James Tabacchi: A fintech leader empowering clients to take advantage of an ever-changing landscape by being ahead of industry trends

James Tabacchi currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Matrix Applications, a leading provider of financial technology and back-office support services. Under his leadership, Matrix Applications has grown into one of the most influential participants in today's financial services industry, offering a suite of solutions to help in the streamlining of operations for fixed income and equity markets.

Career Highlights

Management at Matrix Applications: Since assuming the position of CEO, James has witnessed increased growth and expansion of the company. Under his great strategic vision, leading technology solutions are being developed to meet the changing financial institutional needs.

Industry Expertise: With several years of background in the financial services sector, James has huge experience and expertise as a professional. His enormous experience in trend analysis in the market and regulatory requirements makes Matrix Applications a trusted partner among financial firms.

Client-Centric Approach: James has always followed a client-centric philosophy that ensures quality, tailor-made services for Matrix Applications. This built long-term relationships with a wide spectrum of clients—broker-dealers, asset managers, and banks.

Strategic Initiatives

Technological Innovation: Under James's guidance, Matrix Applications has embraced cutting-edge technologies such as cloud computing and advanced analytics, which have enabled it to enhance its product offerings. It is this innovation focus that makes the company's solution always top of its game.

Operational Efficiency: James has made sure that strong processes and systems are developed and implemented to ensure operational efficiency within the company. Having operational efficiency has achieved cost-cutting and productivity enhancement for Part Applications and their clients.

Regulatory Compliance: One of his key skills is keeping pace with the evolving financial regulatory environment. He has championed compliance-focused solutions for his clients to help them meet their regulatory requirements while minimizing their risk.

Education and Early Career

James Tabacchi has a finance degree, which laid a very good platform for his future in the financial services sector. In the early years of his career, he spent many years trading, risk managing, and operating, during which he gained valuable experience and had an in-depth view of the market dynamics.

Personal Attributes

Visionary Leader: James is known for his ability to think way ahead and to feel a potentially revolutionary industry shift when it approaches. It is this kind of strategic foresight that helped position Matrix Applications for long-term success.

Problem Solver: Innately, James is a troubleshooter, since he is very astute at ascertaining problems and formulating appropriate solutions. His analytical skills and attention to detail are an important part of his leadership role.

Mentor/Advocate: James is also dedicated to developing talent within his organization. He actively mentors’ new leaders and advocates for opportunities in professional development, thus creating a lively and innovative corporate culture.

James Tabacchi: CEO & President, Matrix Applications

As the President and CEO of South Street Securities Holdings Inc. (Matrix Applications subsidiary of SSSH, Inc), Mr. Tabacchi is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the business, including strategy, risk management, technology, compliance, finance, and more. He founded the company in 2000 with venture capital and has since grown it into one of the largest independent repo dealers in the industry. Today, South Street offers a range of products and services, including asset management, mortgage-backed securities, and equity securities lending.

Prior to founding South Street, Mr. Tabacchi spent 20 years at Citicorp/Citibank in various roles, including customer interface and business leadership positions in investment banking, corporate banking, and consumer banking. He held several key positions during his tenure, including regional business manager for the Northeast Division of Citicorp Mortgage and Division Financial controller for Citicorp's North American Investment Bank.

In addition to his work at South Street, Mr. Tabacchi serves on the boards of several other companies, including ACM Trust REIT and AmeriVet, a Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (DVOSB) and minority owned broker dealer. He is also Chairman of the Board of the Independent Dealer and Trader Association (IDTA) and a member of the BNYM's GSS Industry Advisory Council. In 2021, he was elected to the DTCC Board of Directors.

Outside of his professional roles, Mr. Tabacchi is involved in several community organizations, including the Borough of Demarest Planning Board, St. Joseph's Catholic School Endowment Fund, and Englewood Field Club's 'Learn to Play Hockey' program. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Accounting from Iona College and an MBA from the John G. Hagen School of Business. Mr. Tabacchi is also registered with FINRA as Series 7, 63, 27, and 24.

“We work hands-on with our clients to identify an optimal mix of services to best fit their needs, from systems to back-office operations assistance.”