Komainu, a regulated custody provider for the digital asset industry, has announced the appointment of Paul Frost Smith as co-CEO. Mr. Frost Smith will work alongside Robert Johnson, who served as interim CEO and has now been appointed co-CEO on a permanent basis.
Komainu’s board said it made the strategic decision to create a co-CEO role because of the highly complementary nature of each candidate’s skill set. With exclusive areas of ownership, the co-CEO structure will provide the breadth and focus needed to capitalize on the opportunity presented by the rapid growth in the digital asset market.
Mr. Frost Smith’s career spans over 30 years in international financial markets, including recent experience scaling digital asset businesses. In his most recent role, Frost Smith was co-founder and CEO of Corinthian, a leading investment management and digital asset advisory firm. His previous multi-strategy hedge fund, Castlegrove, was acquired by Millennium Management, LLC in 2008. In his role as Co-CEO, he will focus on business strategy, growth and expansion as well as delivering innovative and customized client solutions.
Robert Johnson joined Komainu as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) in October 2023 and has been interim CEO since February. Rob has extensive experience in financial services, having previously served as CTO and Partner at Coremont, as well as 18 years in trading at MUFG Securities. In his role as co-CEO, Rob will continue to lead the development of Komainu’s institutional-grade digital asset infrastructure and drive innovation and excellence across the entire technology offering.
Commenting on his appointment, Paul Frost Smith said:
“The digital asset market is poised for continued and sustained growth as institutional investors continue to penetrate and dip their toes into the market. We have to remember that this is still at a very early stage. Providing regulated and transparent solutions that enable institutions to navigate this new ecosystem is a critical step in supporting wider adoption. From an asset manager’s perspective, Komainu is truly a pioneer in digital asset custody, with the best solutions out there, and I’m excited to be joining now to lead the next phase of development.”
Robert Johnson added:
“Paul brings a unique combination of digital asset expertise as well as experience scaling high-growth businesses. His knowledge and skills are a perfect complement to my technical background. Together we are excited to advance Komainu to support the growth of the digital asset market and deliver innovative institutional-grade solutions for our clients.”
About Komainu
Formed as a joint venture between Nomura, digital asset manager CoinShares and Jersey-based digital asset security firm Ledger with offices in London, Dubai and Singapore, Komainu is a regulated digital asset custodian created by institutions for institutions. Offering multi-asset support with regulatory experience, Komainu merges traditional financial services with leading security standards for the next generation of institutional custodians.
Komainu (Jersey) Limited is regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC). Komainu UK is registered with the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Komainu MEA FZE is regulated by the Dubai Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA). Komainu Europe Srl has OAM registration in Italy.