Animoca Brands has reshuffled its senior leadership team as the digital assets investor prepares for its next phase of growth across AI, agentic web infrastructure and tokenized real-world assets.
The company named Shaun Kraft as incoming chief financial officer, effective June 11, 2026. It also promoted Brian Chan to chief development officer and added him to the executive committee.
The changes come as Animoca continues work on a proposed Nasdaq listing through a reverse merger with Currenc Group. The proposed transaction, first announced in November 2025, would create a Nasdaq-listed company operating under the Animoca Brands name, with Animoca shareholders expected to own about 95% of the resulting entity.
Currenc said in May that the parties had extended their exclusivity period through June 30, 2026. The company said closing was targeted for the third quarter of 2026, subject to documentation, approvals and other closing conditions.
Kraft joins Animoca with public-market and finance experience. He previously served as chief financial officer and chief operating officer of MoneyHero Group, a Nasdaq-listed personal finance platform, and earlier worked at CMCC Global, Lazard and Perella Weinberg Partners.
His appointment puts a capital-markets executive into a key role at a time when Animoca is preparing for greater public-market scrutiny.
Brian Chan, who joined Animoca in 2022, has been promoted from deputy chief operating officer to chief development officer. The company said Chan has worked on governance, institutional partnerships and tokenized real-world asset initiatives, including NUVA.
NUVA is one of Animoca’s more visible institutional projects. The RWA marketplace, co-created by Animoca Brands and Nuva Labs, launched on Ethereum in May and is designed to bring institutional-grade tokenized assets into DeFi using ERC-20 standards.
The platform launched with exposure to Treasury-linked products and Figure-related home equity credit assets. NUVA was connecting about $19 billion of tokenized real-world assets tied to Figure to Ethereum-based DeFi markets.
The leadership reshuffle also moves two existing executives into new roles.
Jared Shaw, who has served as CFO since 2022, will become a strategic adviser. Animoca said Shaw will support the transition and the completion of the company’s next audited financial statements.
Alan Lau, currently chief business officer, will become chairman of GROW Digital Wealth. The platform is focused on helping independent financial advisers offer digital assets, RWAs and traditional finance products to family offices and ultra-high-net-worth clients.
Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands, said the leadership changes were tied to the company’s expansion into AI, the agentic web and RWAs.
“As we enter our next phase of growth across AI, the agentic web, and RWAs, it is essential that our leadership reflects both deep institutional discipline and a builder’s mindset,” Siu said.
He added that Shaun Kraft and Brian Chan bring “world-class leadership” to support Animoca’s long-term execution.
Group president Evan Auyang said the transitions strengthen the executive team at a “pivotal moment” as Animoca scales consumer and institutional businesses.
Kraft said Animoca sits at “the intersection of AI, the agentic web, and digital assets,” adding that he intends to help turn the company’s vision into stronger financial execution.
The appointment comes as Animoca has been increasing its focus on AI agents.
In May, the company announced a program to invest up to $10 million in projects building with Minds, its persistent AI agent platform. Animoca describes Minds as a platform that lets users deploy always-on AI agents without managing local servers or hardware.
The move shows how Animoca is trying to reposition beyond its earlier reputation as a Web3 gaming and NFT investor. Its current focus now spans AI agents, digital asset services, RWAs, blockchain infrastructure, gaming and DeFi.
Animoca says it has a portfolio of more than 600 companies and digital assets. Its website lists areas including stablecoins, RWAs, treasury management, gaming, identity and education among its operating and investment themes.
Why does it matter? The leadership changes is crucial because Animoca is moving toward a more institutional phase of its business.
A Nasdaq listing would require stronger financial reporting, governance and investor communication than a private-market structure. Bringing in a CFO with public-company experience signals that Animoca is preparing for that environment.
The shift also reflects a wider trend.
Crypto companies are again seeking access to public markets as institutional interest in digital assets grows. Abra, for example, announced plans in March to go public through a blank-check merger, with the combined company expected to list on Nasdaq.
Circle’s 2025 public listing also showed investor demand for regulated digital asset infrastructure. The stablecoin issuer raised $1.05 billion in an upsized IPO, and its shares opened well above the IPO price on debut.
At the same time, large financial institutions are moving deeper into tokenized assets. Nomura’s Laser Digital recently secured conditional approval for a U.S. national trust bank charter, which would allow it to hold and administer tokenized, digital and conventional assets under federal supervision.
That makes Animoca’s reshuffle more than a personnel change.
It is part of a broader attempt to present the company as a diversified digital asset conglomerate with public-market discipline, institutional products and exposure to AI-driven internet infrastructure.
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