Crypto payments business MoonPay has appointed Caroline Pham as chief legal officer.
Pham joins from the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), where she is currently acting chair, helping oversee regulatory innovation and digital asset policy development. At MoonPay she will also serve as chief administration officer and be responsible for its global legal and administration functions, including leading the company’s policy and regulatory strategy. She will join at the conclusion of her role at the CFTC.
MoonPay was founded in 2019 and provides trading, crypto payments and stablecoin infrastructure, helping to connect traditional payment rails with blockchains.
Ivan Soto-Wright, co-founder and CEO of MoonPay, said: “Caroline is one of the most influential leaders in US financial regulation, helping define the future of digital assets. Her unparalleled experience, which combines regulatory expertise, traditional finance and a deep understanding of market structure, makes her the perfect leader to guide MoonPay through our next chapter of growth and compliance excellence.”
Pham will join after almost four years at the CFTC, having originally been sworn in as commissioner in April 2022 before being elected as acting chair in January this year. During her time at the CFTC, she was responsible for championing its Digital Asset Markets Pilots Program, which was launched this month.
Prior to her time at the CFTC, she spent seven and a half years at US investment bank Citi across a range of roles, including as head of market structure for strategic initiatives and head of capital markets regulation. She also previously worked at the CFTC as a special counsel and policy adviser to then commissioner Scott O’Malia.
Also this week, AI and blockchain innovator AIxCrypto appointed former Paul Hastings and WilmerHale partner Andrew Grossman as head of legal. Grossman joined from AI and crypto business Stealth, where he was general counsel.
At AIxCrypto, he will manage the company’s legal, compliance and governance matters, including SEC disclosures, fund and investment compliance and commercial agreements.
That followed asset tokenisation business Securitize this month hiring former PayPal lawyer Jerome Roche as GC. Roche was previously legal head for digital assets at the payments giant.
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