Former Swift CEO Joins OpenTrade as Chairman

What to Know

Lazaro Campos, former chief executive of Swift, has joined London-based stablecoin yield company OpenTrade as chairman.
OpenTrade says it has processed more than $1 billion in transactions over the past year.
The company now reports $300 million in total value locked, up from more than $200 million in May.
OpenTrade was founded in 2023 and provides infrastructure for businesses to offer dollar- and euro-denominated returns backed by real-world assets.
The appointment follows OpenTrade’s $17 million funding round nearly six months ago.
OpenTrade has raised $32 million to date, with backers including Mercury Fund, Notion Capital, a16z crypto, AlbionVC and CMCC Global.
Campos previously led Swift, which connects more than 11,000 financial institutions worldwide and moves up to $1.5 quadrillion annually.
Campos has also served on Bank of England payment infrastructure boards, the board of Starling, and currently chairs Payoneer Europe.

OpenTrade Adds Payments Veteran as Stablecoin Use Expands

OpenTrade has appointed Lazaro Campos, the former chief executive of Swift, as chairman, adding a high-profile payments infrastructure veteran to its board as the London-based company seeks to deepen its role in stablecoin finance. The move places a former leader of one of the world’s most important banking networks at the center of a startup focused on helping businesses offer yield on stablecoin balances.

The appointment comes at a notable moment for OpenTrade’s growth. The company says it has processed more than $1 billion in transactions over the past twelve months and now holds $300 million in total value locked. That figure is up from more than $200 million in May, when the company announced a $17 million funding round to expand its operations.

OpenTrade was founded in 2023 and has positioned itself as infrastructure for companies that want to offer dollar- and euro-denominated returns backed by real-world assets. Its customers include financial technology firms, exchanges and digital wallets that want to provide returns on stablecoin balances without building investment systems internally.

Why Campos’ Appointment Matters

Campos is best known for leading Swift, the global financial messaging network used by banks and financial institutions to communicate payment instructions across borders. Swift connects more than 11,000 financial institutions worldwide and moves up to $1.5 quadrillion annually, placing it at the core of traditional financial infrastructure.

His arrival at OpenTrade is therefore notable because it links legacy financial market expertise with the emerging stablecoin sector. Stablecoins have increasingly become a bridge between digital asset markets and conventional money movement, particularly for firms that need faster settlement, programmable payment flows or access to tokenized dollar and euro balances.

Campos framed the stablecoin sector as part of the next phase of money movement. He said he has spent most of his career working on the infrastructure the world uses to move money, adding that stablecoins are the next chapter and that yield is what makes them useful to businesses and the people they serve.

For OpenTrade, the chairmanship brings credibility at a time when stablecoin-related services are moving beyond crypto-native trading venues and into broader financial applications. Market participants increasingly view stablecoins not only as settlement instruments, but also as balance sheet tools for businesses seeking more efficient access to digital cash management products.

OpenTrade’s Growth Metrics Show Rising Demand

OpenTrade’s latest figures point to rapid expansion in activity. The company says transaction volume over the past year has exceeded $1 billion, while total value locked has reached $300 million. In May, OpenTrade reported more than $200 million in assets locked and $250 million in transaction volume over the preceding year.

The increase suggests that demand has accelerated as more companies explore stablecoin-based products connected to real-world assets. Total value locked, often shortened to TVL, refers to assets deposited into a platform. In OpenTrade’s case, the metric gives market watchers a way to assess adoption of its infrastructure among businesses offering yield products to their own users.

The company’s model is built around allowing businesses to provide returns denominated in dollars and euros. Those returns are backed by real-world assets, a category that generally refers to traditional assets represented or accessed through digital asset infrastructure. For financial firms, this can provide a route to stablecoin-based yield offerings without requiring them to assemble an entire investment, custody and compliance stack on their own.

Stablecoin yield remains an area closely watched by regulators, investors and fintech operators because it sits at the intersection of digital assets, payments, securities-like products and cash management. OpenTrade’s focus on infrastructure indicates that the company is targeting business-to-business adoption rather than relying only on direct retail distribution.

Funding Backers and Expansion Plans

OpenTrade’s appointment of Campos follows a $17 million funding round announced nearly six months earlier. Mercury Fund and Notion Capital led that round, with participation from a16z crypto, AlbionVC and CMCC Global. The company has raised $32 million to date.

The funding has been aimed at expanding operations as stablecoin adoption grows among financial firms. OpenTrade chief executive David Sutter said Campos will help the company expand its services as more financial firms adopt stablecoins. That expansion could become increasingly important as wallets, exchanges and fintech platforms look for ways to differentiate stablecoin balances beyond simple storage or transfer functionality.

In the broader market, stablecoins are often valued for their liquidity, accessibility and ability to move across digital networks with fewer operating constraints than many traditional payment rails. For businesses, the next stage of adoption may depend on whether stablecoin balances can be embedded into more sophisticated services, including treasury management, settlement workflows and yield-bearing products.

OpenTrade’s strategy reflects that shift. Rather than presenting stablecoins only as a trading tool, the company is building around the idea that enterprises and financial platforms may want to incorporate stablecoin returns directly into customer-facing products. That requires infrastructure capable of handling assets, distribution, reporting and the operational demands of regulated or compliance-sensitive businesses.

Background in Global Payment Systems

Campos brings a long record in financial market infrastructure. Beyond his time at Swift, he served on the Bank of England’s Real-Time Gross Settlement infrastructure and the Clearing House Automated Payment System board. He also served on the board of digital bank Starling and currently chairs Payoneer Europe.

Those roles are relevant because OpenTrade operates in a market where digital asset infrastructure is increasingly being compared with established payment and settlement networks. Real-Time Gross Settlement systems, clearing houses and global financial messaging networks are foundational components of conventional finance. Experience in those areas may help OpenTrade communicate with banks, fintechs and institutions that are exploring stablecoin products but still require familiar risk controls and governance standards.

During Campos’ tenure at Swift, transaction volumes nearly doubled, according to OpenTrade. That background in scaling global financial infrastructure gives the appointment added weight for a company seeking to grow beyond early-stage adoption. It also underscores a larger trend: experienced executives from traditional finance are continuing to move into digital asset infrastructure roles as the sector matures.

Stablecoin Yield Moves Toward Institutional Use

The market for stablecoin yield has evolved significantly as businesses look for practical ways to use tokenized cash equivalents. Early digital asset yield products were often associated with crypto trading and decentralized finance. More recent infrastructure efforts have increasingly focused on real-world asset backing, institutional usability and products that can be integrated into existing financial platforms.

OpenTrade’s offering sits within that institutional direction. By enabling businesses to offer dollar- and euro-denominated returns backed by real-world assets, the company is targeting firms that want exposure to stablecoin utility without necessarily developing their own investment operations. That approach may appeal to platforms seeking speed to market, operational simplicity and a more specialized infrastructure provider.

Still, stablecoin yield products remain subject to scrutiny. Market participants continue to evaluate how such products manage asset backing, liquidity, counterparty risk and user disclosures. For firms serving customers in multiple jurisdictions, these considerations can be as important as headline yield or transaction speed.

Campos’ appointment may help OpenTrade navigate that environment. His experience with payment networks and financial infrastructure boards could support the company as it engages with partners that expect strong governance, institutional language and a clear understanding of how money movement systems operate at scale.

What Comes Next for OpenTrade

OpenTrade’s near-term challenge is likely to involve converting growing stablecoin interest into durable business adoption. The company’s reported rise in total value locked and transaction volume indicates that activity is increasing, but the competitive landscape for stablecoin infrastructure is also developing quickly as more firms pursue real-world asset products and tokenized cash management tools.

The addition of Campos as chairman gives OpenTrade an experienced voice at board level as it scales. For a startup founded in 2023, the ability to draw on leadership from Swift, Bank of England payment infrastructure bodies and other financial technology boards may be valuable as the company approaches larger institutions and expands its services.

For the broader digital asset market, the appointment is another sign that stablecoins are becoming a serious focus for payments veterans and institutional infrastructure builders. The sector is no longer viewed only through the lens of crypto trading liquidity. Increasingly, it is being evaluated as a foundation for business payments, embedded finance and yield-bearing digital cash products.

OpenTrade’s latest numbers show that the company is gaining traction at a time when financial firms are examining how stablecoins can fit into their products. With $300 million in total value locked, more than $1 billion in annual transaction volume and a chairman known for leading global payments infrastructure, the company is positioning itself for the next stage of stablecoin adoption.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Who is Lazaro Campos?

Lazaro Campos is the former chief executive of Swift, the global financial messaging network. He has also served on Bank of England payment infrastructure boards, the board of Starling and currently chairs Payoneer Europe.

What role has Campos taken at OpenTrade?

Campos has joined OpenTrade as chairman. The role places him at board level as the company expands its stablecoin yield infrastructure for businesses.

What does OpenTrade do?

OpenTrade provides infrastructure that allows businesses to offer dollar- and euro-denominated returns backed by real-world assets. Its services are designed for firms such as fintechs, exchanges and digital wallets.

How much total value locked does OpenTrade report?

OpenTrade says it now has $300 million in total value locked. In May, the company reported more than $200 million in assets locked.

How much transaction volume has OpenTrade processed?

OpenTrade says it processed more than $1 billion in transactions over the past twelve months. In May, it reported $250 million in transaction volume over the preceding year.

How much funding has OpenTrade raised?

OpenTrade has raised $32 million to date. Its May funding round totaled $17 million and was led by Mercury Fund and Notion Capital with participation from a16z crypto, AlbionVC and CMCC Global.

Why is the appointment important for stablecoins?

The appointment is important because it brings a veteran of global banking infrastructure into a stablecoin yield company. It highlights the growing connection between traditional payment systems and digital asset infrastructure.