Crypto hiring: Blockchain.com to expand workforce by 25%, hires new SVP

Blockchain.com hired a new senior vice president and will grow its workforce by a quarter in Q1 2024. It is also eyeing expansion into Nigeria and Turkey, according to a report from Bloomberg. The longtime crypto wallet provider currently employs around 300 people.

After beginning 2023 by laying off 28% of its staff, Blockchain.com has seen positive signs in the last few months. The firm raised a $110 million Series E round, though reportedly at less than half of its 2022 valuation, and it became the destination for customers looking to migrate their assets from SoFi’s shuttered crypto arm. 

Read more: Blockchain.com raises $110M funding round at lower valuation: BBG

This week, the firm hired Curtis Ting as senior vice president of business operations. Ting spent the last five-plus years at Kraken where he focused on global expansion. Before that, Ting spent eight years at the FBI. 

Ting will help set up London-based Blockchain.com’s new hub in Paris as the company seeks to set up new local entities throughout Europe, Bloomberg reported.

Blockchain.com listed a job posting for a talent acquisition manager in Paris. The firm also has several job postings in Vilnius, Lithuania, as well as Dallas, TX, Singapore, and London.

Former Genesis CEO departs new venture as exchange closes

Michael Moro’s time as CEO of Genesis Global Capital ended months before the firm got caught up in a post-FTX liquidity crunch and declared bankruptcy. His new firm, the crypto exchange Ankex, shut down Friday. 

Ankex announced Friday that development on the derivatives trading platform, which was apparently ready for a public beta launch, had been paused. As of Friday, the exchange’s website was stripped down to one page that read, “We are very grateful for everyone’s support and participation. Unfortunately, we are very sad to communicate that we have to pause our journey at this stage.”

As of Friday, Moro’s LinkedIn and X profiles had been updated to reflect his no longer being chief executive of the exchange. 

Qredo, Ankex’s parent company, laid off 50 employees around Nov. 1. 

Other notable hiring news

• The co-founder of crypto research firm Reflexivity Research said the group was planning a “major 2024 expansion” and was looking to hire multiple research analysts.

---

Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

• Blockworks Daily: The newsletter that helps thousands of investors understand crypto and the markets, by Byron Gilliam.
• Empire: Start your morning with the top news and analysis to inform your day in crypto.
• Forward Guidance: Reporting and analysis on the growing intersection of crypto and macroeconomics, policy and finance.
• 0xResearch: Alpha directly in your inbox. Market highlights, data, degen trade ideas, governance updates, token performance and more.
• Lightspeed: Built for Solana investors, developers and community members. The latest from one of crypto’s hottest networks.
• The Drop: For crypto collectors and traders, covering apps, games, memes and more.