BPX Appoints Former ClearBank CEO Charles McManus as Advisor for Digital Capital Markets Infrastructure

BPX, the UK FCA-authorised institutional venue for issuing, trading, and lending both traditional and tokenised alternative assets, has announced the appointment of Charles McManus, Co-founder and former CEO of ClearBank, as an Advisor.
 

Mr McManus, who co-founded ClearBank, one of the UK’s first new clearing banks in over 250 years, joins BPX at a significant time for global financial markets. He brings extensive experience in building and scaling regulated financial infrastructure and continues to work with financial institutions, fintechs, and industry bodies in advisory and board roles.
 

His appointment coincides with the ongoing evolution of market structure and infrastructure, driven by advances in blockchain, smart contracts, digital money, programmable payments, and AI trading platforms. This structural shift sees traditional finance moving towards digitally native, tokenised, and increasingly decentralised models. BPX aims to lead this transition, working with regulators and institutions to build the necessary infrastructure and frameworks for secure and scalable institutional participation in this new financial ecosystem.
 

Charles McManus, Co-Founder and Board Director ClearBank 

Commenting on his new role, Charles McManus said: “Having spent my career at the intersection of banking, fintech and securities markets, BPX represents a compelling convergence of these domains at a pivotal moment for the industry. Financial services are entering a new era, where digital assets, digital money and tokenised infrastructure are redefining how markets and leading players operate.
 

“BPX is addressing this shift through the development of a regulated securities marketplace for traditional and tokenised assets, designed not only to support innovation, settlement and custody, but to enable institutional adoption within a robust regulatory framework. This is critical to unlocking the full potential of tokenisation of securities in global capital markets.
 

“I am excited to support BPX’s mission as its platform evolves alongside regulators and market participants. The transformation of financial markets is underway, and BPX is well positioned to play a leading role in this new ecosystem.”
 

BPX is focused on building next-generation market infrastructure that extends beyond traditional regulated systems, aiming to unlock a significant commercial opportunity at the intersection of institutional finance and digital innovation.
 

Ali Celiker, Founder and CEO of BPX
 

Ali Celiker, Founder and CEO of BPX, stated: “We are delighted to welcome Charles McManus to BPX as an advisor at such a pivotal moment for capital markets.
 

“Charles brings a rare combination of deep banking expertise, fintech innovation experience, and a proven track record of building and scaling regulated financial institutions from the ground up—experience that is directly aligned with BPX’s mission.
 

“His insight and relationships will be invaluable as we continue to develop BPX as a next-generation market infrastructure, enabling the issuance, settlement, and trading of digital securities within a trusted regulatory framework.
 

“Charles’ perspective, shaped through close collaboration with regulators, institutions, and market participants, strongly aligns with our vision to modernise capital markets through tokenisation. We look forward to working together as we accelerate the transition towards more efficient, transparent, and accessible financial market.”
 

BPX is advancing the development of its digital securities marketplace in close collaboration with regulators, institutional participants, and strategic advisors. Mr McManus's appointment further strengthens this effort, bringing additional expertise in navigating regulatory frameworks and scaling financial market infrastructure. This move aligns with the broader trend among Tier 1 liquidity providers and other major financial institutions adapting to the digital asset landscape.
 

BPX is also participating in the joint Bank of England and FCA Digital Securities Sandbox, where it is testing and refining its infrastructure to support both traditional and digital assets within a controlled environment. Through this work, and in collaboration with its members, BPX is contributing to the development of next-generation market models and helping define the future architecture of global financial markets.
 

The ongoing evolution of capital markets, particularly the convergence of traditional finance with digital assets and tokenised infrastructure, holds significant implications for the liquidity provider and prime brokerage sectors. As firms like BPX develop regulated frameworks for digital securities, the underlying principles of efficient liquidity provision, robust settlement, and secure custody remain paramount. This shift directly impacts how institutional participants access and trade a broader range of assets, extending the scope of services offered by traditional and crypto prime brokerages, and influencing the future of institutional FX markets.