Abdul Rafay Gadit

Abdul Rafay Gadit is the CFO and co-founder of Zignaly, a Web3 AI-powered cryptocurrency trading platform using automated trading bots to simplify manual trading, and ZIG Finance, an onchain finance ecosystem focused on connecting regulated investment products and institutional capital with blockchain infrastructure. ^[1]​^[5]​

Education

Gadit graduated from the Institute of Business Administration with a Bachelor’s Degree in Banking, Corporate, Finance, and Securities Law in 2010. During this time, he did an internship at Habib Bank Limited. ^[1]​

Career

After graduation, Gadit worked at Standard Chartered Bank from August 2010 to July 2016, where he held the positions of sales associate and associate director. He also became a partner of Gaditek, a product-based tech company in Pakistan. In June 2016, he became a partner and head of investments for Disrupt, a bootstrapped global tech company. ^[2]​

Gadit became a strategic advisor for Savyour, Pakistan’s first integrated consumer deals and rewards platform, in February 2017. He also holds the same position at Mandi Express, a premium fruits and vegetable delivery service, and Squat Wolf, a workout apparel brand. In October 2019, he co-founded Zignaly, where he serves as CFO. ^[2]​

Interviews/Panels

Entrepreneurship

In a December 2022 interview with Paklaunch, Gadit discussed his transition from banking into technology and entrepreneurship. After graduating with a finance background in 2010, he worked in the banking industry in the UAE until 2016, when he returned to Pakistan and joined his family's technology business, Club.com. He initially took a passive role before becoming more involved in managing finance and investments. He later helped establish an investment fund called Mr. Branches, which invested in startups including Savyour, Mandi Express, and Squat Wolf. One of the fund's notable investments was Zignaly, a social trading platform for cryptocurrencies, which led him to join the company as a co-founder. In this role, he oversees treasury finance, sales strategy, and investments. Discussing his approach to entrepreneurship, Gadit emphasized identifying practical problems and developing products that address people's needs. He explained that his interest in financial independence influenced the company's investment portfolio and his appreciation for Zignaly, which provides users with an accessible entry point into cryptocurrency trading with relatively little capital. He described his long-term vision as making financial freedom more accessible by giving people greater control over how they manage and grow their wealth. He also highlighted the importance of learning from failure and maintaining an openness to different perspectives, particularly for entrepreneurs in Pakistan, the Middle East, and India. He cautioned founders against assuming that successful fundraising rounds indicate that they have established a successful business, arguing that advisors should provide broader business guidance rather than focusing exclusively on raising capital.

Outlook for Cryptos

In a 2022 Paklaunch panel, Gadit discussed several critical issues during the panel on cryptocurrencies. He highlighted the macroeconomic context affecting crypto, such as interest rates and quantitative easing, which have driven both growth and volatility in the market. He also delved into regulatory challenges, particularly the ongoing debate between the SEC and CFTC over the classification of cryptocurrencies, emphasizing the need for clarity to mitigate investor risk. He underscored governance and exchange transparency concerns, citing the FTX case as a cautionary tale. Despite recent setbacks, Gadit expressed optimism about institutional interest in cryptocurrencies, noting the potential for clearer regulations to foster greater market stability and mainstream adoption in the future. ^[4]​