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General Counsel Leaves MoneyGram to Become Chief Legal and Compliance Officer at Leading Cryptocurrency Company » Dallas Innovates

Posted on by Dsen .N

Coinme, a leading cryptocurrency exchange, will announce that it has named Robert Villaseñor of Dallas, former general counsel of MoneyGram, as its chief legal and compliance officer. (Photo: Coinme)

For several years, MoneyGram International, a Dallas-based peer-to-peer company, has been partnering with and investing in Coinme, a leading licensed cryptocurrency exchange and mobile application. Now the association has taken on a new dimension: MoneyGram’s general counsel is leaving to join Coinme as the Seattle-based company’s general counsel and chief regulatory compliance officer.

The appointment of Robert Villasenor to this position illustrates Coinme’s commitment to compliance as it navigates the legal and regulatory framework of the cryptocurrency industry during a period of accelerated growth for the company, Coinme said.

Coinme, an online platform that allows you to buy, sell, store and manage cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin and Ethereum, recently surpassed $1 billion in retail sales and has grown at an average of 164% annually since its founding in 2014. Villasenor comes as the company plans to add new partners – its crypto-as-a-service offering powers crypto platform MoneyGram Online from November 2022 – and expand its network of 40,000 physical locations for buying and selling cryptocurrencies.

“Unique Understanding”

Neil Bergquist, CEO and co-founder of Coinme, said in a statement that Villasenor “has a broad range of legal knowledge with a unique understanding of the legal nuances of cryptocurrencies, money transfer, state and federal regulation and consumer protection. He will be a valuable resource in helping us navigate our continued expansion.”

With more than 25 years of experience in public companies and law firms, Villasenor most recently served as general counsel, corporate secretary and chief administrative officer at MoneyGram, where he led the company’s global legal, compliance, human resources, government relations, internal audit, procurement and corporate affairs functions. He joined MoneyGram in 2018.

Appointed to Texas Blockchain Working Group

In 2021, Villasenor was appointed by Texas Gov. Dan Patrick to the 16-member Texas Work Group on Blockchain Matters. The group’s 2022 report to the Texas Legislature recommended about 20 measures to bolster the state’s burgeoning blockchain industry.

In a statement, Villasenor said: “Ensuring compliance and minimizing risk while supporting strategic growth (at Coinme) will be my top priority. I look forward to contributing to the company’s success and maintaining its market leadership position.”

In May, Coinme said it had raised $35 million in funding over time from entities including Pantera Capital, Coinstar, and MoneyGram. In January 2022, MoneyGram said it had exited a minority investment in Coinme, giving it a roughly 4% ownership stake in the company. It first partnered with Coinme a year earlier, when the two companies announced an initiative to build a “bridge from bitcoin to local fiat currency.”

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