Bardya Ziaian

Bardya Ziaian is an experienced Toronto-based entrepreneur and financial asset manager with a proven track record of founding successful companies. Currently, Bardya is the President and CEO of SITTU Group Inc., where he consults with companies, design systems, and works to invest in early-stage businesses. The think tank strives to create opportunities based on current economic macro environments.

Bardya attended York University, first earning a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and then a Master of Mathematics.

Career

Following graduation, Bardya became a Project Manager/Senior Software Engineer at Belzberg Technologies Inc., where he was accountable for hiring programmers, designing trading engines and designing US self-clearing systems for equity, among other responsibilities.

Later, Bardya became Managing Director at Royal Capital Management Inc. and was responsible for managing assets using multiple arbitrage strategies.

In 2008, Bardya founded BBS Securities, a Canadian Broker dealer, and its subsidiary discount broker, Virtual Brokers. Under his leadership, Virtual Brokers changed the commission landscape of Canada by reducing commission to almost 0. Virtual Brokers was also ranked the #1 discount broker and top innovator by The Globe and Mail multiple times.

During his time at BBS Securities and Virtual Brokers, Bardya was a contributor to the regulatory world and to the industry. He was an elected member of IIROC Ontario District for two years and a Director at Neo Exchange in 2015, where he assisted the company in making long-term decisions and in determining the vision of the enterprise.

In 2015, he founded Pario Technologies Corp, where he designed and implemented trading and clearing systems for Canada, and US Equities and Options. In 2017, he sold the businesses to CI Financial, one of the top independent financial companies in Canada.

Bardya is known in his professional life as a job creator, a strategic director, and a passionate entrepreneur. He is especially knowledgeable in the areas of fintech, brokerage services, and financial systems.

Sittu Group and the World of Financial Technology

Sittu Group received its name from the Chinese words Si and Tu. Bardya chose the name because the translation loosely translates to “thinking while moving forward,” which is the exact aim of the think tank company. Sittu Group consults with businesses, designs systems, and invests in early-stage companies with the main goal of creating opportunities in the current economic macro environments.

Sittu Group focuses on its namesake: believing that forward-thinking can bring you endless possibilities in terms of innovation. The name of the company reflects the team’s work, philosophy, and values, which include diversification.

What is fintech?

Fintech, or financial technology, refers to the technology and innovation that aims to compete with traditional financial methods and the delivery of financial services. Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Cloud computing, and big data are considered to be the “ABCD” of the fintech world.

In broad terms, fintech describes any company using the internet, mobile devices, software tech, or cloud services. Many fintech products are designed to connect consumers’ finances with easy-to-use technology, although the term can also be applied to business-to-business technologies.

Bardya Ziaian believes that fintech is in part a reaction to the desires of the new generation of self-directed investors. With a large demographic wanting control and personalization that fintech provides has created a large market of supply and demand. As such, fintech companies are now forced to compete to provide the best platforms, experience, and features for their customer base.

Fintech has made inroads with dozens of applications that have changed the way consumers manage and access their finances. This includes mobile payment apps to insurance and investment companies, fintech has disrupted traditional financial and banking industries. Potentially, fintech poses a threat to traditional brick-and-mortar banks or financial institutions.

Earlier, fintech referred to tech that applied to the back-end systems of banks or other financial institutions, since egrowing to encompass a myriad of other applications that are more consumer-focused. Now, it’s possible to manage funds, trade stocks, pay for food, or even manage your insurance through this technology, often from your very own smartphone.

The tools provided by fintech are changing the way many consumers track, manage and facilitate their finances. Fintech provides options to participate in financial services without the need for using big banks. This is precisely the purpose of fintech, to give consumers direct access to their finances through easy-to-use technology. But what other uses does fintech offer?