Gemini flags ‘big plans’ for Asia with India hub and regional CEO

United States-based cryptocurrency exchange Gemini has announced plans to tap into India’s pool of top tech talent with the establishment of a new engineering hub in the country.

In an April 20 statement, Gemini’s global chief technology officer, Pravjit Tiwana, announced the exchange is “in the midst” of opening an engineering center in Gurgaon, India. It said it would be the exchange’s second-largest engineering hub, behind its hub in the U.S.

Heading up the operation will be Tiwana, who has been appointed as the CEO of Gemini Asia Pacific in addition to his role as global chief technology officer.

According to a separate statement made on the same day by Gemini founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, the exchange “has big plans for international growth this year in APAC,” starting with its India hub.

Gemini’s India arm will seemingly focus on a wide remit, with Gemini saying it will develop web and mobile user experiences, contribute to platform compliance, data pipelines, warehousing, security and payments.

The hub will also develop new feature sets for Gemini’s nonfungible token and crypto asset marketplaces, it noted:

“The products and features built in our India location will be used by our retail and institutional customers in 70+ countries.”

Gemini said it’s “actively hiring” talent in the country, and its careers page lists 18 open roles — 14 engineering positions and one for a regional vice president.

Tiwana acknowledged the talent that India possesses, saying it is “a hotbed for bar-raising technology talent.”

Additionally, the exchange reported it will expand its business teams in India and Singapore with a focus on growing Asia Pacific-based institutional and individual customers.

Related: Gemini and Genesis’ legal troubles stand to shake up industry further

This development follows Gemini’s announcement on April 12 that it has filed a pre-registration undertaking with the Ontario Securities Commission, the regulator responsible for the capital markets in Canada’s most populous province.

The undertaking is a mandatory requirement for cryptocurrency exchanges seeking to conduct business in Canada and become a restricted dealer in the country.

Peer exchange Coinbase has also signaled interest in building more of its business outside of the U.S. and recently received a license to operate in Bermuda as many in the industry are unhappy with the regulatory treatment of crypto firms.

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