LeapRate interview… Octavian Patrascu sat down with us to talk about his company CAPEX and what their clients might expect in the near future.
Octavian Patrascu is a Romanian angel investor and entrepreneur. He founded the holding company TVP Family Office, known for investing in businesses across various industries such as healthcare, technology, real estate, and financial services.
Octavian is also the founder of fintech company Capex.com. He has been involved in different companies from the same domain, like being ex shareholder in markets.com (acquired by Playtech), a shareholder in Vector Watch (acquired by Fitbit) and many other startups.
LR: Can you first tell us more about CAPEX.com and the people behind it?
Octavian: As the founder, my goal was to make CFD trading more accessible for people worldwide. Starting in 2016 and up to the present day, CAPEX has gradually covered more ground by obtaining multiple operating licenses in different corners of the world: European market under Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) license, Non-European market under Seychelles Financial Services Authority (FSA) license, South African market under South African Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) license, and UAE market where CAPEX was the first broker to receive “in-principle approval” from Abu-Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) in 2019 and was given the green light to operate in 2020.
Any success story is built around a vision and the people who helped bring the idea to life. CAPEX is no different, or, better said, CAPEXIANS are no different. I was the man with the vision. Then, from logistics, human resources, accountancy, legal, to system administration, marketing, B2B, B2C and others, each employee, partner, or collaborator has been offered the chance to pitch his ideas for making CAPEX a globally established brand with a family-like feeling.
LR: How does CAPEX.com set itself apart from the crowd?
Octavian: Automation, innovation and no commissioning are the keywords here. Because technology has sky-rocketed in recent years, traders have become hungrier for information and opportunities to make the best of what the capital market has to offer. Whether you have a past in online trading or just recently heard about it, CAPEX has the right solutions for easy access to the capital markets.
We’ve created a bridge connecting all types of traders with some great features, such as Bloggers Opinions, Insider’s Hot Stocks, News Sentiment, and much more; we’re frequently upgrading the tools and enriching the product line available on the platform, and, most importantly, we want our customers to be ahead of others by educating themselves through our learning academy, not to mention the 0 commissions and best execution policies we have in place for our client’s orders.
LR: Tell us about your X-branded line. How do the products in this line help your clients?
Octavian: Think of Elon Musk’s revolutionary SpaceX program. The X clearly stands for surprise and innovation. CAPEX is now on the same path of delivering the unexpected through its new line of X products. Whether we’re talking about StoX, QuantX or future-to-come ThematiX, the idea remains the same: we brainstorm, work until we get it right, and prioritize the client’s need for outstanding technology or customized products in online trading.
Let me show you what the X-line can do: with StoX, you can trade unleveraged fractional CFDs on shares; QuantX is a tool that allows you to build a stock portfolio according to your set-up parameters, then monitor it in a matter of minutes; ThematiX will definitely arouse everyone’s interest because it will group under specific umbrellas everything that has an impact in this world. We will select the best shares that identify with a particular sector and then create themed categories that a client can trade by opening a single position.
LR: What are the trader’s key demands in 2021, in your opinion?
Octavian: Modern people have a modern perspective about time. What happens today, tomorrow may be a thing of the past. As previously mentioned, the 2021 trader is now more knowledgeable, demanding, and with higher technology expectations than 6-8 years ago. Companies that have problems adapting at a fast pace will lose a fair share of their clients. I’m proud to say that CAPEX does not fall into this category because I predicted this shift in business patterns early in the brand’s development and took all necessary measures to counteract these new world effects.
LR: Congratulations on the recent successful funding round! What does it mean for CAPEX.com? What are the company’s plans for growth?
Octavian: Because I strongly believed in my dream project, initially, I was the one to bring seed money from my savings, followed by a $10 million funding that I managed to get. I am now proud to say that CAPEX has raised $21 million in a new funding round. It means that we now have what it takes to expand and approach emerging markets, open new offices and add valuable members to our teams. A revolution in trading awaits around the corner with the release of new blockchain apps, so the newly attracted funds will be used to develop new products and technologies and expand the company’s operational infrastructure.
LR: Any new company offerings you want to share with us?
Octavian: CAPEX will soon provide DMA (Direct Market Access). Clients will be able to trade on the physical market without the need for a middleman. They will have access to equity shares, ETFs, government bonds, and options from over 15 countries. DMA delivers better pricing, higher liquidity, faster execution, and more control over the trades. I am also trying to expand the company’s horizons towards neo-banking and physical cryptos and increase brand awareness by continuing our investment in sponsorships of global and local sports teams started in Q4 2020.
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