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Hughes will take on the role of global head of government relations at OKX, having previously held leadership roles at Kraken and Coinbase.
Aug 20, 2025, 11:00 a.m.
Cryptocurrency exchange OKX has hired Marcus Hughes as its new vice president and global head of government relations, the company announced on Wednesday.
Hughes, who has over two decades of experience scaling regulated businesses, most recently held the role of global head of regulatory strategy at crypto exchange Kraken.
Prior to that, he was managing director for Europe and international general counsel at Coinbase. He also serves as a venture partner with U.S. venture capital fund Sentinel Global.
A concerted embrace of crypto and blockchain-based assets around the world means large players are faced with navigating a complex web of evolving regulations.
In 2024 alone, more than 50 jurisdictions proposed or enacted new crypto regulations, ranging from comprehensive regimes like Europe’s Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA), to more fragmented approaches in Asia and the Americas, OKX pointed out in a blogpost.
The U.S. is obviously a key focus area for all major exchanges given Donald Trump's pro-crypto stance, which means engaging with policymakers in Washington D.C., as well as state-based regulators like the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS).
“Clear, balanced regulation is essential to unlocking the full potential of digital assets, and I’m committed to working with legislators and policymakers around the world to build trust and foster innovation. OKX’s compliance-first culture and global vision make it the ideal platform for advancing that mission,” Hughes said in a statement.
Read more: The Protocol: OKX Slashes Native Token Supply in Half
Ian Allison
Ian Allison is a senior reporter at CoinDesk, focused on institutional and enterprise adoption of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. Prior to that, he covered fintech for the International Business Times in London and Newsweek online. He won the State Street Data and Innovation journalist of the year award in 2017, and was runner up the following year. He also earned CoinDesk an honourable mention in the 2020 SABEW Best in Business awards. His November 2022 FTX scoop, which brought down the exchange and its boss Sam Bankman-Fried, won a Polk award, Loeb award and New York Press Club award. Ian graduated from the University of Edinburgh. He holds ETH.
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