Pepperstone, an Australian-based broker, has posted a job ad for a Head of Cross-Asset Strategy, a role typically found in investment banking. According to Tom Williams, the broker's Chief Operating Officer, this move is part of Pepperstone's 'mission to build a fintech ecosystem for our clients.'
The company has built new trading products that don't fit into a single asset class, including perpetual CFDs and pre-IPO names. Williams believes the most valuable opportunities now lie in the space between asset classes.
Multi-Asset Expansion
This shift towards a 'fintech ecosystem' is partly a response to crypto giants encroaching on retail brokers' territory. Some crypto exchanges have acquired MiFID licenses to sell derivatives in the EU, with Bitget's CEO considering Robinhood a peer. Pepperstone itself launched a crypto exchange in Australia in 2026.
New Roles Emerge
The expansion into multi-asset models has created new roles, such as Capital.com's search for an EMI CEO. The appointment of a Head of Cross-Asset Strategy signals the retail market's growing professionalism, with clients expecting more asset classes, sophisticated instruments, and 24/7 markets.
Round-the-Clock Trading
Round-the-clock trading appears to be the next frontier, with the New York Stock Exchange exploring tokenized securities platforms and Nasdaq planning to trade US stocks for nearly 23 hours a day. This will require product innovation, with Williams stating that brokers treating product innovation as a 'serious cross-asset craft' will be the ones to win.
