Michalis S. Kilaras
Co-Founder & Co-CEO
Technology and Digital Assets
- More than 25 years across banking, enterprise technology and digital finance
- Began his career at Goldman Sachs, New York
- Former Chief Technology Officer, Eurobank Cyprus
- Led Digital Factory, Core Banking and Business Applications initiatives at Bank of Cyprus
- MSc, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Principal author of the Group's tokenization frameworks
Experience
MIT-educated senior technology, banking and digital-finance executive with more than 25 years of experience spanning Goldman Sachs, Eurobank Cyprus, Bank of Cyprus, enterprise technology, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and digital assets.
Michalis began his career at Goldman Sachs in New York, developing real-time technology supporting U.S. listed-equities trading and connectivity with the New York Stock Exchange. He subsequently held senior technology leadership roles across the banking sector, including serving as Chief Technology Officer of Eurobank Cyprus and leading major Digital Factory, Core Banking and Business Applications initiatives at Bank of Cyprus.
His current work focuses on the convergence of institutional finance, AI, blockchain and Real-World Asset tokenization, including the architecture of tokenized financing models for strategic metals, mineral resources, energy infrastructure and sovereign-scale assets.
He is the principal author and architect behind a number of the Group's intellectual frameworks relating to tokenized metal reserves, strategic-resource financing, energy-backed digital finance and sovereign infrastructure tokenization.
Expertise
Michalis's expertise spans the intersection of institutional finance, technology and next-generation digital capital markets.
- Real-World Asset tokenization strategy and architecture
- Digital-asset platforms, blockchain infrastructure and smart-contract ecosystems
- Banking, capital-markets and payments technology
- Digital-asset regulation, governance and market structure
- Institutional-grade financing structures for metals, mining, energy and infrastructure
- Enterprise architecture, APIs, microservices and cloud platforms
- Artificial intelligence, GenAI, machine learning and intelligent automation
- Cybersecurity, information-security governance and digital trust
- Technology strategy, transformation and large-scale programme delivery
- Integration of traditional financial infrastructure with programmable digital-asset rails
His particular focus is the design of institutionally credible tokenization models that combine the underlying asset, legal ownership and SPV structures, valuation and verification, regulated issuance, investor onboarding, custody, settlement, cybersecurity and ongoing governance.
Tokenbridge responsibilities
As Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Technology and Digital Assets, Michalis shares executive leadership of Tokenbridge while leading the Group's technology, tokenization and digital-assets agenda.
- Group strategy
Contributing to Tokenbridge's strategic direction, business model, institutional positioning and global RWA market development.
- Tokenization architecture
Defining the end-to-end frameworks through which physical and financial real-world assets can be structured, tokenized, issued and administered.
- Platform & technology architecture
Designing scalable digital infrastructure connecting asset SPVs, blockchain networks, smart contracts, wallets, custody, payments, settlement and investor-facing services.
- Digital-asset strategy
Assessing blockchain networks, token standards, stablecoin and settlement infrastructure, custody models and institutional digital-finance technologies.
- Technology & information-security governance
Establishing the architecture, cybersecurity, resilience, identity, data-protection and governance standards required for institutional-grade operations.
- AI & intelligent automation
Incorporating AI, GenAI, analytics and automation across asset analysis, compliance, onboarding, operational workflows and investor servicing.
- Banking & capital-markets integration
Ensuring Tokenbridge's digital infrastructure can interoperate with traditional financial institutions, custodians, payment systems and capital-market participants.
- Strategic technology partnerships
Evaluating and coordinating blockchain infrastructure providers, financial institutions, custodians, stablecoin platforms and other ecosystem partners.
- Intellectual framework development
Leading the conceptual development of Tokenbridge's propositions for tokenized strategic resources, metal reserves, energy assets and sovereign-scale infrastructure financing.
His mandate is ultimately to help build the institutional bridge between traditional real-world assets and programmable global capital markets.
Selected achievements
- Built and led major elements of the Bank of Cyprus Digital Factory, involving more than 150 professionals across five countries and contributing to the delivery of more than 30 digital, AI, data and automation products and initiatives within approximately 18 months.
- As Chief Technology Officer of Eurobank Cyprus, helped establish the bank's technology infrastructure, core business systems and digital capabilities from the ground up.
- Led the technical implementation of a new Core Banking platform at Emporiki Bank Cyprus, spanning multiple banking and operational domains.
- At Goldman Sachs, New York, developed technology supporting real-time U.S. equities trading and implemented a pioneering wireless mechanism for transmitting orders between the Goldman Sachs trading environment and the New York Stock Exchange.
- Introduced one of Cyprus's first online VoIP billing platforms at OTENET, supporting significant client growth following its implementation.
- Developed strategic frameworks for the tokenization of metals, mineral resources, energy assets and sovereign infrastructure, including models designed to generate investment liquidity from strategically important real-world assets.
- Winner, MIT 1K Competition.
- First Prize, University of Cyprus Entrepreneurship Competition.
Education & professional development
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) — MSc, Feedback Control Systems; Executive Program in Artificial Intelligence
- University of Minnesota Institute of Technology — BSc, Aerospace Engineering, Summa Cum Laude
- TOGAF v10
- Certified SAFe 4 Program Consultant
- Advanced professional studies in artificial intelligence, machine learning, MLOps, agentic AI, cybersecurity, cloud computing and leadership, including programmes from MIT, Stanford, Google, IBM, DeepLearning.AI, Vanderbilt University and Harvard