BTC Markets, one of Australia’s most popular and largest crypto exchanges, is making two new senior additions to its Advisory Board.

The appointees – David Raper and Garry Duursma – are both prominent figures from the traditional finance world in Australia.

Raper worked at the ASX for 15 years and has also held positions at JP Morgan and SFE Corporation, while Duursma worked at Tyro Payments for seven years and has also worked at Mastercard.

They will be helping to advise a thriving business – BTC Markets has more than 325,000 Australian clients who’ve traded over AU$17.1 billion in total on the platform. An expanding business in a sector gaining traction with big banks in Australia, not to mention significant political support.

Recently, an Australian Senate committee, led by Liberal senator Andrew Bragg, created an in-depth proposal for a new set of clearly defined, forward-leaning rules and regulations for the Australian cryptocurrency and blockchain industry.

The recommendations, authored with input from than 100 submissions from the likes of Blockchain Australia, BTC Markets and many other prominent Australian crypto businesses and identities, provides a roadmap for how Australia should look to treat and tax digital assets while fostering innovation in the space.

No crypto hoodies here: former ASX and JP Morgan executive David Raper…   
… and former Tyro Payments and Mastercard exec Garry Duursma.

 

A ‘historic period’ in the Australian crypto space

Commenting on the new appointments, BTC Markets CEO Caroline Bowler said: “We have been at the forefront working with regulators to support the local cryptocurrency industry. The appointment of both these experienced gentlemen will only help us further in our mission to provide a better environment for crypto investors and businesses alike.”

Bowler said that she thinks the traditional finance backgrounds of both new hires should help the crypto exchange in its mission to build innovative financial infrastructure while navigating necessary regulations “during a historic period in the Australian cryptocurrency space”.

Meanwhile, Bowler recently tweeted that BTC Markets is looking to continue its hiring spree, but hopes to help bring a bit more diversity to the crypto industry.