Pepperstone has named Nigel Fernandes as Chief Technology Officer, with the appointment taking effect on 1 October 2026, as the Melbourne-based online trading and fintech provider pushes to build more of its technology in-house and broaden its offering into crypto and additional markets. Fernandes joins from Xero, where he is SVP and Executive General Manager of Engineering, and will take charge of engineering, architecture, security and data globally while reporting to Group CEO Tamas Szabo. The company said the move supports a wider strategy to create a broader fintech ecosystem that includes crypto, AI-native engineering and institutional-grade infrastructure.