About
Anthony Watson C.B.E. is a distinguished entrepreneur, technologist, investor, inventor (U.S. Patent holder), and philanthropist whose career spans Wall Street, the City of London, and the global technology and financial sectors. One of only a handful of people in modern history to have successfully launched and led regulated financial institutions on both sides of the Atlantic, Watson is widely regarded as one of Britain’s most accomplished business leaders.
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In 2017, he founded The Bank of London — only the second principal clearing bank to be authorised in the United Kingdom in more than 250 years — marking a milestone that redefined the modern British banking landscape. Serving as its Group Chief Executive until September 2024, Watson led the institution from concept and establishment through authorisation and market entry, transforming it into one of the fastest-growing new banks in British history.
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A rebellious and visionary reformer, Watson conceived and pioneered the full-reserve model of fiat banking on a global scale, establishing the first fiat bank in a G7 nation in which every deposit is 100% guaranteed — a transformative framework ensuring that all customer funds are held in full at the Bank of England, never loaned, leveraged, or placed at risk. To this day, The Bank of London remains the only bank of any G7 nation whose deposits are completely protected and secure, standing as the first fiat institution expressly designed to restore safety, transparency, and trust to the modern banking system
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Before founding The Bank of London, Watson was the Founding President and Chief Executive Officer of Uphold, where he built the company into one of the world’s largest digital asset platforms, serving over 10 million consumers across 150 countries. Earlier in his career he served as Global Chief Information Officer of Nike Inc., Managing Director and CIO for Europe, Middle East & Global Operations at Barclays Bank, and Senior Vice President & Global Head of Technology Services at Wells Fargo. He began his career at Microsoft and First-e, Europe’s first internet bank.
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A committed advocate for equality, inclusion, and human rights, Watson was the first non-American appointed to the Board of Directors of GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBT media rights organisation. The former Chair and Head Judge of The European Diversity Awards, and as Patron of Diversity Role Models, the UK’s leading anti-bullying charity.
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In 2020, Watson was admitted as a Freeman of the City of London. In 2023, His Majesty King Charles III appointed him a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (C.B.E.) in the inaugural King’s Birthday Honours, recognising his support and contributions to the LGBT community.
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Watson has been featured among the world’s most influential executives, ranking No. 19 in Fortune Magazine’s “40 Under 40”, No. 1 in The Telegraph’s “Top 100 Most Influential LGBT Business Leaders in the UK”, No. 4 in The Financial Times’ “Top 100 LGBT Business Leaders in the World”, and No. 9 in Business Insider’s “Most Powerful LGBT Executives Globally”, alongside numerous accolades in The Economist, Der Spiegel, The Guardian, The Independent and many others.
