Manfred Knof joins crypto company DeFi Technologies
Former Commerzbank CEO Manfred Knof has accepted his first mandate. A good nine months after handing over his position at Germany's second-largest private sector commercial bank to Bettina Orlopp, the 59-year-old is becoming chairman of crypto specialist Valour, and strategic advisor to DeFi Technologies.
Valour is a subsidiary of Nasdaq-listed company DeFi Technologies. Knof will serve as a strategic advisor. Valour is an issuer of exchange-traded products (ETPs), which are exchange-traded financial instruments that offer investors simplified access to digital assets. Valour's crypto ETPs are also traded on Xetra.
Expanding institutional partnerships and increasing equity research reach
As chairman of Valour, Knof will use his extensive leadership experience in the European banking and the financial sector to support Valour's goal of expanding assets under management through institutional partnerships with leading financial institutions, according to a company statement.
In addition, the former Commerzbank CEO will help expand equity research coverage. He will also deepen relationships with institutional investors to broaden the investor base of DeFi Technologies, which was only recently listed on Nasdaq.
Building legally compliant bridges
"His track record as a transformational leader in European finance, and his commitment to sustainable, client focused growth make him the ideal partner for our next chapter,“ said Olivier Roussy Newton, founder and CEO of DeFi Technologies. "The collaboration underscores our commitment to building robust, compliant and long-term bridges between global investors and decentralised finance.
To this end, crypto companies are keen to draw on managers with experience in the highly regulated banking sector.
Knof said that he is excited to join DeFi Technologies „at this pivotal time for the digital asset industry."
„Together, we will work to expand institutional access to digital assets and reinforce Valour's position as a trusted, innovative partner for investors worldwide“, he added.
Important phase for digital assets
Knof left Commerzbank when Unicredit launched its unwanted takeover bid and the supervisory board decided to bring forward the planned handover to Bettina Orlopp. Knof would have liked to continue, but accepted the decision without complaint, thereby contributing to Commerzbank's defence against Unicredit. His track record as CEO of Commerzbank is good, as he had made positive progress with the ongoing transformation.
He joined Commerzbank from Deutsche Bank, where he was responsible for private customer business. Prior to that, he was CEO of Allianz Deutschland AG, and worked for Dresdner Bank, among others. Manfred Knof holds a doctorate in law from the University of Cologne and an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business.
