Gemini Wants To Push Into Europe By Hiring Ex-Starling Bank Exec

The top global cryptocurrency exchange according to some latest benchmarks, Gemini, recently hired a former senior executive from the United Kingdom-based Starling Bank. With this, the crypto exchange Gemini wants a foray in the European markets.

We are talking about Julian Sawyer who is in the cryptonews today as a former CEO and co-founder at Starling bank. As the European affiliate of Gemini Trust Company noted, Sawyer will lead Gemini Europe as the official managing director. The news were confirmed in an official announcement on the firm’s blog, too.

One of the presidents of the exchange, Cameron Winklevoss, said that Gemini wants to push into Europe and officially announced that Sawyer joins the major United States based crypto exchange with a total of 20 years experience at growing financial services organizations. Before Starling, Sawyer founded Bluerock Consulting which was a financial management consultancy – a firm that he sold in 2012.

Sawyer is seen as the right fit, knowing that Gemini wants to push into Europe. His past experience in auditing, consulting and professional services will help him build the crypto exchange’s common strategy in the region. Aside from managing the product development and operations, he will also manage hiring in the UK and Europe and will directly report to Cameron, one of the exchange’s founders.

Tyler Winklevoss also had his say in the announcement, noting that Europe is the “birthplace of modern financial markets” while the UK has been a major hub of global financial innovation for hundreds of years. Cameron also said a couple of words about Europe and the UK’s “thoughtful regulation” in a blog post where he shared:

“The concept of thoughtful regulation itself was first developed out of the lessons learned in these markets over centuries. Our ethos — to ask permission, not forgiveness — was a first in the crypto industry and both honors and continues to build on Europe and the UK’s tradition of thoughtful regulation.”

This is not the first time Gemini wants to push itself in Europe. In fact, the exchange first eyed the support last year when it reportedly started hiring advisors which would oversee its potential expansion into the continent.