Amanda Staveley Joins Ctrl Alt Board as Tokenisation Firm Targets Gulf Expansion
Updated: 6 days ago
Amanda Staveley joining the board of a London finance firm is the kind of move that says, quietly but clearly, “We’re looking beyond the UK now.”
Ctrl Alt is looking to grow its partnerships in the UK and the Middle East, and Staveley’s arrival gives that plan a bit more weight. She’s best known in the wider public for her role in high-profile Gulf-linked deals, including the takeover of Newcastle United. In finance circles, she’s also known for long-standing relationships across the region.
For a young firm working in digital asset ownership, that mix matters. Money helps. Connections, trust and local knowledge can matter just as much.
Why Amanda Staveley’s board seat matters
A board appointment isn’t just a name on a website. In a growth-stage finance business, board members can shape priorities, open doors and ask the awkward questions before money gets spent.
Staveley brings a very specific profile. She has worked on large deals involving Gulf capital and UK assets, and she understands how relationship-led finance can be in that part of the world. That doesn’t guarantee success for any company, of course. But it does make sense if a London firm wants to build credibility with investors, partners and regulators in the Gulf.
The Gulf isn’t a market where outside firms can simply arrive with a slick product and expect instant trust. Local relationships matter. So does patience. A board member with experience in that environment can help a company avoid naïve mistakes.
For Ctrl Alt, the real value may be practical:
Better introductions to regional investors and institutions
A clearer read on what Gulf clients actually want
Help judging which opportunities are serious and which are a distraction
More confidence when speaking with local partners
That’s especially useful in a sector where trust is still being built.
What Ctrl Alt is trying to build
Ctrl Alt is a London-based firm working in tokenisation, which is a way of turning rights to an asset into digital units that can be recorded and transferred more easily.
Put simply, imagine an expensive asset that’s usually hard to access or sell in small pieces. That might be property, private market investments, or other assets that don’t trade as easily as shares in a public company. A tokenised structure can make ownership easier to divide, track and transfer, if the legal setup is clear.
That last bit matters. The technology is only useful if the ownership rights behind it are real, understandable and enforceable. A shiny digital record doesn’t mean much if nobody can explain what the buyer actually owns.
Growing in the Gulf will mean hiring, building, applying for permissions where needed and spending time in the region without rushing. Expansion like this usually takes longer than a press announcement makes it sound.
The key question is simple. Can the company turn interest in digital ownership into products that people actually trust and use?
Why the Gulf is an obvious target
The Gulf is a natural place to look for this kind of growth. The region has deep pools of capital, active investment plans and a clear interest in financial services that connect traditional assets with newer ways of owning and trading them.
There’s also a strong link between London and Gulf capital. UK property, sports, infrastructure and private businesses have all attracted Gulf investors for years. So a London firm trying to serve that audience isn’t starting from nowhere.
What makes the Gulf interesting here is the mix of:
High-value assets
Investors looking for access to private opportunities
Governments that are building larger financial centres
A growing appetite for digital finance, when properly regulated
That said, the opportunity comes with a high bar. Wealthy markets tend to attract plenty of hopeful companies. The ones that survive are usually the ones that stay clear, careful and useful.
The hard parts still come next
This is where the story gets more interesting. Adding a known board member can create momentum, but the harder work comes after that.
For firms in digital asset ownership, the big tests are rarely just about software. They’re about whether everyone involved understands the rules.
The main questions are pretty grounded:
What does the buyer own?
A token should point to clear rights, not just a vague claim.
Who keeps records safe?
Investors need to know how ownership records are protected and corrected if something goes wrong.
Which rules apply?
A product that works in the UK may need a different setup in the Gulf.
Can people get their money out?
Access is useful, but buyers also care about how and when they can sell.
Who is responsible if the asset performs badly?
No structure removes investment risk. It only changes how access and ownership are handled.
This isn’t a reason to dismiss the sector. It’s a reason to be sober about it. The firms that explain the boring parts well may end up being the most trusted.
What to watch next
The next stage won’t be about headlines. It’ll be about signs that the Gulf plan is turning into real business.
Watch for local partnerships, regulatory progress, named asset launches and evidence that investors are doing more than showing polite interest. Also watch how the company talks about risk. Clear language is a good sign. Overblown promises are not.
Background: how Ctrl Alt got here
Ctrl Alt is led by founder and chief executive Matt Ong, who previously worked at Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse. In October 2023 the company raised 2.2 million pounds in a round led by Forward Partners and Middle Game Ventures, with Enterprise Ireland and Algorand Ventures among the other backers. By then it had moved from a consumer product to selling to businesses, giving fintech platforms access to alternative assets such as green energy and property through an API and white-label software.
The Gulf push did not start this year. In September 2024 Ctrl Alt opened in Dubai, its third office after the UK and Ireland, based at the DMCC Crypto and Blockchain Ecosystem and led locally by Robert Farquhar. It named Emirates NBD among its early partners. In the UK, its regulated activity was carried out through Alt Ltd, an appointed representative of the FCA-authorised firm Infinity Asset Management LLP.
Key facts at a glance
The board appointment was announced on 23 September 2026. Staveley joins the board and will act as a strategic adviser.
Staveley is founder and chief executive of PCP Capital Partners, which she set up in 2005.
Ctrl Alt reports more than 1.8 billion US dollars in tokenised assets.
Regulators named in the announcement: the FCA, Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, the Central Bank of Ireland and the Guernsey Financial Services Commission.
The company describes its next phase as expanding partnerships across the UK and the Middle East.
What it means for UK founders
Ctrl Alt's path shows two practical steps that other UK tokenisation startups face. The first is how to start regulated activity before holding full permissions. Operating as an appointed representative of an FCA-authorised principal is one route, with the principal firm taking responsibility for the regulated activities carried on under it.
The second is that each market brings its own regulator. The four bodies named in the announcement each oversee a different jurisdiction, and permission in one does not carry over to another. A UK founder planning Gulf expansion should budget for a separate licensing process there, and may want to take professional advice early on which activities need permission in each place.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
What role will Amanda Staveley have at Ctrl Alt?
She has joined Ctrl Alt's board of directors and will act as a strategic adviser. The appointment was announced on 23 September 2026.
Who runs Ctrl Alt?
Ctrl Alt is led by its founder and chief executive, Matt Ong, who previously worked at Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse.
How much has Ctrl Alt tokenised?
In its September 2026 announcement, Ctrl Alt reported more than 1.8 billion US dollars in tokenised assets.
Which regulators oversee Ctrl Alt's activities?
The announcement names the Financial Conduct Authority, Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, the Central Bank of Ireland and the Guernsey Financial Services Commission.
This is financial information, not financial advice. Anyone looking at products in this area should read the details carefully and get regulated advice where needed.
FAQ
Who is Amanda Staveley?
Amanda Staveley is a British businesswoman known for major finance deals involving Gulf investors. She became widely known to the public through her role in the Newcastle United takeover.
What does Ctrl Alt do?
Ctrl Alt is a London firm focused on digital ownership of assets. Its work centres on making certain assets easier to divide, record and transfer.
Why is the Gulf important for this move?
The Gulf has large pools of capital, active financial centres and strong links with London. That makes it a sensible region for a finance firm looking to grow internationally.
Does tokenised ownership remove investment risk?
No. It can change how ownership is recorded and accessed, but the underlying asset can still rise or fall in value. The legal structure and risk details still matter.
What should people watch for next?
Look for local partners, regulatory permissions and real asset launches. Those signs will say more than the announcement itself.
Amanda Staveley’s appointment gives Ctrl Alt a stronger Gulf-facing profile. Now the company has to prove the simple thing that matters most: that digital ownership can be clear, trusted and useful in the real world.
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