BTQ Taps Finance Titan for Board to Bolster Quantum Security Push

VANCOUVER, BC – January 05, 2026 – In a move signaling a significant push towards institutional credibility and disciplined growth, quantum technology firm BTQ Technologies Corp. has appointed veteran financier Lionel de Saint-Exupéry to its Board of Directors. He will also take on the critical role of Chair of the Audit Committee, bringing decades of high-level global capital markets and governance experience to the publicly traded company.

The appointment comes as BTQ, which focuses on securing mission-critical networks against future quantum computing threats, aims to scale its security platforms for major clients in finance, defense, and telecommunications. De Saint-Exupéry's background is seen as a strategic asset in this endeavor, lending heavyweight financial acumen to a company operating at the frontier of deep technology.

"Lionel brings a rare combination of global capital markets expertise, multi-asset investing experience, and a deep track record in building and governing complex financial institutions," said Olivier Roussy Newton, Chief Executive Officer of BTQ Technologies. "As BTQ scales its quantum and post-quantum security platforms with financial institutions and critical infrastructure operators around the world, his leadership will be invaluable in strengthening our long-term value creation for shareholders."

A Veteran Financier's Bet on the Quantum Future

Mr. de Saint-Exupéry's career is a testament to his influence in the global financial arena. He is currently the Executive Chairman of Saintex Capital Management, a private family office managing long-term capital. However, it is his transformative roles at major Asian financial institutions that underscore the gravity of his appointment.

As the former Vice Chairman of KGI Financial Holdings and CEO of its investment arm, CDIB Capital Group, he was a central figure in the group's dramatic expansion. During his tenure, he was instrumental in growing KGI's total assets from approximately US$8 billion in 2006 to a staggering US$125 billion. He is credited with spearheading the transformation of CDIB into a formidable regional alternative asset manager and driving key group-wide initiatives in digitization and capital reallocation.

Before his nearly two-decade run in Asia, de Saint-Exupéry was a senior banker in the investment banking division of Lehman Brothers in New York and London. There, he worked on more than US$45 billion in public and private transactions, gaining deep experience in mergers and acquisitions and capital markets across a wide array of sectors. His move to the board of a quantum technology company represents a powerful endorsement of the sector's long-term potential from a seasoned expert accustomed to navigating complex, large-scale financial landscapes.

"I am honored to join BTQ's Board of Directors at a time when quantum technologies are moving from research to real-world deployment," stated Mr. de Saint-Exupéry. "BTQ is uniquely positioned at the intersection of quantum innovation and the financial system's need for next-generation security."

The Quantum Imperative for Global Finance

The timing of this appointment is critical, as the global financial system confronts the looming threat of quantum computing. The development of cryptographically relevant quantum computers, armed with Shor's algorithm, promises to render current encryption standards like RSA and ECC obsolete. This would expose everything from secure online transactions and customer data to the core messaging systems that underpin global finance.

This has given rise to the urgent threat of "Harvest Now, Decrypt Later" (HNDL) attacks, where malicious actors are already siphoning and storing encrypted data, waiting for the day a quantum computer can break it. For the financial sector, where data confidentiality must be maintained for decades, HNDL represents an immediate and systemic risk.

Regulatory bodies are no longer treating this as a distant problem. In the United States, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has already published the first set of standardized post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithms, effectively firing the starting gun for a multi-year, system-wide migration. Directives like the White House's National Security Memorandum-10 are pushing federal agencies, and by extension critical infrastructure partners, to develop a transition plan. Organizations like the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) have explicitly warned securities firms to begin assessing their quantum risk and planning their migration to PQC.

This regulatory pressure is mirrored in Europe, where rules like the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) and NIS2 are compelling financial entities to enhance their cryptographic resilience. The market BTQ is targeting is not just emerging; it is being mandated into existence.

Bolstering Governance for a High-Stakes Market

For a publicly traded company like BTQ, which is still in its early revenue stages but holds a significant market valuation based on its technology's potential, strong governance is paramount. The role of Audit Committee Chair is central to building and maintaining investor trust. Mr. de Saint-Exupéry will be tasked with overseeing the integrity of BTQ's financial reporting, the effectiveness of its internal controls, and its management of significant financial risks—all under the intense scrutiny of public markets in Canada and the United States.

His role becomes even more complex given the nature of a deep-tech company, where assets include highly valuable but difficult-to-quantify intellectual property and where revenue projections are tied to the adoption of disruptive new technologies. His experience in governing institutions with assets worth over US$100 billion provides BTQ with a level of financial stewardship and oversight that is crucial for navigating its next phase of growth.

By bringing in a leader with a profound understanding of the financial systems it seeks to protect, BTQ is making a clear statement. The move aims to bridge the gap between cutting-edge quantum innovation and the rigorous demands of the global financial industry, positioning the company not just as a technology vendor, but as a trusted partner in securing the future of finance. As de Saint-Exupéry himself noted, he looks forward to supporting "disciplined growth, robust oversight, and the highest standards of financial stewardship as the Company continues to execute its strategy."