South African, Leslie Maasdorp joins Binance’s Global Advisory Board

Leslie Maasdorp, a South African investment banker, is one of the eleven financial experts Binance recruited to its newly formed Global Advisory Board. The board’s members include seasoned professionals and authorities in public policy, politics, economics, finance, and corporate governance. Max Bacus, a former US senator and ambassador to China, will preside over the board, which just met in Paris, France.

The board’s role, according to Binance, is to advise the company on some of the most challenging political, social, and regulatory concerns that the cryptocurrency industry as a whole is currently experiencing due to its rapid growth and evolution.

Leslie Maasdorp serves as the New Development Bank’s vice president and chief financial officer. Previously, Maasdorp had served as Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s MD and president for Southern Africa, vice chairman of Barclays Capital, and international adviser to Goldman Sachs. He also served on the Telkom board as a non-executive director between 2012 and 2014.

According to Binance co-founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao, Binance, over the past five years has been at the vanguard of pioneering the exciting new world of crypto, Blockchain, and Web3. He added that the Global Advisory Board represents Binance’s next step on its journey.

“The Blockchain and crypto industry can act as a true catalyst for growth and economic opportunities,” Maasdorp said. “For the cities that are willing to partner with companies like Binance in order to create progressive regulations and an effective Web3 environment, I expect it to enable a number of investments into the space.”

Nigeria’s Ibukun Awosika is the only other African on the Board. Awosika is the First Female Chairman, First Bank of Nigeria; Founder, The Chair Centre group; Chairman, Nigerian Advisory Board, for Impact Investing and Convention on Business Integrity; Member G7 International Task Force for impact investing; Author of several books.

Maasdorp said he looks forward to working with the experts on Binance’s Global Advisory Board.