Coinbase hires former SEC counsel to serve as senior public policy manager

Crypto exchange Coinbase has hired a Securities and Exchange Commission official as its senior public policy manager.

Thaya Knight was, until this month, counsel to SEC commissioner Elad Roisman. Roisman stepped down from his position on Friday, a move that came two years before the scheduled end of his term. 

“Friday was my last day at the SEC. While that departure was bittersweet, I’m very pleased to be joining the public policy team at Coinbase this week. Looking forward to doing great and exciting work with this terrific team!” Knight wrote in a LinkedIn post published Monday. 

Last year, Coinbase’s public policy push focused in part on the creation of a dedicated crypto regulator. The publicly-traded company’s moves come as Congress grows the scope of its regulatory focus on cryptocurrency, both in terms of legislative as well as executive-branch action. Bloomberg reported last week that the Biden administration is preparing an executive order focused on digital assets which could arrive next month and will likely seek input from federal agencies on benefits and risks.