Key Takeaways
- • AstraBit appoints Lisa Wade and Josh Hawes to its Strategic Advisory Board, joining existing member John Buckley (former Co-COO and Head of Exchange Operations at Hong Kong Stock Exchange) to strengthen institutional and digital-asset market capabilities.
- • Lisa Wade brings 30 years of institutional and digital-asset experience, including prior roles as CEO of DigitalX Limited (ASX: DCC), Head of Digital Innovation at National Australia Bank, and leadership of Australia's central bank digital currency pilot (Project Atom) and carbon-credit tokenization initiative (Project Carbon).
- • Advisory board provides cross-functional expertise spanning exchange operations, central bank infrastructure, digital assets, systematic trading, and capital formation to guide AstraBit's trading infrastructure, risk oversight, regulatory alignment, and international expansion strategy.
- • AstraBit positions itself as a bridge between traditional finance and decentralized ecosystems, leveraging the board's diverse institutional credentials to serve both retail and institutional users with regulated, secure trading solutions.
- • Board member backgrounds reflect convergence of traditional financial markets and digital-asset infrastructure, with Wade's experience at major institutions (Citigroup, NAB) and emerging digital platforms (DigitalX) signaling AstraBit's dual-market focus.
Summary
AstraBit, a veteran-owned U.S. broker-dealer registered with the SEC and FINRA member firm, announced today the appointment of Lisa Wade and Josh Hawes to its Strategic Advisory Board, expanding its governance structure to include leaders from institutional markets and digital-asset infrastructure. The appointments follow the earlier recruitment of John Buckley, former Co-Chief Operating Officer and Head of Exchange Operations at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, establishing a board that spans Asia-Pacific market structure, digital-asset regulation, and trading systems.
Lisa Wade, who will serve on the board, brings three decades of experience across global trading floors, institutional banking, and digital-asset markets. She is Managing Director of Change Investment Management, a thematic funds management firm she co-founded in 2009, and previously served as Chief Executive Officer of DigitalX Limited (ASX: DCC). Her career at National Australia Bank included leadership of Project Atom, the Reserve Bank of Australia's central bank digital currency pilot program, and Project Carbon, a multi-institution initiative involving NAB, CIBC, and NatWest focused on tokenizing voluntary carbon credits. Her earlier tenure at Citigroup as a director spanning nine years covered arbitrage, derivatives, and equities trading. Wade also co-created RARI, Australia's first responsible-investment ETF, reflecting deep expertise in both traditional institutional markets and emerging digital-asset infrastructure.
The Strategic Advisory Board advises AstraBit across critical operational and strategic areas, including trading infrastructure, risk oversight, regulatory alignment, and international expansion. According to the announcement, the board's collective expertise provides distinct perspectives: Buckley from exchange operations and Asia-Pacific market structure, Wade from digital-asset markets and central bank infrastructure, and Hawes from systematic trading, capital formation, and public-company governance. This composition directly supports AstraBit's stated mission to bridge traditional finance and decentralized ecosystems while providing reliable, secure trading solutions for both retail and institutional clients.
The appointment reflects broader institutional adoption of digital-asset infrastructure and the growing need for regulated broker-dealers to integrate both traditional and decentralized market expertise. Wade's track record leading central bank digital currency pilots and carbon-credit tokenization initiatives alongside institutional banking experience positions AstraBit to navigate regulatory requirements while building infrastructure for emerging asset classes.
Lisa Wade, who will serve on the board, brings three decades of experience across global trading floors, institutional banking, and digital-asset markets. She is Managing Director of Change Investment Management, a thematic funds management firm she co-founded in 2009, and previously served as Chief Executive Officer of DigitalX Limited (ASX: DCC). Her career at National Australia Bank included leadership of Project Atom, the Reserve Bank of Australia's central bank digital currency pilot program, and Project Carbon, a multi-institution initiative involving NAB, CIBC, and NatWest focused on tokenizing voluntary carbon credits. Her earlier tenure at Citigroup as a director spanning nine years covered arbitrage, derivatives, and equities trading. Wade also co-created RARI, Australia's first responsible-investment ETF, reflecting deep expertise in both traditional institutional markets and emerging digital-asset infrastructure.
The Strategic Advisory Board advises AstraBit across critical operational and strategic areas, including trading infrastructure, risk oversight, regulatory alignment, and international expansion. According to the announcement, the board's collective expertise provides distinct perspectives: Buckley from exchange operations and Asia-Pacific market structure, Wade from digital-asset markets and central bank infrastructure, and Hawes from systematic trading, capital formation, and public-company governance. This composition directly supports AstraBit's stated mission to bridge traditional finance and decentralized ecosystems while providing reliable, secure trading solutions for both retail and institutional clients.
The appointment reflects broader institutional adoption of digital-asset infrastructure and the growing need for regulated broker-dealers to integrate both traditional and decentralized market expertise. Wade's track record leading central bank digital currency pilots and carbon-credit tokenization initiatives alongside institutional banking experience positions AstraBit to navigate regulatory requirements while building infrastructure for emerging asset classes.
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