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Ripple Appoints DTCC’s Former CEO as Advisor

Updated Sep 11, 2021, 11:42 a.m. Published Jun 1, 2015, 12:31 p.m.

Digital currency startup Ripple Labs has appointed Donald Donahue, former CEO of the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) as an advisor to the company.

DTCC

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is the main clearing house for US securities and derivatives, processing more than $1.6 quadrillion in transactions per year.

In his role as COO and then CEO, Donahue is thought to have led the DTCC's efforts in stabilising the financial system following the 2007-08 market crash.

Donahue said in a company statement:

"I am very interested in the capabilities distributed payment technologies seem to offer for improving the safety, soundness and cost effectiveness of global payments and settlement infrastructures."

Donahue also worked with the US Treasury Department and other governmental and private sector groups to improve physical and cyber security in the financial sector following the attacks on the World Trade Centre on 11th September 2001.

Digital Assets

, founded by entrepreneurs Sunil Hirani and Don Wilson in 2014, is likely to disrupt some of DTCC's market share as it sets out to revolutionise the traditional, centralised financial model by enabling customers to convert traditional securities – and other financial products – into digital assets which can be stored on the blockchain.

Blythe Masters, a former notable Wall Street executive, joined the bitcoin trading platform as CEO in March.

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KuCoin Hits Record Market Share as 2025 Volumes Outpace Crypto Market

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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.

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Deus X CEO Tim Grant: We aren't replacing finance; we're integrating it

Deus X CEO Tim Grant (Deus X)

The Deus X CEO discussed his journey into digital assets, the company's infrastructure-led growth strategy, and why his Consensus Hong Kong panel promises "real talk only."

What to know:

  • Tim Grant entered crypto in 2015 after early exposure to Ripple and Coinbase, drawn by blockchain’s ability to improve traditional finance rather than replace it.
  • Deus X combines investing and operating to build regulated digital finance infrastructure across payments, prime services, and institutional DeFi.
  • Grant will be speaking at Consensus Hong Kong in February.