About

The short version.

I’m a founder and operator. For a decade I’ve built CoBuy into a category: consumer co-ownership, which is really multi-party investment management.

Before that, eight years in institutional finance, finishing as a Director covering central banks and sovereign wealth funds.

I think in systems. I build and run production software.

Dual US and UK citizen, fluent French, based between Seattle and Phoenix.

The track record

Now

Founder and builder

Building bold shit. Systems thinking applied to real problems, AI as the mechanism.

2016 - now

Founder and CEO, CoBuy

Built one company into a named category over a decade: consumer co-ownership, which is really multi-party investment management.

3,500+ co-buyers and co-owners.
$63M+ closed real estate.
Named in NYT, WSJ, Forbes, and TIME.
Won a $150K Algorand Foundation grant. Delivered every milestone early.
Three of us run it like a team of twenty.

2014 - 2015

UniCredit, London

Director.

Built trading relationships with eight central banks and sovereign wealth funds.
Grew P&L 12x in a year.
Led the bank’s coverage of the ECB asset-purchase programme, at 350%+ of target annualized wallet share.
Reactivated trading with China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange.

2012 - 2014

Santander, London

Vice President. I ran day-to-day coverage of central banks and sovereign wealth funds on a two-person desk.

Grew trading with Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) 10x.
Covered Middle Eastern clients.
Managed the bank’s coverage of the ECB purchase programmes.
Point person on structured credit for official institutions.
Took the desk beyond Spanish government bonds into covered bonds, other eurozone sovereigns and US Treasuries.

2008 - 2012

RBS, London and Paris

I originated €7bn of debt for banks and insurers, then kept the central-bank and sovereign-wealth-fund desk running through the crisis after five colleagues left, leaving two of us.

2007 - 2008

Jefferies Broadview, London

Technology M&A. Financial modeling and pitches across software, hardware and communications.

2006

Goldman Sachs, New York

Started at 20 in the fixed income, currencies and commodities middle office.

Education

UCL and ESCP Europe

BSc Economics, University College London.
Masters in European Business, ESCP Europe (First Class).
FSA Authorized during my UK banking career.

Leading people

I’ve hired and led people on five continents: North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia.
Not just engineers. Designers, QA, security, operations and a partner network. 15+ engineers over CoBuy’s history, never all at once.
Built the CoBuy-certified™ network from nothing: 200+ B2B professionals sourced, vetted, trained, certified and held to service agreements. We tracked performance and stopped sending customers to those who fell short.
Raised from angel investors on four continents. The group doubles as an advisory board.
Won a $150K Algorand Foundation grant, picked the delivery team across three continents, and ran its budget. We shipped every milestone early.
Ran a 180+ applicant search for a technical co-founder. He’s stayed over a year and shipped monetized products with me.
At RBS, kept the central-bank desk running as a team of two after five colleagues left, retaining 70%+ of annualized desk P&L.
Today I direct teams of AI agents the same way: separate builders, verifiers and auditors, and nobody grades their own work.

People

Central banks & sovereign wealth funds

Map shading countries where Matt covered central banks and sovereign wealth funds: most of Europe, Russia, China, the Gulf, Egypt, South Africa, Brazil and Chile — 35+ institutions covered.

Selected proof

Matt Holmes on a panel at Decipher, Algorand’s global conference in Dubai, on digitizing real-world assets — Decipher, Algorand’s global conference, Dubai. Digitizing real-world assets.

CoBuy at Innovate Housing SF, a Fannie Mae and UC Berkeley Terner Center summit — Innovate Housing SF, a Fannie Mae and UC Berkeley Terner Center summit.

Matt Holmes leading a How to CoBuy a Home session to a full room in Seattle, with a panel — Our Seattle series, "How to CoBuy a Home with Friends, Family, or Your Partner."

Grants & recognition

Algorand FoundationAwarded a $150K grant, delivered early and beyond scope.
Innovate Housing SFInvited as one of ten innovators, a Fannie Mae and UC Berkeley Terner Center summit.
Ivory PrizeCoBuy was nominated, unsolicited, for the 2026 Ivory Prize for housing affordability.

Speaking & teaching

Decipher, DubaiSpoke at the Algorand global conference on digitizing real-world assets.
50-plus education eventsCo-buying education across four states, on panels with attorneys, lenders, and economists. The Oakland and San Francisco series sold out.
MasterZTaught in the Algorand Foundation’s MasterZ programme.
Terran CollectiveLed a session on co-operative buying for 300+ online.
UW Foster School of BusinessGuest lecturer to MBA students on startups and entrepreneurship.
10AcademyGuest lecturer to blockchain students on tokenization and real-world applications.

Research & media

National researchCreated and led CoBuy’s national research programme: five editions since 2021, drawing on 6,200+ co-buyers and co-owners.
CoBuy Co-ownership Index™Turned the research into a maintained public reference, with national estimates, trends and published methodology.
Press & interviewsCoBuy’s work featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, TIME, Forbes and the Los Angeles Times. I’ve been interviewed across print, radio and podcasts on co-buying and shared homeownership.
Financial institutions & policyCoBuy referenced by Bank of America, Fidelity and the Bay Area Council Economic Institute.

Endorsements

“Matthew is hard working and very passionate about his work, building very strong relationships with his clients, as well as having a very broad experience across DCM, rates and Credit markets.”

Rob MandersCentral Bank & Sovereign Wealth Fund Sales, Scotiabank EuropeManaged me · RBS, Santander
“His intelligence was immediately apparent in every strategy discussion and problem-solving session we had. He worked tirelessly, often being the first to arrive and the last to leave, setting a standard of dedication that inspired the entire team.”

Tim HedbergCEO, Motivo MediaReported to me · CoBuy
“Matt combines hard work, in-depth knowledge, and a hands-on approach with kindness and empathy. His passion and resolve are not only inspiring but also effective in driving tangible results. He fosters a culture of growth and collaboration, making him an exceptional leader and mentor.”

Samuel RalakEngineeringReported to me · CoBuy
“I would not hesitate to work with Matt again in the future, nor to recommend him wholeheartedly as a smart, talented and committed colleague or partner.”

Alex TempletonCEO, QuredSenior to me in finance
“Matt was a talented capital markets banker with an entrepreneurial spirit.”

Chris HardingHead of Alternative AssetsSenior to me in finance

See the work