Crypto.com is quietly building something bigger than just a crypto exchange. And its latest hire makes that crystal clear.
The company has brought in Sam Irwin, a longtime IG Group veteran, to lead VIP Relationship Management, signaling a serious push toward high-value clients and more traditional financial services.
Irwin joins Crypto.com after an 18-year run at IG, one of the UK’s most established online brokerages. He started back in 2007 as a Sales Trader and steadily climbed the ranks. By 2012, he was heading New Business UK, and since 2021, he served as Head of Client Management UK. In short, he knows how to attract, retain, and grow relationships with sophisticated traders.
That experience matters.
Crypto.com has been very open about its ambition to move beyond spot crypto trading. Earlier this year, the company secured a CySEC CIF license through the acquisition of A.N. Allnew Investments Ltd, the operator behind the BrightFX CFDs brokerage.
That deal effectively opened the door to regulated CFD and traditional asset trading in Europe.
Hiring Irwin fits neatly into that strategy.
And he’s not alone. Crypto.com has been steadily recruiting talent from the online brokerage and CFD world, especially from IG Group. Recent hires include Chris Old as VP of Organic Growth, Kevin Algeo to lead Capital Markets, Manuel Del Aguila Barbero as SVP of Global Growth Marketing, and Alex Ratford heading Partnerships.
Also the, Add in former Saxo executive Nicolò Pagliari as VP of Growth and Media, plus ex-LegacyFX CEO Michael Floros as GM of Crypto.com Cyprus, and a clear pattern emerges.
This isn’t accidental hiring. It’s a blueprint.
Irwin himself made that clear in a social post announcing the move. After nearly two decades at IG, he said the chance to play a meaningful role in Crypto.com’s growth journey was simply too compelling to pass up. He also thanked Crypto.com’s leadership for trusting him with their most important clients before closing with a simple line: “Now, let’s get to work.”
From an analyst’s perspective, this hire is about more than titles. VIP clients demand trust, speed, and white-glove service, especially when crypto platforms start offering products that look and feel closer to traditional finance. Bringing in someone who has lived in that world for nearly 20 years reduces execution risk.
Crypto.com isn’t just expanding its team. It’s reshaping its identity, step by step.
And hiring Sam Irwin is another strong signal that the company wants to compete not only with crypto-native exchanges, but with established brokers as well.
