Andreessen Horowitz the venture capital firm founded by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz today announced its newest operating partner – (former) chief regulatory officer of the New York Stock Exchange, Anthony Albanese. The NYSE executive who has been working with regulators at the state, federal, and international levels since 2016 will be advising a16z’s crypto division on cryptocurrency regulation- as chief regulatory officer- from mid-November onwards.
Prior to NYSE, Albanese ran the New York State Department of Financial Services, an agency that oversaw introduction of the highly coveted BitLicense for crypto firms. Albanese was also a long-time partner at a major law firm, where he specialized in securities litigation. In that regard, a spokesperson from the crypto VC firm stated that:
…Anthony […] will bring a long-term approach to his relationships with both regulators and entrepreneurs. There’s an immense need for highly skilled and experienced lawyers who are passionate about crypto and want to see regulation applied in a modern way that lets innovation flourish.
After launching its crypto-focused fund, which raised $300 million in 2018, Andreessen Horowitz raised $515 million for a second, blockchain-focused fund focused in April this year. The blockchain and crypto venture capitalist has invested in several portfolios including crypto exchange, Coinbase. In addition to this, an a16z spokesperson said that Albanese had earlier considered joining the VC’s portfolio company, Coinbase, which, however, did not materialize at that time.
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