(Bloomberg) — Bitcoin Suisse AG hired Dirk Klee, the chief executive officer of Barclays Plc’s U.K. Wealth Management & Investments business, as its new CEO.
He’ll succeed Arthur Vayloyan, who will remain a member of Bitcoin Suisse’s board of directors, on April 1, the Swiss broker said in a statement Friday. Vayloyan, a former Credit Suisse Group AG banker, has led the crypto broker since November 2017.
Bitcoin Suisse is undergoing a change of leadership after veteran founder Niklas Nikolajsen stepped down as chairman as of Jan. 1. Nikolajsen founded the company in 2013. Bitcoin Suisse, which has crypto assets of more than 7 billion Swiss francs ($7.6 billion) under direct custody, said in December it expects its 2021 net income to double.
Read more: Bitcoin Suisse Founder to Step Down as 2021 Profit Set to Double
“In the coming years, the growth of crypto-financial services will continue to accelerate in Europe and globally,” Klee said, adding that he expects key shifts in regulation, client expectations and technology.
Klee previously held senior positions at Allianz Global Investors/PIMCO, BlackRock Inc. and UBS Group AG.
Bitcoin continued a weeks-long drop on Friday, falling below $42,000 to levels not seen since September. The largest cryptocurrency declined as much as 4.9% to $41,008, marking a tumble of about 40% from its record near $69,000 reached Nov. 10.
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