Alex Gerko

Alex Gerko is a Russian-born British billionaire financial trader and founder of XTX Markets, a leading algorithmic trading firm. He holds a Ph.D. in mathematics from Moscow State University and a master's degree in economics from the New Economic School. Gerko began his career in 2004 trading equities at Deutsche Bank before moving to GSA Capital, a UK-based hedge fund, where he was head of FX trading from 2009 to 2015. In January 2015, he founded XTX Markets, an algorithmic trading company, with a 75% majority interest in the company. Under his leadership as Co-CEO, XTX Markets achieved record profits in 2021 and became the largest emerging market FX provider in 2022. In 2022, XTX reported a 64% increase in profits, reaching £1.1 billion. Gerko has invested in 62 companies, including Compology, a provider of artificial intelligence solutions in waste and transportation, and Yet Analytics as an angel investor, according to Pitchbook. Gerko received more than $1 billion in XTX dividends in 2022. XTX sued Trump's former accounting firm, Mazars, after they refused to work with its Russian-born owner. Gerko has also emerged as the UK's highest individual taxpayer in recent years, contributing over £664 million in 2023 alone from trading profits. Beyond finance, Gerko is a prominent philanthropist, channeling significant resources into mathematics education, AI research, and environmental conservation since 2017, with XTX Markets committing more than £250 million to charitable causes. He has donated £25 million since 2020 to out-of-class mathematics programs, including support for Axiom Maths (formerly MESME), aimed at enhancing social mobility through education. In 2025, he provided $10 million to initiatives like Lean FRO and Mathlib to advance AI applications in mathematical research and formal verification. Environmentally, Gerko has funded projects such as the £300,000 donation to the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve in Scotland for peatland and woodland restoration in 2022. Additionally, he maintains an active investment portfolio as an angel investor in over 60 companies, with notable stakes in AI firms like Anthropic and autonomous driving startup Wayve. In 2024, he established the family office Cromulon Capital to manage personal investments.