Nikolay Nikolaev

CTO

Sofia, Bulgaria24 yrs 4 mos experience
AI ML PractitionerAI Enabled

Key Highlights

  • Reduced delivery cycles from 8 weeks to 2 weeks.
  • Sustained ~98% platform uptime during restructuring.
  • Scaled teams from zero to 85+ across multiple countries.
Stackforce AI infers this person is a Fintech technology leader with extensive experience in trading platforms and regulatory compliance.

Contact

LinkedIn

Skills

Core Skills

Technology Leadership & Engineering Organization BuildingRegulatory Compliance & Risk ManagementProduct DevelopmentAlgorithmic TradingBusiness DevelopmentOperational Management

Other Skills

Electronic Trading Platforms & Brokerage Systems (MetaTrader 4/5)Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management (GDPR, FCA, CySEC, FSA, DORA)AI-Assisted Software DevelopmentOperational Resilience & High-Availability SystemsSDLC & DevOps Lifecycle ManagementCloud Infrastructure & AWSFX & CFD Markets ExpertiseTechnology Roadmap & Portfolio ManagementBoard Advisory & Strategic Technology PlanningAgile Transformation (Scrum & Kanban)Trading Platforms & Capital Markets TechnologyTechnology TurnaroundOKR Framework ImplementationQuantitative Trading & BacktestingDevOps & Engineering Team Building

About

I build the technology, product, and operational backbone of regulated fintechs - sometimes from scratch, sometimes from dysfunction, always under real-world constraints: capital pressure, regulation, legacy systems, and investor scrutiny. Over 25+ years in fintech and capital markets, I’ve led engineering, product, risk operations, and full business units across multiple jurisdictions. The pattern is consistent: enter complexity, align the organisation around outcomes, and build the machine that makes the business scalable. Across these engagements: - Delivery cycles reduced from 8+ weeks to 2-week execution cadence - ~98% (~99.9% during 24/5 trading hours) platform uptime sustained during restructuring - Teams scaled from zero to 85+ across multiple countries - Multi-million annual cost savings through lean models and nearshoring - GDPR, DORA, FCA governance frameworks implemented and audit-passed - Technology narrative co-authored for successful acquisition I’ve led technology for a top-10 global FX/CFD broker, built multi-asset trading platforms from zero codebase, established regulated business units in new markets, and run my own P&L as founder and CEO of an engineering consultancy and algorithmic trading firm. What I bring: deep trading-domain expertise, operational breadth beyond pure engineering, and the pragmatism to build with the resources actually available - not the ones we wish we had. I work best in PE-backed businesses, scale-ups, and regulated fintechs where technology leadership directly shapes valuation, risk profile, and strategic direction. Open to high-impact leadership mandates - permanent, interim, or advisory.

Experience

Skilling

Chief Technology Officer

Aug 2023 – Nov 2025 · 2 yrs 3 mos · Sofia, Bulgaria · Remote

  • Led technology turnaround of a multi-jurisdiction FX/CFD broker, stabilising the platform under cost and regulatory pressure; co-authored the technology narrative supporting a successful acquisition
  • Restructured the technology organisation, reducing headcount by ~25% while sustaining ~98% platform uptime and delivering recurring cost savings
  • Shifted delivery from 8+ weeks to 2-week cycles via AI-assisted SDLC and Agile practices, improving throughput ~2.7x
  • Chaired project steering and managed Product; aligned tech with commercial priorities-product-led improvements contributed to ~10% growth in active trading accounts
Electronic Trading Platforms & Brokerage Systems (MetaTrader 4/5)Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management (GDPR, FCA, CySEC, FSA, DORA)AI-Assisted Software DevelopmentOperational Resilience & High-Availability SystemsSDLC & DevOps Lifecycle ManagementCloud Infrastructure & AWS+7

Zenfinex

Chief Technology Officer

Jun 2021 – Jul 2023 · 2 yrs 1 mo · Sofia, Bulgaria · Remote

  • First technology hire; built the technology, product, and operational backbone from scratch for a multi-jurisdiction broker
  • Defined product vision for a proprietary multi-asset trading platform; delivered MVP in 9 months from zero codebase with a 3-person core team
  • Built engineering, security, and dealing-ops capabilities; introduced incident management and rolled out OKRs company-wide
  • Partnered with founders on prioritisation and investor readiness; supported expansion into LATAM, MENA, and Southeast Asia
Electronic Trading Platforms & Brokerage Systems (MetaTrader 4/5)Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management (GDPR, FCA, CySEC, FSA, DORA)OKR Framework ImplementationOperational Resilience & High-Availability SystemsSDLC & DevOps Lifecycle ManagementCloud Infrastructure & AWS+6

Quadrelion

CEO, Co-founder

Nov 2018 – Dec 2021 · 3 yrs 1 mo · Sofia, Bulgaria · On-site

  • Founded and led an engineering consultancy and proprietary algorithmic trading firm; owned full P&L and reached break-even in year one
  • Built and operated a systematic trading stack (283 strategies) alongside B2B broker delivery and a B2B2C trading analytics SaaS product
  • Led senior client relationships end-to-end; consolidated to a single client and made the decision to wind down in 2021 following Covid-driven disruption
Electronic Trading Platforms & Brokerage Systems (MetaTrader 4/5)Quantitative Trading & BacktestingSDLC & DevOps Lifecycle ManagementCloud Infrastructure & AWSDevOps & Engineering Team BuildingAlgorithmic Trading Systems & Strategy Development+6

Global kapital group

Chief Technology Officer

Nov 2013 – Oct 2018 · 4 yrs 11 mos · Istanbul, Turkey

  • Scaled the technology organisation from 15 to 85+ across three countries, managing multi-million budgets and supporting growth into a top-tier global FX/CFD broker
  • Improved platform uptime from 75% to 96% and expanded IT service capacity from ~200 to 5,000+ resolved requests per year
  • Led Agile and operating-model transformation, reducing time-to-market from ~18 months to ~3 months; directed re-platforming from monolithic to service-oriented architecture
  • Built a Market Risk & Operations unit and IT Security function; presented technology strategy to the Board; invited to an FCA-hosted IT security working group
Electronic Trading Platforms & Brokerage Systems (MetaTrader 4/5)Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management (GDPR, FCA, CySEC, FSA, DORA)Operational Resilience & High-Availability SystemsSDLC & DevOps Lifecycle ManagementFX & CFD Markets ExpertiseBoard Advisory & Strategic Technology Planning+4

Activtrades

Chief Technology Officer

Jul 2009 – Nov 2013 · 4 yrs 4 mos · London Area, United Kingdom

  • Built the technology function from zero into a 35-person organisation with a multi-million annual budget
  • Designed and executed nearshoring to Sofia, delivering multi-million annual savings and strengthening business continuity
  • Established and scaled the Sofia hub into a multi-disciplinary operational centre (engineering, infrastructure, risk, sales, compliance) under dual FCA + Bulgarian supervision
  • External value-attribution review concluded the hub represented ~one-third of group value creation by 2013
Electronic Trading Platforms & Brokerage Systems (MetaTrader 4/5)Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management (GDPR, FCA, CySEC, FSA, DORA)Operational Resilience & High-Availability SystemsFX & CFD Markets ExpertiseBoard Advisory & Strategic Technology PlanningAgile Transformation (Scrum & Kanban)+3

Bulbrokers consulting

Head of software services department

Feb 2008 – May 2009 · 1 yr 3 mos · Sofia, Bulgaria

FX & CFD Markets Expertise

Ntn 2000 ltd.

Managing Director

Jul 2005 – Jan 2008 · 2 yrs 6 mos · Shumen, Bulgaria

FX & CFD Markets Expertise

Sts soft

Project Manager

Aug 2002 – Jun 2005 · 2 yrs 10 mos · Gabrovo, Bulgaria

FX & CFD Markets Expertise

Data communication - bulgaria

Applications Developer

Jul 2002 – Jul 2002 · 0 mo · Sofia, Bulgaria

Leadership & Team Development (Mentoring & Growth)

Computer software development company (csdc) ltd.

Senior Software Engineer

Apr 2001 – Jul 2002 · 1 yr 3 mos · Sofia, Bulgaria

Team vision

Application Developer

Jun 2000 – Apr 2001 · 10 mos · Sofia, Bulgaria

Ntn 2000 ltd.

Software Engineer

Feb 1997 – Jun 2000 · 3 yrs 4 mos · Shumen, Bulgaria

Education

University of Shumen "Konstantin Preslavsky"​.

Completed coursework in Computer Information Technologies — Computer Information Technologies

Jan 1994 – Jan 1998

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