Crypto.com Names Leaders For UK Hub

Cryptocurrency and NFT platform Crypto.com has unveiled six new hires to strengthen its presence in the U.K. with a regional hub. The effort will be led by the newly appointed U.K. General Manager Nick Charteris, the former Chief of Staff and Global Head of Operations for Railsbank.

Among the new members of Charteris’ team are:

• Matthew Ward, the former Head of Finance for Asto UK, joined Crypto.com as Head of Finance for the U.K.

• George Tucker became the Head of Communications and Government Relations for EMEA. Previously he had been a Partner at strategy consulting firm Actum.

• Rosie Donachie came onboard as the crypto platform’s Global Head of Sustainability and ESG. She previously served as the Group Head of Government Affairs and Regulatory Strategy at the London Stock Exchange.

• Joanna Jenkins was named as the company’s SVP of Compliance for EMEA. Jenkins appears to have followed Charteris from Railsbank, where she was the Global Compliance Director for Growth and Expansion.

• Mike Warriner, an ex-Googler, was appointed as SVP of Engineering, Europe. Warriner was previously an Engineering Director at Google and most recently served as VP of Engineering and CTO at Skyscanner.

The UK is a smaller but growing crypto market with around 5% of the country’s total population, or 3.3 million people, reportedly owning cryptocurrency—compare that with 16% in the US. However, regulators in the U.K. have been more proactive than their U.S. counterparts and have already cracked down on misleading advertisements and illegal crypto ATMs.

A larger and more permanent presence in the U.K. could help Crypto.com become a louder voice in the regulatory conversation and help shape policies as local officials continue to rein in the crypto market.

Along with the announcement that Crypto.com has named the leadership for its U.K. hub, the platform also revealed plans to invest heavily in its UK engineering team, with more than 400 hires expected this year alone.

"The UK represents a strategically important market to Crypto.com," Crypto.com CEO Kris Marszalek stated in the company’s announcement. "We are delighted to welcome these senior leaders to the Company and they will all play a vital role in strengthening our capabilities and attracting more talent in this market. This team will also work closely with the regulator as we continue to grow our UK business."