The Libra Association has announced the appointment of Stuart Levey as its first CEO, commencing later this year. Levey is currently Chief Legal Officer at international bank HSBC, and was formerly Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence for both the Bush and Obama administrations.
Commenting on his appointment, Levey said:
I am honored to join the Libra Association as it charts a bold path forward to harness the power of technology to transform the global payments landscape. Technology provides us with the opportunity to make it easier for individuals and businesses to send and receive money, and to empower more than a billion people who have been left on the sidelines of the financial system.
Libra's announcements quotes Katie Haun, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz and Libra Association board member who led the CEO search committee:
Stuart brings to the Libra Association the rare combination of an accomplished leader in both the government, where he enjoyed bipartisan respect and influence, and the private sector where he managed teams spread across the globe. This unique experience allows him [...] strike the right balance between innovation and regulation.
Levey no doubt has a busy few months ahead, with Libra's payment system licence under consideration by Switzerland’s Financial Markets Supervisory Authority, FINMA, and international regulators scrutinising Libra's updated whitepaper.