BCB Group appoints James Sullivan as Chief Risk and Compliance Officer

London, 15 September 2025: BCB Group, a leading crypto-native payments platform, regulated across multiple jurisdictions and serving some of the largest clients in the industry, has appointed James Sullivan as Chief Risk and Compliance Officer to strengthen governance and drive sustainable growth. This appointment reflects BCB’s commitment to investing in global leadership and governance. James will help the company maintain its regulatory excellence and innovation as it builds a platform that sets the standard for crypto-native payments around the world.

James brings 20+ years of experience across legal, risk, compliance and governance, having recently worked as Global General Counsel and UK General Manager at Bitstamp by Robinhood. There, he oversaw legal, risk, compliance, internal audit and CoSec functions across the UK, EU, US, BVI and Singapore. 

He also held previous leadership roles at Ziglu (Chief Risk & Legal Officer, COO & General Counsel), Monzo Bank (VP Head of Legal & Company Secretary), Funderbeam and a non-executive directorship at FCA-regulated NCM Fund Services. James holds an MBA from Bayes Business School and legal qualifications.

Having overseen risk and compliance functions across multiple jurisdictions, James is well positioned to continuously improve teams, systems and operating models to elevate the business to its next stage.

“I’m a lawyer by background and have spent well over 10 years in traditional finance (TradFi) roles. I understand what mature controls frameworks look like, even within fast-growth environments.”

James emphasises the importance of defining risk appetites early and avoiding  adopting a ‘move fast and break things’ approach that has been employed by some firms in this sector. This requires a thoughtful, proactive, and collaborative approach to risk and compliance that balances a company’s long-term commercial objectives with robust controls. 

“Risk and compliance should be a business partner, not only a control function.”

“By embedding strong frameworks and fostering collaboration, firms can continue to attract and retain ever better clients, build investor and market confidence, and scale sustainably.”

He is also looking forward to further strengthening BCB’s governance and supporting the next phase of its growth.

“I have been encouraged and impressed by the capabilities and experience of  the current and recent C-suite and senior leadership hires. I’m looking forward to working with them to continuously improve the governance model at BCB.”

Thanks to his combined TradFi and FinTech background, James knows what good looks like, and what scaling firms need to do to continue to develop and build out ever stronger frameworks.

“That gives me an understanding of the range of possibilities. Even if something is already great, I want it to be even better the next day. I encourage my team to always strive to leave things better than they found them.”

“Those operating in regulated financial services will be familiar with the types of questions routinely asked during due diligence exercises. These firms will have expectations around what they want to see. When I go through due diligence, it’s important to understand the organisational behaviour and how decisions are made. My role is to be a check and balance – providing  alternative view points, facilitating discussion or asking pertinent questions. For example, in previous roles, I’ve initiated conversations around improving the controls environment, especially regarding financial crime frameworks. Helping firms recognise and address known issues or identify new ones, providing data points, and engaging with their internal stakeholders, can be done collaboratively. These are areas where I can add value to BCB.”

Olly Tonkin, CEO of BCB Group, welcomed the appointment, saying:

“We’re delighted to welcome James to BCB Group at such a pivotal time in our journey. His depth of experience across TradFi and crypto, combined with his strategic mindset and collaborative approach to risk, makes him the ideal leader to help us scale responsibly and sustainably. James brings a rare blend of legal acumen, operational insight, and global perspective. I’m very much looking forward to what we’ll achieve together.”

BCB is committed to regulatory excellence

James’s appointment reflects BCB’s commitment to investing in global leadership and governance. He will help the company maintain its regulatory excellence and innovation as it builds a platform that sets the standard for crypto-native payments around the world.

Media Contacts
Sam Shrager
[email protected]

BCB Group is a leading provider of regulated payment, wallet and trading services in crypto and fiat for the digital asset economy. We provide accounts, cryptocurrency and foreign exchange market liquidity for some of the world’s largest, crypto-engaged businesses, including crypto exchanges, liquidity providers, market makers, investment firms, custodians, payment processors and wallet providers.

Our end-to-end suite of fiat and crypto payment, trading and wallet products are accessible through our Client Console UI and API. We offer more than 40 fiat and cryptocurrencies, deep trading liquidity, 24/7 instant payments through our instant settlements network, BLINC, and secure crypto services. Our strong focus on compliance matches our technical and business expertise, and we are regulated by some of the world’s most respected regulators. Authorised in the UK, France and Switzerland, we place the utmost importance on our regulatory-first institutional principles. 

Our leadership team boasts years of relevant, high-level experience, having built their careers at globally-renowned institutions. They combine finance, law, regulatory and technology skills in traditional and crypto financial services with a deep understanding of the new digital asset economy.

Disclaimer

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