Dubai-based brokerage startup Epic Markets has appointed Zuzana Hashemi, former Chief Executive Officer of GS Securities, as Head of Legal and Compliance, strengthening its leadership team as the company advances preparations to enter the global retail trading industry.
Hashemi brings extensive experience in financial services, regulatory compliance, and brokerage management. She previously held several senior leadership positions within the Goldstone Group, where she began her career with the organization in 2016 as a senior lawyer at Goldenburg Group. Over the following years, she took on executive responsibilities across multiple brokerage businesses, including Black Pearl Securities, the operator of the BP Prime brand, and GS Securities.
Her professional background combines legal expertise with operational experience in the foreign exchange and contracts for difference (CFD) sectors. This experience is expected to support Epic Markets as it develops its regulatory framework and prepares to establish its presence in international trading markets.
Epic Markets was founded in 2026 by former Citadel Securities executives Kevin Kimmel and Bryan Seegers, who previously held senior positions in electronic foreign exchange trading and business development. The company is developing a multi-asset brokerage platform designed to bring institutional-grade trading technology, liquidity access, and execution capabilities to retail traders.
The startup has also secured $10 million in pre-seed funding from London-based investment firm Karatage, providing financial backing for its technology development, regulatory preparations, and planned market entry. Epic Markets has identified the United States and the United Arab Emirates as key markets for its proposed operations, with its launch subject to the necessary regulatory approvals.
Hashemi's appointment represents another step in building the company's management structure, particularly as regulatory compliance, risk management, and operational transparency remain essential priorities for brokerage firms operating across multiple jurisdictions.
The move also reflects the growing importance of experienced legal and compliance professionals within the global retail trading industry, where brokerages face increasingly complex regulatory requirements and heightened expectations regarding investor protection and business conduct.
As Epic Markets continues developing its trading infrastructure and pursuing its market-entry strategy, Hashemi's appointment adds established brokerage leadership and regulatory expertise to a management team with a strong institutional trading background.
