Early Life and Education
Alexander Gerko was born in Moscow, Russia, on December 3, 1979. He showed an early aptitude for mathematics, which led him to pursue higher education at Moscow State University. He earned a Bachelor's, a Master's, and a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Moscow State University. He furthered his education by obtaining a Master of Economics from the New Economic School.
Rise to Success
Gerko's professional journey began in 2004 at Deutsche Bank, where he specialized in equities trading before moving into foreign exchange (FX) trading. In 2009, he joined GSA Capital as the head of FX trading. In 2015, Gerko founded XTX Markets, an algorithmic trading company that uses advanced algorithms and machine learning techniques to provide liquidity and facilitate efficient trading. His leadership as co-CEO has been instrumental in XTX Markets' growth, making it a dominant player in the financial markets.
Key Business Strategies
XTX Markets' success is rooted in its focus on algorithmic trading across multiple asset classes, including equities, fixed income, FX, and commodities. The firm utilizes advanced algorithms and machine learning to forecast prices and trade, handling approximately $250 billion in daily trading volume across 35 countries. Gerko's strategy involves maintaining a proprietary-capital model and investing heavily in advanced computing infrastructure.
Philanthropy
Gerko is actively involved in philanthropy, particularly in mathematics education. Since 2020, he has donated a significant amount, £25 million, to support extracurricular math programs through the Axiom Maths charity. In 2025, he donated $10 million to initiatives focused on applying artificial intelligence to mathematics.