Blab Crypto
Former Jump Trading Head of Crypto Trading Joins Fasanara Digital as Head of Trading
Chris Drew, a veteran of high‑frequency trading, has taken a new helm at the crypto‑native hedge fund Fasanara Digital, stepping into the role of head of trading after a 16‑year stint at Jump Trading.
Drew departed his position as head of London digital‑asset trading at Jump in 2025, and his arrival was announced as part of a quartet of hires the fund has made over the past year. Fasanara Digital, founded in 2021 by 25‑year‑old Nikita Fadeev, is positioning itself to capitalize on the growing overlap between traditional finance (TradFi) and digital assets.
Fadeev explained on the firm’s website that Drew’s appointment reflects a broader push into TradFi markets. He noted that tokenised real‑world assets have more than doubled in market cap over the past year, driven largely by equities and commodities such as metals and energy.
Drew’s professional journey began as a quant trader at Sun Trading, an early high‑frequency firm that Hudson River Trading acquired in 2018. He later worked as a spot FX trader at JPMorgan before joining Jump. At Jump, he started on multi‑asset strategies and began specialising in crypto in 2019, two years before the firm rebranded its crypto division as Jump Crypto.
Jump Trading has long been a prominent proprietary house, applying algorithmic and high‑frequency techniques across futures, options, equities, and digital assets. Its global footprint spans Chicago, New York, Austin, London, Singapore, Shanghai, Bristol, Mumbai, GIFT City, Sydney, Amsterdam, Hong Kong and Paris.
In 2023, Jump was named in a lawsuit alleging that it had manipulated the algorithmic stablecoin TerraUSD (UST). The suit, filed by a Terra Labs liquidator, claims that Jump profited from supporting the peg of UST and selling discounted LUNA tokens. Drew was appointed to a leadership role at Jump that same year, but he was not named in any of the allegations.
Drew’s move to Fasanara comes as several crypto firms broaden their reach into TradFi. Last week, Wintermute received approval to become a market maker for securities exchanges, including the New York Stock Exchange, a development that signals a growing trend of digital‑asset companies bridging the gap between traditional and crypto markets.
Fasanara Digital’s strategy centres on quantitative crypto investment. The firm’s team includes a co‑head of digital, a head of quant, and several other specialists. Fadeev’s leadership has positioned the fund as a boutique alternative asset manager with a strong emphasis on risk‑controlled, data‑driven trading.
Drew’s background in high‑frequency trading, spot FX, and digital‑asset markets is expected to strengthen Fasanara’s trading capabilities. The firm’s recent hires, including Drew, underscore a continued investment in talent capable of navigating both traditional and crypto‑centric markets.
While the exact impact of Drew’s arrival on Fasanara’s performance remains to be seen, the move underscores the increasing convergence of crypto and traditional finance. As tokenised assets grow in market cap and regulatory clarity improves, firms that can operate effectively across both domains are likely to gain a competitive edge.
The broader market context includes ongoing regulatory scrutiny of crypto firms, especially those engaged in high‑frequency trading. Jump’s involvement in the TerraUSD lawsuit has drawn attention to the risks of market manipulation in algorithmic stablecoins. Meanwhile, Fasanara Digital’s expansion into TradFi markets reflects a strategic shift that many crypto‑focused firms are pursuing.
In summary, Chris Drew’s transition from Jump Trading to Fasanara Digital marks a notable shift in the crypto‑trading landscape. The move aligns with a broader industry trend of integrating traditional‑finance expertise into digital‑asset operations, as firms seek to capitalize on the growing tokenised asset market and the evolving regulatory environment.
Drew departed his position as head of London digital‑asset trading at Jump in 2025, and his arrival was announced as part of a quartet of hires the fund has made over the past year. Fasanara Digital, founded in 2021 by 25‑year‑old Nikita Fadeev, is positioning itself to capitalize on the growing overlap between traditional finance (TradFi) and digital assets.
Fadeev explained on the firm’s website that Drew’s appointment reflects a broader push into TradFi markets. He noted that tokenised real‑world assets have more than doubled in market cap over the past year, driven largely by equities and commodities such as metals and energy.
Drew’s professional journey began as a quant trader at Sun Trading, an early high‑frequency firm that Hudson River Trading acquired in 2018. He later worked as a spot FX trader at JPMorgan before joining Jump. At Jump, he started on multi‑asset strategies and began specialising in crypto in 2019, two years before the firm rebranded its crypto division as Jump Crypto.
Jump Trading has long been a prominent proprietary house, applying algorithmic and high‑frequency techniques across futures, options, equities, and digital assets. Its global footprint spans Chicago, New York, Austin, London, Singapore, Shanghai, Bristol, Mumbai, GIFT City, Sydney, Amsterdam, Hong Kong and Paris.
In 2023, Jump was named in a lawsuit alleging that it had manipulated the algorithmic stablecoin TerraUSD (UST). The suit, filed by a Terra Labs liquidator, claims that Jump profited from supporting the peg of UST and selling discounted LUNA tokens. Drew was appointed to a leadership role at Jump that same year, but he was not named in any of the allegations.
Drew’s move to Fasanara comes as several crypto firms broaden their reach into TradFi. Last week, Wintermute received approval to become a market maker for securities exchanges, including the New York Stock Exchange, a development that signals a growing trend of digital‑asset companies bridging the gap between traditional and crypto markets.
Fasanara Digital’s strategy centres on quantitative crypto investment. The firm’s team includes a co‑head of digital, a head of quant, and several other specialists. Fadeev’s leadership has positioned the fund as a boutique alternative asset manager with a strong emphasis on risk‑controlled, data‑driven trading.
Drew’s background in high‑frequency trading, spot FX, and digital‑asset markets is expected to strengthen Fasanara’s trading capabilities. The firm’s recent hires, including Drew, underscore a continued investment in talent capable of navigating both traditional and crypto‑centric markets.
While the exact impact of Drew’s arrival on Fasanara’s performance remains to be seen, the move underscores the increasing convergence of crypto and traditional finance. As tokenised assets grow in market cap and regulatory clarity improves, firms that can operate effectively across both domains are likely to gain a competitive edge.
The broader market context includes ongoing regulatory scrutiny of crypto firms, especially those engaged in high‑frequency trading. Jump’s involvement in the TerraUSD lawsuit has drawn attention to the risks of market manipulation in algorithmic stablecoins. Meanwhile, Fasanara Digital’s expansion into TradFi markets reflects a strategic shift that many crypto‑focused firms are pursuing.
In summary, Chris Drew’s transition from Jump Trading to Fasanara Digital marks a notable shift in the crypto‑trading landscape. The move aligns with a broader industry trend of integrating traditional‑finance expertise into digital‑asset operations, as firms seek to capitalize on the growing tokenised asset market and the evolving regulatory environment.
