MoonPay Adds Former PayPal, NYSE, VMware and Sotheby's Leaders as Crypto Payments Go Mainstream

MoonPay is bringing heavyweight experience from Wall Street, Silicon Valley, Washington, and global payments onto its leadership team as the company continues expanding beyond crypto onboarding and into broader financial infrastructure.

The company announced that former PayPal executive Jonathan Auerbach, veteran CFO Amy Butte, former VMware COO Mike Hayes, and former Sotheby's CEO Tad Smith have joined its board and advisory roster.

The appointments come during a period of rapid growth for MoonPay, which now serves more than 30 million customers across 180 countries and supports over 500 enterprise clients. Over the past year, the company has secured a New York BitLicense and Trust Charter, launched new trading and infrastructure products, and expanded its position in the fast-growing stablecoin and payments market.

MoonPay Is Building More Than an Onramp

While MoonPay first became known for helping users buy crypto with traditional payment methods, the company has spent the past year expanding into a much broader financial infrastructure business.

Recent milestones include securing both a New York BitLicense and Limited Purpose Trust Charter, appointing former CFTC Acting Chairman Caroline Pham as Chief Legal Officer, launching MoonPay Trade, acquiring infrastructure companies Sodot and DFlow, and becoming the first crypto onramp integrated into ChatGPT.

"The people who choose to join you say as much about your company as anything on your balance sheet," said MoonPay co-founder and CEO Ivan Soto-Wright.

"Jonathan, Amy, Mike, and Tad have each led through moments where an entire industry was being reshaped. That's exactly where we are."

The statement reflects a broader shift taking place across the digital asset industry. As crypto matures, infrastructure providers are increasingly positioning themselves as bridges between traditional finance and blockchain-based financial systems.

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The PayPal USD Connection

Among the new appointments, Jonathan Auerbach may be the most strategically significant.

During nearly a decade at PayPal, Auerbach served as Chief Strategy and Growth Officer, overseeing acquisitions, venture investments, and long-term growth initiatives. He also helped incubate PayPal's blockchain and digital asset business, including the launch of PayPal USD, one of the first major stablecoins introduced by a global payments company.

As stablecoins increasingly move from crypto-native products into mainstream payment infrastructure, that experience could prove highly relevant to MoonPay's next chapter.

"MoonPay is building the operating system for the future movement and management of money and I couldn't be more excited to join the Board to be part of that journey," Auerbach said.

Bringing Wall Street and Enterprise Scale

The expansion also adds significant experience from traditional finance and large-scale enterprise operations.

Amy Butte has led three companies through public listings as CFO, including Navan in 2025 and the historic transition of the New York Stock Exchange into a publicly traded company. She currently serves on multiple boards and brings decades of financial governance experience.

Meanwhile, Mike Hayes joins from Insight Partners after serving as Chief Operating Officer of VMware through its $94 billion acquisition by Broadcom. Prior to entering the private sector, Hayes spent 20 years as a U.S. Navy SEAL and later advised two U.S. Presidents on the National Security Council.

Together, the appointments strengthen MoonPay's bench as the company continues expanding its regulatory footprint and enterprise offerings.

From Art Ownership to Digital Ownership

Tad Smith's addition may be the most symbolic.

The former CEO of Sotheby's and Madison Square Garden has spent years working at the intersection of ownership, collectibles, media, and technology. More recently, he has invested directly in the digital asset sector through 50T Funds, whose portfolio includes Coinbase, Kraken, Gemini, and Animoca Brands.

Today he serves as CEO of Candy Digital and Chairman of Doodles, giving him a front-row seat to the evolution of digital ownership.

"My prior business ran on one question: who owns this and can they prove it," Smith said. "The question hasn't changed but the ledger sure has."

It's perhaps the most concise explanation of why blockchain technology continues to attract attention from industries far beyond finance.

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A Bet on Financial Infrastructure

MoonPay's latest board expansion isn't simply about adding high-profile names. It signals where the company believes the market is heading.

The next phase of crypto growth increasingly appears tied to payments, stablecoins, tokenized assets, and digital identity rather than speculative trading alone. As those sectors continue converging, infrastructure providers capable of connecting traditional financial systems with blockchain networks stand to become some of the industry's most important companies.

With more over 500 enterprise partners, a growing regulatory footprint, and an increasingly heavyweight leadership team, MoonPay is positioning itself for that future.

The message behind these appointments is clear: crypto's next chapter may not be defined by speculation. It may be defined by the infrastructure that quietly moves value around the world.