Joey Garcia — CEO

Joey is a Director of the blockchain native Xapo Bank where he acts as the General Counsel and Executive Lead for global expansion, regulatory affairs, and public policy across digital banking and blockchain innovation. He considered as one of the pioneers for the regulation of the virtual currency and distributed ledger technology space and was recognised by Chambers&Partners as one of the top 12 lawyers in the world in the first ever Global ranking. He is a founding member of the European think tank (thinkBlocktank) established in Luxembourg which is also a member of INATBA (International association for trusted blockchain applications) and after acting as the Xapo representative on the Libra/Diem Association also contributed to the Stanford Blockchain Law and Policy Summit on CBDC and stablecoin developments Beyond his corporate engagements, Joey's influence permeates international regulation and policy-making. As a specialist consultant to the United Nations, he plays a crucial role in shaping the future of virtual assets, DeFi, and regulatory frameworks, especially in South East Asia and has also contributed to the UK Law Society on the Blockchain Legal and Regulatory Guidance publication. He is also an active member of several influential think tanks, including the global Wharton Reg@Tech initiative and the UK's Parliamentary Roundtable on Blockchain Technologies. Beyond this he was also invited to the International think tank ‘Global Blockchain Convergence’ as part of the steering committee, engaged to develop a 'market integrity' standard for regulated VASP's Finally, Joey is an appointed University lecturer on the subject of DLT regulation for legal students

Stackforce AI infers this person is a Fintech and Regulatory expert with a focus on blockchain technologies.

Location: Gibraltar, Gibraltar

Experience: 21 yrs 5 mos

Skills

Fintech
Blockchain

Career Highlights

Pioneer in virtual currency regulation.
Top 12 lawyer globally in blockchain law.
Influential consultant for UN on cryptocurrency regulation.

Work Experience

Xapo Bank

Executive Director, Chief Strategy, Policy, Regulatory affairs Officer (10 mos)

Board Director and Chief Digital Asset and Legal Officer (3 yrs 1 mo)

ISOLAS LLP

Consultant (2 yrs)

Partner (5 yrs 1 mo)

United Nations

Consultant (5 yrs 3 mos)

RootstockLabs

Non Executive Director and Specialist Advisor (6 yrs 10 mos)

thinkBLOCKtank

Founding Member (7 yrs 5 mos)

Gibraltar Funds & Investments Association

Chairman (2 yrs)

Fiduciary Management Limited

Advisor (12 yrs)

Polo Ralph Lauren

Marketing Assitant (6 mos)

Education

BVC at BPP Law School

PGDL at BPP Law School

BA Joint Honours at University of Bristol

at Stonyhurst

Joey Garcia

CEO

Gibraltar, Gibraltar21 yrs 5 mos experience

Most Likely To SwitchHighly Stable

Key Highlights

Pioneer in virtual currency regulation.
Top 12 lawyer globally in blockchain law.
Influential consultant for UN on cryptocurrency regulation.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a Fintech and Regulatory expert with a focus on blockchain technologies.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

FintechBlockchain

Other Skills

Legal AdvicePrivate BankingFinancial ServicesCryptocurrencyDistributed Ledger Technology (DLT)Hedge FundsBitcoinFundingAlternative InvestmentsTrustsProject FinanceFinanceFinancial StructuringRestructuringReal Estate

About

Experience

21 yrs 5 mos

Total Experience

5 yrs 1 mo

Average Tenure

7 yrs 5 mos

Current Experience

Xapo bank

2 roles

Executive Director, Chief Strategy, Policy, Regulatory affairs Officer

Promoted

Jun 2025 – Present · 10 mos

Board Director and Chief Digital Asset and Legal Officer

Jun 2022 – Jul 2025 · 3 yrs 1 mo

Xapo Bank and Xapo Vasp offer the first integrated blockchain native bridge between the financial services and blockchain space

FinTechblockchainLegal AdvicePrivate BankingFinancial ServicesCryptocurrency+3

Isolas llp

2 roles

Consultant

Jul 2022 – Jul 2024 · 2 yrs

Partner

May 2017 – Jun 2022 · 5 yrs 1 mo

Financial Services lawyer, focus on investment services, fintech, DLT, Blockchain, investment funds and the wider financial services regulatory space

United nations

Consultant

Jan 2021 – Present · 5 yrs 3 mos

Under the supervision of the Associate Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer, conducting jurisdictional assessments and providing the design and delivery of training for government officials including law enforcement, prosecution, financial intelligence units (FIU), anti-money laundering and central banks on regulation and supervision of cryptocurrency related activity

Rootstocklabs

Non Executive Director and Specialist Advisor

Jun 2019 – Present · 6 yrs 10 mos · Gibraltar

IOVlabs builds low-cost, highly secure, easy-to-use platforms for the new global economy. Harnessing the benefits of Bitcoin with a suite of tools to create and protect growth, we’re planting the seeds for global financial freedom.
RSK, the first smart contract platform secured by the Bitcoin network, is transforming the way businesses are conceived, designed, and built. Its complementary platform, RSK Infrastructure Framework Open Standard (RIF OS), takes these technologies to scale, simplifying the use of decentralized infrastructure for any traditional or Blockchain developer, organization, or innovator.
With help from IOVlabs platforms, people everywhere will have the power to create digital identities, build reputations, establish and enforce agreements, and engage in commercial transactions without intermediaries.
Now everyone has the chance to participate in a new economy for our new Internet age

Thinkblocktank

Founding Member

Nov 2018 – Present · 7 yrs 5 mos · Luxembourg

http://thinkblocktank.org/
http://thinkblocktank.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/thinkBLOCKtank-Token-Regulation-Paper-v1.0.pdf

Gibraltar funds & investments association

Chairman

Jun 2014 – Jun 2016 · 2 yrs · Gibraltar

Chairman of the Gibraltar Funds & Investments Association (GFIA), the Gibraltar industry body representing local investment managers, fund directors, funds, depositaries, fund administrators, brokers and other counterparties. Dealing with legal and regulatory issues affecting the industry and engaging with the local Financial Services Commission and Government of Gibraltar in developing the industry.
Served maximum permitted period of 2 years

Fiduciary management limited

Advisor

Sep 2004 – Sep 2016 · 12 yrs

Advising in relation to new business development, fund administration, wealth management services, company and trust management.

Polo ralph lauren

Marketing Assitant

Sep 1998 – Mar 1999 · 6 mos

Gibraltar judgement brings Fund director duties into focus. An overview of the advalorem decision and implications: http://bit.ly/GIbraltar_Directors_Duties