By PAUL O’DONOGHUE, Senior Correspondent
JOE Salama, a top AML figure at Deutsche Bank and former Wolfsberg Group co-chair, has been appointed as Chief Compliance Officer at Coinbase.
Salama takes over from Melissa Strait, who is stepping down after more than four years.
He brings nearly 15 years of experience from Deutsche Bank. There, he held senior positions including Global Head of Anti-Financial Crime and General Counsel for the Americas. His move to Coinbase comes as the company faces growing attention from regulators in the U.S. and abroad.
Salama described the crypto industry as “transformative”. In a LinkedIn post, he wrote: “After nearly 15 incredible years at Deutsche Bank, I’m embarking on an exciting new journey, joining Coinbase as their Chief Compliance Officer.”
“I’ve long been fascinated by the potential of crypto to transform the financial services landscape and the novel opportunities and challenges it presents in the compliance space.”
Joe Salama roles before Coinbase
Salama joined Deutsche Bank in 2010. He has since held a number of senior AML and anti-financial crime roles. These include as General Counsel for Americas, and Global Head of Litigation and Regulatory Enforcement.
He also served as co-chair of the Wolfsberg Group. The group is an association of 12 global banks which aims to develop frameworks and guidance for the management of financial crime risks.
Its members are senior financial crime compliance leaders who work to develop guidance on managing fincrime risk.
Salama served as co-chair for one year from February 2024. Emma Molvidson, UBS’s Global Head of Financial Crime Prevention, took over the role in February 2025.
Strait joined Coinbase during a period of tightening regulatory oversight in crypto markets. She helped build the company’s compliance framework and supported its international growth.
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