Galaxy Digital Holdings named Michael Daffey as a senior advisor and chair of its board of directors on April 16, 20211. Daffey spent 25 years at Goldman Sachs, most recently as chairman of its Global Markets division. The appointment takes effect September 1, 2021. Galaxy's own release ties it to the firm's next phase, “its mission of bringing cryptocurrencies and digital assets to the world's leading institutions”. CoinDesk reported on April 16, 2021 that the move comes "in preparation for the firm's U.S. public stock offering"2.
One of Galaxy's 6 leadership moves on the record came in 2021
Leadership moves CryptoLately has verified at Galaxy, by year
- 2021: 1
- 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 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 |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 | 1 |
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 move
Daffey rose through Goldman's trading arm to chairman of Global Markets, with a seat on the firm's top committee, Galaxy's release said1. He led Goldman's post-Brexit move out of London and ran stock, bond and currency sales across three continents. Goldman announced his retirement in March 2021, CoinDesk reported2. “I'm excited to join the Galaxy Digital Board of Directors and help guide the Company through its next cycle of global expansion as it continues executing on its mission of bringing cryptocurrencies and digital assets to the world's leading institutions,” Daffey said in the release.
Michael Novogratz, Galaxy's founder and chief executive, framed the hire around Daffey's record with institutional clients. “We're excited to welcome such an experienced and respected leader of Michael's caliber to the firm as a Senior Advisor and Board member,” Novogratz said. He pointed to Daffey's “leadership of Goldman Sachs' Global Markets businesses through several cycles of growth, innovation, and transformation”1. Damien Vanderwilt, Galaxy's co-president and head of global markets, added that the company's “rapidly evolving business units in Trading, Asset Management, Investment Banking, Principal Investments, and Mining will all benefit from his growth orientation”.
Galaxy's board before and after
Galaxy traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange when Daffey joined the board. CoinDesk reported that Novogratz had said in March 2021 the company would list in the United States within the year2. Daffey's appointment put a three-decade Wall Street trading executive in the chair seat months ahead of that planned move. It paired crypto-native leadership with a board chair from a regulated bank. Galaxy's release calls the seat a new addition to the board, naming it as a first chair rather than a replacement1.
What came next
Galaxy completed the U.S. listing the appointment anticipated: the company opened trading on the Nasdaq at $23.50 a share on May 16, 2025, after a four-year process with the Securities and Exchange Commission, CNBC reported3. Daffey stayed on the board well past that listing. A Form 4 filing shows Galaxy granted him 7,866 deferred share units on Aug. 6, 2026, bringing his stake to 1,513,285 shares4.
Sources
- Galaxy Digital Holdings Ltd., "Galaxy Digital Announces Appointment of Michael Daffey, Former Partner and Chairman of Global Markets of Goldman Sachs, as Senior Advisor and Chair of the Board of Directors," Newswire.ca, April 16, 2021, https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/galaxy-digital-announces-appointment-of-michael-daffey-former-partner-and-chairman-of-global-markets-of-goldman-sachs-as-senior-advisor-and-chair-of-the-board-of-directors-800714951.html
- Jamie Crawley, "Galaxy Digital Appoints Ex-Goldman Sachs Executive as Chairman," CoinDesk, April 16, 2021, https://www.coindesk.com/business/2021/04/16/galaxy-digital-appoints-ex-goldman-sachs-executive-as-chairman
- CNBC, "Novogratz's Galaxy Digital opens trading on the Nasdaq at $23.50 per share," CNBC, May 16, 2025, https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/16/novogratz-galaxy-digital-trading-nasdaq.html
- StockTitan, "Galaxy Digital director granted 7,866 deferred share units," StockTitan, Aug. 10, 2026, https://www.stocktitan.net/sec-filings/GLXY/form-4-galaxy-digital-inc-insider-trading-activity-a700ed2723eb.html