Pepperstone has named Nigel Fernandes as its new chief technology officer, effective 1 October 2026. Fernandes, who spent the last several years as SVP and executive general manager of engineering at Xero, will lead the broker's global engineering, architecture, security and data teams. The hire is part of Pepperstone's effort to bring more of its technology in-house and build out a broader fintech ecosystem spanning crypto, AI-native engineering and institutional-grade infrastructure.
A 20-year tech resume
Fernandes brings more than two decades of technology leadership experience across financial services, retail, media and enterprise software. Before Xero, he held senior roles at Publicis Sapient, Coles Group, SEEK and Envato. His time at Xero saw him lead global teams working on cloud platforms, customer identity and data.
Why Pepperstone is building its own stack
The Melbourne-based broker serves clients in more than 160 countries. The appointment signals a shift toward owning more of its own technology rather than relying on third-party vendors. Pepperstone is also looking to expand into crypto and AI-native engineering, and the CTO role is central to that push.
What Fernandes will oversee
As CTO, Fernandes will lead engineering, architecture, security and data globally, reporting to Group CEO Tamas Szabo. He'll be based at Pepperstone's global headquarters in Melbourne.
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