Dave Ackerman, Chief Operating Officer of Currency.com – Interview Series

Mr Ackerman is a transformative global compliance executive and licensed attorney with over 20 years experience. He steers disruptive technologies through the intricacies of operational compliance, government relations, and regulatory landscapes.

In 2024, David joined Currency.com  as Chief Compliance Officer, playing a key role in guiding the company through complex regulatory landscapes during its U.S. market entry and global expansion. Following Currency.com’s acquisition in 2025, he was appointed Chief Operating Officer, where he now oversees day-to-day operations across compliance, legal, product, and customer experience. David leads post-acquisition integration, drives global growth initiatives, and builds the operational infrastructure needed to scale. He works closely with the executive team to align strategy with execution and fosters a performance-driven culture rooted in transparency and regulatory excellence.

Since 2018, Currency.com has been creating innovative financial solutions, services and experiences designed to be simple, secure and easy to use. Individual customers and SMEs in more than 100 countries use Currency.com to leverage new Blockchain and crypto opportunities.

You’ve held leadership roles across fintech, cybersecurity, and capital markets — what drew you to join Currency.com at this particular moment in your career?

The timing. We are witnessing an exponential rise in crypto adoption, which means there’s a fantastic opportunity available to serve the growing number of users. Speaking in terms of the U.S. market specifically, right now, the real competition is relatively scarce. One or two platforms dominate the landscape, leaving consumers with limited choice. 

Currency.com, the way I see it, offers a compelling alternative. Joining the company at this stage means taking part in shaping the entire market by giving American consumers more choices and more control in how they engage with digital finance. Not only that, presence of greater competition tends to drive innovation, which will ultimately be to the benefit of the U.S. market.

Currency.com recently went through an acquisition and brought on new global leadership. How has that transformation shaped the company’s mission and direction?

The impact has been profound. There’s a renewed sense of purpose across the entire company. The energy is literally palpable. Everyone, from top to bottom, is moving towards a shared goal. Namely, building a best-in-class platform that genuinely serves the needs of today’s consumers. 

Like I already said earlier, we’re here to help shape market trends, not simply follow them.

What role do you see yourself playing as COO, and how are you working with your team to execute on that vision during this pivotal phase?

The way I see it, the job of any experienced COO is to make sure the company’s vision can be executed in a coherent fashion. Strategic ambitions are good and all, but someone needs to translate them into operational realities. That’s my role.

In simple terms, this means that I’m responsible for aligning teams towards the same overarching goals and making sure everyone understands the expectations. At the same time, it’s also part of my job to fine-tune our strategies and internal processes to ensure the company can scale sensibly and responsibly. 

And none of that happens without building trust first, both internally within our team and externally with our users, partners, and regulators. I see my role as the connective tissue that keeps our operations grounded while we pursue innovative goals.

With 31 Money Transmitter Licenses already secured, how close is the company to full operational coverage across the U.S.?

We’re making good progress, but it’s a highly complicated process. Every state has its own regulatory framework, and obtaining these licenses requires patience and the ability to fit with all of them.

Nevertheless, we view participation in the U.S. financial system as a privilege, and one that comes with tremendous responsibility, which we take very seriously. Every step we take is methodical. We’re committed to building a platform that meets the highest standards of safety, compliance, and resilience to satisfy the needs of the American people. 

That takes time, understandably, but doing it any other way is simply not an option.

The company aims to bring together digital assets, traditional instruments, and payments — how do you envision that unified experience working for everyday users?

Our vision can neatly summarized as “one platform, full functionality.” Users shouldn’t need five different apps and accounts to move between digital assets, securities, and payments. That fragmentation adds too much unnecessary friction and cost. 

We’re eliminating that complexity by offering a single, secure, regulated environment where users can hold crypto, trade U.S. equities, and send fiat payments seamlessly. It’s not just a matter of convenience, it’s about financial empowerment. 

We’re giving users more efficient tools to manage their wealth with faster access to potential investment opportunities, less expensive payment rails (whether for consumers or vendors) and a fully unlocked ability to interact with the crypto market.

How do you balance innovation with regulatory discipline, especially in an environment where compliance expectations are still evolving?

It never ceases to amaze me how many companies misunderstand the role of regulatory compliance in product development. In reality, these two are not conflicting concepts, far from it. Regulation, when treated as a design constraint, rather than a roadblock, is actually one of the most powerful accelerators for product development. 

At Currency.com, compliance isn’t something we attach at the end, but embed into the product lifecycle from the very beginning. Our product, engineering, and compliance teams all work in constant communication with each other, so there is no disconnect. And we actively engage regulators as partners in the innovation process, not adversaries. 

The broader mission here is to safely grow the digital finance landscape, and take steps to earn trust with users and regulators alike. This is necessary to build public trust and not something we view as “slowing us down.”

What kind of demand are you seeing globally for tokenized assets, and how is the platform positioned to support that shift?

Interestingly, we’re seeing rising interest not just from retail traders or massive TradFi institutions, but from a large, often underserved segment. Namely, sophisticated individuals, boutique funds, family offices, and high-net-worth investors in emerging or underrepresented markets outside of major financial hubs. 

These users are looking for diversification and financial sovereignty, yet they are often too nuanced for retail platforms, but too small to be prioritized by traditional institutional desks. As a result, we now see this group growing into one of the most active, loyal, and impactful communities in digital asset markets. 

And what we do at Currency.com also helps satisfy their needs, as we combine cutting-edge financial tools with the agility and open access of digital markets.

What does “regulation by design” mean in the context of platform development, and how early is compliance considered in your product lifecycle?

“Regulation by design” means exactly what it sounds like. Compliance is not treated like an afterthought, but rather as a foundational principle in our development. From the moment we start defining the specifics of a new product to work on, compliance is part of the conversation. This ensures that the solutions we build are secure, transparent, and ready to scale in a regulated environment.

We don’t see compliance as a barrier. We see it as a blueprint for long-term success. The regulatory demands are constantly evolving, and staying ahead of that evolution means we gain an extra advantage when rising to meet user expectations.

How do you think user expectations around digital finance are changing, and where do you see the greatest opportunity to deliver long-term value?

Users today increasingly want flexible services that can be relevant to their personal needs and preferences. The “one-size-fits-all” approach doesn’t work here. And like I mentioned before, we see a massive opportunity in serving sophisticated users who feel overlooked by the currently available players and solutions. Being able to meet their needs will help us gain their trust and loyalty in the long term.

Can you share any key performance goals or strategic milestones you’re focused on over the next year?

We’ve got a pretty ambitious roadmap. On the regulatory side, our team is working to secure remaining licenses to operate in every U.S. state. At the same time, we’re building our own tailored onboarding processes and investment tools for high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and private capital players. 

Currency.com aims to become the go-to regulated platform for modern investors. One that offers the speed and innovation of a crypto exchange, coupled with the trust and credibility of a legacy financial institution. And every milestone we’ve outlined for ourselves is designed to bring us closer to that goal.

Thank you for the great interview, readers who wish to learn more should visit Currency.com.