GSR Crypto Firm Appoints Ex-JPMorgan Executive as Trading Head

This past week saw GSR, a cryptocurrency trading and market making company, make headlines by hiring former JPMorgan executive Andreas Koukorinis as its new head of trading operations.

Well-acquainted with the crypto arena, Koukorinis has a history that preceded his tenure as the head of global credit and electronic fixed income and commodities ETFs trading at JPMorgan. His early involvement in the digital currency landscape included starting a sports betting enterprise that later garnered interest and was purchased by Blockchain.com in 2018.

The migration of experts from the conventional banking world to the cryptocurrency sector is surging. Recently, Bitget, a cryptocurrency exchange, revealed that one-third of its job candidates were from traditional finance, attracted by higher salaries and the innovative nature of the crypto industry.

Find out more: Recruitment in Crypto: Traditional Finance Talent Migrates to Firms like VersiFi

Discussing his approach to trading, Koukorinis expressed an inclination toward mainstream cryptocurrencies.

“While GSR has found considerable success with alternative coins, one of our initial goals is to expand upon this and elevate our capabilities to include the major cryptocurrencies as well,” stated Koukorinis.

Coinbase Welcomes Former UK Chancellor to Advisory Council

Joining the ranks of Coinbase’s global advisory council this week is former UK Chancellor George Osborne.

Osborne, who was responsible for the UK’s fiscal and economic policies between 2010 and 2016, will take a seat with a diverse mix of political and security figures from the US. They were convened by Coinbase to address potential repercussions from the lack of regulatory clarity for cryptocurrency in the US, as the exchange has previously articulated.

One current contentious topic for Coinbase is its dispute with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, which contends that certain assets listed by Coinbase constitute unregistered securities.

Read further: Federal Judge Raises Questions about SEC’s Restrictions at Coinbase Proceedings

Additional Significant Recruitment Updates

• Polygon Labs downsizes by 60 employees, which constitutes 19% of its workforce, although it assures that this was not due to financial issues.
• On March 1, Jihan Wu, co-founder of Bitmain and notable crypto billionaire, will step into the role of CEO at the bitcoin mining firm Bitdeer.
• The Wharton School professor at the University of Pennsylvania, Kevin Werbach, is on the search for a postdoctoral researcher to examine blockchain’s legal, ethical, and policy dimensions, as well as responsible AI and their intersection.
• Binance has announced that Steve Christie will assume the position of deputy chief compliance officer.

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