Mysten Labs Appoints ex-Goldman Sachs Digital Assets Leader Mustafa Al Niama as Head of Global Capital Markets

With over 15 years of experience in finance, Al Niama will lead institutional integration efforts for Mysten Labs, with a focus on tokenization and real-world asset markets

In just under five years since its founding, Mysten Labs, a team of leading technological experts focused on building infrastructure for a better internet and the original contributor to Sui, is expanding its footprint into traditional financial markets, where blockchain can further velocity, increase transparency, and reduce costs. This move comes at a critical moment, as the speed of regulatory clarity for crypto is accelerating in the United States, marking the right moment for this expansion. Central to this mission is the hire of Mustafa Al Niama, former Head of Digital Assets Americas at Goldman Sachs, as the Head of Global Capital Markets at Mysten Labs. 

In this role, Al Niama will spearhead a campaign to expand the use of blockchain technology to major financial institutions and support efforts around tokenization, real-world asset markets integration, collateral mobility improvements, and digital asset education initiatives. With deep specialization in implementing institutional blockchain solutions and a foundational understanding of DeFi markets, Al Niama is uniquely qualified to further the company’s reach into traditional finance. Prior to joining Mysten Labs, he served as the Americas Head of Digital Assets for Goldman Sachs, leading a team dedicated to delivering key tokenization and digital assets products and advocating for regulatory changes in the US market.

Kevin Boon, President of Mysten Labs, commented on the announcement: “Mustafa has long been an advocate of unlocking DeFi for wide audiences and has been actively leading the charge within major financial institutions. He is perfectly suited to drive this initiative for Mysten Labs. We are excited to have his support furthering our mission of unleashing digital assets’ greater potential, including his support forging new onramps for retail and institutional investors alike.”

Al Niama’s appointment comes on the heels of the GENIUS Act passing, which greenlights a regulatory framework for the implementation of stablecoins into the US financial system and marks a pivotal moment for digital assets. He has served as an advisor to several financial regulatory bodies and organizations and has served as a contributor to the CFTC’s Global Markets Advisory Committee (GMAC) Digital Assets and SIFMA Digital Assets working group, helping to shape policy and guidelines for US financial firms, and advised the key market infrastructure providers  on tokenization and digital asset projects.

“Mysten Labs and the Sui blockchain have always stood out to me as being ahead of the curve compared to other organizations,” said Al Niama. “Mysten Labs’ success at building a high-quality object-focused network, combined with the skill and maturity of their team, make them uniquely positioned to integrate digital assets with existing market infrastructure effectively. When I was given the opportunity to help expand Mysten Labs’ mission of unlocking the power of DeFi in capital markets, there was no question this was where I needed to be. Sui is the right chain to advance all the work I’d been forwarding at large clearing houses and financial institutions and I am incredibly excited to join Mysten Labs to help establish this next chapter in digital markets.”

Al Niama studied Venture Capital and Private Equity at the Columbia University Business School (CBS), and holds a Masters of Science in Computer Science from Syracuse University with specialization in distributed networks and cryptography.