Bitfury Hires Former Binance US Chief Brian Brooks as CEO

Brooks is replacing Valery Vavilov, who will stay on as Bitfury’s “chief vision officer.”

AccessTimeIconNov 4, 2021 at 11:58 a.m. UTC
Updated May 11, 2023 at 7:01 p.m. UTC

Bitcoin mining company Bitfury has hired former Binance US chief Brian Brooks as its new CEO.

  • Brooks is replacing Valery Vavilov, who will stay on as Bitfury’s “chief vision officer,” according to an announcement Thursday.
  • “Mr. Brooks will lead the 10-year-old crypto unicorn as it launches a new funding round, increases the growth of its mining business with a revolutionary new microchip design and new global data center locations,” Bitfury announced.
  • The appointment comes weeks after news that Bitfury was planning to go public in the next 12 months in what would be Europe’s biggest cryptocurrency valuation.
  • The Amsterdam-based firm is thought to be valued at $1 billion.
  • After just four months with Binance US, Brooks resigned in August citing “differences over strategic direction” between him and his colleagues.
  • His appointment had been seen as a sign that the infamously opaque Binance was seeking an image of greater transparency through hiring well-regarded regulators to senior roles.
  • Brooks had previously served as the acting controller of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the regulator for U.S. national banks, between May 2020 and January 2021.
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  • UPDATE (Nov. 4, 14:16 UTC): Adds Bitfury’s announcement.



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    Jamie Crawley

    Jamie Crawley is a CoinDesk news reporter based in London.