As crypto firms boost US footprint, the race for talent is on

Amid the shifting regulatory landscape, crypto firms are expanding their US footprint and ramping up hiring across policy, compliance, and go-to-market roles.

Companies looking to capitalize on US opportunities are hiring policy and compliance pros, as well as leaders focused on “go-to-market” strategies, recruiters told Blockworks.  

Wintermute became the latest to reveal a new US headquarters on Thursday. The crypto-focused trading firm’s New York office will focus on business development and partnerships, a spokesperson told Blockworks — with managing director David Micley leading those efforts. 

Ron Hammond, a former government relations director at Blockchain Association, is set to lead Wintermute’s policy engagement in the United States.

Wintermute currently employs about 100 people in London and 25 people in Singapore. Its projected US headcount for this year is 10, with Wintermute CEO Evgeny Gaevoy telling Blockworks the firm plans to add policy, legal and compliance leaders in New York.

“The US is at a pivotal moment in shaping digital asset market structure,” Gaevoy said. “While we remain policy agnostic, this is the right time to be part of the conversation and offer our expertise.”

On the commercial side, being “on the ground” allows Wintermute to engage directly with new and existing counterparties, the CEO explained.

While London and Singapore have historically offered clearer crypto regulatory frameworks than the US, the new office “follows the country’s greater openness toward digital asset innovation and large financial institutions’ accelerated adoption of the asset class,” Gaevoy added.

Wintermute’s New York office announcement came a couple weeks after MoonPay said its new 5,000 square-foot space in Manhattan would be the “central hub” for its growing US staff.

MoonPay now has roughly 70 people in the US, representing about 20% of its global workforce. That is second only to the UK, where the company opened its largest office last year.

Keith Grossman, MoonPay’s president of enterprise, is set to lead the New York City office, a spokesperson told Blockworks. Espi Elio, a VP of operations, and Treasurer Derek Yu will also be based there, along with the company’s directors of social media, engineering, solutions engineering, partnerships and accounting.

The New York office will be the base for various MoonPay legal professionals too, including two of its deputy general counsels. The company is looking to fill a position for a senior product director focused on stablecoins as well.

“We plan to hire across a range of roles, which may include product, compliance, operations, engineering and more,” the representative added.

Just as Wintermute and MoonPay cited US regulatory developments as a reason to open a new site, so too did Crypto.com upon last week opening its new Washington DC office. That location will focus on public and government affairs work, the company noted in a May 7 release.

Matt David, the company’s North America President and Chief Corporate Affairs officer, called the US market “the most exciting frontier for our entire industry” in a statement.

This new office follows the crypto platform last year creating a North American headquarters in Tyler, Texas.

A company spokesperson declined to comment further. 

Building out US workforces

WorkInCrypto.Global founder Sam Wellalage said many of his European clients are thinking about how to boost their presence in the US.  

“There’s a growing sense of urgency, partly driven by the perception that Trump-era policies and ongoing de-regulation are making it easier for crypto businesses to set up in the US and acquire both retail and institutional customers more quickly,” he said.

Wellage added: “It’s also widely acknowledged that the US has access to some of the best crypto talent globally.”

The most common roles Wellalage has helped clients fill have been what he called “go-to-market” positions. Those include sales directors, as well as heads of commercial and heads of revenue roles.  

“Marketing roles like growth marketing and digital marketing are also in high demand,” he said.

Zachary Plotkin, a managing partner at recruiting firm Madison-Davis, said most of the small and midsize crypto companies he’s seeing expand to the US are looking for technology, compliance, risk and data security professionals.

“I have noticed that more of these firms are willing to hire a temporary chief compliance officer, a temporary chief risk officer or temporary [Bank Secrecy Act] officer that can handle the load of the work to see if the firm’s US footprint can expand,” he said.

Crypto exchange OKX, which last month debuted its US headquarters in San Jose, California, is searching for a US-based head of risk strategy, a head of product compliance and a senior compliance manager focused on anti-money laundering investigations.

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