Casey Wagner

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 <li> Galaxy Digital hires first head of Europe: Tim Grant </li>
 <li>Grant brings both traditional finance and cryptocurrency market experience to Galaxy </li>
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In an effort to expand presence overseas, Galaxy Digital Holdings has hired Tim Grant as its first head of europe.&nbsp;



“Welcoming a professional of Tim’s caliber to Galaxy Digital’s leadership team marks an exciting chapter for the firm as crypto and blockchain technology continue to gain traction globally,” said Mike Novogratz, CEO and chairman of Galaxy Digital. “Tim’s demonstrated leadership, operating expertise and proven track record in both legacy finance and the emergent crypto economy will accelerate our ability to address the global market opportunity that is crypto.” 



Grant previously served as the CEO of SIX Digital Exchange (SDX), the Swiss-regulated digital asset exchange of SIX Group. Prior to joining SDX, he held senior positions at several financial services firms, including CEO of the R3 Lab and Research Center and Managing Director at UBS O’Connor and UBS Investment Bank.



The hiring comes as digital assets continue to grow in popularity in European markets.&nbsp;



According to a recent survey by Fidelity Digital Assets, <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/fidelity-71-of-institutional-investors-plan-to-buy-crypto/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">77% of institutional investors</a> in Europe believe digital assets should be part of a portfolio. 



“Galaxy Digital has established itself as the pre-eminent crypto and digital asset-centric financial services&nbsp; platform, acting as a gateway for institutional clients and corporations to participate in the rapidly evolving future of financial services,” said Grant. “I am delighted to join Mike Novogratz and the deep bench of talented professionals at Galaxy who are acting as trusted partners to clients, while working to make crypto and digital assets ubiquitous.”&nbsp;



The expansion into European markets also follows a recent attempt to crackdown on cryptocurrency asset transfers in the European Union. Policy makers in the EU proposed last month a rule that would require companies that transfer digital assets to report details of senders and recipients to authorities. It is an effort to crackdown on dirty money.&nbsp;



The EU proposal is similar to a provision of an <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/senate-fails-to-amend-crypto-tax-provision-in-infrastructure-bill/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">American bill currently</a> being voted on in congress that would require cryptocurrency ‘brokers’ to report information about transactions. 



Grant will begin the role with Galaxy on August 16, 2021. 



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