Personalities

Gavin Wood, the Polkadot co-founder, is stepping down as the CEO of Parity Technologies, the blockchain development company behind the Polkadot ecosystem. Björn Wagner will now lead Polkadot’s key backer company. Gavin Wood, a crypto developer who exited the Ethereum Foundation in 2015 and became Polkadot’s co-founder, will remain a majority shareholder in Parity Technologies….

Crypto exchange Binance announced on Sept. 22 the formation of its new Global Advisory Board (GAB), a strategic council of experts to advise Binance on the regulatory, political and social issues faced by the crypto industry. Former US Senator Max Baucus will lead the Board, alongside a former Obama advisor and policy experts from around…

Jesse Powell, CEO of crypto exchange Kraken, is stepping down. David Ripley, currently serving as Kraken’s COO, will take his place in the coming months. Despite a history of controversial public remarks, Powell has denied that these controversies spurred his stepping down. As Fortune reported, Powell will continue to serve as chairman of the board…

Saudi Arabia’s banking regulator appointed Mohsen Al Zahrani to lead its virtual assets and central bank digital currency (CBDC) program, reflecting the Gulf state’s potential crypto ambitions. So far, Saudi Arabia has taken a more cautious approach to virtual assets, with officials raising concerns about their speculative nature. Yet the emergence of the neighboring UAE…

Itay Tuchman, Citi’s global head of foreign exchange, has left the bank after more than two decades. As one of the chief architects of a push into digital assets in the bank, Tuchman is headed for a job in crypto, a source said. The top executive was one of the chief architects of a push…

Sulaiman Abdul-Karim Mohammed Al-Fahim, a well-known Emirati TV personality and a successful real estate businessman in the UAE, is set to launch Sustain.Exchange – a Shariah-compliant Islamic crypto ecosystem. As UAE ranks among nations that rapidly adopt digital technologies and invest their time and money, it has become possible due to some visionary people like…