Key Takeaways
- • London-based proprietary hedge fund Karatage has appointed Shane O'Callaghan as senior partner and head of institutional strategy, according to CoinDesk.
- • O'Callaghan joins from Dutch market maker IMC Trading, where he was global head of institutional partnerships and digital asset sales for the past year.
- • O'Callaghan's prior roles include global head of business development at Portofino Technologies and head of EMEA at the now-defunct crypto lender BlockFi.
- • Karatage, founded in 2017, invests across digital assets, crypto-native funds and blockchain infrastructure companies, and is positioning the hire to support its next phase of global institutional expansion.
Summary
Karatage, a London-based proprietary hedge fund focused on digital assets and emerging technology, has appointed Shane O'Callaghan as a senior partner and head of institutional strategy, CoinDesk reported on January 7, 2026. O'Callaghan joins from Dutch market maker IMC Trading, where he served as global head of institutional partnerships and digital asset sales for the last year.
Before IMC, O'Callaghan worked at crypto trading platform Portofino Technologies as global head of business development and served as head of Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at BlockFi, the crypto lender that is now defunct.
In emailed comments, Karatage co-founder and CEO Marius Barnett said O'Callaghan joined because of the opportunity to build something "bold, aggressive, and genuinely disruptive from the inside out," and described the hire as strengthening the firm's ability to execute at a higher level. O'Callaghan said the firm's blend of proprietary capital, technical depth and strategic vision is what the market requires, and cited his work with Barnett and Stephen, as well as the wider team, to drive the firm's next phase of global institutional expansion.
Founded in 2017, Karatage invests across digital assets, crypto-focused funds and companies building blockchain infrastructure, products and services. The firm typically takes a thematic approach, backing technologies it believes could have a structural impact on finance, including blockchain networks and decentralized finance (DeFi). It is known for combining liquid token investments with longer-term bets on companies and managers in the crypto space.
Before IMC, O'Callaghan worked at crypto trading platform Portofino Technologies as global head of business development and served as head of Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at BlockFi, the crypto lender that is now defunct.
In emailed comments, Karatage co-founder and CEO Marius Barnett said O'Callaghan joined because of the opportunity to build something "bold, aggressive, and genuinely disruptive from the inside out," and described the hire as strengthening the firm's ability to execute at a higher level. O'Callaghan said the firm's blend of proprietary capital, technical depth and strategic vision is what the market requires, and cited his work with Barnett and Stephen, as well as the wider team, to drive the firm's next phase of global institutional expansion.
Founded in 2017, Karatage invests across digital assets, crypto-focused funds and companies building blockchain infrastructure, products and services. The firm typically takes a thematic approach, backing technologies it believes could have a structural impact on finance, including blockchain networks and decentralized finance (DeFi). It is known for combining liquid token investments with longer-term bets on companies and managers in the crypto space.
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