Bitpanda named Mer Sánchez de Rojas chief operating officer on February 4, 2025. She was promoted from vice president of group operations, Bitpanda said in its own blog post1. Funds Society reported the next day, February 5, 2025, that Sánchez de Rojas joined Bitpanda's team in 2019. For the last five years she ran operations in trading, payments, automation and customer service2. Bitpanda tied the promotion to its new MiCA license and plans for new markets.
The second executive hire at Bitpanda on the record since 2020
Leadership moves CryptoLately has verified at Bitpanda, by year
- 2025: 3
- 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 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 |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 3 |
| 2026 | 3 |
59 executive hires on the record in 2025, the most of any year
Executive hires CryptoLately has verified, by year; 2026 through Oct. 2, 2026
- 2025: 59
- 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 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
Sánchez de Rojas described her goal in regional terms. “Bitpanda has firmly established itself as Europe's crypto platform of choice, and as we expand across the EU, my priority will be to deliver locally tailored, high-quality solutions per market that meet the evolving needs of our customers,” she said. “By driving automation, and ensuring our operations are scalable, we will continue setting the standard for sustainable growth and innovation in the industry.”1 Then-deputy CEO Lukas Enzersdorfer-Konrad credited her record. “Mer's leadership has been a cornerstone of Bitpanda's operational transformation. Her expertise, strategic vision, and relentless focus on excellence have driven our success so far,” he said. “As COO, Mer will further strengthen our customer-centric approach, localising operations across our markets, and ensuring automation and efficiency remain at the heart of our scalability.”
Before and after the announcement
Sánchez de Rojas held the vice president of operations title before her promotion. In that role she built several teams and streamlined key processes, Bitpanda's own post says1. Funds Society added that she studied at the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas and the Escuela de Organización Industrial. Her background spans fintech and the defense and security sector2. Bitpanda's release tied her appointment to its EU push after the MiCA license. The release said Bitpanda served more than 6 million users worldwide at the time.
What came next
Finance Magnates reported on March 12, 2026, that Bitpanda's registered users had grown 25 percent in 2025, to 7.4 million from 5.9 million. Its B2B partner base nearly doubled too, from nine to 16 financial institutions3. Bitpanda's license list grew. The UK's Financial Conduct Authority and Dubai's regulator joined its EU-wide MiCA license. Bitpanda also pushed into Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region that year, Finance Magnates reported, though the company kept the figures for those markets to itself.
Sources
- Bitpanda, "Mer Sánchez de Rojas appointed as the new Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Bitpanda," Bitpanda, Feb. 4, 2025, https://blog.bitpanda.com/en/mer-sanchez-de-rojas-appointed-new-chief-operating-officer-coo-bitpanda
- Funds Society, Madrid, "Bitpanda nombra a Mercedes Sánchez de Rojas como COO," Funds Society, Feb. 5, 2025, https://www.fundssociety.com/es/noticias/nombramientos/bitpanda-nombra-a-mercedes-sanchez-de-rojas-directora-general-de-operaciones/
- Damian Chmiel, "Bitpanda's Profit Falls 75%, Firm Blames Pre-IPO Spending Push," Finance Magnates, Mar. 12, 2026, https://www.financemagnates.com/cryptocurrency/bitpandas-profit-falls-75-firm-blames-pre-ipo-spending-push/