Former Jump Trading digital-asset trading chief Chris Drew has joined crypto-focused hedge fund Fasanara Digital as head of trading, bringing extensive experience from electronic and quantitative markets as the firm looks to broaden its investment activities, according to a report by eFinancial Careers.
Drew spent 16 years at Jump Trading, where he initially worked across multi-asset strategies before moving into digital assets in 2019. He subsequently became head of London digital-asset trading before leaving the firm in 2025.
His move to Fasanara Digital comes as established electronic trading firms and crypto-native investment managers increasingly seek opportunities at the intersection of traditional finance and digital assets.
Fasanara Digital is run by Nikita Fadeev, who launched the hedge fund in 2021 at the age of 25. Drew is one of four people hired by the firm over the past year as it expands its trading capabilities.
Fadeev said Drew’s appointment forms part of a broader effort to build exposure to traditional financial markets as the boundary between crypto and conventional finance continues to narrow.
In particular, Fasanara Digital is examining opportunities linked to tokenised real-world assets, with Fadeev pointing to rapid growth in tokenised exposure to equities and commodities including metals and energy.
Before joining Jump, Drew worked as a quantitative trader at Sun Trading, an early high-frequency trading firm that was acquired by Hudson River Trading in 2018. He also previously traded spot foreign exchange at JPMorgan.
At Jump, Drew moved into crypto trading as the firm’s digital-asset activities were becoming an increasingly important part of its business.
