Genesis Hires Ex-Galaxy Digital Staffer to Run New Derivatives Trading Desk

Digital currency giant Genesis Global Trading has launched a derivatives trading desk to be led by former Galaxy Digital staffer Joshua Lim.

The desk will provide liquidity across crypto derivatives markets and trade cleared and bilateral over-the-counter (OTC) options and forwards. Last week, the New York based-trading firm, which is a subsidiary of CoinDesk parent firm Digital Currency Group, announced it was entering into prime brokerage with its acquisition of crypto custodian Vo1t. 

The new derivatives desk will expand the company’s suite of products as it aims to attract more institutional clients to the newly branded Genesis Prime, said Genesis CEO Michael Moro.

Lim, a former employee of both Galaxy Digital and Circle, will lead the new derivatives trading desk. At payments startup Circle, Lim helped develop an OTC trading desk. At crypto merchant bank Galaxy Digital, he built customized products for institutional clients. According to a report last month by The Block, Lim departed Galaxy following a round of layoffs in February.

“We want to be present on Deribit and CME as a liquidity provider,” Lim said of his new remit. “For those traders that don’t have enough size on their order books, they can reach out to us and we can be present on the other side of the trade.”

Over the coming months, Genesis will seek to prove to the market that it can do derivative trading, Moro added. Later this year, Genesis will be introducing capital introduction for family offices seeking crypto hedge funds that have the strategies, fee structure and asset exposure to fit their investing needs.