Name
Title: CEO
Company: DrawBridge Lending
Web address: www.drawbridgelending.com
Jason Urban is a market veteran with over 20 years of experience, having run the U.S. index volatility market-making business at Goldman Sachs, and the equity index volatility husiness at DRW holdings before founding DrawBridge Lending, a structured products business operating in the digital asset industry, in 2018.
How did you become involved in fintech?
Having a capital markets background, I have always been exposed to new developments in fintech. I finally took the plunge 3 years ago when my partners and I started DrawBridge Lending. We looked at the digital asset space and recognized that there was a need to to approach lending of and lending against digital assets with a more traditional view of credit, markets, and risk.
We address these needs by offering structured solutions in the digital asset space. We see ourselves as problem solvers for holders and users of cryptocurrency. The two pillars of our business are compliance and risk management. We deploy these concepts in the products we create. Whether a client wants a fiat loan against assets they hold or is looking to produce above market returns, DBL has a suite of products that allow for the safest and most compliant solutions in the market.
What areas of fintech do you believe will grow the most in the coming five years?
I believe the digitization and tokenization of assets will revolutionize how finance is conducted in the coming years. The advancements in blockchain (and viewing cryptocurrencies as public blockchains) will democratize controlling assets for large portions of the planet. We will continue to harness the power of our phones (handheld computing devices) to make personal banking and investing a truly personal matter. Moreover, digitization of assets will make it easier for many people to participate in a wide array of investment vehicles which were never before possible. Imagine a world where the average individual can now own a piece of commercial real estate or a part of their favorite sports team. The investing world of our children will not be the one we know today.
Regulators will play an important role in how this gets accomplished. Regulation will pave the way for digital national currencies which will play an ever increasing role in our economies. The fallout from Covid will continue to increase the attractiveness of cash free solutions and digital national currencies like the dollar or yuan will continue to gain favor. The same rails needed to allow for adoption of digital national currencies will be implemented for other digital currencies and tokenized assets.
What has been the biggest success in your firm to date?
I am very proud that DBL has recently passed the $125 million AUM mark across all of our products. This is a culmination of our team’s efforts to always place the client first. The trust our clients place in us is is something not easily accomplished and every member of our team has gone the extra mile to earn that trust.
What has been the biggest failure in your firm and how did you stay afloat?
As is the case with any new business, we had several missteps along the way. Truthfully, there are too many to delineate but the one unifying feature is how we dealt with them. We see ourselves as problem solvers and constant brainstorming has helped along the way. Moreover, we keep a midset that the client always comes first. We address our setback by attacking the problem with a client first mindset. If our clients are satisfied, we can always find a creative solution to the hurdles in front of us. Organizational tenacity, persistence, and a client first mentality have allowed us to achieve several milestones like recently surpassing the $125 million AUM mark.