The crypto exchange Bitstamp announced the appointment of JB Graftieaux as the new global Chief Executive Officer on Monday, replacing Julian Sawyer who departed “to pursue other opportunities.”
Before taking up the apex role, Graftieaux was the CEO of Bitstamp in Europe. Before re-joining the European crypto exchange in May 2021, he served as its Chief Compliance Officer from 2014 to 2016. Then he played a crucial role in obtaining regulatory licenses for the exchange’s European Union operations.
In addition, the crypto exchange credits Graftieaux for accelerating its European growth and for securing several institutional partners.
“Together with our highly experienced Executive Leadership Team, and more than 500 employees, we are well-positioned to continue to accelerate crypto access for our valued clients and partners across the globe. As Global CEO, I look forward to building on this strong foundation,” Graftieaux said.
A Payments Executive
Apart from his tenure at Bitstamp, Graftieaux was a long-time executive at eBay and PayPal. He was eBay’s Managing Director for payments in Europe for more than five years as well as PayPal’s Chief Compliance Officer for EMEA for almost six years.
Moreover, he worked with companies like Landsbankinn, KPMG and Accenture Interactive.
“JB was with Bitstamp in its early days and has admirably led our European business over the past year. We’re pleased to welcome a CEO with such an impressive track record, and very much look forward to the contribution and perspective he will bring to the company in his new role,” said Nicolas Huss, Bitstamp’s Chairman.
Meanwhile, the crypto exchange is expanding its reach globally. Last month, it unveiled its plans to accelerate US growth with the extension of 'Bitstamp-as-a-service' which enables financial institutions to provide digital asset services.
