Caroline D. Pham Appointed as Chief Legal Officer at MoonPay to Lead Legal and Regulatory Strategy

Caroline D. Pham Joins MoonPay as Chief Legal Officer

In a significant move for the cryptocurrency payments sector, MoonPay has announced the appointment of Caroline D. Pham as Chief Legal Officer and Chief Administrative Officer. This follows her tenure as the Acting Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), during which she played a crucial role in digital asset regulation and market modernization.

Pham is well-regarded as a leading authority on financial market structure and derivatives. Her experience in the CFTC has equipped her with a profound understanding of the challenges and opportunities within the fintech landscape. She was unanimously elected as Acting Chairman in January 2025, bringing forth impactful initiatives aimed at enhancing the regulatory framework for digital assets.

Her innovative proposals during her time at the CFTC included the launch of a Digital Asset Markets Pilot Program, a groundbreaking regulatory sandbox designed to nurture responsible innovation within the crypto space. This pilot program was unveiled on December 8, 2025, and represents a notable shift in how digital assets are governed in the U.S.

"I'm excited to join MoonPay at a pivotal moment," Pham stated. At MoonPay, she will oversee global legal and administrative functions while spearheading policy and regulatory strategies in Washington, D.C. This strategic position aligns with MoonPay's commitment to setting high compliance standards in the burgeoning digital asset ecosystem.

Ivan Soto-Wright, MoonPay’s co-founder and CEO, hailed Pham as one of the most influential figures in U.S. financial regulation. He expressed confidence that her extensive experience in regulatory affairs, combined with her insight into traditional finance, will greatly benefit MoonPay as it embarks on its next phase of growth.

During her short stint as Acting Chairman, Pham instituted a modernization agenda that included 24/7 trading and new product offerings such as perpetual-style futures. Her guidance on tokenized assets aimed to create safer and more efficient clearing and settlement processes in digital markets. This strategic focus on innovation has positioned the CFTC at the forefront of regulatory advancements, making history by allowing listed spot crypto products to trade for the first time on federally regulated U.S. markets.

Prior to her role at the CFTC, Pham served as a Managing Director at Citigroup, where she held various key positions, including Head of Market Structure for Strategic Initiatives. Her diverse background in finance and regulation positions her uniquely to drive MoonPay forward in an increasingly complex marketplace.

MoonPay remains a trailblazer in compliance and governance within the crypto sector. Earlier this year, the company actively participated in the CFTC's CEO Forum, which brought together industry leaders to discuss the Digital Asset Markets Pilot Program. In the latter half of 2025, MoonPay achieved both a New York BitLicense and a New York Limited Purpose Trust Charter, aligning with its strategic goal to maintain robust regulatory compliance across its operations.

Established in 2019, MoonPay has swiftly become a pivotal player in the financial technology sector, facilitating transactions between fiat and digital assets for a diverse customer base across 180 countries. With over 30 million users and partnerships with more than 500 enterprises, MoonPay connects traditional financial systems with blockchain technology through comprehensive solutions encompassing on- and off-ramps, trading, and crypto payments.

With Caroline Pham at the helm of its legal and regulatory strategies, MoonPay is poised for transformative growth as it navigates the evolving landscape of digital assets, ensuring compliance while fostering innovation in the financial technology sector.