Binance has tapped Tarik Erk (LinkedIn) as its new regional head for MENAT and senior executive officer in Abu Dhabi, putting a compliance-first operator in charge as the exchange doubles down on regulated growth across the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey, according to a press release.

(** Tap or click the headline above to read this story with all of the links to our background and outside sources.)

Meet Erk: Erk has over 10 years’ experience working across regulated crypto and traditional finance — from Paxos to JPMorgan and Commerzbank — with a resume heavy on licensing, government engagement, and market buildouts. His most recent stint was as general manager for Middle East and Africa at Crypto.com.

This comes as Binance shifts from market entry to market plumbing in the UAE, fresh off approval to run its global platform under Abu Dhabi’s ADGM framework. The exchange previously said regulated Binance.com operations were set to begin on 5 January, though Co-CEO Richard Teng stopped short of confirming an Abu Dhabi HQ.

Tags: