Regulations

Story: Nilesh Khatwani Joins Revolut to Spearhead UAE Institutional Crypto Expansion

By Sydney TheCMO

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From Crypto.com to Revolut: A Career Arc That Fits. Khatwani didn't jump straight to Global Head anywhere. At Crypto.

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Why Dubai, Why Now. The UAE has spent several years building one of the more coherent regulatory frameworks for…

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Institutional Crypto: Still a Wide-Open Race. Revolut isn't the only firm chasing institutional crypto clients right now.

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Revolut just made a hire. Nilesh Khatwani, formerly Global Head of Institutional Sales at Crypto.

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Khatwani is relocating to Dubai for the role, which puts him right in the middle of Revolut's push to lock down a regulated virtual-asset presence in the UAE.

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Khatwani didn't jump straight to Global Head anywhere. At Crypto.com, he worked his way up — Institutional Sales Manager, then Director, then Global Head of Institutional Sales.

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What he's walking into is a work in progress. Revolut's existing business-facing crypto products — Crypto for Business and Revolut X for Business — are built around spot trading…

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That's not necessarily a bad sign. Institutional crypto desks at major fintech firms often get built around a key hire first, with the product roadmap following.

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Related: UK Unveils £500 Million Anti-Money Laundering Strategy Targeting Crypto and Fintech

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Khatwani's move to Dubai isn't just symbolic. It puts the person responsible for building Revolut's institutional crypto sales operation in the same city where the company's most…

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The services Revolut plans to roll out in the UAE will be integrated into its retail app and into Revolut X, once final regulatory approval comes through.

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Revolut isn't the only firm chasing institutional crypto clients right now. The space has gotten crowded fast — banks, dedicated crypto exchanges, and fintech platforms are all…

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Related: Senates Clarity Act Stalls as Trumps Undisclosed Crypto Holdings Raise Concerns

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But the gap between "we have institutional products" and "we are the preferred institutional platform" is wide. Revolut's spot-trading and treasury tools are a starting point.

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For now, Revolut has the hire, has the regulatory groundwork in the UAE, and has a general direction.

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