Fireblocks added Jay Clayton to its advisory board on Aug. 19, 2021. He had chaired the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission12. The custody firm had raised $310 million at a $2 billion valuation in July 2021, a month earlier. That round followed a $133 million raise in March 2021, Ledger Insights reported.
Five leadership moves at Fireblocks on the record since 2021
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 |
|---|---|
| Aug. 19, 2021 | Clayton joined the board. Jay Clayton joined the board of Fireblocks |
| March 7, 2024 | Ferguson became CMO. Michal Ferguson was named Chief Marketing Officer of Fireblocks |
| March 7, 2024 | Levine became CFO. Michael Levine was named Chief Financial Officer of Fireblocks |
| March 7, 2024 | Gadde became Chief Customer Officer. Madan Gadde was named Chief Customer Officer of Fireblocks |
| Aug. 17, 2026 | Roisman became Chief Regulatory. Elad Roisman was named Chief Regulatory and Policy Officer and General Counsel, Regulatory of Fireblocks |
10 board appointments on the record in 2021
Board appointments CryptoLately has verified, by year
- 2021: 10
- 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
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 |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 10 |
| 2021 | 10 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2023 | 4 |
| 2024 | 6 |
| 2025 | 20 |
The appointment
Six other advisers already sat on the Fireblocks board: Ran Canetti, Gili Raanan, Tom Banahan, Gil Mendelzis, Fred Ehrsam and Ken Fox, the company's release named them1. In the announcement, Clayton explained his reason for joining. “The scope of the company's vision to improve the digital asset infrastructure and security is extensive,” he said. “I share Fireblocks view that digital asset custody requires the same level of service as traditional custody while also striving for better regulatory outcomes in security, certainty, and resiliency.”
Ledger Insights put the hire against Clayton's record at the SEC. "Clayton was not especially popular amongst the cryptocurrency community," the outlet wrote. It pointed to the SEC's lawsuit alleging Ripple's XRP is a security, filed before Clayton departed the regulator2. The outlet added that Clayton "hasn't fundamentally changed his stance since he left the SEC".
Clayton's record before Fireblocks
Clayton chaired the SEC from 2017 to 2020. Before that post, Fireblocks' release said, he worked as a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell, advising large financial institutions and broker-dealers1. The release credited him as “among the first SEC Chairpersons to carefully consider the status of digital assets within the context of the U.S. securities law framework”. It also listed his service on the Financial Stability Board, the International Organization of Securities Commissions, the Financial Stability Oversight Council and the President's Working Group on Financial Markets.
What came next
Clayton assumed the role of U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York on April 22, 2025, after years advising crypto firms including Fireblocks and One River Asset Management, Decrypt reported3. President Trump later nominated him director of national intelligence, and he was sworn in on Aug. 3, 2026, succeeding Bill Pulte, the New York Post reported4.
Sources
- Fireblocks, "Former U.S. SEC Chair Jay Clayton Joins Fireblocks' Advisory Board," PR Newswire, Aug. 19, 2021, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/former-us-sec-chair-jay-clayton-joins-fireblocks-advisory-board-301358976.html
- Ledger Insights, "Ex SEC Chair Jay Clayton to advise crypto custody firm Fireblocks," Ledger Insights, Aug. 19, 2021, https://www.ledgerinsights.com/ex-sec-chair-jay-clayton-to-advise-crypto-custody-firm-fireblocks/
- Decrypt, "Jay Clayton Takes Helm at SDNY, Returning to Government With Crypto Record in Tow," Decrypt, April 22, 2025, https://decrypt.co/315876/jay-clayton-takes-helm-at-sdny-returning-to-government-with-crypto-record-in-tow
- New York Post, "Jay Clayton sworn in as Trump's DNI — Bill Pulte steps down before another round of agency layoffs," New York Post, Aug. 3, 2026, https://nypost.com/2026/08/03/us-news/jay-clayton-sworn-in-as-trumps-dni-bill-pulte-steps-down-before-another-round-of-agency-layoffs/