Former London Stock Exchange Executive Sabina Liu Named to Spearhead KuCoin's European MiCA Strategy
Sabina Liu, previously an executive at the London Stock Exchange Group, has been appointed to oversee KuCoin EU's expansion under MiCA regulations from the company's Vienna headquarters, marking the exchange's shift to compliance-focused operations across Europe.
Cryptocurrency exchange KuCoin has brought on board Sabina Liu, a veteran executive from the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), to oversee its operations across Europe. Her mandate includes guiding the platform's expansion under the Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (MiCA) framework from its Vienna base, following the successful acquisition of a crypto asset service provider license in Austria.
In her new role as managing director of KuCoin EU, Liu brings extensive experience from her previous position leading KuCoin's institutional division, as well as over ten years at LSEG where she collaborated with international investment banking firms and managed cross-border trading relationships, according to details provided to Cointelegraph in a company statement.
MiCA "guardrails" over growth at all costs
In conversation with Cointelegraph, Liu described obtaining MiCA licensing as a "major milestone" that provides the exchange with a harmonized regulatory structure to operate in a region characterized by sophisticated and varied financial markets, expanding cryptocurrency adoption, and "significant room" for continued growth in areas including stablecoins, payment solutions and wealth management offerings.
Instead of viewing MiCA's more stringent capital requirements, reporting obligations and governance standards as impediments to profit margins, Liu maintained that these regulations establish "guardrails" that facilitate sustainable expansion over time. She emphasized that KuCoin views regulatory compliance not as something to be weighed against revenue generation, but rather as the foundational element enabling durable business operations and customer safeguards.
On a practical level, she describes KuCoin EU's approach to market competition as establishing the platform as a regulated option within a marketplace where larger competitors have already established substantial trading volumes.
"Our objective is to offer users greater choice through differentiated services and a clear compliance-first positioning," she said.
Compliance after US criminal case
This leadership appointment arrives fewer than twelve months following KuCoin's parent company, Peken Global Limited, entering a guilty plea in a United States criminal proceeding concerning the operation of an unlicensed money transmitting operation and corresponding anti-money laundering (AML) violations. The company agreed to surrender $184.5 million, remit a $112.9 million penalty, and withdraw from the American market for a two-year period.
Liu described that legal resolution as a pivotal moment that exemplified the "historical context of the crypto industry's early development," along with "the need for clear regulation and compliance." She noted that KuCoin EU has incorporated "high compliance standards from the start" into its operations and sustains ongoing communication with regulatory authorities across Europe.
From altcoin exchange to MiCA rails
The MiCA regulatory framework also compels KuCoin to reassess its token listing approach that historically depended on an extensive catalog of alternative cryptocurrencies and early-phase digital assets.
Liu stated that KuCoin EU continues to be "committed to supporting the pioneers of the Web3 ecosystem," though strictly within MiCA's regulatory parameters, employing its proprietary listing protocols and risk evaluation methodologies to reconcile innovation with compliance obligations.
Her appointment additionally aligns with KuCoin's broader initiative to convert its MiCA authorization into practical applications for consumers, exemplified by a partnership agreement designating the platform as the official crypto exchange and payment partner for music festival Tomorrowland Winter and Tomorrowland Belgium spanning 2026 to 2028. The arrangement leverages its European licensing to facilitate compliant cryptocurrency transactions at these festival events.
Liu portrayed that festival collaboration as an opportunity to validate regulated cryptocurrency infrastructure in a mainstream commercial environment rather than merely a branding initiative. She explained the objective was to incorporate "compliant crypto into real-world experiences" such that digital assets operate as dependable financial infrastructure operating seamlessly in the background.