Kraken, one of the longest-standing, most liquid and secure crypto platforms, today announced the appointment of Ben Gray as its new Chief Legal Officer. Ben, who previously served as Global General Counsel at Paxos, brings a wealth of global experience in legal and regulatory affairs in the crypto, technology and financial sectors.
In his new role, Ben Gray will oversee Kraken’s legal, compliance, and enterprise risk management operations, guiding the company through the rapidly evolving regulatory landscape. He will ensure Kraken continues to uphold the highest standards of compliance and integrity as it further expands its geographical footprint and product portfolio. Ben will report directly to Arjun Sethi and David Ripley, co-CEO’s at Kraken.
“Ben is a critical addition to Kraken’s leadership team as we scale the business and drive innovation globally. His deep experience as a general counsel and chief compliance officer make him an ideal CLO for Kraken, as the industry continues fighting for regulatory clarity and consumer protections,” said Arjun Sethi, co-CEO of Kraken.
“By aligning legal, compliance and risk within this team, we are looking forward to leveraging Ben’s unique experience to ensure seamless execution and operational excellence across the markets in which we operate globally,” said David Ripley, co-CEO at Kraken.
“I am honored to step into the role of Chief Legal Officer at Kraken, a company that has consistently been at the forefront of the cryptocurrency industry. Over the past year, we’ve seen tremendous progress in moving towards regulatory clarity around the globe and 2025 will be a pivotal year. Those that adapt most effectively without compromise to their ability to innovate and provide the best possible client experience will come out on top. Kraken is extremely well positioned to capitalize on this opportunity, and I couldn’t be more excited to join Kraken during this next phase of growth for the crypto industry,” said Ben Gray.
Ben brings over 15 years of experience at the intersection of blockchain, crypto, and legal compliance. His career has spanned diverse roles, from serving in the U.S. federal government as a financial regulator, to working as a regulatory attorney during the early days of Bitcoin, to pioneering compliance frameworks for consumer-facing crypto products at Block (formerly Square), and to leading innovative stablecoin initiatives at Paxos, including the USDG stablecoin which was launched in partnership with Kraken.
His unique background and leadership skills will help Kraken with the ongoing expansion of its global footprint while navigating regulatory changes in its major markets such as Europe and the U.S.
Ben succeeds Marco Santori, who has been Kraken’s Chief Legal Officer since 2020. Marco, who has been instrumental in building a world-class legal team, representing crypto on the global stage, and tackling critical regulatory challenges, will stay on as an advisor.
