Binance puts its regulator-turned-executive in charge of Brazil’s $34 trillion crypto gateway

Binance has placed a man who helped write Brazil’s crypto rules in charge of its operations in the country’s $34 trillion gateway market. Thiago Sarandy, previously Binance’s head of regulatory and legal affairs for Brazil and El Salvador, was promoted to General Manager on April 16, 2026—just as the country finalizes its digital asset framework.

Sarandy played a direct role in shaping Brazil’s first virtual asset regulatory framework, working with legislators and regulators before and during his tenure at Binance. His background includes over a decade in traditional finance, with roles as Chief Legal Officer at Genial Investments and Warren Investments, and academic credentials in law, capital markets, and blockchain from MIT.

Brazil ranks as the fifth largest crypto market globally, with more than 25 million users. It is the largest in Latin America, where crypto adoption surged 63 percent last year—second only to the Asia Pacific region. That growth spans retail and institutional users, and it has been sustained even before formal regulation.

Binance has embedded itself in the local financial infrastructure: it integrated with Pix, Brazil’s real-time payment system, enabling instant crypto-to-fiat transfers. It relaunched the Binance Mastercard, allowing users to spend crypto directly. It expanded Binance Pay to support local transactions. These are not test products—they are live, widely used tools.

Sarandy’s new role puts him at the center of Binance’s strategy to align compliance with expansion. The company recorded $34 trillion in global trading volume in 2025 and serves over 300 million users. In Brazil, it is not entering the market—it is positioning itself to define how regulated crypto operations function in emerging economies.

Sarandy’s leadership gives Binance a strategic advantage as Brazil becomes a blueprint for crypto regulation in emerging economies.