About Us

Mr. Baazov first entered the financial markets in 1996 as a trader on the floor of the Montreal Stock Exchange after earning his B.A. from HEC Montreal in 1995 specializing in International Finance. His focus in the early years was mainly on interest rate differential trades. His success as a trader gave in the impetus to found his own proprietary trading firm in 2005, Groupe Financier ARB. He has since trained and mentored dozens of successful traders, spanning the globe in search of remarkable talent. In 2009 a new division was opened within his proprietary trading firm, focusing on automated algorithmic trading. He has been directing this division since its inception and has overseen the creation and implementation of numerous automated trading strategies, covering multiple asset classes and statistical methodologies. A rigorous approach to statistical analysis as well as an unwavering commitment to risk management are the hallmarks of his work in the quantitative trading field. In 2012 he merged Groupe Financier ARB with Passaglia Trading to create ARB Trading Group (ARB). The firm has since grown to become a truly international proprietary trading firm, with hundreds of traders located in offices across the globe, covering markets on over 30 exchanges.

As Managing Partner, Mr. Baazov has directed the global expansion of ARB with an eye towards evolutionary diversification. Leading ARB’s quantitative trading operations, Mr. Baazov has overseen and cultivated the firm’s algorithmic trading strategies that has been key to its continued success.

With ARB assisting the launch of its affiliate company Dynamic Shares, Mr. Baazov will lend his considerable success in developing and identifying profitable algorithmic trading strategies to the Dynamic Shares ETFs.

Mr. Passaglia’s trading career was launched in earnest within a month of his graduating from the University of Illinois with a B.A. in Finance at an international proprietary trading firm in Frankfurt, Germany. His ascent to the upper echelons of the proprietary trading world did not go unnoticed, and his talent was undeniable. He was hailed as “The King of Continuity” by Futures Magazine, where he was featured as one of the most consistent, disciplined traders of Europe – one of the brightest traders Eurex had ever seen. Upon his return stateside in 2002, Mr. Passaglia founded his own proprietary trading firm, Passaglia Trading. He trained, mentored, and developed traders, imparting upon them his rigorous approach to trading and risk management. In 2012 he teamed up with Amnon Baazov, with the merger of their respective firms creating ARB Trading Group.

As Managing Partner, Mr. Passaglia has overseen the growth of ARB’s business beyond proprietary trading into various ancillary businesses within the securities industry to create a vertically integrated financial services company. Now with multiple business units comprising proprietary trading, broker/dealer services, IB services, ETFs, trading execution and risk management, alternative asset management, and hedge fund services, ARB is able to leverage its expertise across all of these functions to provide value to its clients and investors.

Now with the opportunity to expand into ETF services through ARB’s Dynamic Shares affiliate, Mr. Passaglia is dedicated to the Dynamic Shares goal of democratizing access to the same types of sophisticated strategies that have helped his firm attain such incredible success.

Mark Downing is Dynamic Shares' Chief Operating Officer and a member of the company’s executive management team. In addition, he is the COO of ARB Trading Group. Mr. Downing is responsible for Dynamic Shares' operations, project management, and business process optimization functions as well as overseeing the launch of various Dynamic Shares investment funds. Before joining Dynamic Shares, Mr. Downing served as Chief Operating Officer of hedge fund Aegea Capital Management. In that role, he managed Aegea’s operations and compliance functions, as well as assisted in the management of the firm’s portfolio of investments. Previously, he has owned and operated a proprietary market making group, and built the first successful Eurodollar option trading desk for a leading institutional market maker. Prior to that, Mr. Downing served as a market maker on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange for a prominent local proprietary trading group. Mr. Downing holds a Bachelor of Science from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business and has also previously held positions as a software engineer at Motorola and CNA Insurance.

Vasile’s career spans three countries and two continents. Vasile started his career in investment financial services at National Bank of Canada and, before joining ARB Trading Group, led optimization projects for brokerage solutions. Prior moving to Canada in 2009, Vasile worked for KPMG and in the commercial bank industry. Vasile joined ARB Trading Group as one of the first employees and was instrumental in growing the firm, acting lately as the group CFO. Vasile is a CFA Charterholder and holds a bachelor’s degree in finance. He has deep experience in financial analysis, trading, accounting and back office operations.

RJ is the CCO of Dynamic Shares. In addition, he is a Managing Principal of affiliates 303 Alternatives LLC, 303 Securities LP and Three Zero Three Capital Partners LLC, as well as the COO of ARB Trading Group. He has over 20 years of experience in the securities and investments industry while working in Chicago, London, Dubai, and Singapore.

Previously, RJ was the Managing Partner of Index Financial Partners, LLC, a Chicago-based commodities hedge fund he co- founded in 2012. Prior to that, RJ had a 12-year career in international banking where he was the Regional Head of Private Bank Sales & Trading (FICC) and Head of Trading & Structuring (SCSI) at Standard Chartered Bank Plc, and was the Global Head of Alternative Investments, Global Head of Structured Products & Funds, and Regional Head of Structured Products (Asia) at ABN AMRO Bank NV. RJ began his financial career at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange with Merrill Lynch Futures in 1994.

RJ is a graduate from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Business (Finance).