Currency.com Hires Ex-Symbridge CEO to Navigate State Licensing

Currency.com has brought on Alexander Kravets as its U.S. chief executive, handing him responsibility for operations in a market where crypto platforms still face a patchwork of state-level licensing requirements.

Kravets spent over 25 years building and running regulated trading businesses, including stints leading U.S. divisions at CEX.IO and Symbridge crypto exchanges. At CEX.IO, helped to secure money transmitter licenses in over 30 states.

The hire comes as Currency.com works through the state-by-state licensing grind that crypto exchanges face in the U.S. In October 2025, the platform secured its 32nd money transmitter license, marking progress toward full coverage across all 50 states. Getting to that finish line typically takes crypto firms years and millions in application fees, surety bonds, and compliance costs.

License Accumulation Remains Slow Process

Currency.com still needs licenses in roughly 18 jurisdictions to operate nationwide. Each state sets its own rules, bond requirements, and processing timelines, with some applications dragging out for 12 to 24 months. New York's BitLicense remains among the toughest to obtain, while California's new Digital Financial Assets Law takes effect in July 2026, adding another layer of compliance work.

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Kravets brings direct experience navigating that maze. Before his CEO roles, he co-founded XTRD (now Axon Trade), an institutional-grade order execution management system for digital asset trading. His technical background spans trading systems, execution infrastructure, and risk management Risk Management One of the most common terms utilized by brokers, risk management refers to the practice of identifying potential risks in advance. Most commonly, this also involves the analysis of risk and the undertaking of precautionary steps to both mitigate and prevent for such risk.Such efforts are essential for brokers and venues in the finance industry, given the potential for fallout in the face of unforeseen events or crises. Given a more tightly regulated environment across nearly every asset class, One of the most common terms utilized by brokers, risk management refers to the practice of identifying potential risks in advance. Most commonly, this also involves the analysis of risk and the undertaking of precautionary steps to both mitigate and prevent for such risk.Such efforts are essential for brokers and venues in the finance industry, given the potential for fallout in the face of unforeseen events or crises. Given a more tightly regulated environment across nearly every asset class, Read this Term across both traditional finance and crypto markets.

“Alex brings an exceptional combination of regulatory experience, operational leadership, and technical depth to the table,” said Konstantin Anissimov, Currency.com's global CEO. “His track record in building compliant U.S. crypto businesses aligns perfectly with our goals of responsible scaling in the American market.”

Institutional Focus Drives Expansion Push

Currency.com has been positioning itself for institutional clients, with recent backing from N7 Capital signaling a push into that segment. The platform also partnered with OpenPayd to add multi-currency payment rails and foreign exchange liquidity across 30 additional currencies.

Kravets will oversee the buildout of U.S. infrastructure as the company chases more licenses.

“The U.S. market requires discipline, transparency, and strong execution Execution Execution is the process during which a client submits an order to the brokerage, which consequently executes it resulting in an open position in a given asset. The execution of the order occurs only when it is filled. There is typically a time delay between the placement of the order and the execution which is called latency.In the retail FX space, reliable brokers always strive to deliver best execution to their clients in order to maintain a solid business relationship with them. This is a co Execution is the process during which a client submits an order to the brokerage, which consequently executes it resulting in an open position in a given asset. The execution of the order occurs only when it is filled. There is typically a time delay between the placement of the order and the execution which is called latency.In the retail FX space, reliable brokers always strive to deliver best execution to their clients in order to maintain a solid business relationship with them. This is a co Read this Term,” he said. “Currency.com's strength lies in its clear long-term vision, and I'm excited to contribute to its delivery. As the company continues to build institutional-grade infrastructure, my focus will be to ensure U.S. operations are aligned with regulatory expectations and market demand.”

The broader U.S. crypto regulatory picture remains in flux. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently urged Congress to pass federal crypto legislation, though state licensing requirements will persist regardless of any federal framework.

Platforms operating across state lines need both federal registration with FinCEN and individual state money transmitter licenses to stay compliant.

Kravets currently runs AK Solutions, an advisory firm focused on real-world assets, digital asset trading, DeFi yields, and derivative strategies. The press release about his appointment as Currency.com's U.S. CEO did not specify whether he will continue actively developing this project.