Brian Gelfand

Brian Gelfand is the Digital Assets and Financial Markets Infrastructure Lead for EY Canada.  He has more than 25 years of experience in financial markets regulation and financial market infrastructure, including leadership roles in derivatives market operations, derivatives market regulation and supervision, and securities and derivatives clearing and settlement.  His experience spans all aspects of markets and post-trade services, from high level policy and strategy to initiative leadership and execution.

Brian served as Special Advisor to the Secretary General of IOSCO before joining the Montréal Exchange, where he occupied senior leadership roles in business development, market operations and microstructure, corporate relations, and served as Chief Regulatory Officer responsible for market regulation, surveillance and enforcement.  Brian’s most recent executive role was Chief Commercial Officer for Post Trade Services at the TMX Group, responsible for integrated business development, relationship management and product and service development for both the central securities depository (CDS) and the derivatives central counterparty (CDCC).  

Most recently Brian has been working in the digital asset space.  This includes working with a consortium of central securities depositories to develop a proof of concept for the mobilization of high-quality liquid assets, a leadership role in the Bank of Canada’s Jasper Project Phase Three for securities settlement on blockchain, membership in the R3 Central Bank Digital Currency Working Group, participation in the Atlantic Council CBDC Round Table, and advising corporate clients on digital assets and the implementation of crypto market investment and decentralized finance strategies.

Brian is a member of the Bars of Quebec, New York and Massachusetts, and holds B.A., B.C.L. and LL.B degrees from McGill University and an M.A. in International Relations from The Johns Hopkins University (SAIS).