BlockFi, a crypto financial services company, today announced the appointment of Deborah Barta as Chief Operating Officer. In this newly formalized role, Ms. Barta will drive operational maturity and support the execution of BlockFi’s strategic vision.
“BlockFi has been on a journey of professionalizing and formalizing processes and after four hypergrowth years, we’re delighted to share that we’ve hired our first Chief Operating Officer, Deb Barta,” said Zac Prince, CEO and Founder of BlockFi. “Deb is a demonstrated corporate innovator and brings the perfect pairing of strong financial services experience and an entrepreneurial spirit that will thrive at BlockFi.”
Ms. Barta joins BlockFi from Mastercard following a 15-year tenure holding a variety of global roles across several business lines, including Mastercard Labs, creating transformational environments and leading innovative platforms for scale. Most recently, Ms. Barta served as the Senior Vice President of Strategy and Provenance, where she was responsible for the launch of Mastercard’s first commercial blockchain product. She also served as the CEO of the first-ever startup to successfully exit from Mastercard Labs, Simplify, and led the company’s award-winning global fintech accelerator, Start Path.
“BlockFi has been at the forefront of innovation for crypto financial services and wealth management, which is why I was immediately drawn to them,” said Ms. Barta. “BlockFi’s unique retail and institutional product offerings paired with its strongest asset, their experienced and passionate team, make it one of the most compelling trailblazers in the space. I’m thrilled to be joining this hugely-promising organization and look forward to bringing Zac and Flori’s strategic vision to light.”
In addition to an impressive career, Barta also serves on the Boards of the Piatigorsky Foundation, the New York Tech Alliance, and the Skandalaris Center at Washington University in St. Louis. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Washington University in St. Louis, an MBA from Webster University, and a Professional Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Stanford University.
About BlockFi
BlockFi is a new breed of financial services company. Founded in 2017 by Zac Prince and Flori Marquez, BlockFi is building a bridge between cryptocurrencies and traditional financial and wealth management products to advance the overall digital asset ecosystem for individual and institutional investors.
