Former Blackrock and Goldman Sachs senior executive joins Blockchain as general counsel

Cryptocurrency wallet provider Blockchain.com has brought on a Blackrock and Goldman Sachs veteran as its general counsel. 

The company announced on Tuesday that it has hired former Blackrock executive Howard Surloff to lead the company's legal and compliance teams. According to Surloff's LinkedIn, the Wall Street veteran has worked at Blackrock for 12 years, first serving as the deputy general counsel and then leading the investment management firm's iShares and Index division as global chief operating officer. 

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Prior to Blackrock, Surloff was managing director and general counsel at the U.S. asset management division of Goldman Sachs, overseeing the legal strategy across over 1,000 investment products, according to a company statement. 

Earlier this year, blockchain.com launched a cryptocurrency exchange, PIT, in a bid to stand out in the crowded crypto exchange market with its "microsecond" matching machines. In June, the firm also reported that it has added over 4 million new wallet accounts in two months. 

"Blockchain is at the center of the digital assets ecosystem, and continues to expand with infrastructure like The PIT," says Surloff in the statement. "As such, there is a complex regulatory landscape to navigate to best serve our users and partners around the world." 

About Author

Celia joined The Block as a reporter after earning her BA in the History of Science from the University of Chicago. Having spent years pondering over why 2+2 cannot equal 5, she is interested in the history and philosophy of mathematics, computation, and cryptography. She also had a very brief stint at Crunchbase News.