Avanti Welcomes Best-in-Class Bank Operations and Finance Professionals from Across the U.S.

The growing team will continue to build a safe and sound bridge between the traditional and digital asset financial systems.

Avanti Financial Group today announced new hires in key finance and bank operations roles who will support Avanti’s experienced team of traditional financial services and digital asset professionals ahead of its launch later this year. The team is bridging traditional banking and cryptocurrencies to build a next-generation digital bank. Avanti’s lineup now includes, in alphabetical order:

Gary Blumenthal: Senior Advisor, Operations: Gary joins as a senior advisor working with the leadership team on a daily basis. He comes to Avanti from Grasshopper, a digital bank in New York, where he was Chief Operating Officer. Before joining Grasshopper, Gary was Managing Director in technology at UBS Wealth Management Americas. He previously worked in several large banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, and Salomon Brothers, and in 2011 he chaired the Technology Management Committee of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association.

Mike Borges, CPA: Chief Financial Officer: Mike joins from Beneficial State Bank in Oakland, California, where he served as Controller for five years, built its internal controls program and gained expertise in core banking integrations. As a CPA, Mike previously held accounting roles at Bay Area technology companies Mosaic and Hotwire, and served at Moss Adams LLP as an outside auditor of community banks, financial institutions and other mid-size public and private companies. He is working in Cheyenne.

Mike Coleman, Head of Bank Operations: Mike joins from FirsTier Bank in Kimball, Nebraska, where he was CFO and was in charge of bank operations and compliance. He has 19 years of banking experience, which saw him serve in a wide range of roles within community banks in the Nebraska/Wyoming region and develop expertise in end-to-end bank operations. Before joining FirsTier, Mike held operational and management roles at Hershey State Bank. He is working in Cheyenne.

“Avanti is thrilled to add first-class finance and operations professionals to our team ahead of our launch,” said Caitlin Long, Chief Executive Officer of Avanti. “This group has strong skills in traditional banking, which are needed to create a safe and sound bridge between traditional and digital-asset financial systems.”


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About Custodia: Custodia Bank, Inc. is a Wyoming bank formed to serve as a compliant bridge to the U.S. dollar payments system and a custodian of digital assets that can meet the strictest level of institutional custody standards. Custodia is required to fully comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including the Bank Secrecy Act and federal “know your customer,” anti-money laundering and related laws and regulations. Custodia will also comply with Wyoming’s special purpose depository institution and digital asset laws, which include requirements that fiat deposits be 100% reserved and that Custodia meet the strictest investor protections in the digital asset industry. This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies (including product offerings, regulatory plans and business plans) and may change without notice. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.

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