Compliance Champions: Compliance Without Borders: Managing Crypto Regulation Worldwide

In this global deep dive, Compliance Champions host Delphine Forma sits down with Christopher Liu, Chief Compliance Officer and Head of Regulatory at Matrixport, one of Asia’s leading digital asset financial platforms.

With licenses across Singapore, Hong Kong, Switzerland, BVI, and Bhutan, and over $7B in AUM and trading volume, Matrixport operates at the heart of regulated crypto. Christopher shares what it takes to build and scale a risk-based, multi-jurisdictional compliance program that balances regulation, innovation, and growth.

They discuss:

• Matrixport’s global regulatory footprint and why Bhutan is quietly becoming a crypto hub
• How Singapore’s Payment Services Act compares with Hong Kong’s regulatory model
• What MAS, SFC, and FINMA expect when it comes to custody, AML, and client protection
• The real-life impact of FTX on regulatory priorities worldwide
• Why Travel Rule enforcement remains a challenge despite years of effort
• The compliance pillars Christopher swears by (including the 8-pillar framework and “anticipatory compliance”)
• Market abuse monitoring, the evolution of crypto surveillance tools, and why Solidus Labs is part of Matrixport’s tech stack
• Hiring and growing a compliance team across regions, and why crypto isn’t for checkbox thinkers

Plus: A call to action for job seekers, a streetwear shoutout (thanks to Christopher’s daughter), and a hopeful Christmas wish for global regulatory harmonization.