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Henry Burrows
Co-Founder at Alaco Analytics
Professional Background
Henry Burrows is a distinguished professional with extensive experience in management, finance, and analytics. He is widely recognized for his role as co-founder of Alaco Analytics, a firm dedicated to providing data-driven insights and analytics solutions tailored to meet the dynamic needs of businesses. His leadership and innovative spirit have played a pivotal role in establishing the company’s reputation for excellence in the analytics sector.
Prior to his current role at Alaco Analytics, Henry Burrows served as a Senior Associate at Alaco, where he honed his analytical skills and developed a deep understanding of market dynamics and business strategy. His career trajectory also includes significant experience as a Senior Consultant at Control Risks, a prominent global consultancy that specializes in political, security, and reputational risks. Here, Henry’s analytical prowess helped clients navigate complex environments and make informed strategic decisions.
Henry's finance expertise extends to his earlier positions within Elara Capital Securities Pvt, where he served both as a Derivatives Sales & Analyst and worked in Asset Management. This experience endowed him with strong skills in financial analysis, asset valuation, and risk management, enabling him to contribute effectively in high-stakes financial environments. Additionally, his formative internship at Credit Suisse provided him with foundational knowledge and insights into investment banking and capital markets, further enriching his broad skill set and understanding of the financial sector.
Education and Achievements
Henry Burrows bolstered his professional journey with academic credentials that speak volumes about his commitment to excellence in his field. He earned a Master of Science (MSc) in Management & Finance from King's College London, University of London, a prestigious institution known for its rigorous academic standards and its emphasis on integrating theoretical knowledge with practical application. This degree provided him with a robust framework in financial theories, management principles, and analytical tools, equipping him to tackle real-world business challenges effectively.
Throughout his academic tenure, Henry's dedication to learning and growth positioned him well to become a thought leader in his industry. Having studied at one of London's top universities, he has a competitive advantage with access to a network of influential professionals and academics in finance and management.
Achievements
Since co-founding Alaco Analytics, Henry Burrows has been instrumental in driving the company’s strategic vision and expanding its range of services. Under his leadership, Alaco Analytics has successfully launched innovative analytical products that empower organizations to make data-backed decisions, significantly impacting clients' operational efficiencies and bottom lines.
His past roles reflect a commitment to integrity and excellence, as he has consistently delivered value and insights to employers and clients alike. Henry's analytical capabilities, combined with his strategic mindset, have enabled companies to navigate complexities within their respective industries.
In every role, from his start as an intern at Credit Suisse to his current position as co-founder of Alaco Analytics, Henry's journey reflects a steadfast commitment to professional growth, learning, and the pursuit of excellence, making him a valuable asset in the fields of management and finance.
Highlights
Cumberland's new #BitLicense from the New York State Department of Financial Services has pushed it into the Leaderboards Top 10. 👏
It's now ahead of rivals in the Capital Markets segment GSR and Portofino Technologies but behind Amber Group (which benefits from licenses in Hong Kong and Singapore).
I'm writing an article on a question we get asked a lot: do you know any crypto-friendly banks?
And I keep thinking back to a story a client told me once about getting de-banked by Santander completely out of the blue.
The client made a lot of money during the 2021 bull market, mostly in one token. We ran a SoW report with complete sight of all documentation: on-ramps, off-ramps, trading history, staking data, the lot. And there were no red flags. It was completely legitimate (and frankly pretty impressive).
But Santander concluded that there was a risk with an address the customer had interacted with, and they terminated the customer's accounts with the bank.
So what did Santander know? Or suspect they knew?
At the time, the bank was running a trial with a blockchain analytics platform. The type of platform used by law enforcement for complex asset tracing cases. The type of platform that will show you red flags 10 hops away, and cause a compliance officer to melt down because one of those flags reads 'Sanctions'. ⛳
Because they are data driven SaaS platforms, there won't be any immediate context or insight as to whether any of this is relevant to your customer. That requires further examination.
And this got me thinking:
Are blockchain analytics platforms inadvertently driving customer de-banking?
I guess more to the point, is it wise to use a law enforcement-focused tool to monitor and manage retail customers in a financial services context? Almost certainly not. It creates so many headaches.
Just because you have the power to see everything, it doesn't mean you should. I imagine that is part of the problem facing banks. They want a binary yes-no / good-bad on a client from the data. And they think they're getting that, but its just not that simple.
Red flags are seemingly everywhere to the untrained eye. So better be safe and close that person's account than get it wrong. Or bother spending time and money digging into the details to get it right.
This approach will need a serious re-think if crypto and tradfi are going to interlink seamlessly. Otherwise you can forget Nigel Farage. This will be the real de-banking story.
P.S. Are there any high street banks out there that are looking to deploy crypto analytics prudently? I'd genuinely like to know...
#crypto #banks #debanking #tradfi #UK #AML #redflags #sourceofwealth
