Uniswap Labs has appointed former Coinbase legal executive Katherine Minarik as its new chief legal officer (CLO). Minarik assumed the top legal post at the startup behind the popular decentralized exchange Uniswap on Monday.
In a post on X, she expressed her enthusiasm for the role, stating, “It is impossible to spend time in crypto and not be inspired by the potential of DeFi to change the world.”
Minarik’s appointment comes when Uniswap Labs is likely to face a legal battle with federal regulators in the U.S. In April 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a Wells Notice to Uniswap Labs, signaling its intention to take legal action against the startup for allegedly violating federal securities laws.
Minarik is replacing former Uniswap Labs CLO Marvin Ammori, who announced on Monday that he plans to transition to a part-time role at the startup in November.
As an attorney with more than three years at Coinbase, Minarik certainly has her hands full dealing with the complex regulatory issues surrounding decentralized finance (DeFi) and digital assets. The SEC charged Uniswap Labs for operating an unregistered securities exchange and violating regulations.
Recently, Uniswap’s native token, UNI, exhibited resilience and performance in the market with the release of a privacy-focused update and the delays for the governance vote on the delegation and staking rewards.
