Share this article

Huobi Trust Hires Ex-Homeland Security Agent as COO

Huobi Technology's U.S. subsidiary hired the veteran with 20 years law enforcement experience to help it meet regulatory requirements.

Updated Sep 14, 2021, 1:36 p.m. Published Aug 5, 2021, 3:00 p.m.
keys, security

Huobi Trust has hired former homeland security agent Robert Whitaker as chief operating officer (COO).

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters

  • The U.S. subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Huobi Technology has hired the veteran with 20 years experience in law enforcement to adapt its products to meet regulatory requirements, the company said in an emailed announcement Thursday.
  • Huobi Trust offers fiat custody services and is the custodian for Huobi's dollar-backed stablecoin, HUSD.
  • Whitaker spent nearly 12 years at Homeland Security, and from 2014 to 2017 was supervisory special agent of the U.S. agency's Illegal Finance and Proceeds of Crime Unit, during which he investigated criminal cases on darknet markets and other activities related to crypto.
  • He most recently worked as COO for crypto transaction investigators Blockchain Intelligence Group.
  • Huobi Trust launched at the end of July having acquired a trust license from the Nevada Financial Institutions Division in December last year to offer custodial and compliance services in the U.S.

Read more: Crypto Exchange Coinsquare Appoints Martin Piszel as CEO

More For You

KuCoin Hits Record Market Share as 2025 Volumes Outpace Crypto Market

16:9 Image

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

Strategy shares register first six-month losing streak since adoption of bitcoin strategy in 2020

Michael Saylor (Gage Skidmore / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Modified by CoinDesk)

Crypto analyst Chris Millas has highlighted an unusually persistent slump in Strategy shares, breaking with past drawdown patterns even as the firm continued accumulating bitcoin.

What to know:

  • Strategy shares fell in each of the final six months of 2025, marking the first time since the firm adopted bitcoin in August 2020 as a treasury reserve asset.
  • The decline stands out for its persistence, as past selloffs were often followed by sharp rebounds.
  • The stock sharply underperformed both bitcoin and the Nasdaq 100 despite the firm's continued BTC purchases.