Binance.US Taps Brian Brooks as CEO

Binance.US is currently run by Catherine Coley, a tech and finance executive formerly with Ripple and Silicon Valley Bank. It’s unknown as to the future role she’ll play with Binance.

article-image

Source: CoinMod

share

key takeaways

  • Brooks was pivotal in pushing through regulations friendly to the digital assets industry during his tenure
  • Binance.US is currently run by Catherine Coley, a tech and finance executive formerly with Ripple and Silicon Valley Bank

The US arm of the world’s largest digital assets exchange has hired the former head of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the nation’s banking regulator, to run its operations in a continued push to become regulator-friendly. 

Binance.US is currently run by Catherine Coley, a tech and finance executive formerly with Ripple and Silicon Valley Bank. It’s unknown as to the future role she’ll play with Binance. 

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Brian Brooks will start at Binance on May 1. During his tenure at the OCC, which lasted from May 2020 to January with the transition to the Biden Administration, Brooks was lovingly called the “CryptoController” for his work in shepherding through policy friendly to the digital assets industry. Under his watch, the OCC gave the green-light for banks to provide custody services for digital assets and also created a federal bank charter for digital assets-first banks

Brooks is quoted as saying that he aims to make Binance’s US wing a stalwart competitor to regulatory-friendly Coinbase. 

“I wouldn’t have taken this job if I didn’t have a strong commitment from the board to lead a strong compliance program,” he said.

Binance’s hiring of Brooks is another step toward hiring former DC heavyweights to represent itself to lawmakers and regulators. In March, Binance announced that it had hired Max Baucus, a former US Senator for Montana and member of the Democratic Party, to act as its head of government relations.   

Brooks and Baucus aren’t the only familiar faces from DC to be hired by the industry. In late March, Coinbase announced that it had hired Brett Redfearn, an ex-SEC director in charge of its division of trading and markets to run Coinbase’s capital markets group. Baton, a “blockchain-inspired” startup that uses distributed ledger technology to revolutionize bank-to-bank payments, hired former CFTC Chairman J. Christopher Giancarlo earlier in April to act as a Senior Advisor. 

Crypto hires can also go both ways. In February, TD Ameritrade’s Sunayna Tuteja, the brokerage’s former chief of digital assets and distributed ledger, was hired by the Fed as its new chief innovation officer as it doubled down on research to facilitate the transition into the brave new world of digital assets. 

Aside from regulators, there have been dozens of high-profile hires of former Wall Street bankers by digital assets companies as institutional investors and their dollars look towards them as a viable alternative to traditional financial companies. 

Tags

Upcoming Events

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 18 - 20, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Flashnote Template Presentation (2).jpg

Research

With the recent election, it’s clear that there will be a meaningful shift in crypto regulations and legislation. Trump is likely as pro-crypto as a president can be. He launched (multiple) of his own NFT collections and is launching an Aave wrapper called World Liberty Fi. He has also spoken out and mentioned that he wants to make the United States "the crypto capital of the planet" and transform it into the "Bitcoin superpower of the world". He proposed creating a strategic national Bitcoin stockpile alongside support from Senator Cynthia Lummis, promising to retain 100% of all Bitcoin held by the U.S. government. More importantly, we’re likely to see deregulation across the board in a lot of industries, with crypto being one of them - as Trump has committed to keeping the crypto market largely unregulated. Crypto, DeFi in particular, has historically been knee-capped by overreaching and hostile governmental agencies and regulation by enforcement, as evidenced by the plethora of Wells notices and lawsuits over the past few years. With Donald Trump winning the presidency, Republicans taking control of the Senate, and being on the verge of securing the House, we think it’s likely that crypto realizes positive regulatory clarity. Below, you can find our analysts’ takes:

article-image

Solana is the crowd favorite to potentially flip Ethereum somewhere down the line, and it tends to feel realistic at times

article-image

Of course, a lot has happened since the 600+ survey respondents shared their thoughts between Aug. 15 and Oct. 1

article-image

AI’s future shouldn’t be decided by a handful of tech giants

article-image

A look at software wallet Exodus may show how an SEC shakeup could have a real impact on industry companies

article-image

Co-chairing Trump’s transition team to help fill administration positions is Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick

article-image

Reflect is a delta-neutral currency protocol that lets tokens accrue yield without touching the banking system