Share this article
Coinbase Hires Former Stripe Exec as Chief Compliance Officer
Melissa Strait will take charge of Coinbase's compliance initiatives ahead of its planned public listing.
Updated Sep 14, 2021, 12:12 p.m. Published Feb 17, 2021, 3:00 p.m.
Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has hired a former executive of payments company Stripe to head its compliance efforts.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
Melissa Strait joins the San-Francisco-based exchange as chief compliance officer where she will be charged with ensuring company accountability, transparency and customer financial safety, Coinbase announced Wednesday.
Strait brings a wealth of experience at Stripe, having served more than seven years as U.S. compliance officer and then as global head of financial crimes, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Prior to joining Stripe, Strait oversaw daily compliance operations at global payments company Square where she led a 17-person strong sub-team.
See also: Coinbase Opens Waitlist for Ethereum 2.0 Staking
A Coinbase spokesperson told CoinDesk the addition of Strait to the team means it now has a 50% representation of women in leadership roles.
The latest hire comes as Coinbase is seeking to go public via a listing on Nasdaq. The firm is being valued at $77 billion based on trading of the company’s privately held shares on a secondary market, CoinDesk reported Wednesday.
More For You
KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
More For You
Lighter trading platform sees $250 million withdrawn 24 hours after airdrop
Bubblemaps CEO says outflows seen on Lighter on Dec. 31 are not uncommon as users rebalance hedging positions and move on to the next farming opportunity.
What to know:
- Approximately $250 million was withdrawn from Lighter after its $675 million LIT token airdrop.
- The withdrawals represent about 20% of Lighter's total value locked, according to Bubblemaps CEO Nicolas Vaiman.
- Large withdrawals post-token generation events are common as early participants exit, says CertiK's Natalie Newson.
Top Stories
