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Circle names Dante Disparte Vice Chairman and adds COO role for Mandeep Walia

Circle says compliance and risk stay independent, with direct lines to its Board, as compliance chief Mandeep Walia also becomes chief operating officer.

By Dispatch DeskPublished

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Circle's policy and compliance chiefs are getting wider jobs, and one of them now takes on operations too.

Circle said Nov. 13 that Dante Disparte, its Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Global Policy and Operations, is now Vice Chairman, Strategy and Global Affairs, "the company's first Vice Chairman." Mandeep Walia, Chief Compliance and Risk Officer, adds the role of Chief Operating Officer.

Both joined Circle in the first half of 2021.

Jeremy Allaire, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO, said the pair "built the regulatory, policy and compliance infrastructure Circle stands on today." President Heath Tarbert said Circle "is entering its next chapter with greater scale and greater responsibility, and our leadership has to match both."

What happens to compliance's independence?

Circle addresses it directly: "Compliance and risk will remain independent, with direct lines to Circle's Board."

That line matters because Walia now holds both jobs. Bringing operations "more closely together with these critical functions is a natural next step," Walia said.

What's the regulatory backdrop?

Circle says Disparte "was instrumental in getting the GENIUS Act signed into law." The release also says he has led Circle's engagement through the OCC's final rules, which take effect in January 2027.

In Europe, the clock is already running. From Nov. 12, 2026, the European Banking Authority shares supervision of Circle's EU-issued USDC with France's banking regulator, taking direct responsibility for own funds, reserve assets, liquidity, and recovery and redemption plans, per the EBA.

Why this matters

Circle is giving its policy and compliance chiefs wider roles; it says the OCC's final rules take effect in January 2027.

Sources

Checked

  1. Circle Names Dante Disparte Vice Chairman, Strategy and Global Affairs and Mandeep Walia Chief Compliance and Risk Officer and Chief Operating Officer · Circle · primary
  2. EBA classifies USDC as the first significant e-money token in the European Union · European Banking Authority · primary

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