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. ^[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 December 2022, Paklaunch interviewed Gadit about his journey into tech and entrepreneurship. The interview opened with a little about Gadit’s background: ^[3]

“I'll try to keep it short and simple. I graduated from ID in 2010 with a finance background. I worked in the banking industry in the UAE until 2016. Then, I returned to Pakistan and joined my family's tech business, Club.com. Initially, I was passive, but I became active, managing finance and investments. We later started a fund called Mr. Branches and invested in startups like Savyour, Mandi Express, and Squat Wolf. One of our significant investments was Zignaly, a social trading platform for cryptocurrencies. Impressed by its potential, I joined as a co-founder. Currently, I oversee treasury finance, sales strategy, and investments.”

When asked about his previous projects’ success, he responded: ^[3]

“The success is yet to come; it's a long journey that has just started. What we've been trying to do is find real problems that matter to people. Personally, I strongly believe in financial independence, so that's how I structure our company's portfolio. We aim to extend this to the masses, which is why I appreciate Zignaly—it allows people to enter the crypto sector with minimal capital, an area often seen as unfamiliar.”

“You know, to most people, this is exactly the mantra of my vision: through our products and our journey, we bring financial freedom to the masses. Success would mean that a significant portion of our community, if not globally, has benefited from our services across different products. Today it's a definite achievement, but tomorrow it can be even more. The idea is to empower people with the freedom to choose how they manage and grow their wealth, securing their futures. This freedom shouldn't be limited to just a few in society; that, to me, would be the ultimate success in the long term.”

He also shared his views on the hindrances new entrepreneurs face: ^[3]

“Failures can happen anywhere, no matter how perfect you or anyone else might seem. No one can honestly claim they've never experienced failures; if you delve into it, most people would admit to having more failures than successes. The truth is, we often hear more about successes than failures. But one crucial thing is to remain eager to learn. The biggest challenge I've observed, especially among founders in regions like Pakistan, the Middle East, and India, is that after a couple of successful funding rounds, they sometimes think they've made it. They need to see advisors holistically, not just as fundraisers. Advisors should bring diverse perspectives, not necessarily from the same industry, because running a business is an art. Those with experience know not just how to succeed, but also how to avoid failure and learn from it—that's invaluable.”

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]