Backpack Exchange named Oliver Sleafer chief financial officer on March 21, 20241. Sleafer had joined Backpack Exchange as head of treasury in October 2023, five months before the promotion, CoinDesk reported2. He had served as head of liquidity management for the Asia-Pacific region at Stripe. Before that, he spent five years in the same role at Credit Suisse, the exchange's release said.
Three leadership moves at Backpack on the record since 2024
Every move CryptoLately has verified there, by the day it became public
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| March 21, 2024 | Sleafer became CFO. Oliver Sleafer was named Chief Financial Officer of Backpack |
| June 9, 2026 | Piwowar joined the board. Michael Piwowar joined the board of Backpack |
| Sept. 2, 2026 | Samani joined the board. Kyle Samani joined the board of Backpack |
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 |
The move
Backpack Exchange put Sleafer in charge of custody and liquidity for a global trading platform. “Mr. Sleafer is a seasoned finance professional, having formerly served as the Head of APAC Liquidity Management at Stripe, responsible for its regional treasury function and safeguarding of user assets,” the release said1. Armani Ferrante, chief executive of Backpack Exchange, explained why he wanted that background on the finance seat. “Oliver has extensive experience working in both traditional finance and digital assets at regulated financial institutions. We are extremely excited to bring him on board and help us operate at the highest levels of transparency, auditability and accountability,” Ferrante said. Sleafer answered in his own words. “I'm excited to join Backpack Exchange as one of the most trusted and exciting crypto asset exchanges in the space. I'm proud to bring my experience in liquidity, risk management and finance to further Backpack Exchange's mission of compliance and setting gold standards for transparency and auditability worldwide,” Sleafer said.
Before and after at Backpack Exchange
Sleafer had held the treasury title for five months, since October 2023, CoinDesk reported2. Founders Armani Ferrante and Tristan Yver built the exchange after leaving Sam Bankman-Fried's firms ahead of their 2022 collapse, CoinDesk reported. Ferrante came from Alameda Research and Yver came from FTX. As CFO, Sleafer took charge of the company's finance function1. He also took custody of user assets at Backpack Exchange's regulated units in the United States and Asia-Pacific, the release said. CoinDesk reported that Backpack had just raised $17 million in a Series A round at a $120 million valuation.
What came next
Backpack was negotiating new financing at a $1 billion pre-money valuation by February 9, 2026, Axios reported3. Axios cited sources familiar with the deal. Backpack was discussing a $50 million raise that could grow larger, Axios reported. That marked a jump from the $120 million valuation CoinDesk had cited when Sleafer became CFO2.
Sources
- "Backpack Exchange Taps FinTech Executive for Top Finance Role Accelerating Global Expansion," PR Newswire (Backpack.exchange), March 21, 2024, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/backpack-exchange-taps-fintech-executive-for-top-finance-role-accelerating-global-expansion-302095958.html
- "Crypto Exchange Backpack Appoints Stripe, Banking Veteran as CFO," CoinDesk, March 21, 2024, https://www.coindesk.com/business/2024/03/21/crypto-exchange-backpack-appoints-stripe-banking-veteran-as-cfo
- Ryan Lawler, "Scoop: Backpack Exchange raising at $1B valuation," Axios, February 9, 2026, https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMinAFBVV95cUxPN3dyTi1tbkROWjJhX0FjTkZKY0MyQUZwejN3WXNDbTgzQ2JVSXhNSEFuU1RfQnV5bXBzZ1FTTWNUM0NxZFYwc0ZkakliV3VwTERHOERudTlNR2tsMHFjMGNOZktKWjk2MHFsa25XanJiZk9Bcl9KTU9fa0ZIV3E4QkdMVlZ5cHFUbGtILWpERjFWTXI5R181dXFXYUk?oc=5