Executive Team
Josiah Hernandez
Founder, Global CEO, Chairman, President
New York, USA
Josiah Hernandez is a FinTech entrepreneur as well as global thought leader and expert on central bank digital currency, bitcoin, and financial market structure; releasing research frequently reviewed by senior leaders at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Bank for International Settlements (BIS), and numerous central banks. His work and expertise has been cited in mainstream publications such as Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Yahoo! Finance, International Business Times, and The Hill.
Josiah is a bitcoin early adopter with extensive experience building institutional & retail digital currency liquidity solutions starting in 2013. He currently serves as the global CEO at Satoshi Capital Advisors, an advisory firm that works with central banks, governments, and industry leading corporations on digital transformation, fintech, and growth initiatives. He was previous the business development lead at Coinsetter, an institutional Wall Street based, high frequency trading focused digital currency exchange acquired by Kraken in 2016, and subsequently strategy lead at a large retail bitcoin brokerage firm.
Yusuf Bashir
Global Director, Africa Chairman
Kaduna, Nigeria
Yusuf Bashir is a career technologist with in-depth experience and proven expertise in engineering and product development going back to 2003. Yusuf built one of the first smart city and building automation networks in the world during his time at Johnson Controls in the USA and subsequently was recruited back to Nigeria to build a technology industry incubator in collaboration with the Kaduna state government. He has built private sector and public sector technology solutions bringing monumental change to millions of people across Africa and throughout the world.
Daniel Truque
Global Director, Head of Funds/Trading Solutions
San Jose, Costa Rica | New York, USA
Daniel Truque is a seasoned executive across research and operations departments with experience scaling large global teams. He is an expert in distributed ledger technology architecture and design, working with the world's largest financial institutions to implement DLT and blockchain technologies. Daniel was previous a portfolio specialist at AQR Capital and Bridgewater Associates, and a former consultant with McKinsey & Co.’s Risk Management Practice.
Mohammed Sani Yusuf
Africa President
Abuja, Nigeria
Mohammed Sani Yusuf is a seasoned business professional with a proven ability to blend creative and analytical thinking to apply new ideas and resourcefulness in propelling industries to the next level. He brings decades of experience from management consulting, payments, information technology, and real estate industries in strategy planning and execution, business analysis & strategy consultation, team leadership, and client interaction and relations. He strongly believes that an individual or industry can thrive on strategic networking, partnering, and alliance building.
Marina Spindler
Latin America Chairwoman
Hidalgo, Mexico | New York, USA
Marina Spindler is an experienced consultant for global firms and bitcoin sector ventures on business development & communications strategy - advancing their mission and leading their product and shareholder strategy. Previously, Marina spent 12 years as Executive Director for the Group of Fifty, a 501c6 organization where she managed relationships with 100+ CEOs from Fortune 500 companies while also forging 20+ international partnerships (WEF, The Carlyle Group, Goldman Sachs, etc.). She's also the lead author & researcher of the "Global Report on Women, Cryptocurrency and Financial Independence", published in The Defiant in May 2021.
Adrian Garcia
Latin America Managing Director
San Jose, Costa Rica
Adrian Garcia is a Costa Rican entrepreneur, co-founder of Carao Ventures and Terraba, pioneering companies in the fields of venture capital and e-commerce. He has advised and invested in emerging companies for the past 15 years, and taught and mentored entrepreneurs at leading universities such as MIT, Stanford and INCAE. As a board member, he has supported various innovative companies and non-profits that work for social progress. He holds a BA in Economics with Honors from the University of Texas at Austin and and MBA from the MIT School of Management and is part of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
Ivan Velasquez
Latin America CEO
San Jose, Costa Rica
Ivan Velasquez is a Professional in International Relations specializing in international commerce, government collaborations, and multinational business structures, with more than 20 years experience centered in Latin America. He has deep expertise in leading expansion throughout the region, representing various technology companies, manufacturers, foreign entities, and investment funds throughout his extensive career.
Ohio Ifiabor
Africa CEO
Lagos, Nigeria
Ohio Ifiabor is an experienced executive with a verifiable 33 year record of outstanding achievements in several industries, including Banking & Financial Services (e.g. FinTech, Corporate & Investment Finance), Telecommunications & Technology, Infrastructure, Agriculture & Exports, Manufacturing & FMCG, Oil & Gas, Real Estate & Construction, Transportation & Logistics, as well as Renewable Power Generation & Distribution across various economies in Western Africa, Southern Africa, and Eastern Africa.
Usman Aliyu
Africa Director
Lagos, Nigeria
Usman Aliyu is an established banker that spent two decades working his way up the corporate ladder at Bank of America and Wells Fargo in the USA. He has extensive expertise in various aspects of retail banking operations & management, in addition to deep experience in collateralization and securitization of mortgage-backed securities. Usman was subsequently recruited into a senior management role with a leading African conglomerate, where his focus areas include project management, process improvement, and strategy.
Tamela Hedstrom
Middle East Chairwoman
Stockholm, Sweden
Dubai, UAE
Tamela Hedström is a Business Developer based in Stockholm, Sweden and with deep experience facilitating business deals and expansion in the Middle East, Latin America, and Europe. She’s worked as a Project Manager for Digital Content Solutions and Growth at numerous large multinational corporations, including McDonalds ($MCD), Subway, Avanza Holdings Bank, and Payer Financial Services AB.