BitBay announces plans to become ‘Zonda’, and appoints new board of directors including Przemysław Kral as CEO

One of Europe’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, BitBay, is today revealing a new direction for the brand, a new name, and a new leadership team, in the biggest shake up at the company since it was founded in 2014.   

The crypto exchange has come a long way since those early days in Poland, when just 3,000 users would use the platform predominantly to trade Bitcoin. Fast forward to today and BitBay is a well-known brand for European cryptocurrency investors, with more than one million registered users, a suite of products, and over 50 currencies available to trade. 

Eight years of growth, and a rapidly expanding portfolio of products, have led the company to the next step in its evolution. A new name, Zonda, which reflects the ‘winds of change’ currently taking place in the industry; a new strategy, focused on regulation, simplification, and education; and a new leadership team, with ambitions to grow the company’s global footprint. 

The newly appointed board of directors includes Przemysław Kral as CEO; Kamil Sikorski as Chief Growth Officer; and David Sendecki as CCO and Money Laundering Reporting Officer. 

The incoming CEO of Zonda, Przemysław Kral, welcomed the changes saying: “We are standing on the doorstep of the future of finance, but too few people are being invited inside. That needs to change. We need to work together as an industry, not just to explore new horizons through innovation, but to bring people from all walks of life along for the ride. 

“Uncertainty, unfamiliarity and distrust are preventing the majority from making the most of digital money, and there’s so much that an exchange can do to break down those barriers. 

Our new ambition at Zonda will be to develop the tools, the education programmes, and the regulatory framework, that will help our customers to trade and spend confidently from a position of strength.” 

More than just a name change 

Starting from 8th November 2021, users of the Zonda exchange will see the first signs of change: a new homepage, name, logo, and design. In Q2/Q3 2022, the company will launch a new trading platform and mobile application, designed to make the process of entering and participating in the cryptocurrency market as simple and secure as possible. 

A new Zonda Academy, set to launch at the beginning of 2022, is being designed to help a new generation of investors understand, experiment with, and spend cryptocurrencies in a hands-on environment. 

Przemysław Kral added: “For the uninitiated, using digital currency can be a confusing and sometimes daunting experience, and it’s not fair to ask people to invest in something they don’t feel comfortable with. Our academy is there to give people the crash course they need to get started in full view of the risks, and then to build on that foundation with knowledge in how to interpret complex data, explore investment psychology, and scrutinize the fundamentals that underpin a variety of different assets.” 

Regulation and transparency as standard 

The cryptocurrency industry is standing at a fork in the road. One path leads to greater regulation, and the other to pure decentralization. Zonda plans to take the path less trodden, working closely with regulators around the world to create an open and supportive market that protects consumers from fraudulent activity without stifling independence or innovation. 

This vision is largely influenced by the new CEO Przemysław Kral, who previously held the post of Chief Legal Officer at BitBay and has 20 years of experience in the legal field. Przemysław helped BitBay to obtain an Estonian FIU license and become the first exchange in Estonia passing the full financial audit. He is working closely with regulators across the world to create a regulatory blueprint for cryptocurrency exchanges.

Przemysław Kral added: “Only by bringing cryptocurrency into the light will we truly be able to open it up for everyone. That’s why we’re working with regulators around the world to transform how deposits, trades, and tax flow transparently to, through and from exchanges, and why we are committed to being regulated in every market we enter.”