Crypto hiring: Binance parts ways with multiple anti-crime staffers

A senior counter-terrorism official joins the growing list to leave the crypto exchange in recent months

article-image

Primakov/Shutterstock modified by Blockworks

share

It wasn’t a great week for Binance’s crime divisions.

Binance’s senior counter-terrorism official Jennifer Hicks left the company this week, according to an update on her LinkedIn. Hicks’ departure comes just two months after she was tapped to lead the crypto firm’s first-ever counter-terrorism finance advisory. 

Also this week, a former Binance financial crime investigator named Suleiman M. announced on LinkedIn that he had also left the exchange. 

Hicks and Suleiman could not be reached for comment, but the latter chalked the departure up to “recent redundancy” in his public LinkedIn post. Hicks both commented and re-shared Suleiman’s LinkedIn post, praising his skills and sharing that she had originally interviewed him for the Binance role.

The apparent layoffs come amid a larger trend of senior official departures from Binance. The company’s former head of product, head of Asia-Pacific and two high level officials for Binance’s operations in the UK, France, Eastern Europe and CIS all left in recent months.

Read more: Crypto hiring: Binance exit list gets longer as French general manager departs

Coinbase senior executive departing

Nana Murugesan, senior vice president of international and business development at Coinbase, announced he would be leaving the company in the first quarter of next year. 

Murugesan was part of an effort at Coinbase to find “forward-looking regulators” to help the US firm expand abroad. In September, the company said it was prioritizing expansion into Europe, Canada, Brazil, Singapore and Australia. 

Blockworks previously reported that Coinbase’s international expansion could be part of an effort to diversify revenue outside of spot trading. Earlier this month, Coinbase reported that the exchange exceeded expectations for its Q3 earnings.

The company recently posted new measures to improve its “talent density,” writing on its blog that Coinbase roles are “not for the faint of heart,” and “unremarkable performance gets a generous severance package.”

Prior to joining Coinbase, Murugesan worked on international markets and mobile partnerships at Snap, the company behind Snapchat. In a message to Blockworks, Murugesan said he would be sharing his next move after the new year. 

Other notable hiring news

  • Henson Orser, the head of Dubai’s crypto regulator, left his position this week. Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) launched in March 2022 and has been gradually granting crypto firms approval to operate in the emirate. 
  • Sam Altman was ousted from his role as OpenAI CEO on Friday by the company’s board of directors. Altman is also the founder of controversial eye-scanning crypto project Worldcoin.

Don’t miss the next big story – join our free daily newsletter.

Tags

Upcoming Events

Hilton Metropole | 225 Edgware Rd, London

MON - WED, MARCH 18 - 20, 2024

Crypto’s premier institutional conference returns to London in March 2024. The DAS: London Experience:  Attend expert-led panel discussions and fireside chats  Hear the latest developments regarding the crypto and digital asset regulatory environment directly from policymakers and experts   Grow your network […]

Salt Lake City, UT

WED - FRI, OCTOBER 9 - 11, 2024

Pack your bags, anon — we’re heading west! Join us in the beautiful Salt Lake City for the third installment of Permissionless. Come for the alpha, stay for the fresh air. Permissionless III promises unforgettable panels, killer networking opportunities, and mountains […]

recent research

Frax report cover.jpg

Research

Frax saw continued development in its frxETH liquid staking derivative and Fraxlend money market throughout 2023. Frax V3 introduces an RWA strategy to drive utility to the protocol's cornerstone product, the FRAX stablecoin.

article-image

MicroStrategy discloses the purchase of 16,000 bitcoin throughout November

article-image

Digital asset firms face potential new regulatory landscape under Treasury’s proposed authority expansion

article-image

Uniswap Labs will be providing trading APIs to Talos investors through Fireblocks

article-image

DYDX supply will climb by up to 80% after the Friday unlock, but a couple factors make a massive sell-off appear unlikely

article-image

Switzerland-based Pando Asset, which has crypto products trading on the SIX Swiss Exchange, now looks to the US

article-image

Binance does not hold the required licenses to advertise and serve customers in the Philippines, the country’s securities regulator said