megan Enright, Communications Manager, press@21shares.com 

About 21Shares:
21Shares takes innovation to the next level with the largest suite of cryptocurrency exchange-traded products (ETPs) in the world. In 2018 it pioneered the world’s first cryptocurrency index listing on the SIX Swiss Exchange, and it continues powering its cryptocurrency franchise with cutting-edge research and groundbreaking approaches to product strategy. 21Shares aims to provide all investors with an easy, secure, and regulated way to buy, sell, and short cryptocurrency through existing bank and brokerage accounts. 21Shares is a Swiss company registered in Zug, Switzerland with offices in Zurich and New York City. For more information, please visit www.21shares.com.