GC Exchange FZE has appointed Alya Marrakchi as Managing Director, following regulatory approval from the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) in Dubai. The promotion marks a significant leadership change at the VARA-regulated virtual asset service provider, which operates as a broker-dealer for institutional and professional clients across the Middle East and globally.
- Appointment Date: September 21, 2022
- Join Date: June 2025
- Previous Role: Sales team member building institutional relationships across UAE and GCC markets
- Regulator: Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), Dubai
Marrakchi joined GCEX in June 2025 and rapidly expanded the firm’s institutional client base across the UAE and broader Gulf Cooperation Council region. Her ascent to Managing Director reflects accelerating regional momentum as the company builds out its Middle East leadership structure. Prior to GCEX, she held senior business development positions at Hubpay, an FSRA-regulated cross-border payments provider, and at Clarify B2B in London, where she managed enterprise sales programmes for multinational technology clients. She began her career at RisKover, a Moody’s Analytics partner specializing in financial regulation and risk management.
Marrakchi holds a Master’s degree in International Marketing and Business Development from SKEMA Business School in Paris and a Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics and Marketing from IHEC Carthage in Tunisia. She is fluent in English, Arabic, and French, with professional experience spanning Paris, London, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai.
Alya has built real commercial momentum for GCEX across the UAE and GCC since she joined last year. She understands the region, she understands our institutional clients, and she has the languages and relationships to back it up. Promoting her to Managing Director is about giving her the mandate to match the impact she’s already having.
– Lars Holst, Founder and CEO, GC Exchange FZE
The Middle East is one of the fastest-moving regulated digital asset markets globally, and leading GC Exchange FZE as Managing Director is a real opportunity to build on the trust we’ve established with institutional clients and to grow the team around that. I’m looking forward to it.
– Alya Marrakchi, Managing Director, GC Exchange FZE
The appointment follows the recent elevation of Mohammed A. Mulla to Board Member of GCEX‘s Dubai-based entity. GC Exchange operates multiple regulated group entities providing institutional clients with access to virtual-asset liquidity, FX and CFD products, and technology solutions. The London-headquartered firm holds a Virtual Asset Service Provider licence from VARA, UK FCA authorization for GC Exchange Limited, and Danish regulatory approvals for relevant entities under the EU Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA).
Alya Marrakchi, Managing Director of GC Exchange FZE. Source: LinkedIn
Lars Holst, Founder and CEO of GC Exchange FZE. Source: LinkedIn
Mohammed A. Mulla, Board Member at GCEX. Source: LinkedIn
