OKCoin Switches CEO

Leading fiat-focused digital asset exchange OKCoin has appointed CEO Tim Byun as Global Government Relations Officer (GGRO) of the group and the board has appointed the company’s current Chairman, Hong Fang, to the position of CEO, effective March 31, 2020.

Serving crypto traders in 184 countries, OKCoin opened its first US office in September 2017, in Mountain View, California. Tim Byun was instrumental during that stage as he also helped form the US entity, oversaw the opening of OKCoin’s US Headquarters in June 2018 and spearheaded the research into the company’s European expansion in early 2018, resulting in opening its Malta Office and launching its Euro-book in October 2018.

As GGRO of OK Group, Byun will focus on continued geographic expansion and maintaining constant dialogues with governments and regulators worldwide on behalf of OKCoin and OKGroup.

Tim Byun, GGRO of OKGroup, said: “As we enter a new decade, the crypto industry will truly become more global and ubiquitous with the collaboration of governments, especially those that have evolved from a wait-and-see-approach to developing new regulatory frameworks, such as Singapore, Germany and France. I’ve always believed that working transparently with governments and regulators is vital to helping OKCoin and the overall crypto ecosystem to grow in a safe and sound manner. This new appointment is an exciting challenge and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as our group continues to expand to new territories.

“I’m also confidently passing on the OKCoin torch to the capable hands of Chairman Hong, who will be appointed as CEO when our transition is completed on March 31, 2020. With her natural leadership skills and her distinguished career in finance and business strategy, I have no doubt that she’ll take OKCoin to new heights and achieve our mission of making digital assets accessible to the world”, Byun added.

Hong Fang will now become the firm’s CEO by the end of March 2020. The former Goldman Sachs banker joined the crypto exchange as COO and OKCoin Chairman in July 2019. She helped expand the brand in the United States.

“I want to thank Tim for his remarkable leadership and contribution. His strong compliance expertise, balanced approach to business and strategic thinking has been instrumental for us in establishing our US and European presence among industry volatilities. I’m glad that he will continue to work with us in his new capacity and help us grow”, Hong Fang said. Since OKCoin was founded in 2013, we have been a firm believer in the power of an open financial system empowered by cryptocurrency and its underlying blockchain technology. We want to make it easy and safe to buy and sell crypto assets with fiat anywhere in the world because that is the very first step (and a fundamental component) to building an open and inclusive financial system. This goal has never changed for us. We are proud that we have always been standing at the forefront of a transformative industry. Now with our international headquarters in San Francisco, we look forward to working with a growing, mission-driven team, continuing to provide safe, secure and compliant fiat on-ramp to crypto assets to our customers worldwide and playing an active role in bringing cryptocurrency into the mainstream.”