Ex-Ripple Executive Catherine Coley joins Binance.US as CEO

Catherine Coley, former head of XRP institutional liquidity at Ripple, has joined Binance.US as CEO, industry sources have told The Block.

Coley previously worked for Silicon Valley Bank and Morgan Stanley, managing foreign exchange business, before joining blockchain startup Ripple in 2017, according to her LinkedIn profile. 

Binance announced its plans to launch a fiat-to-crypto exchange in the U.S. earlier this month, before breaking the news that its main platform, Binance.com, would stop being available in the country in September.

As part of its US launch, Binance has partnered with BAM Trading Services, a little-known Californian-registered firm. "Binance US will be led by our local partner BAM and will serve the U.S. market in full regulatory compliance," Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao said last month.

Coley will therefore likely be responsible for working closely with regulators and building the US-based team. It is not yet clear when the new platform will launch.

On the recent hire, CZ said in a press release: “I am confident that with Coley’s leadership and Binance’s leading technology platform, Binance.US will be able to provide valuable services to the U.S. community.”

Coley shared her own enthusiasm, noting: “This is just the beginning of a long journey ahead, and I look forward to working with Binance as a partner to unlock more potential for the blockchain ecosystem here in the U.S.."

Coley joins a small but eclectic handful female executives in major crypto and blockchain, including:

• Jutta Steiner
• Cathie Wood
• Christine Sandler
• Meltem Demirors
• Marie Wieck

The story is developing...