Swyftx confirms the appointments of Andrea Yuen as CEO and Cathryn Lyall as Chair
Swyftx have today announced the appointment of Cathryn Lyall as Chair of the business and Andrea Yuen (pictured) as Chief Executive Officer.
The Brisbane-headquartered fintech is one of the largest digital asset brokerages in the country, with more than a million clients across Australia, New Zealand, the US and UK.
Ms Lyall was appointed Swyftx interim Chair in April. Ms Yuen was appointed interim Co-CEO of the digital assets’ brokerage at the same time, alongside Co-Founder and Director Alex Harper.
Swyftx Chair Cathryn Lyall said the Board’s decision reflected Ms Yuen’s performance over the past several months. Yuen joined Swyftx as Chief Financial Officer in January 2025, bringing more than 20 years of executive experience in national and global financial services.
Ms Lyall said, “Andrea has made a strong contribution to Swyftx and is the right person to lead the business through its next phase.
“The market is changing very quickly with the advent of all-in-one investment apps. Swyftx is no longer a crypto-asset only platform and Andrea’s background in leadership roles across different APAC financial centres make her an ideal candidate to lead the business into this new era.”
Swyftx was granted an Australian Financial Services Licence in July by Australia’s corporate regulator. The business launched licenced leverage trading in the same month, as Swyftx became the first Australian cryptocurrency exchange to offer exposure to traditional assets alongside crypto.
Ms Yuen said, “I’m looking forward to leading Swyftx through the next stage of its journey as a regulated platform. It’s been a quiet year for the global crypto market and we’ve deliberately used that period to build, securing our licence, as well as launching leverage trading and loans.”
“My focus now is on the team and maximising the potential of Swyftx, which is enormous. Over the next few years we expect Swyftx to become one of the country’s largest fintechs. We have a big opportunity to compete with more traditional platforms by using blockchain technology to support in areas like investing and payments.”
New chair appointment
New Swyftx Chair Cathryn Lyall is one of Australia’s most prominent fintech leaders. A former Non-Executive Director at Fintech Australia, Lyall has held executive and non-executive positions at businesses including Deutsche Bank, the London Stock Exchange Group, the Chicago Board and Trade and CME Group. She is a Partner at Seed Space Venture Capital and NED at Wisr and Redbelly Network.
Alex Harper, who co-founded Swyftx with friend Angus Goldman in 2018, said, “We’re delighted to have Cathryn as permanent Chair. She has a strong understanding of digital assets and an incredible track record of supporting large, complex businesses in regulated environments.
“She is a fantastic addition and we see her experience as crucial on this next stage of the Swyftx journey.”
After overseeing the leadership changes, Harper will step down as acting Co-CEO to resume his Board duties as an Executive Director at the business.
