Capitolis Appoints Okan Pekin as President

Key Terms

securities services financial

Securities services are the back‑office functions that keep investments safe, settled and accounted for—like a vault, mailroom and accountant combined for stocks and bonds. They include custody (holding assets), settling trades, keeping records, collecting dividends or interest, and handling corporate actions, and they matter to investors because they reduce the risk of loss or error, ensure you actually receive payments, and affect costs and speed of trading.

equity prime finance financial

Equity prime finance is the suite of behind-the-scenes services that large investors get from specialized broker-dealers to borrow or lend shares, obtain short-term funding, manage collateral, and handle trade settlement and safekeeping. Think of it as a backstage support team that lets investors take bigger, faster or opposite bets (like shorting) while affecting the cost, flexibility and counterparty risk of those strategies—so it directly influences returns and how easily positions can be executed or unwound.

futures & clearing financial

Futures are standardized contracts to buy or sell an asset at a set price on a future date; clearing is the middle‑man process that guarantees those contracts will be fulfilled and handles the cash and paperwork. Think of futures as a promised deal and clearing as the trusted escrow and referee that makes sure both sides meet their obligations. For investors this matters because futures allow hedging, speculation and price discovery, while clearing reduces the risk a trade will fail and determines margin and financing costs.

fx prime brokerage financial

A FX prime brokerage is a set of professional services large traders use to buy, sell and manage foreign-currency trades through a single, trusted provider. Think of it as a financial concierge that supplies credit lines, combines multiple trading venues into one bill, handles settlement and custody, and helps reduce the paperwork and counterparty risk; for investors this makes complex currency exposure easier, cheaper and safer to scale and monitor.

derivatives sales financial

Derivatives sales are transactions where a firm sells financial contracts whose value is tied to something else, like a stock, commodity, interest rate, or currency. Think of them as selling an insurance policy or a bet based on the future price of an underlying item; the seller earns fees or premiums but also takes on obligations and risk. Investors watch derivatives sales because they can be a meaningful source of revenue, a driver of profit volatility, and a way for a company to build up exposure or hidden liabilities that affect future cash flow and balance-sheet risk.

debt capital markets financial

Debt capital markets are the parts of the financial system where companies, governments and institutions raise money by issuing loans, bonds or notes that investors can buy. Investors lend capital in exchange for regular interest payments and eventual repayment of principal, so changes in interest rates, the issuer’s ability to repay, or the amount of new debt offered can directly affect income, risk and the value of holdings—similar to deciding whether to buy someone’s IOU based on how likely they are to pay you back.

Former Citi Global Head of Securities Services and longtime Capitolis Board Member brings over three decades of experience driving innovation and scaling global enterprises

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Capitolis, the financial technology company, announced the appointment of Okan Pekin as President. Based in London and reporting to Gil Mandelzis, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Okan will help scale Capitolis and drive the company’s next phase of growth.

Okan brings over 35 years of global financial services experience, including senior leadership roles at Citi (NYSE: C) until his retirement in April. Most recently, he served as Global Head of Securities Services, a $5 billion global business where he drove significant client growth. Previously, Okan led Equity Prime Finance, Futures & Clearing, and FX Prime Brokerage, and earlier held global leadership positions in Investor Services, FX, and Local Markets. He also led Derivatives Sales in Europe and Debt Capital Markets for Frequent Issuers. Throughout his career, Okan has consistently built and scaled high-growth global franchises.

Okan has also served as a Board Member at Capitolis for five years on behalf of Citi and understands the ins and outs of its business and the overall market it serves.

"Capitolis has grown tremendously and now, we’re preparing for our next phase and focusing on what’s needed to continue our momentum. With that growth comes complexity across our business, products, clients, and delivery, and getting this right is critical to maximizing our potential,” said Gil Mandelzis, CEO & Founder, Capitolis. “I’m thrilled to welcome Okan, someone I know and trust, who brings exceptional experience and a proven track record of delivering at scale in global financial services with the highest level of professionalism. I am confident about our future and excited about the opportunity to continue to deepen strategic client relationships, drive further product innovation, and advance our long-term growth.”

“I am honored to join Capitolis as President at this pivotal moment and believe we are building a truly consequential global company that will have a lasting, meaningful impact on the financial services industry,” said Okan Pekin, President, Capitolis. “Having worked with this talented team over the years, I’m eager to get started and look forward to partnering with Gil to scale the business by driving excellence and expanding our platform as we continue to innovate.”

“The directors and senior management of Capitolis have gotten to know Okan from his distinguished service on our board,” said Tom Glocer, Executive Chairman & Co-Founder, Capitolis. “We are excited that among many options he has now chosen to join us as President and are confident that Okan is the right leader to propel Capitolis into its next stage of growth.”

Capitolis has recently achieved strong momentum, launching new products, expanding its client network, securing additional strategic bank investments, and acquiring Capitalab. Okan’s appointment follows other key hires supporting Capitolis’ next phase of rapid growth and expansion, including Richard Schiffman as Chief Product Officer, Amol Naik as Chief Operating Officer, and Melanie Carucci as Global Head of Sales.

About Capitolis

We believe the financial markets can and should work for everyone. Capitolis is the technology company helping to create safer and more vibrant financial markets by unlocking capital constraints and enabling greater access to more diversified capital and investment opportunities. Rooted in advanced technology and deep financial expertise, Capitolis powers groundbreaking financial solutions that drive growth for global and regional banks – and institutional investors alike. Capitolis is backed by world class venture capital firms, including Canapi Ventures, 9Yards Capital, SVB Capital, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Index Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Spark Capital, and S Capital, as well as leading global banks such as Barclays, BNP Paribas, Citi, J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Standard Chartered, State Street and UBS.

Founded in 2017, our team brings decades of experience in launching successful startups, technology, and financial services. Capitolis was recognized on the Inc. 2024 Best in Business list in the Financial Services and Innovation & Technology categories, and honored for the third consecutive year in the 2025 Euromoney Foreign Exchange Awards. The company has been included on CNBC’s World's Top Fintech Companies list for the past three years, Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 list in consecutive years and was named to Fast Company’s prestigious annual list of The World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2023. American Banker recognized Capitolis among the Best Places to Work in Fintech, and the company was named by Crain’s New York Business as one of New York City’s Best Places to Work in 2025 for the fourth consecutive year. For more information, please visit our website at www.capitolis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251208838642/en/

Shannon Mullins

Sloane & Company

smullins@sloanepr.com

Brian Zilberfarb

Capitolis

brianz@capitolis.com

Source: Capitolis