Veronika Kuznetsova has been appointed head of the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region for UBS Next, the $200m financial technology fund formed by Switzerland-headquartered financial services firm UBS.
The bank initially hired Kuznetsova in 2020 as director of innovation and strategy for UBS Evolve, the digital innovation unit it launched in Singapore in 2015.
UBS Next was established in partnership with venture capital firm Anthemis late 2020 with $200m from its parent and the brief to explore fintech together with the wider technology ecosystem.
The unit is headed by Bogdan Gogu but both he and investment director James Long are based in London, meaning Kuznetsova will bring added geographical presence, though its portfolio does already include Singapore-based digital wealth adviser Endowus.
Kuznetsova spent eight years at fellow financial services provider HSBC, ultimately as a senior digital product manager focusing on wealth management. She left in 2016 for a two-year stint as managing director of SuperCharger Fintech Accelerator and subsequently held roles at early-stage investors club Investible and ride hailing service Grab.
