Ian Allison

Ian Allison is a senior reporter at CoinDesk, focused on institutional and enterprise adoption of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. Prior to that, he covered fintech for the International Business Times in London and Newsweek online. He won the State Street Data and Innovation journalist of the year award in 2017, and was runner up the following year. He also earned CoinDesk an honourable mention in the 2020 SABEW Best in Business awards. His November 2022 FTX scoop, which brought down the exchange and its boss Sam Bankman-Fried, won a Polk award, Loeb award and New York Press Club award. Ian graduated from the University of Edinburgh. He holds ETH.

Ian Allison

Latest from Ian Allison


Finance

Ripple-Owned Metaco Sees Most of Execs and Marketing Teams Depart: Source

Since being acquired by Ripple last year, Metaco has now lost its CTO, Angel Nunez, its head of sales, Craig Perrin, and product marketing lead Mei Li Powell, as well as marketing officers Gene Peterson and Rahul Mudgal.

Metaco's management team (Metaco)

Finance

WOO X Introduces Meme Coin, Layer 2 Index Perpetuals in Partnership With Wintermute, GMCI

Indices provider GMCI’s MEME index includes top meme coins like SHIB, PEPE and DOGE, while the L2 index monitors leading blockchain scaling tokens like MATIC, IMX and OP.

Willy Chuang, WOO X chief operating officer (WOO X)

Finance

DeFi Firm 1inch Introduces Web3 Debit Card in Partnership With Mastercard and Baanx

The 1inch Card will allow users to use their crypto for online and in-person purchases, and make cash withdrawals at supported ATMs through seamless crypto to fiat conversion.

close up of Mastercard logo and hologram on a payment card

Finance

Bermuda-Licensed Relm Insurance Unveils Suite of Crypto Risk Products

As well as cyber and crime markets, Relm is offering reimbursement for losses associated with staking on the Ethereum network.

Bermuda-licensed Relm Insurance unveils suite of crypto risk products (Shutterstock)

Finance

Galaxy Digital-Owned Crypto Custody Specialist GK8 Unveils Tokenization Wizard

The first client to use the tool will be a partnership between asset manager DWS, Flow Traders and Galaxy to manage a fully collateralized euro-denominated stablecoin, GK8 said.

The GK8 team

Finance

Crypto Exchange Figure Markets Has a Plan to Democratize Finance

What appears to be another post-FTX trading-and-custody play with institutions in mind, is really all about visionary disruption.

Figure Technologies CEO Mike Cagney (CoinDesk archives)

Finance

OKX’s Global Compliance Chief Left After Six Months

Patrick Donegan, whose LinkedIn profile says he managed a team of 300 people around the world, was at OKX from August 2023 to January 2024.

Lod,,Israel,-,July,16,2023:,Okx,App,Play,Store,Page

Finance

Amid Giant Crypto Rally, Hopes for Another DeFi Summer Soar

Since the approval of spot bitcoin ETFs in January, DeFi looks ascendant, triggering memories of 2020, aka DeFi Summer, when the space bustled with activity.

DeFi yields (DefiLlama)

Finance

OKX Quietly Settled Regulatory 'Failings' With Malta Financial Services Authority

The 304,000 euro ($329,000) “goodwill” settlement with MFSA related to OKX’s Okcoin Europe subsidiary.

Malta (Nick Fewings / Unsplash)

Policy

HSBC’s Gold Token Goes Live for Retail Investors in Hong Kong

HSBC is claiming bragging rights for being the first bank to create a blockchain-based real world asset aimed at retail investors.

HSBC's building in Hong Kong. (Christian Mueller/Shutterstock)