Richard Olsen

Richard Olsen co-founded Olsen & Associates (O&A) in Zurich in the 1980s, building one of the world's first research organizations focused on high-frequency analysis of financial market tick data. The firm's research on market microstructure, FX volatility modeling, and high-frequency price dynamics was foundational for what became algorithmic and high-frequency trading. Olsen also co-founded OANDA Corporation, one of the first internet-based FX brokers that made retail currency trading accessible online. His work on financial market statistics and heterogeneous market theory influenced quantitative finance significantly. He subsequently became involved in cryptocurrency and blockchain through Lykke AG. His concept of intrinsic time — measuring market activity by the number of price moves rather than clock time — provided a fundamental alternative to calendar-time analysis that better captures the episodic nature of volatility and liquidity in electronic markets.