Leadership · Operations · Compliance

Built on Expertise.
Operated with Rigour.

EightX is governed by experienced professionals across financial markets, digital assets, and regulatory compliance — with operations headquartered in the Cayman Islands and leadership spanning key global financial centres.

VASP Licence Application Pending · Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA)
// Global footprint
Global footprint map
📍 New York
New York, USA
Office · Chairman
David Puth — Chairman
📍 London
London, UK
Co-Founder · Board Director
Michael Harte — Co-Founder, Board
★ Cayman Islands · HQ
George Town, Cayman Islands
HQ · Operations · Compliance · VASP
Craig Pascoe — Director
Darragh Murphy — Director
David Acutt — Director
COO · AMLCO · DMLRO · Legal · Audit
📍 Sydney
Sydney, Australia
Co-Founder · CEO · Leadership
John Shipman — Co-Founder & CEO
// Corporate structure

Legal Entities

EightX operates through a vertically integrated group structure providing regulatory compliance, IP protection, and institutional-grade governance with all regulated operations directed from the Cayman Islands.

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EightX TopCo
Cayman Islands · Exempted Limited Company
Ultimate parent holding company for all EightX group operations. Holds all intellectual property, trademarks, and core protocol technology. The primary contracting entity — all enterprise and institutional agreements are executed through TopCo. Primary vehicle for institutional fundraising and investor participation.
Parent · IP · Contracting · Governance
⚙️
EightX Labs Ltd
Cayman Islands · Wholly-Owned Subsidiary
Primary operational and development entity, wholly owned by EightX TopCo. Responsible for software development, protocol R&D, platform infrastructure, AI modelling, oracle integration, and client operations. Currently seeking VASP licence from CIMA under the Virtual Asset (Service Providers) Act, 2024.
Operations · R&D · VASP (Pending)
// VASP licence application submitted to CIMA · Approval pending
🇺🇸
EightX US LLC
United States · 100% Owned by EightX TopCo
US-domiciled payments facility entity, 100% owned by EightX TopCo (Cayman). Operates solely as a payment processing vehicle to facilitate USD transactions with US-based clients and financial institutions. All commercial contracts are executed through TopCo. Carries no staff, no independent operations, and no management functions — structured in this way to maintain compliance with applicable international tax regulations.
Payments Facility · No Staff · Tax Compliant
// No independent operations or employees · All agreements via TopCo
// EightX TopCo holds 100% of EightX Labs Ltd and EightX US LLC. All intercompany relationships are established on arm's-length terms under formal written agreements, reviewed annually by the Board and subject to CIMA oversight. Principal operations, governance, and compliance are directed from the Cayman Islands.
// Board of directors & executive management

Governance & Leadership

EightX maintains a governance structure led by experienced professionals spanning financial markets, digital assets, legal, and regulatory compliance.

David Puth
David Puth
Chairman · Non-Executive Director
New York, USA
30+ years executive experience in global financial markets. Former CEO of CLS Group — the world's largest multicurrency FX settlement system, designated a Systemically Important Financial Market Utility (SIFMU). Former CEO of Centre Consortium, the governance body behind USDC. Vice Chairman, North America at Partners Capital. Senior Advisor to Deloitte and Ripple. Former roles at J.P. Morgan Chase, State Street Global Markets, CME Group, and ICAP.
ChairmanCLS Group CEOUSDC / CentreJ.P. MorganRipple Advisor
Michael Harte
Michael Harte
Co-Founder · Board Director
London, UK
Technology and financial services leader with extensive global experience in digital transformation, capital markets, and institutional partnerships. Former senior executive across major banking and technology organisations globally. Provides Board-level oversight of financial markets integration, institutional strategy, and global ecosystem development for EightX.
Co-FounderBoard DirectorCapital MarketsDigital Transformation
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John Shipman
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Sydney, Australia
Over two decades of experience across financial markets, fintech product development, and tokenisation infrastructure. As Co-Founder and CEO, leads EightX's strategic development, regulatory alignment, and platform growth across tokenised service assets (T-RWAS) and financial market assets (T-RWA-FM). Responsible for overall corporate strategy, operations, and Board execution. Serving as interim AMLCO, supported by Cara Hennessy at Provenance.
Co-FounderCEOFintechTokenisationAMLCO (interim)
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Craig Pascoe
Director · Finance & Governance
Cayman Islands · CA (SAICA) · KPMG Alumni
⚖️
Darragh Murphy
Director
Cayman Islands · Corporate Governance
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David Acutt
Director
Cayman Islands · Regulatory Oversight
// Cayman Islands operations & professional services

Operations in the Cayman Islands

EightX's principal operational and management activities are conducted from the Cayman Islands, where all regulated business operations, KYC/AML compliance, treasury management, and corporate governance are headquartered.

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Cara Hennessy
AMLCO / MLRO · Provenance
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer and Money Laundering Reporting Officer. Oversees all AML/KYC policy, onboarding verification, and regulatory liaison with CIMA. Known to CIMA. Part of Provenance's three lines of defence compliance framework.
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Ingrid Karsten
DMLRO · Provenance
Deputy Money Laundering Reporting Officer. Supports the AMLCO function and regulatory reporting obligations. Known to CIMA. Provenance provides scalable KYC/KYB solutions via Sum Sub and on-chain screening via Chainalysis, TRM, and Elliptic.
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COO (To Be Appointed)
Chief Operations Officer · Cayman Islands
Will manage internal administrative processes, Cayman-based operational functions, and oversight of daily workflows. Responsible for ensuring service-provider and technical operations meet CIMA compliance and audit requirements.
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Carey Olsen
Legal Counsel · Cayman Islands
Leading offshore law firm providing legal and regulatory advisory on VASP registration, AML/CFT compliance, corporate governance, and token issuance documentation. Ensures full alignment with Cayman Islands regulatory frameworks.
careyolsen.com ↗
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RSM
External Auditor · In Discussions
Engagement with RSM for external audit services currently under discussion. RSM will provide independent financial audit, compliance review, and assurance services to EightX's Cayman entities in accordance with CIMA's audit requirements for VASPs.