Greg Mars is the CEO and Co-Founder of Emirex-a digital asset exchange and tokenization platform and EmiSwap-a DeFi platform. Emirex, headquartered in Dubai, UAE, delivers best-in-class digital commodities exchange services being an alternative investment platform for tokenization.
Greg Mars founded Emirex in 2019. The company also has social media presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, Reddit, Instagram, and Twitter.
With Emirex, Greg Mars aims to assist people in getting aware of blockchain and the benefits of decentralization. He is a team-oriented person with a highly-skilled professional team who focuses on consistency and hard work.
Being a blockchain advocate and evangelist, Greg Mars shows his passion for work and is also an early adopter of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. He has been active in the crypto space since 2012, which has made him more knowledgeable in the sphere over time.
Learn more about Greg Mars and his business through our interview below.
Explain your background and that of the company in detail.
I graduated from the Mechanical-mathematical and Economic Departments of South Federal University, then graduated from OUBS. Soon after that, I moved to the US to study Business Strategy at Harvard Business School.
After receiving an MBA from the Open University Business School, I’ve advised several companies on token offerings and digital asset models as well as several public and private companies in the Middle East and Central Asia. As for the crypto space, I’ve been in it since 2010, and I was one of the early birds to start mining and using Bitcoin.
What are your goals?
I aim to help people by educating them about blockchain and the benefits of decentralization. I hope to live in a world with equality and a place where people can achieve their dreams and become economically free.
What do you feel is your biggest strength as an individual or company right now?
I can say that the team is the biggest force. Behind EMIREX are people with incredible experience and true professionals in their field! I consider my greatest strength to be the assembly of such a wonderful team that I’m lucky to lead.
What was the path you or your company took to get to where you are today?
It isn’t easy to describe such a long journey in a nutshell, but I’ll try anyway. It all started four years ago when we launched our exchange. Since then and until today, we have collaborated with so many great partners who are still with us. I also recall the changes in the team. We went through malicious hacker attacks that attempted to divide the company from the inside.
Still, the most important thing is that now we are moving forward with confidence and will grow at an even faster rate. Now, when we are growing and getting ready for a large-scale update of the Emirex platform, we can keep expanding our team of trailblazing specialists.
Why did you start (or want to be the head of)?
I have held workshops and meet-ups in Dubai, and during these meet-ups, I have had a large audience of people who have followed me and my career. My followers relentlessly asked me, “How can I buy Bitcoin?” “Where to buy other cryptocurrencies?” and countless other questions. I realized that people need a convenient service for finding, buying, and selling cryptocurrencies. This is how I realized my main goal: to create the most convenient platform for working with cryptocurrency, which is translated into the design philosophy of the exchange.
What have been the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being involved with many companies in high positions is undoubtedly no easy task. Still, you don’t grow unless you go through hardships and learn how to stand by your principles and do what you think will create the best outcome for your people and yourself. I will do my best to operate in the best way possible in any situation, knowing how it can affect the future or change the present, not only for me but for my team and the people I work with every day to fulfill what I believe in.
The biggest challenges may be breaking through in any endeavor you undertake because once one goal is reached, you have to set the next one. If you’re good at your job, the next goal will be clear. I don’t consider challenges big or small because if you don’t deal with the little things, they’re bound to become bigger and impede productivity and general well-being later on.
Give us one word that describes you best.
I would describe myself as positive. I find myself looking at the world as a teacher, and making mistakes is part of the learning process. What’s important is never giving up or making mistakes too big to be redeemed. Another word I would use to describe myself is “cautious.” I am positive but cautious about how and where I lead myself, my business, and people.
What makes you excited about Mondays?
Working on the cusp of crypto is really exciting, I would say, and it’s not like any of it is precedented. I am doing what I love, which is my job. Every day presents different hurdles to fix or errors to debug. Still, I never stop working towards it as long as the goal is there. A good Monday makes the whole week great. Nothing can stop you when you have a great team and after a good cause, not even Mondays.
What do you value most about your culture and vision?
I value respect most since our culture is all about embracing diversity and respecting and appreciating the efforts of everyone involved. It’s also the best indicator of a good and sustainable working environment. That respect also extends to our products, users, investors, and clients.
Tell us about a project that forced you to be innovative and creative.
Plans for future innovation are evolving beautifully. Working on the updated Emirex platform compelled us to be extra creative and resourceful. At the start, we implemented an automatic transfer of all user accounts from the old platform with no problems and no new registrations.
Furthermore, seeing the growing popularity of crypto, we are already acquiring new licenses to work in Europe and the MENA region. In the next iteration, the show’s stars are the new apps for iOS and Android, trading bots, P2P services, and more, as we’re just scratching the surface of what we have prepared. I can confidently say that all our projects will get better and more profitable for both end-users and investors.
What are your company’s strategies, and how do they stand out from your competitors?
Emirex knows its target market, and we prioritize functionality, brand, pricing, and customer service. We think Emirex would appeal to Crypto-beginners, specialists, and innovators. Our Middle Eastern origins aid all three groups.
Over the last eight years, we’ve helped Middle Eastern enterprises, regulators, and government institutions develop their digital strategies and capabilities. We’ve built and managed powerful crypto trading platforms. Emirex has unique regional features, making us the go-to for veteran local traders. Now, all creators and business owners may tokenize and finance their ideas using our platform, and that’s a significant milestone. Tokenizing project finance is an innovative concept that allows businesses to approach investors directly without brokers or intermediaries.
We present Middle Eastern lenders with a secure, regulated, Dubai-based, all-in-one cryptocurrency exchange. Emirex offers crypto professionals and newbies professional trading capabilities and user-friendly tools. Our exchange engine can handle 1,000,000 orders per second, offers professional order types, margin and futures trading, customizable trading view charts for professionals, and advanced functionality for order book, trade history, markets, and market depth.
Our Fiat gate accepts bank transfers, cards, and more. Full Exchange IT standards are met. White-hat hacking is there to keep us safe. Copy and social trading to mimic experts’ trades. Not to forget the Emirex Wallet and Tokenization Platform and many more exciting things to be revealed soon.
What key values helped you overcome the roadblocks and challenges in your career? Tell us about a memorable incident in your leadership.
I think that being honest is the most important principle I operate with. Being honest makes work and life easier. Being dishonest with yourself or your team makes for a terrible relationship that you do not want. One time, the dishonesty of an employee caused the company a lot of unnecessary trouble that could’ve been easily resolved had the person communicated what happened honestly. That’s a lesson you shouldn’t take long to learn.
How do you see the company changing in two years, and how do you see yourself creating that change?
I plan to make the company as useful as possible to as large an audience as possible. That’s easier said than done, but that’s our only goal. Providing genuine value allows for greater reach than most other gimmicks and tricks that start-ups attempt to get ahead. We believe hard work pays off, and that’s all you have to worry about: working as hard and as smart as you can to make sure all the mechanics run well.
Hopefully, the crypto community will commend our efforts and support our growth. I will make sure we have what it takes to be where we should be and better serve our community in the coming two years.
Where is your leadership going? What benefits do your clients get from your company in this competitive world?
Our company is cutting-edge regarding what it can provide to a business wanting to evolve to integrate blockchain. My team and I provide an A-Z full suite of services relevant to every business that wants to open its doors to the crypto economy and kickstart its decentralized future with tools for accessing DeFi and CeFi swiftly while easily moving their assets around without trouble or high fees.
Additionally, with Emirex, people will be able to buy shares in Ritz Carlton or new Unicorns through Security tokens for as little as 100 USD only. Our Emirex Debit and Credit cards will make it seamless for users to pay with crypto at their favorite shops.
Merchants and Malls across the UAE will be able to accept crypto thanks to our infrastructure and easy-to-use systems we provide. With enough support for crypto, you can see how even bonuses in a popular app like ENTERTAINER in the middle east can be converted into crypto and easily distributed. In other words, Emirex is entering the market to improve people’s lives and push the economy upward.
We have a lot to offer now, but it’s not nearly close to what we have stored for later on. People should get ready to experience unprecedented levels of interoperability and ease of access to make their investments, live their dreams, and keep up with the best and the greatest.
What your company offers services, solutions, or products on par with the current industry standards? Tell us something about your upcoming products or services.
Emirex will become one of the best exchanges by exploring new tech and solutions to power up users’ experience with an unmatched sense of safety and hope for a better future. We’re disrupting the sector by giving new markets and users easy access to all the benefits of digital assets. We plan to become undeniable and take on every challenge with excitement.
The evolution of products is set now. Only time is needed to achieve many great new things. We provide tokenization, digital real estate, market making, trading security tokens, sales, customer and IT support, and EaaS (Exchange-as-a-Service), among many other things like token, brand, strategy, content, and white paper creation for companies in all different kinds of domains that are taking upon themselves the task of revolutionizing their industries by merging their innovation with the brilliance of blockchain to provide an incredible new way of doing business online.
We also plan to add many other services to help clients better manage their business and enhance their returns. Furthermore, We are currently raising funds for a second round. This is an excellent opportunity to join a company with a 30 million dollar valuation.
Emirex will bring the world an advanced app so they can easily navigate and access everything Emirex has to offer on the go! And soon, your own Emirex Card will be in your hand, ready to swipe anywhere. Emirex is all about designing the best all-around experience for users and businesses, and we’re only getting started!
Do you plan to launch a new platform?
The new platform is already in beta. We’re doing a massive redesign while still keeping all the excellent features we’ve had. We’re getting a new look, a new app, and a much more diversified set of tools to match every user’s needs and wants. From P2P, Portfolio Management AI, and a new, updated UI/UX that makes the site much more useful, interactive, and easier to navigate, among other things. In short, crypto heads and newbies will both like it and find it a home for their crypto and blockchain campaigns.
Why are you different, and what’s our unique mission?
Our goal is to give people the tools necessary to take back control of their money, investments, and assets. We’re different in that we’re not looking to dominate but rather to collaborate and find much-needed middle grounds for exploration and advancement in this exciting and revolutionary field which makes me proud.
What opportunities does Emirex offer investors?
Emirex is a place full of opportunities for investors and a place for trust and growth. You can say beautiful words, or you can show results. Constant growth, month after month, year after year.
That’s what I see as an investor, and I am ready to show it to the whole world. Even today, I can still call myself the main investor of Emirex since the first days of its foundation. I put all my strength and knowledge into it so that it continues to offer meaningful results to everyone.
Connect with Greg Mars on LinkedIn.