ADSS appoints former Crypto.com and IG exec Barbero
ADSS appoints former Crypto.com and IG executive Manuel Del Aguila Barbero, adding senior trading leadership to its team.
ADSS Names Former Crypto Marketing Leader Manuel Del Aguila Barbero
UAE broker ADSS has named Manuel Del Aguila Barbero as Senior Director of Growth and Marketing, a hire that brings a former crypto exchange executive with a long record in digital customer acquisition into the broker's commercial team.
Based in Abu Dhabi, he will report to the company's Chief Commercial Officer. His role covers marketing strategy, customer acquisition, and growth plans across ADSS's business.
The announcement shows how brokers in the Middle East are investing in senior leadership to compete for clients. For readers who follow the sector, the appointment is a useful signal of where a firm expects to focus its marketing effort in the coming months.
What the Senior Director Role Covers
The position sits within ADSS's commercial function, which means it connects marketing decisions with revenue goals. Strategy, acquisition and growth planning are the core areas, and each one links directly to how a broker finds and keeps clients.
Customer acquisition usually involves paid media, partner channels, content and conversion work. Growth planning then looks at how new clients are retained and how they move through onboarding, funding and their first trades.
Barbero brings the perspective of a former crypto platform marketer into a team that operates in a regulated financial environment. Crypto and forex marketing share many tools, but the rules on how products can be promoted differ, so that gap matters.
Barbero's Experience at Crypto.com
Barbero joins ADSS after about 18 months at Crypto.com, where he worked as SVP of Global Growth Marketing. There, he led user acquisition, retention, CRM, affiliate marketing, and performance marketing for the crypto exchange.
Each of those areas plays a different role in the client funnel. User acquisition brings people in, retention keeps them active, CRM communicates with them at the right moment, and affiliate and performance channels help control the cost of finding new users.
Cryptocurrency itself is a digital asset class that trades around the clock and attracts a global audience. Platforms serving that market often compete hard on user experience and communication, which is one reason growth teams there focus heavily on retention. For background, see Cryptocurrency (Wikipedia).
Experience from a former crypto firm can translate well into a broker setting, since both sectors depend on online sign-ups, mobile apps and digital campaigns. The lessons, however, need to be adapted to local promotion rules and client suitability requirements.
Nearly a Decade at IG Group
Before that, he spent nearly 10 years at IG Group in a range of senior marketing roles. His last position there was Global Head of Acquisition and Media, where he managed digital marketing campaigns across 17 markets.
Running campaigns across 17 markets requires coordinating budgets, creative work and compliance sign-off, which can differ from one country to the next. That kind of multi-jurisdiction experience is relevant to a broker serving the UAE and the wider GCC region.
Earlier in his career, he worked at iProspect, a digital marketing agency, and at The MBA Center London, an education services provider. Agency work often builds skills in campaign analysis and client reporting, which can be valuable in an in-house leadership role.
Key Facts About the Appointment
The table of key details below summarises his role, reporting line and career path, from his time at Crypto.com to his most recent position at IG Group.
- Role: Senior Director of Growth and Marketing at ADSS
- Location: Abu Dhabi
- Reporting line: the company's Chief Commercial Officer
- Scope: marketing strategy, customer acquisition and growth across ADSS's business
- Previous role: about 18 months at Crypto.com as SVP of Global Growth Marketing
- Earlier role: nearly 10 years at IG Group, most recently as Global Head of Acquisition and Media
How to Evaluate Marketing Changes at a Broker
New marketing leadership can change how a broker talks to its clients. Readers can assess those changes with a few practical checks rather than relying on headlines alone.
- Read the broker's published terms, risk warnings and fee schedule before acting on any promotion.
- Check that the regulator named on the website matches the entity that would hold your account.
- Compare bonus or promotion conditions, including any withdrawal and trading requirements.
- Look for educational content that explains leverage, margin and costs in plain language.
- Track how the brand's messaging changes over the next few months.
These checks take little time and help separate genuine service improvements from short-term marketing noise.
Why Middle East Broker Competition Matters
The Middle East has become a busy market for online brokers, with firms competing for clients through local language content, mobile apps and partnerships. Growth teams need to understand regional habits, payment preferences and expectations around customer support.
The UAE and the wider GCC region sit at the centre of this competition. A marketing leader responsible for the region must balance ambitious growth targets with obligations to clients and regulators.
Traders should also remember that a broker's marketing reach does not change the underlying risks of leveraged products. Prices can move quickly, and leverage can magnify losses as well as gains.
How This Fits ADSS's Wider Hiring
His LinkedIn profile says the new ADSS role focuses on improving the broker's marketing operations, with responsibility for budgets, customer acquisition, and growth across the UAE and the wider GCC region.
The move comes as ADSS continues to expand its commercial and marketing team while broker competition in the Middle East keeps rising. ADSS's hire of a former crypto marketer fits that pattern.
It also follows another senior appointment at the firm. Earlier this year, ADSS hired Dan Squires from Saxo Bank, where he held senior commercial and sales leadership roles.
Taken together, the two hires suggest a focus on commercial leadership and marketing capability. Brokers in crowded markets often rely on this kind of hiring to sharpen acquisition and retention, though the results depend on execution.
What Former Crypto Hires Can Mean for Broker Marketing
Brokers have increasingly looked beyond traditional financial marketing when recruiting. Former crypto professionals often bring experience with fast-moving digital funnels, data-driven campaigns and community-led growth.
A former crypto executive may also understand how quickly user expectations change on mobile. That can help a broker refine onboarding, education content and account funding journeys.
Still, a transfer of skills does not guarantee results. Financial brokers must meet strict promotional and client suitability standards, so experience from other digital sectors needs careful adaptation.
Questions Traders Can Ask Before Opening an Account
Marketing announcements are a good reminder to review the basics before committing money. Ask how the broker explains its costs, how client funds are handled and what support is available during volatile market conditions.
It also helps to check how a broker presents risk. Clear warnings, realistic examples and balanced language are signs of a firm that expects clients to make informed decisions.
What to Watch Next
Moves like this one from former crypto teams into forex and CFD brokers are part of a wider talent trend. Readers should watch for changes in promotions, product messaging and onboarding, and compare them against the broker's published terms.
For another recent leadership move in the sector, read IG Group Names Former moomoo, Tinder Exec Qu Zhao Japan Chief.
Trading forex and CFDs involves a high level of risk, and you can lose your capital. Never trade with money you cannot afford to lose, and consider whether these products suit your experience and goals.
