26 Degrees - Where team and technology are key

Table of Contents

1.  An Update on 26 Degrees
2.  26 Degrees’ Global Presence
3.  Asset Classes Offered by 26 Degrees
4.  The Evolution of 26 Degrees’ Client Mix
5.  Key Broker-Dealer Products and Services
6.  The 26 Degrees Senior Executive Team
7.  Transformation in the Prime Services Industry
8.  The Continuing Growth of Alternative Prime Services
9.  Sophisticated Tools and Platforms for Brokers
10.  Emerging Client Segments at 26 Degrees
11.  The Role of AI and Machine Learning in FX
12.  Institutional Engagement in Digital Assets
13.  Creating a Positive and Engaged Work Culture
14.  The Importance of Long-Term Partnerships
15.  Future Growth Plans for 26 Degrees
16.  The Recipe for Future Success

It’s been several years since we last did an in-depth cover interview feature with you. Since that time, how have you gone about turning 26 Degrees into a firm which is uniquely positioned to offer reliable, sustainable, and high-quality access to prime services?

So much has changed in the world, in a frighteningly short time, since our last chat. Leaving aside some of the monumental developments that have occurred recently in the global political-economic environment, our industry continues to go through generational changes. Every day, global banks withdraw further from providing prime services, mainly due to sensible regulatory reforms post-GFC. At the same time, they are cutting the provision of ancillary services like capital introduction, outsourced execution and advisory services.

Since we last spoke, we’ve continued to evolve 26 Degrees into a global non-bank prime services provider anchored on reliability, transparency, and tailored access, precisely to take advantage of the fact that there are so many clients of the bank prime brokers who are looking for alternatives. They are struggling with the minimum commission requirements, the minimum collateral hurdles and frankly, what they are saying to us is that they desperately need a more attentive, bespoke service.

We have had success by focusing on sustainable infrastructure, resilient connectivity, deep liquidity, and a risk-conscious balance sheet, while ensuring we are providing our clients with a true partnership; someone who cares about what they need rather than just commoditised access. From my perspective, our approach to trying to build the right offering for our clients is all about two things – team and technology.

What parts of the world does the company now have a presence in?

From our unique headquarters at the historic World War 2-era Submarine Base Platypus, on the waterfront of Sydney Harbour, we’ve built a truly impressive global presence. Our London and Tokyo office serve as key trading and relationship hubs, complemented by a large back office/administrative team in Cyprus and a growing presence in Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong.

This international network ensures 24-hour coverage and local expertise across every major time zone. We’ve intentionally chosen locations where we felt the environment was right for us to establish a sustainable presence. They are places where regulation, infrastructure, and client demand intersect, allowing us to deliver consistent service quality and seamless access to liquidity. Each regional office reflects the same culture – entrepreneurial, client-focused, and performance-driven, yet adapted to local market nuances and regulatory frameworks.

What range of asset classes does the firm support?

26 Degrees provides prime access across FX, metals, indices, commodities, alongside a comprehensive suite of Equity CFDs and synthetic exposures. Our multi asset approach allows clients to optimise capital efficiency while managing diverse trading strategies under one roof. We’ve pioneered “Pairs CFDs”, enabling clients to express relative value views across assets like gold versus major indices or commodities – a first in the non-bank space. Beyond spot and derivatives, our connectivity extends into liquidity aggregation, clearing, and collateral management, creating a single-access point for global traders and asset managers seeking efficient, scalable multi-asset exposure. Click here for more information on our Pair CFD offerings: CFD Pairs

How has your client mix been growing and evolving and why are increasing numbers of firms choosing to work with 26 Degrees?

Our client base has matured from active trading boutiques into a diverse ecosystem of hedge funds, asset managers, prop trading firms, and broker dealers. Increasingly, clients are drawn to us as an alternative to bank PBs whose thresholds and balance sheet constraints have tightened. Clients value our agility, personal engagement, and deep operational competence. Many now view us as an extension of their infrastructure rather than a counterparty. Growth has come organically through reputation and word-of-mouth – a testament to performance and trust. Clients stay because we deliver consistent pricing, resilient infrastructure, and genuine human relationships.

Please tell us a little about the scope of the key products and broker dealer solutions that 26 Degrees offers.

Our offering spans full prime services – from trade execution to clearing, reporting, margin financing, synthetic solutions and outsourced execution solutions. We differentiate through innovation. Our live margining and account status reporting, outsourced execution suite, and multi-asset bridge technology simplify complex trading ecosystems.

Clients access liquidity from multiple Tier-1 venues while maintaining transparency through our institutional grade reporting and analytics. We act as both enabler and partner, providing infrastructure and credit intermediation designed for sustainability and scalability. The goal isn’t to be the biggest, it’s to be the most reliable and intelligently structured prime partner in the non-bank space.

Who are the key members of your senior executive team and how has their experience and expertise across multiple asset classes helped you to build a world class business faster than many might have expected?

Our core leadership team, which includes James Alexander, Nabil Rahman, Peter Bickerton and Esteban Mora, have been with 26 Degrees since its inception, bringing deep experience across banking, hedge funds, trading technology, and risk management. Each senior executive, from operations and risk to liquidity and product strategy, contributes institutional-grade discipline and entrepreneurial drive.

This fusion has allowed us to scale faster than many expected. Our global heads all share a mindset of excellence, accountability, and curiosity. Together, we’ve created a culture where innovation is balanced with control. That’s why we continue to attract exceptional talent and institutional clients globally.

In what ways has the prime services industry been experiencing significant transformation over the past few years and what factors are at play here?

Prime services have undergone structural change. Traditional banks continue retrenching due to balance-sheet costs, regulatory complexity, and risk appetite shifts – leaving sophisticated clients seeking alternative and more flexible partners. At the same time, clients demand multi-asset access, transparency, and bespoke liquidity solutions. Technology is democratising what was once exclusive, and the emergence of non-bank primes like 26 Degrees is filling that void. We’ve seen the industry evolve toward integrated service ecosystems – execution, clearing, financing, and risk, delivered through efficient technology and trusted relationships. Agility and expertise, not balance sheet alone, now defines leadership in the modern prime landscape.

Do you think the need for alternative prime services will continue to grow over the next few years and how important will that be for 26 Degrees?

The demand for alternative prime services will only accelerate. As banks continue rationalising clients and products, firms need agile partners who can provide institutional-grade infrastructure without restrictive thresholds. For 26 Degrees, this represents a generational opportunity. We’re positioned as the bridge between sophisticated trading firms and the liquidity ecosystem – credible, well-capitalised, and technologically advanced.

The next phase of growth will come from diversification – supporting funds, brokers, and prop houses who value independence and flexibility. Alternative primes like us are not “second tier”; we’re now the new standard for responsive, relationship driven, modern market access.

There is increasing sophistication in the tools brokers are using to manage risk and segment their client base. How are you catering for this and in what ways is it influencing how you work with them, for example in structuring liquidity and supporting differing flow profiles?

Brokers and funds today deploy advanced analytics to manage risk, liquidity, and capital efficiency. We support them by mirroring that sophistication – providing configurable liquidity streams, real-time analytics, and execution routing tuned to their flow profiles. Our liquidity management framework segments clients by strategy and behaviour, ensuring we match the right liquidity to the right flow.

This alignment reduces toxicity, improves pricing, and benefits both sides of the trade. Technology underpins it all: API-driven reporting, margin stress tools, and dynamic credit monitoring. The result is precision-engineered prime access that scales intelligently with client complexity.

What client segments, for example hedge funds, are you currently focusing your business growth efforts around and how much of a challenge is it to meet their unique needs?

We continue to grow among hedge funds, systematic traders, and professional asset managers who need institutional execution without restrictive bank hurdles. Each segment has unique requirements – from leverage and collateral flexibility to execution speed and data integration – and we’ve built infrastructure to support those bespoke needs. Servicing them means deep collaboration: custom margin frameworks, liquidity maps, and capital-efficient structures. While competition for this segment is intense, our ability to combine technology with genuine value-driving relationship management sets us apart. We’re not chasing volumes or league tables, we’re continuing to build durable partnerships with sophisticated, globally active clients.

e-Forex is increasingly exploring the potential applications for next generation technologies like AI and Machine Learning in FX. What are your thoughts about the implications of these for both traders and their service providers?

AI and machine learning are transforming FX and derivatives markets. For traders, they enhance strategy design, execution timing, and risk detection. For service providers like us, they’ve revolutionised surveillance, pricing, and client analytics. We use AI to refine liquidity routing, detect anomalies, and automate reporting – improving both efficiency and control. The key, of course, is balance. Using AI to empower human expertise, not replace it. As data volumes expand exponentially, the winners will be those who integrate machine intelligence seamlessly into decision making, compliance, and client experience. At 26 Degrees, that’s the core of our technology roadmap.

Another very important area we are focusing on at present is the increasing institutional engagement with Digital Assets. What are your views about this fast-growing asset class and in what ways will you be positioning 26 Degrees to capture the opportunities it presents?

Frankly, Trump has changed everything. Institutional adoption of digital assets has matured dramatically. We are seeing growing demand for regulated, transparent access to tokenised and synthetic exposures rather than pure crypto speculation. 26 Degrees is positioning itself to service that evolution – offering prime-style credit intermediation and clearing for digital assets within established risk frameworks.

Our clients want consistency, familiar structures, professional custody, and integrated reporting. We’re not chasing hype, we’re building the infrastructure that will allow institutions to trade, finance, and hedge digital assets responsibly as the asset class becomes a permanent feature of modern markets.

26 Degrees was recently named one of the top 10 best places to work in Australia. How have you gone about creating such a positive workplace environment?

Culture is everything. That has probably been the most important learning of my career. Building a business is totally about getting the culture and people right. From day one, we built 26 Degrees around respect, empowerment, and accountability – values that scale with the company. Being named one of Australia’s Top 10 Best Places to Work reflects our belief that high performance and wellbeing coexist. In fact, they are mutually dependent.

We prioritise autonomy, communication, and professional growth, and ensure leadership remains approachable and transparent. My priority – my main personal obligation – isn’t to our shareholders; it is to our staff. Making sure everyone in the company can advance their career in the way they want to. People join us because they want to do meaningful work in a team that cares. They stay because they feel trusted. A positive culture isn’t a slogan. If it is, it gets found out quickly. It’s the compounding effect of daily behaviours that reinforce trust and excellence.

26 Degrees also continues to win important industry awards. How important are the long-term partnerships you have built and continue to build in helping you to achieve and maintain this recognition?

Our industry awards and recognition come from long-term relationships, not marketing spin. We view every client, liquidity provider, and technology vendor as a strategic partner. Those relationships are built on mutual trust, performance, and shared ambition. And by this point, over a decade of partnering together. Industry recognition validates that client-centric approach, but it’s the partnerships themselves that sustain it. Our collaborative style extends beyond commercial arrangements: we contribute to regulatory dialogue, technology innovation, and market integrity initiatives. That collective effort reinforces 26 Degrees’ reputation as a trusted, credible counterparty in an industry that values integrity, resilience and innovation.

As 26 Degrees continues to capture market share, what plans do you have for increasing your international footprint further?

We’re continuing to grow internationally through a mix of organic expansion and strategic partnerships. Dubai, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong are our next focal points – all offering strong regional ecosystems and regulatory clarity. I’m most excited about some of the opportunities we are exploring in North America though. Our expansion philosophy is simple: follow client demand, ensure regulatory strength, and never compromise service quality. Each new jurisdiction we enter reinforces our mission – to provide global reach with local expertise and uncompromising reliability.

26 Degrees currently combines market leading technology and automated solutions with a highly personalised service and a product that is customised to your client’s needs. Is that a recipe for your future success as well or will you keep adapting the formula?

Our success lies in combining automation and personalisation – and that balance will continue to evolve. Technology delivers efficiency, scalability, and control, while human relationships drive trust and understanding. We’ll keep adapting that formula, guided by client feedback and market dynamics. As trading needs, technology, asset classes, and regulation evolve, so will 26 Degrees – always grounded in reliability, expertise and trusted relationships.