Michael Zhao – Founder & CEO, Klickl Group | Co-Founder & Vice Chair, C1 Fund
Michael Zhao is the Founder and CEO of Klickl Group, a UAE-headquartered, ADGM-regulated Web3 banking and payments platform bridging traditional finance and digital assets across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Under his leadership, Klickl has grown into one of the fastest-rising global fintech brands, offering regulated banking, custody, and settlement infrastructure for the digital asset industry.
In addition to leading Klickl, Michael is the Co-Founder and Vice Chair of C1 Fund, a pioneering investment vehicle that provides public-market access to top private blockchain companies. Building on his extensive experience in both capital markets and digital assets, he helped design C1 Fund’s innovative structure, enabling global investors to participate in high-growth Web3 ventures through a compliant, transparent framework.
With over 20 years of expertise spanning traditional finance, venture investing, and blockchain infrastructure, Michael has been instrumental in driving regulatory engagement and cross-border collaboration. He has worked closely with regulators, sovereign wealth funds, and financial institutions in the UAE, Hong Kong, Africa, and other emerging markets to shape policies and deliver real-world adoption of digital finance.
At Investopia, Michael brings a dual perspective—as an operator building regulated digital banking rails through Klickl and as an investor democratizing access to the digital economy via C1 Fund—demonstrating how Web3 can transform global finance and unlock sustainable economic growth.
