Quant Technology Lead

Fasanara Capital expands quantitative team. August 14, 2026 3 minutes read Fasanara Capital Enhances Leadership Team with Appointment of Darran Specter as Head of Quant Equity In a noteworthy development within the financial sector, global asset management firm Fasanara Capital has made a strategic appointment of Darran Specter as its Head of Quantitative Equity, a move that signals the company's intent to bolster its innovative multi-manager quantitative investment platform, Open Quant. Specter will operate out of Fasanara's London office, in collaboration with Vinicius Karam, Managing Director and Head of Fasanara Quant. The decision to bring Specter on board is both timely and significant, reflecting the increasing importance of robust quantitative strategies in asset management. In his new role, he will be instrumental in identifying and assessing emerging quantitative equity managers from around the globe. This process is critical to enhancing Fasanara's portfolio construction and overall investment strategy, an area that has become increasingly sophisticated in today's rapidly evolving financial landscape. With over two decades of extensive experience in quantitative investing, portfolio construction, risk management, and hedge fund manager selection, Specter is well-equipped to lead this initiative. His prior tenure at Brevan Howard, where he excelled as a senior portfolio strategist, involved the development of evaluative frameworks that supported the strategic allocation of capital to various portfolio managers. This experience has provided him with a keen insight into the intricacies of market behavior and investment dynamics, which he will leverage at Fasanara. Upon his appointment, Specter expressed enthusiasm about joining Fasanara at what he describes as an "exciting stage" in the development of its investment platform. His aspirations for the position are clear: "I look forward to working closely with the quant team as we continue to develop the platform, deepen our manager network, and identify emerging quantitative talent globally," he stated. This vision aligns seamlessly with Fasanara's strategic goals, as the firm seeks to foster a dynamic environment that nurtures innovation and creativity within its investment frameworks. Before his impactful stint at Brevan Howard, Specter served at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) for over 11 years as a portfolio manager, where he bore responsibility for managing allocations to systematic hedge fund strategies. His rich background in finance also includes positions such as investment manager and head of quantitative investment research at Cardano, as well as senior quantitative and risk analyst at NewFinance. His academic accomplishments are equally impressive; Specter holds a PhD and a First Class MEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Imperial College London, paired with the prestigious CFA Charterholder designation. The elevation of Specter to this pivotal role is indicative of Fasanara's commitment to harnessing the potential of quantitative equity strategies amid a milieu characterized by volatility and uncertainty. As global markets increasingly pivot towards data-driven decision-making, the firm's focus on attracting and evaluating emerging talent in the quantitative space helps position it at the forefront of investment innovation. Fasanara Capital, known for its forward-thinking approach in alternative investments, is particularly keen on leveraging sophisticated data analytics and quantitative methodologies to navigate contemporary market challenges. Its Open Quant platform aims to curate a diversified portfolio of strategies that not only mitigate risks but also capitalize on market inefficiencies, ultimately benefiting investors seeking stable returns. In the context of a burgeoning global investment environment, this appointment is in congruence with broader economic trends where firms are progressively recognizing the imperative of technological integration into asset management. As algorithms and analytics transform the industry, the ability to adeptly identify promising quantitative managers becomes indispensable. This strategic leadership shift at Fasanara Capital is not merely an internal development; it reflects a broader trend within the investment community, where marquee firms are recalibrating their strategies to thrive in an era where data mastery and nuanced quantitative insights are paramount. As Fasanara embarks on this new chapter with Darran Specter at the helm of its quantitative equity strategy, the emphasis will likely remain on innovation, collaboration, and the pursuit of excellence in investment performance - qualities that are essential for navigating the complexities of modern financial markets.

SILQ, the B2B commerce and fintech group formed through the merger of Bangladesh's ShopUp and Saudi Arabia's Sary, has secured a $75 million Shariah-compliant debt facility from London-based investment manager Fasanara Capital. The facility will fund working capital loans to small and medium-sized businesses in Saudi Arabia through Fina, SILQ's embedded finance arm. The financing will be delivered through digital workflows merchants already use for procurement, payments, and daily operations. It follows a $20 million structured financing facility SILQ agreed with Gemcorp Capital in July, bringing the group's announced debt capital this month to $95 million. SILQ was formed in April 2025 when ShopUp merged with Sary in a deal backed by $110 million in equity and debt led by Sanabil Investments and Valar Ventures. The company has reached more than 50,000 businesses in Saudi Arabia and enabled over SAR 20 billion (approximately $5.33 billion) in total transaction volume.

Fina secures $75M from Fasanara to finance Saudi SMEs. Fina, the fintech arm of Saudi-based company SILQ, has secured a US$75 million (SAR 282M) Shariah-compliant facility from Fasanara Capital, a London-based global investment manager. The facility marks an important milestone in SILQ's journey to build the financial infrastructure that enables small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to access capital through the same digital workflows where they buy, sell, collect, and operate. For SILQ, this marks a natural evolution of its work with merchants. Through its Saudi ecosystem, Sary and Fina have supported more than 50,000 businesses by connecting them to commerce, payments, digital operations, and working capital. Working alongside merchants across every stage of their business journey gave SILQ a unique perspective on one persistent challenge: businesses don't simply need more capital, they need capital that's structured around the realities of how they operate. Fina was built to solve that challenge by embedding working capital directly into merchants' digital workflows. Using real commercial activity, transaction data, and operational insights, Fina delivers financing that's faster, more flexible, and aligned with the everyday rhythm of commerce. Saudi Arabia's SME sector is central to the Kingdom's Vision 2030 agenda, which aims to increase SMEs' contribution to GDP and support a more diversified private-sector economy. While SME financing continues to grow, the financing gap is still estimated at around SAR 300 billion, according to Saudi SME Bank (source: Asharq Business with Bloomberg), creating a significant opportunity for embedded financing models that bring capital closer to where business activity happens. Mohammed Aldossary, Co-founder, SILQ and CEO of SILQ Financial, commented: "For years, we've worked alongside merchants as they built and grew their businesses, and one lesson became impossible to ignore: the challenge isn't simply access to capital, but access to capital that's structured around the realities of how merchants operate. Fina was built to deliver financing that understands their business, moves at their speed, and fits naturally into the digital workflows they already use. Our partnership with Fasanara marks an important milestone in that journey. Their deep expertise in embedded finance makes them the right long-term partner to help more Saudi businesses access Shariah-compliant working capital that's embedded into the flow of commerce and delivered at the speed their businesses operate." Fasanara is a global investment manager with approximately US$6 billion (SAR 22.5B) in assets under management and an active provider of institutional capital to fintech lenders and technology-enabled credit platforms globally. With a focus on asset-based finance, receivables, and data-driven private credit, its partnership with Fina reflects a shared belief that SME financing is most effective when embedded into real commercial activity rather than treated as a separate financial process. Matt Kus, Partner and Head of Origination, Fasanara Capital, commented: "We are pleased to partner with Fina and support the continued development of embedded SME financing in Saudi Arabia. Access to working capital remains a critical priority for SMEs globally, and we believe technology-enabled platforms such as Fina can play an important role in helping merchants access financing in a more efficient and flexible way." Building on the strength of its Saudi ecosystem, Fina is targeting the unlocking of SAR 3 billion in liquidity this year for more than 2,000 businesses, following the successful deployment of SAR 1.5 billion over the last 12 months. To date, SILQ has enabled more than SAR 20 billion in transaction volume across the Kingdom. The US$75 million facility marks another step in SILQ's ambition to build the B2B infrastructure that enables businesses to trade more efficiently and access capital more seamlessly. By bringing Shariah-compliant working capital closer to where commerce happens, Fina continues to strengthen SILQ's integrated ecosystem spanning commerce, payments, digital operations, and embedded finance. Have your say!