Gemini Brings on Former Circle Exec for UK Expansion

The United States-based Gemini cryptocurrency exchange has brought on a new money laundering officer, Blair Halliday, according to a press release from the group.

Halliday’s official title will be Chief Compliance Officer and Money Laundering Reporting Officer, and he’ll focus mainly on the group’s compliance program in the United Kingdom and Europe overall.

The new exec has been in the regulation and compliance space for decades and has worked with many different firms including as Chief Compliance Officer in the EMEA region at the cryptocurrency investment company Circle. There, Halliday headed up the anti-money-laundering directive.

Speaking on the matter is Julian Sawyer, the Managing Director of the U.K. and Europe at Gemini:

“As we build our team, Gemini is primed for significant growth in Europe this year. As we continuously iterate on our technology and offering, maintaining compliance and operating within, not around, all relevant legal frameworks will always be our top priority. Blair’s deep domain expertise makes him uniquely poised to drive Gemini’s compliance efforts in the U.K. His leadership will be critical in our mission to work with regulators to promote smart frameworks that encourage growth in the crypto industry.”

Interestingly, Sawyer was only recently appointed to his position as well, and the company now has over 250 employees around the world. Since Gemini’s inception, it has expanded to Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, the U.K., and Australia.