We are delighted to welcome Mark Schwartz as Global Head of Crypto Payments at Aquanow. With more than two decades of leadership across institutional banking, treasury, fintech, and digital assets, Mark brings a rare combination of traditional finance expertise and crypto-native insight to this pivotal role.
A Proven Leader in Global Payments
Mark’s career has spanned leadership positions at some of the world’s most recognized financial institutions and fintech innovators. Most recently, he served as Managing Partner at Black Stripe, a consultancy bridging the gap between traditional finance and decentralized finance for businesses navigating multi-currency payments, FX, and complex regulatory environments.
Previously, Mark was Head of Treasury at Multigate, where he oversaw liquidity management and international treasury operations. Earlier in his career, he held senior leadership roles at UBA America, State Street/Currenex, Crédit Agricole, Standard Bank, and Standard Chartered, where he built deep expertise in foreign exchange, institutional sales, and cross-border treasury solutions.
This global experience gives him a unique perspective on how digital assets are transforming payments, liquidity, and international commerce.
Driving the Future of Crypto Payments at Aquanow
As Global Head of Crypto Payments, Mark will spearhead Aquanow’s strategy to scale enterprise-grade crypto payment solutions that enable institutions to move seamlessly between fiat and digital assets. His background in FX and treasury will be instrumental in ensuring Aquanow continues to provide clients with secure, transparent, and efficient infrastructure to power global financial flows.
Key areas of focus will include:
- Cross-border efficiency: Harnessing crypto to reduce settlement times and transaction costs at scale.
- Institutional-grade infrastructure: Delivering compliant, reliable, and scalable crypto payment systems for banks, brokerages, and fintechs.
- TradFi–DeFi integration: Building trusted pathways for institutions to access decentralized opportunities while anchored in robust financial infrastructure.
Looking Ahead
Mark sees crypto payments following a trajectory similar to the mobile telecom boom in emerging markets. Just as those regions leapfrogged legacy infrastructure to embrace cellular networks, he believes crypto will transform cross-border payments by solving long-standing inefficiencies in fiat systems.
At Aquanow, Mark will focus on advancing stablecoin use cases that offer industries a frictionless payments protocol. He views this as a critical step in driving global adoption and bringing institutions into the next era of financial innovation.
“Being on the cutting edge of stablecoin adoption means being on the front lines of a rapidly growing asset class. At Aquanow, we are well-positioned to help industries realize the need for frictionless payment protocols and embrace crypto as the backbone of modern commerce.” — Mark Schwartz
