BCS Prime Brokerage Ltd has been granted UK regulatory authorisation by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to deal and advise on investments and hold client assets, thereby marking the official launch of its international brokerage business.

BCS is committed to building a robust and transparent European business which can provide clients with both cost effective and efficient execution, as well as insightful and quantitative research, said Joseph Dayan, executive director and head of markets. “All members of the team have been hand-picked to maximise our skill set and we are confident that we can deliver a premium service to our global clients,” he commented.

“We are delighted to have reached this important milestone in our global business development. In launching our European operation, BCS Financial Group is able to expand its product offering and is well positioned to take advantage of the increased transparency and structural changes occurring in the Russian market, for the benefit of its institutional investors,” added Roman Lokhov, CEO of global markets and investment banking at BCS Financial Group.

BCS is building out its institutional coverage across Europe and has made a wave of key hires to support the core business launch. Executive directors include Rizwan Kayani and Joseph Dayan, formerly of Renaissance Capital and Unicredit respectively. They are supported by non-executive director John Barker, the former CEO of Liquidnet Europe and chief regulatory officer, Wendy Langridge. The management team also includes Tim Bevan and Luis Saenz, formerly of Otkritie Capital. The London business will continue to increase its headcount and market share over the next 12 to 18 months.