- Exotix creates new Research, Analytics & Data (RAD) division as part of strategic investment to provide clients with enhanced insights across Frontier and Emerging Markets
- Exotix hires Paul Domjan, former CEO of 4CAST-RGE and MD of Roubini Global Economics, to manage and build RAD unit
- Exotix Research Portal, a key part of the new technology supporting the delivery of RAD services, launches today
- Standalone RAD unit will help European clients prepare for MiFID II by unbundling research from wider IB offering
- Exotix rebrands as Exotix Capital to reflect broadened service offering and its role as an enabler of the flow of capital
Exotix, the leading Frontier and Emerging Markets investment firm, today announces the creation of a Research, Analytics & Data division to expand and enhance the insights and services it provides to clients.
The RAD division is to be headed by Paul Domjan, the founder of Country Insights, which was acquired by Roubini Global Economics. Domjan subsequently led the successful integration of the subscription business of Roubini Global Economics and 4Cast Ltd. to form 4CAST-RGE, where he was CEO from May 2016.
Exotix RAD today unveils its key technology mechanism for delivering analysis: the Exotix Research Portal. This powerful, searchable tool showcases analysis, trading ideas and thought-leading commentary produced by the Exotix research team every day on over 160 companies and government entities around the world, more than any other Frontier Markets investment firm. The Portal will also help to facilitate direct interaction with analysts and provide notice of client events. In addition, RAD will enable clients to benefit from the firm’s unrivalled industry and market knowledge via the delivery of bespoke solutions. Stuart Culverhouse continues to lead Fixed Income Research, and Hasnain Malik remains Head of Equities Research. Together with recent joiner Rahul Shah, heading Equities Financials Research, they will operationally report to Paul, who joins in August.
Positioning Research, Analytics & Data as a standalone unit marks an important step in helping European clients prepare for regulatory changes to the way in which research is consumed under the impending MiFID II rules. MiFID II requires the unbundling of research from broader investment bank offerings. While committing to further strengthen the full service offering for clients, including deep analysis on single name credit and equity research along with sovereigns, macro and overall trading strategy, Exotix is leading the way by enabling research to also be used as an enhanced separate service.
The Exotix Research Portal is delivered via the new Exotix Capital Website, which is supported by investment in the very latest IT architecture, CRM platform and servers, making client interaction vastly more efficient. As part of its transition, Exotix will also look to make its analyst reports available on third-party platforms.
Paul Domjan comments: “I am very excited to partner with thought leaders like Hasnain Malik and Stuart Culverhouse to build the new RAD division to continue to enhance the strong service that Exotix provides its clients and to bring Exotix’s unique insights on frontier and emerging markets to a wider audience.”
The expansion in Exotix’s research capabilities follows significant new hires across the business, including the appointment of Rahul Shah, former Head of Research for MENA at Credit Suisse, as the new Head of Equities Financials Research; and Guy Frost, who has held senior trading and broking roles at JPMorgan, Standard Bank and ICAP, to run an expanded fixed income business in EMEA and Asia. Exotix is building its presence in South and Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa with the recent appointments of Sibtain Mustafa, former Relationship Manager for Habib Bank and Head of Equities at Elixir in Pakistan, and Paul Stromsoe, ex-Head of Sales Trading at African Alliance and with experience at Merrill Lynch, WestLB and Natixis. Exotix has also been expanding its corporate finance advisory investment banking business, with the hire of four senior bankers during the past year.
To reflect its extended capital markets business, Exotix is taking the opportunity of the Website and Research Portal launch to rebrand as Exotix Capital. This becomes the firm’s new trading name, while the pre-existing registered company names remain.
Exotix CEO Duncan Wales comments: “Our industry is going through a considerable period of change, and the creation of the RAD division and Portal is the start of our drive to deliver cutting edge capability and services to international investors, governments and traders seeking insights into some of the world’s most dynamic growing economies.”
Michael Spencer, CEO of NEX Group, is one of the leading investors in Exotix. NEX Group, a financial technology company, helps clients improve trade execution and manage risk. The company invested in the research platform, RSRCHXchange, earlier this year.
Michael Spencer comments: “The way that the financial industry consumes research, data and information is evolving fast, and Exotix is helping to drive that process. The Exotix research team has unparalleled expertise in Frontier and Emerging Markets, developed over the best part of two decades, and their new portal clearly displays all of this accrued knowledge in a single digitalised platform.”
About Exotix:
Exotix Capital provides the most comprehensive and integrated cross-asset platform to penetrate the full capital structure in Frontier and Emerging Markets. Analysts spanning Emerging Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Americas cover over 160 companies, more than any other Frontier markets firm. Stretching well beyond the equity and fixed-income markets, the Exotix advisory team provides the full range of investment banking services to companies, financial institutions, investment funds and governments. These include strategic advisory assignments from debt capital to private equity fund raising. More information is available at www.exotix.com