Ex-Ripple Executive Catherine Coley joins Binance.US as CEO

The Block • July 2, 2019, 9:06AM EDT
UPDATED: July 2, 2019, 9:35AM EDT
The Block

Quick Take

  • Binance.US has appointed Ripple’s former head of institutional liquidity, Catherine Coley, as its new CEO
  • The exchange’s US division was announced last month after notifying users that binance.com would stop operating in the country in September
  • Coley joins a small but growing number of female executives in the crypto space

Catherine Coley, former head of XRP institutional liquidity at Ripple, has joined Binance.US as CEO, industry sources have told The Block.

Coley previously worked for Silicon Valley Bank and Morgan Stanley, managing foreign exchange business, before joining blockchain startup Ripple in 2017, according to her LinkedIn profile. 

Binance announced its plans to launch a fiat-to-crypto exchange in the U.S. earlier this month, before breaking the news that its main platform, Binance.com, would stop being available in the country in September.

As part of its US launch, Binance has partnered with BAM Trading Services, a little-known Californian-registered firm. "Binance US will be led by our local partner BAM and will serve the U.S. market in full regulatory compliance," Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao said last month.

Coley will therefore likely be responsible for working closely with regulators and building the US-based team. It is not yet clear when the new platform will launch.

On the recent hire, CZ said in a press release: “I am confident that with Coley’s leadership and Binance’s leading technology platform, Binance.US will be able to provide valuable services to the U.S. community.”

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Coley shared her own enthusiasm, noting: “This is just the beginning of a long journey ahead, and I look forward to working with Binance as a partner to unlock more potential for the blockchain ecosystem here in the U.S.."

Coley joins a small but eclectic handful female executives in major crypto and blockchain, including:

The story is developing...


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About Authors

Yogita Khatri is a senior reporter at The Block, covering all things crypto. As one of the earliest team members, Yogita has played a pivotal role in breaking numerous stories, exclusives and scoops. With nearly 3,000 articles under her belt, Yogita holds the records as The Block's most-published and most-read author of all time. Prior to joining The Block, Yogita worked at crypto publication CoinDesk and The Economic Times, where she wrote on personal finance. To contact her, email: [email protected]. For her latest work, follow her on X @Yogita_Khatri5.
Isabel is The Block's London and European reporter. She previously reported for Reuters in Madrid and London, following on from her time as a freelance journalist for the Guardian and the New York Times. She has a Bachelors in War Studies from King’s College London and a Master of Philosophy from the University of Oxford. Conflict of Interest: Edward Woodford, the CEO of SeedCX, is Isabel's brother. She does not report on any issues related to Seed or advise other authors in any regard.

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