aelf announced the appointment of Brian Liang as its first chief operating officer on July 24, 2024, the Singapore-based Layer 1 blockchain network said in a press release1. Auric, aelf's founder, said the hire marked a turning point. “Brian's arrival at aelf signals a new era for our company as we continue to integrate AI within our blockchain framework,” Auric said. “His extensive background in managing complex business operations and strategic initiatives in the blockchain and finance sectors makes him the perfect fit to lead aelf's operational strategies during this transformative phase.” Blockhead reported the appointment independently on July 25, 2024. aelf “has been at the forefront of exploring the intersection of AI and blockchain,” the outlet wrote2.
39 executive hires on the record in 2024
Executive hires CryptoLately has verified, by year; 2026 through Oct. 2, 2026
- 2024: 39
- 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025, 2026
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 11 |
| 2020 | 12 |
| 2021 | 27 |
| 2022 | 37 |
| 2023 | 20 |
| 2024 | 39 |
| 2025 | 59 |
| 2026 | 45 |
Layer 1s & Infrastructure led executive hires in 2024, with eight
Executive hires CryptoLately has verified in 2024, by the sector of the company
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Layer 1s & Infrastructure | 8 |
| Institutional Custody & Asset Management | 7 |
| Trading Venues & Brokerage | 6 |
| Capital Markets & Treasury | 3 |
| DeFi Protocols | 2 |
| AI and Crypto | 1 |
| Stablecoins & Payments | 1 |
| Bitcoin & Mining | 1 |
The move
aelf's release set out Liang's mandate in detail. As chief operating officer, it said, he would “provide leadership excellence, management, and vision to foster synergies between AI and blockchain technologies within aelf's ecosystem,” with an immediate goal of "optimising business units to accelerate the integration of AI capabilities"1. Liang described his own view of the role in the same release. “The integration of AI and blockchain presents opportunities to innovate and transform industries,” he said. “With aelf's vision of creating an AI-synergised blockchain, I am honoured to be contributing to building an environment where AI and blockchain coexist and enhance each other, driving forward groundbreaking solutions and fostering value creation for the Web3 community and beyond.”
aelf before and after
Liang joined aelf from Artifact Labs, a Hong Kong-based Web3 company incubated by the South China Morning Post that focuses on preserving art, culture and history on the blockchain. He had served there as chief operating officer, aelf said1. Liang had also worked as a CEX advisor at Abu Dhabi's Quantum Fintech Group and as investment director at Peak Group, a Singapore family office focused on Web3 and blockchain investments. aelf's release also named him a board member of Coinhako, a regulated cryptocurrency exchange based in Singapore. aelf was founded in 2017 and described itself as the first blockchain network in Asia to pursue "state-of-the-art AI integration." The chief operating officer role was new, created as the company pushed further into that strategy.
What the record shows
aelf's release and Blockhead's report, dated July 24 and July 25, 2024, describe the appointment and Liang's background12. A Google News search on October 3, 2026, looked for a later page on Liang's work at aelf. That search returned the July 24, 2024 announcement and two aelf event notices from May and October 2024 whose headlines name other subjects.
Sources
- "aelf Welcomes First COO to Foster AI and Blockchain Synergies," PR Newswire, July 24, 2024, https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/aelf-welcomes-first-coo-to-foster-ai-and-blockchain-synergies-302204948.html
- "Layer 1 Blockchain aelf Strengthens AI Focus With COO Appointment," Blockhead, July 25, 2024, https://www.blockhead.co/2024/07/25/layer-1-blockchain-aelf-strengthens-ai-focus-with-coo-appointment/