Wall Street hires crypto talent with up to $300K base

Major Wall Street banks and asset managers have posted senior digital-asset job openings on LinkedIn in recent days, offering base salaries up to $300,000. Firms recruiting include JPMorgan, BlackRock, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Fidelity and Jefferies. Employers seek candidates with both blockchain knowledge and experience in regulated finance functions such as compliance, risk and traded markets.

The listings target senior engineering, site reliability, financial-crimes transformation and crypto equity research roles. Citigroup advertised a Head of Digital Assets Platform Engineering role with a base salary of up to $300,000. Job descriptions emphasize familiarity with regulated market structures and risk frameworks alongside technical blockchain skills.

Paul Przybylski, global head of product for digital and tokenized assets at JPMorgan Asset Management, described the demand as a need for “domain overlap,” meaning candidates must combine decentralized-technology expertise with traditional finance operations.

The hiring activity coincides with reductions at several crypto-native firms. Employees departing exchanges and other crypto companies are applying for roles at banks and asset managers. Traditional firms typically include cash bonuses and equity grants in total compensation packages, which can raise overall pay well above the posted base figures.

Crypto-native compensation often relies on token allocations. Those allocations are harder to value when token prices are depressed. Job seekers and recruiters note that cash- and equity-focused packages at banks and asset managers provide a more predictable payment structure for senior engineers and product leaders.

ETF analyst Eric Balchunas wrote on X: “HELP WANTED: digital asset specialists at big boy financial cos. Must know crypto, blockchain, understand degens, but also have TradFi chops, fluent in Boomer-ese.”

Recruiters and hiring managers say they are looking for hybrid candidates who can bridge blockchain technology and regulated operational processes. Hiring activity in the coming weeks will indicate whether firms continue to add senior digital-asset roles beyond the recent postings.