Binance, announced the appointment of its former Global Head of Corporate Compliance Kristen Hecht as its new Deputy Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) and Global Money Laundering Reporting Officer (GMLRO) at Binance.
Kristen brings 17 years of experience, including nearly a decade supporting the U.S. government’s efforts to combat terrorism and illicit financial activity as a Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes in the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Before Binance, Kristen served as the CCO at Meta’s first crypto digital asset wallet project, Novi Financial. Prior to that, she worked at HSBC to support the firm’s compliance transformation efforts during its Deferred Prosecution Agreement. During that time, she was the Head of Financial Crime Compliance for HSBC China, where she was responsible for steering the necessary culture change to establish an effective and sustainable compliance program.
As Deputy CCO, Kristen will work with Binance’s Chief Compliance Officer, Noah Perlman, in continuing to enhance the company’s industry-leading compliance program by utilizing innovative technology while upholding core AML/CFT principles and practices. As GMLRO, Kristen will oversee country and regional MLRO teams, equipping them with necessary compliance risk-management tools and executive support to adhere to jurisdictional requirements and international best practices to continue identifying and mitigating financial crime risk.
As part of the immediate goals of her new role, Kristen will proactively engage with regulators, intergovernmental organizations, and industry bodies to contribute to the dialogue on how to develop best-in-class compliance programs in the crypto industry. She will also be collaborating with Binance’s business leaders to further the organization’s commitment to user protection and robust compliance with regulatory requirements. Her long-term goal is to have trusted partnerships and collaboration with regulators, industry bodies, and business partners to identify and mitigate financial crime risk through innovative technology.
“Before joining the industry, I saw that blockchain technology had opened up an entirely new way to transfer assets in an open and transparent manner, which continues to propel technological advances making it easier to provide access to individuals and businesses currently excluded from the global financial system,” said Kristen. “Like with any new industry, I knew there would be significant challenges from criminals who seek to exploit global financial services, including crypto digital asset services. I’m leveraging my professional background to continue evolving our compliance controls to outpace illicit actors.”
“As an organization that is obsessed with its users and has come a long way toward building a best-in-class compliance program comparable to global financial institutions, I hope to raise further awareness with regulatory and industry partners about the crypto industry to build trust and collaborate in this fast-developing space,” said Kristen.
“We are thrilled to have Kristen step into this new role where she is well positioned to further our global compliance program and evolve it to meet fast-changing regulatory developments and expectations,” said Binance CCO Noah Perlman. “With her seasoned background, she understands the importance of collaborating with governments and international organizations that are critical to making sustainable advancements and fighting financial crime in the crypto ecosystem.“
