BitMEX Owner HDR Appoints Former Bank of China Exec to Board

A former bank exec has said he will help "transform" BitMEX, just a week after the crypto derivatives exchange launched a new corporate service.

Announced Tuesday, BitMEX owner HDR Global Trading said David Wong – a former deputy CEO at Bank of China, the second-largest bank in Hong Kong – will join its board as a non-executive chairman to help grow and turn the Seychelles-based entity into a "world-class financial technology company."

Wong had previously been the South-East Asian head of Dutch bank ABN AMRO, before heading up the financial markets division at Bank of China. Since leaving the latter bank in 2013, Wong has become a board member for a range of companies, including various real estate trusts and a life insurance company.

According to his Bloomberg profile, he also sits on the board for Singapore's Energy Market Authority, as well as its Civil Service College, which offers educational programs for government employees.

“Being able to attract someone of David’s calibre is a testament to the distance HDR has traveled," said Arthur Hayes, HDR's CEO and co-founder.

See also: BitMEX Sees Biggest Short Squeeze in 8 Months After Bitcoin Surge

In the same statement, Wong said HDR had an "inspiring vision for the future," but didn't elaborate on what that was or how he would help transform the company.

Last week, HDR launched a new account service for corporate customers, that comes with enhanced security and full-time relationship managers, liaisons between the exchange and clients, which are commonplace in traditional finance.

BitMEX declined to comment on the hiring when contacted by CoinDesk.