Coinbase, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges has appointed Jeff Horowitz as Chief Compliance Officer as the company continues to expand into new markets, add new services such as Coinbase Custody, and acquire businesses, such as the recently announced acquisition of a licensed broker-dealer, Keystone Capital.The newly appointed chief of compliance is experienced in managing matters related to broker-dealer regulation, asset custodianship, and AML programs. Coinbase is a leading player in a very young ecosystem – cryptocurrency market – and continued regulatory compliance across all the varying jurisdictions globally will be critical.
Horowitz joins Coinbase after nearly 12 years at Pershing LLC, wholly owned by brokerage custody, clearing and settlement solutions provider BNY Mellon Company. At Pershing, he was managing director and global head of compliance, overseeing its regulatory and compliance programs, during the last three years. Prior to this role, Jeff was the firm’s chief compliance officer and global head of anti-money laundering (AML) and compliance programs.
Before Pershing, Jeff Horowitz played leading compliance and AML roles at Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, and Salomon Brothers. He previously served as a banking regulator with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), along with twice serving as a member of FinCEN’s Bank Secrecy Act Advisory Group (BSAAG).
His presence on numerous industry and regulatory committees, including the Security Industry and Financial Markets Association’s (SIFMA) Compliance and Regulatory Policy Committee, and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (FINRA) Compliance and Advisory Committee, are Horowitz’ way to actively shape regulation and industry best practices.
Mike Lempres, chief legal and risk officer of Coinbase, laid the foundation of the company’s compliance structure, and will now focus his resources exclusively on leading the government relations efforts.
