rewrite this title Asia Trading Firm Caladan Targets US Market Amid Trump’s Pro-Crypto Pivot – Decrypt

Crypto trading firm Caladan has announced plans to open a representative office in New York City, becoming the latest institutional player to expand into the U.S. as the Trump administration unwinds years of strict enforcement and signals a regulatory reset for the industry.

The Singapore-based firm will allocate at least 5% of its global headcount to the new U.S. office as it attempts to nab itself a broker-dealer registration and potential FINRA membership.

To lead the effort at its U.S. office, Caladan has hired a three-member team led by Gian-Paul Caccia, with experience across both crypto-native and traditional financial institutions, including crypto exchange Coinbase, asset manager BlackRock, investment bank Cowen Digital, and Bank of America.

Their mandate includes building institutional partnerships, advancing compliance strategy, and deepening regulatory engagement, according to a statement shared exclusively with Decrypt.

Caladan described its U.S. entry as part of a broader strategy to link Asia’s crypto market infrastructure with growing institutional momentum in the United States, seeking to serve as a conduit for liquidity, regulatory dialogue, and cross-border strategy.

“It’s not just about operating in the U.S., we want to help shape the rules-based future of crypto markets with full transparency and accountability,” Julia Zhou, COO at Caladan, said in the statement.

Caladan’s U.S. entry comes just as President Donald Trump’s administration tears up the rulebook that once kept firms like it at bay.

Since taking office in January, Trump has appointed pro-crypto SEC Chair Paul Atkins, dropped multiple lawsuits against digital asset firms, and reversed enforcement-heavy policies upheld by the previous administration. 

Nexo, the crypto lender that exited the U.S. market in 2022, citing “regulatory dead ends,” also announced its return last month, crediting Trump’s pro-innovation stance for the renewed access.

The administration has also hosted a White House crypto summit featuring top industry figures and backed the GENIUS Act, a stablecoin framework that cleared the Senate last week and now heads to the House.

Even before his presidential inauguration, Trump launched a meme coin on Solana to tap into crypto culture. Last week’s private gala for top Official Trump (TRUMP) meme coin holders turned that gesture into a focal point for political controversy.

Edited by Sebastian Sinclair