Christopher Rizanow

About Christopher Rizanow

I began my crypto journey in 2015 researching blockchain-based equity financing and have spent the last decade focused on one mission: bridging a decentralized financial system with real commerce at global scale. My work sits between on-chain infrastructure and mainstream payments, translating innovation into institution-ready capabilities that respect how money is evolving.My role is to source category-leading companies, align joint roadmaps, and design engagement models where trust, standards, and distribution accelerate their GTM. The goal isn’t one-off integrations but ecosystem architecture that lets exchanges, banks, merchants, wallets, and smart contracts move value with the same confidence as fiat, without inheriting its friction.The outcome I drive toward is clear: decentralized rails become useful, interoperable, and scalable for billions, while preserving the ethos that brought crypto here — open networks, user ownership, and programmable trust.

Experience

1. Global Product Partnerships & Commercialization Manager, Blockchain & Digital Assets

   Mastercard

   Nov 2023 — Present · New York, NY, US

   Continue to lead Mastercard’s collaboration with Chainlink, supporting the launch of Swapper Finance to enable direct-to-DEX purchases for 3.5B+ cardholders.Support the expansion of Crypto Credential pilots across 10+ markets (LATAM, EEMEA, Europe), working with partners such as Bit2Me, Lirium, Mercado Bitcoin, and Wirex.Partner with cross-functional teams on stablecoin settlement enablement, helping bring USDC and regulated stablecoin acceptance to merchants via Circle, Paxos, and Nuvei.Collaborate on Multi-Token Network (MTN) pilots alongside JPMorgan, Standard Chartered, and Ondo Finance to explore tokenized asset settlement use cases.Engage with internal and external stakeholders by helping organize webinars, roundtables, and conference participation to position Mastercard at the forefront of blockchain innovation

Education

• McGill University - Desautels Faculty of Management

  Master of Business Administration (MBA)

• Fox School of Business at Temple University

  BA, Business Administration and Management, General

Skills

• Public Speaking
• People Skills
• Market Research
• Real Estate
• Critical Thinking
• Time Management
• Real Estate Transactions
• Residential Homes
• Customer Relations
• Multitasker
• Intercultural Communication
• Customer Service
• Marketing
• Business Development
• Management
• Sales
• Analysis
• Facebook
• Public Relations
• Leases
• Sellers
• Nonprofits
• Social Media
• Advertising