BEQUANT’s Erik Wilgenhof Plante appointed as advisor to Philippine regulator and Asia Blockchain and Crypto Association

The Asia Blockchain and Crypto Association (ABACA) has appointed Erik Wilgenhof Plante to the Board of Advisors. Erik brings decades of experience in financial services, risk and compliance sector. Prior to joining BEQUANT – the cryptocurrency exchange and prime brokerage – Erik was a financial regulator for the Abu Dhabi Global Markets (UAE Regulator).

Erik was a founding board member of the Singapore chapter of the Association of Certified Anti- Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS) and is a Fellow of the International Compliance Association (ICA). Erik spent 15 years in Abn Amro Bank before moving to PayPal. He has held Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) positions at Luno, Tramonex and itBit – the first officially regulated Bitcoin exchange in the world.

ABACA was granted Self-Regulatory Organization (SRO) Status by the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) as the governing business association for all Offshore Digital Asset Exchanges, FinTech Companies and Authorized Service Providers in the “Crypto Valley of Asia,” which is located within the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Free Port in Santa Ana, Cagayan, Philippines. ABACA also serves as CEZA’s Policy and Regulatory Research Center.

Erik’s appointment to the Board of Advisors will support the continued adoption of regulations in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space in the Philippines and Asia region while it continues to gain prominence as a leading market for crypto’s development.  With Asia growing in popularity for both retail and institutional cryptocurrency, trading regulations are a vital driving force to ensure the jurisdiction remains a desirable location for businesses and investors.

Erik Wilgenhof Plante, CCO of BEQUANT says:

“The importance of having a regulatory body to oversee the cryptocurrency industry is becoming increasingly hard to ignore as the asset develops. Asia currently represents a huge market in this development, and so it makes the work of bodies such as ABACA more important than ever before. As an industry, we need to ensure that there are robust controls that promote security and safety, while still providing a supportive ecosystem for asset growth. I am delighted to be joining the Board of Advisors at what is an exciting time for cryptocurrency’s growth and look forward to drawing on my experience in the regulatory space to add value to ABACA.”