Sygnum appointed Pia Tischhauser, a former Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group and Supervisory Board member at Swiss Re, and Vinod Kumar, ex-CEO of Vodafone Business and Vice-Chairman of private equity firm Everstone, to its board of directors.

Both bring extensive global leadership experience in highly regulated industries and tech-driven markets.

Luka Müller Steps Down as President

The Zurich-based crypto bank also confirmed Gabriela Maria Payer as Chairwoman. Payer had served as acting Chair since September 2024 after co-founder Luka Müller stepped back for health reasons. A founding board member, she previously held senior positions at UBS and currently sits on the boards of Helvetia Group and Sphaira Innovation.

The board shake-up follows Sygnum’s addition of Chris Giancarlo, former Chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), as Senior Policy Advisor in May, as finews.com reported.

Prominent Finance Figures

His appointment was part of the formation of an expanded Advisory Council, which also includes ex-SNB Vice President Philipp Hildebrand, 

Sygnum is riding strong momentum. The bank, only founded in 2017, achieved pleasant business figures in 2024, first published by finews.com. 

Unicorn Status

In 2024, annual trades surged more than 1000 percent, its loan book nearly tripled, and total assets reached $4.5 billion. 

Earlier in the year, the bank raised $58 million in a growth round, achieving Unicorn status.

Network of B2B Partners

Sygnum now serves a wide-ranging client base via a network of more than 20 B2B partners, including Postfinance, Zuger and Luzerner Kantonalbanks, and Bordier & Cie.

With a presence in Switzerland, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein, Sygnum’s board expansion marks another step in its push to become a global leader in regulated digital asset banking.