As an Institutional BD Manager, you will be responsible for driving the adoption of our platform/protocol among institutional players. Your goal is to secure high-value partnerships with hedge funds, market makers, asset managers, and corporate treasuries, facilitating their entry into the digital asset ecosystem through our infrastructure.
Key Responsibilities
- Institutional Pipeline Management
- Identify and engage with institutional prospects, including Tier-1 and Tier-2 market makers, VC firms, OTC desks, and family offices.
- Lead the entire sales process from initial cold outreach and high-level presentations to complex contract negotiations and closing.
- Coordinate with Legal, Compliance, and Operations teams to ensure a smooth KYC/KYB and technical onboarding process for institutional clients.
- Strategic Partnerships & Liquidity
- Negotiate and structure deals that increase on-platform liquidity, TVL (Total Value Locked), or trading volume.
- Identify opportunities for API integrations and sub-custody solutions for traditional financial (TradFi) institutions.
- Develop and manage VIP tiers, ensuring institutional clients receive competitive fee structures and bespoke support.
- Product & Market Advocacy
- Act as the voice of the customer for institutional needs, relaying feedback to the Product and Engineering teams to improve API stability, security features, and reporting tools.
- Represent the firm at global institutional summits (e.g., Token2049, Blockworks Digital Asset Summit) to build a high-trust network.
- Compliance & Risk Mitigation
- Stay updated on global crypto regulations (e.g., MiCA, VASP requirements, SEC/CFTC shifts) to ensure all BD activities are compliant.
- Work closely with the Risk department to assess the creditworthiness and reputational standing of potential institutional partners.
Required Skills & Qualifications
- 25 years in Business Development, Institutional Sales, or Account Management within Fintech, Prime Brokerage, or Web3 Infrastructure.
- Strong understanding of traditional finance (TradFi) instrumentsderivatives, spot trading, lending, and settlementand how they translate to DeFi/Web3.
- Ability to discuss technical specifications, including REST/FIX APIs, MPC (Multi-Party Computation) wallet security, and smart contract audits.
- Sophisticated verbal and written communication skills suitable for C-suite and Investment Committee presentations.
- A Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Business, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience in the crypto markets).
Preferred Qualifications
- A warm network of contacts within the crypto institutional space (Market Makers, Funds, or Custodians).
- Proficiency in a second language relevant to global financial hubs (e.g., Mandarin for the APAC corridor).
- Experience explaining complex DeFi concepts (Liquid Staking, RWA Tokenization) to traditional investors.
