Although we list it last in this week’s “top stories” title above, we’d like to highlight up front an important guest editorial that ran this week by Finalto’s Michael Bleys on mental health and the online trading industry, as we approach the last week of May, i.e. Mental Health Awareness Month.
Michael’s essay includes some very open revelations about his own journey, as well as some important messages for the online trading industry.
Who was named as the new CEO of CFDs broker Taurex, replacing founder and longtime CEO Nick Cooke?
Who is behind the launch of Brand Lab, a new new brand and sponsorship consultancy for the fintech sector?
What other executive moves were seen at TradeLocker, MultiBank, IG, OKX, and Empire FX?
Some of the most read and commented-on FX/CFD industry news stories to appear over the past seven days on FNG included:
Top FX and CFDs industry news stories this week
Exclusive: Hannah Hill launches fintech branding consultancy Brand Lab. FNG Exclusive… FNG has learned that experienced FX and CFDs industry marketing executive Hannah Hill has launched Brand Lab, a new brand and sponsorship consultancy, helping businesses strengthen their brands, engage audiences, and drive growth through strategic marketing, partnerships, and global brand development.
Leverate launches no-code Algo Studio. Leading trading tech provider Leverate has announced the launch of Algo Studio, a fully native algorithmic trading suite embedded inside its premium trading platform. Leverate describes Algo Studio as a native, no-code algorithmic trading environment with social copy trading built in, which can deliver up to 4x order frequency, 70% uplift in engagement, and retention gains of up to 40% over 90 days.
Acuity Trading’s Andrew Lane on investing in MarketReader to bring “the why” to market intelligence. FNG Exclusive Interview… As we recently reported, Acuity Trading has announced a growth investment in MarketReader, a move aimed at strengthening how brokers, prop firms, and institutional clients access and understand market intelligence. We sat down with Acuity founder Andrew Lane to talk about the thinking behind the investment, what MarketReader actually does, and how this fits into Acuity’s broader intelligence offering.
Markets CRM product updates include KYC verification, client emails, operational controls. Broker CRM solutions provider Markets CRM has announced a series of product updates, introducing capabilities that expand integration with external verification providers, redesign the system for managing client communications, and improve operational controls used by agents in day-to-day work. The update also includes refinements to lifecycle data consistency, helping teams maintain reliable client records across onboarding, transactions, and operational reporting.
Mental Health Awareness Month: Is Our Industry Doing Enough? As we head toward the latter parts of May – which is recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month in several places worldwide – we’re pleased to highlight a guest editorial courtesy of Michael Bleys, Director of Sales at Finalto on the topic. Michael’s essay includes some very open revelations about his own journey, as well as some important messages for the online trading industry.
Top FX industry executive moves this week

❑ Exclusive: Matthew Wright becomes Global CEO at CFDs broker Taurex.
❑ TradeLocker hires Spotware BDM David Kivakude as CCO.
❑ Exclusive: MultiBank crypto trading head Malcolm Baker moves to Bit1.
❑ Exclusive: IG Group Head of Emerging Markets Paul Stevens departs.
❑ Former Trivepro / Pepperstone UK CEO Iain Rogers joins OKX.
❑ Kenya CFDs broker Empire FX hires Pepperstone Africa head Sahil Patel as COO.
❑ 21X appoints Mark David Bakacs as Managing Director Group Strategy.