EIF Director

  • Aaron Payas CFA

    Tel: +350 200 79000 | aaron.payas@hassans.gi

    🙋🏻‍♂️ Web3 & Funds lawyer. BAYC #3338. Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder. Degree in Mathematics.

    📚 Self-motivated, goal oriented and client-focused. Biggest attribute is an endless pursuit of self-improvement through multi-disciplinary studies.

    👨🏻‍💻 Connecting the dots to bring disruptive Web3 closer to the mainstream with every matter, Aaron is focused on helping projects build with solid legal and regulatory foundations.

    Aaron’s practice enables his clients to leverage all the advantages Gibraltar offers as a proof-of-concept jurisdiction for crypto projects. Marrying a traditional practice in financial services with industry-leading work, Aaron has been instrumental in many clients’ achievements in the challenging DLT space.

    🔍 Focus:

    Web3, NFTs, metaverse, crypto funds, crypto foundations, token sales, DAOs, DLT licences, VASPs & tokenisation of assets.

    📜 Aaron is ranked as a leading fintech and funds lawyer by Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners

  • Andreas Businger

    Tel: +350 200 44144 | andreas.businger@turicum.com

  • Benjy Cuby

    Tel: +350 200 40000 |bcuby@finsburytrust.com

    Benjy serves as CEO of Finsbury Trust where he works with a diverse range of clients in establishing and managing their international business, be it through investment funds, companies, trusts and other structures. Benjy is a licensed Company Director and is an authorized Experienced Investor Fund Director in Gibraltar. Finsbury Trust in addition provides fund administration services to private and regulated funds.

    Previously, Benjy was an investment banker working in New York, London and Tel Aviv with UBS and Credit Suisse, where he focused on cross-border M&As, IPOs, private placements, corporate finance mandates and financings over a broad range of industries. Prior to this, Benjy was a business consultant at the London branch of Arthur Andersen’s Business Consulting Division, where he specialized in strategic planning, business development and valuation.

    Benjy received his BSc in Economics specializing in Accounting & Finance from the London School of Economics and his MBA specializing in Finance from Columbia Business School. Benjy has served on the GFIA Executive for over a decade, currently representing the EIF Directors.

  • Christopher Wawn.

    Tel: +350 200 76458 |chris.wawn@austin-friars.gi

    Moving to Gibraltar as a resident in 1990, Chris joined ABN Amro in 1997 as a Senior Relationship Manager and was later appointed the Manager of Private Banking for Lloyds TSB. Stepping out on an independent path in 2009, Chris was licensed by the GFSC in 2012 as an experience investor fund director. He has served on a variety of boards ranging from a traditional core and satellite portfolio, credit lending, derivatives, and crypto strategies. Chris has also undertaken several international stabilisation and development assignments around the world. Chris is a Commissioner for Oaths, Chartered Manager and holds various financial services benchmark qualifications.

  • David D Cuby TEP

    Tel: +350 200 40000 | dcuby@finsburytrust.com

    David is the Chairman of Finsbury Trust, working with and serving as director of numerous international clients over a range of industries. He is a member of the Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners, is as Justice of the Peace in Gibraltar and is an authorized Experienced Investor Fund Director.

    David has developed his financial expertise from initial work in the reinsurance industry, where he worked in Gibraltar, London and Tel Aviv. The early 2000s saw him undertake a management buyout of what is now Finsbury Trust along with two co-directors, and David has since then been involved with many high-level property transactions.

    David provides EIF Directorship services to among the largest pan-European institutional real estate fund groups, the recipient of multiple industry awards.

  • David Wahnon BSc (Hons) FCCA

    Tel. +350 200 73064 | dwahnon@wdr.gi

    WDR Limited Suite 31, Victoria House 26 Main Street Gibraltar

  • George Felipes

    Tel: +350 564 36000 | george@felipes.org

    George has 33 years of hands-on experience in the finance industry in Gibraltar where he has held various senior management roles. He started his career with Mobil Oil in Spain (Madrid) where he worked for 8 years as IT Manager. In 1988, he returned to his native Gibraltar working for A.I.G. (American International Group) where he was responsible for setting up two hedge funds. He then moved to Hambros Bank (Gibraltar) Limited as a director in charge of the bank’s operations. In 1995, he joined ABN AMRO Bank N.V. – Gibraltar as CFO/COO, responsible for: introducing overall new systems; change to new premises; planning for the Euro and KY2; the setting up of a representative office in Marbella; and finally taking a leading role in the sale of the Branch to SG Hambros. In 2009 he was appointed CEO of Gibraltar Car Parks Limited, a new Gibraltar Government venture. He is an active member of GFIA and is also licensed by the FSC to act as an EIF director.

  • James Lasry

    Tel: +350 200 79000 | james.lasry@hassans.gi

    James is Deputy Head of Financial Services at Hassans. Head of Funds at Hassans International Law firm. He has been instrumental in setting up a wide range of funds in Gibraltar from Hedge funds to Private Equity, Real Estate and Crypto funds. He is currently serving as Chairman of the Gibraltar Funds Industry Association and member of the Gibraltar Finance Centre Council. He has advised the Government of Gibraltar on its funds legislation. James is the founder and President of AmCham Gibraltar.

  • Jonathan C Stagnetto.

    Tel: +350 20079959 |jonathan@formaco.gi

    FORM-A-CO (GIBRALTAR) LIMITED was founded in 1989 to conduct the business of Company Formation and administration and all ancillary services.

    Jonathan’s role from the outset was to serve as the firm’s Manager, creating its product line and devising its services. Since that date, Jonathan has overseen the evolution of the business as the firm’s Managing Director to incorporate Trust and Marine administration into its range of products, and steering it through the various compliance and regulatory challenges arising from the application of Financial Services Regulation in Gibraltar as from 1993, with the establishment of the Financial Services Commission itself.

    To this day, Jonathan’s role is to oversee the management of the firm’s Company Formation and Trust Administration services (through FORM-A- TRUST (GIBRALTAR) LIMITED), and the incorporation of small businesses in Gibraltar to service the local economy, whilst retaining executive responsibility for all compliance and regulatory led initiatives for the firm.

    Experience

    - Over 33 years working in Gibraltar’s Financial Services industry as

    Managing Director of a firm which is duly licensed by the Financial Services Commission to conduct Company Management and Trust Administration services.

    - Registered with the Supreme Court to serve as a Commissioner for Oaths in Gibraltar.

    - Licensed by the Financial Services Commission to provide Directorship services as an approved individual.

    - Approved by the Financial Services Commission to serve as an EIF (Experienced Investor Fund) Director.

    - Member of the Gibraltar Advisory Board of TFO Tax Strategies Limited – a Manchester-based business

  • Moe Cohen

    Tel: +350 200 74854 |moe.cohen@rsm.gi

  • Maurice Albert Perera.

    Tel: +350 200 40000 | mperera@finsburytrust.com

    Maurice serves as Director to Finsbury Trust, heading the Corporate Department and the day-to-day management of a large clientele.

    Formerly, Maurice worked as an assistant company secretary at Hassans, a prominent legal firm in Gibraltar, before moving to Finsbury to undertake corporate work in the mid-1980s, being appointed as Director in the late 2000s. He deals with an extensive real estate investment portfolio, focused on the UK, Spanish and Portuguese markets. Maurice also serves as an EIF Director for multiple notable real estate funds, the largest of their kind, as well as overseeing other investment companies.

    Maurice is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA), a Chartered Governance Professional, A Commissioner for Oaths and a licensed Experienced Investor Fund Director in Gibraltar.

  • Steve Riggs

    Tel: +34 695363645 | steve.riggs@ttg-capital.com

    Steve has been working in the financial markets for over 30 years. Starting his career on the London International Financial Futures Exchange. He spent 10 years as a trader of futures and options trading on the world’s main Futures Exchanges.

    Some years also at Barclays Wealth as a private Banker in Canary Wharf London, attaining the Investment Management Certificate whilst there.

    The last 13 years have been spent running a dealing room in Gibraltar for TTG Capital Ltd and Steve is part of the senior management team that runs the whole business for TTG Capital worldwide.

  • Subash Malkani

    Tel: +350 200 40000 |smalkani@finsburytrust.com

    Subash is the Vice-Chairman and Finance Director of Finsbury Trust. He is a Fellow Chartered Accountant, a commerce graduate, holds a degree in law and is a licensed Experienced Investor Fund Director in Gibraltar.

    Subash began his professional life auditing funds, public and private companies, banks, public sector undertakings, trusts and other entities, subsequently working in tax and management consultancy. He later went on to serve as an internal auditor for a multi-division company and then Finance Director of a manufacturing business. Before the emergence of Finsbury Trust, Subash worked as Financial Controller of the entire Valmet Group, an international financial services company involved in mergers and acquisitions, sales, takeovers and restructures.

    Apart from heading the finance department of Finsbury Trust, Subash also heads its Compliance Department and IT Department, being well-versed in a breadth of areas.

  • Pallavi Reddy

    Tel: +44 7903035235 | pal.reddy1@googlemail.com

    Pallavi has an extensive background in funds, spending several years as a hedge fund investor at Blackstone in London and later working as head of a corporate venture capital fund at Aviva. She currently provides advisory services to start-ups and funds and is an active angel investor. She has experience advising and investing in crypto including cryptocurrencies, NFTs, funds and start-ups.

  • Umesh Bhambhwani FCCA

    Tel: +350 54015834 | umesh@gibtelecom.net

    After graduating from University, Umesh trained as a Chartered Certified Accountant with KPMG in Gibraltar, qualifying in 2003. Throughout his career, he has acquired knowledge and experience on a large and diverse portfolio of international and local clients, providing services such as audit, accounting, financial statement preparation, advisory, license applications, financial due diligence, insolvency, tax and directorships. He has worked in a diverse range of industries including: banking, funds, insurance, utilities, property, trusts and owner managed businesses.

    Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA).

    Practising Certificate from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

    FSC licensed experienced investor fund director.

    FSC licensed auditor

    FSC licensed insolvency practitioner