Empire FX,a Capital Markets Authority-licensed retail forex and CFD broker headquarteredin Kenya, has named Sahil Patel as Chief Operating Officer (COO), the companysaid today (Thursday). Patel will be based in Nairobi and oversee globaloperations as the firm targets expansion across Africa, the Middle East andAsia.Patel joinsfrom Pepperstone, where he spent more than six years building the Australianbroker's Africa business. Heled the firm's Kenya entity from 2020 and most recently served as Head ofAfrica. "Sahil’sappointment represents a pivotal moment for Empire FX as we transition into ournext phase of growth,” Peter Onyango, CEO at Empire FX, commented. “We are notjust expanding geographically - we are building a more sophisticated, scalableForex and CFD trading business that can operate at a truly global level.”Competition for KenyanTraders Heats UpKenyabecame the first African market to regulate online forex trading when the CMAintroduced its framework in 2017. The country now hosts more than 100,000active retail FX traders, drawing a steady stream of international brokers.Capital.com entered Kenya with locallicenses in January 2026, shortly followed by XM.They join Exness, which obtained CMA approvalin 2022, and morerecent arrivals including IC Markets in 2024 and FP Markets in 2025. Equiti'sFXPesa unit and INGOT Africa round out the licensed field.A Senior Hire Amid aBroader Talent ReshuffleTheappointment lands during a sustained wave of executive movesacross retail brokers,with firms competing for operators familiar with emerging markets as Europeanand Australian retail volumes plateau.In astatement, Patel said his focus would be on "building a robust operationalframework that supports long-term, sustainable growth." Onyango said thenew COO brings "a rare combination of strategic vision and operationaldiscipline."Empire FX operatesunder Kenya's CMA framework and offers leveraged FX and CFD products to retailclients.This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.