AstraBit Adds Institutional Markets and Digital-Asset Leaders Lisa Wade and Josh Hawes to its Advisory Board

These appointments strengthen AstraBit’s leadership and presence in digital-asset infrastructure, market structure, quantitative risk management, and critical minerals.

Dover, DE, Sept. 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AstraBit, a Veteran-owned and operated U.S. broker-dealer registered with the SEC and a FINRA member firm, announced today the appointment of Lisa Wade and Josh Hawes to its Strategic Advisory Board. Wade and Hawes join John Buckley, the former Co-Chief Operating Officer and Head of Exchange Operations at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

AstraBit’s Strategic Advisory Board members bring distinct vantage points: Buckley from exchange operations and Asia-Pacific market structure, Wade from digital asset markets and central bank infrastructure, and Hawes from systematic trading, capital formation, and public-company governance.

The Board advises AstraBit on trading infrastructure, risk oversight, regulatory alignment, and international expansion. Their guidance supports AstraBit's mission to bridge traditional finance and decentralized ecosystems by providing reliable, secure trading solutions for retail and institutional users.

Lisa Wade

Lisa Wade brings three decades of experience across global trading floors, institutional banking, funds management, and digital assets. She is the Managing Director of Change Investment Management, the thematic funds management firm she co-founded in 2009. Previously, she served as Chief Executive Officer of DigitalX Limited (ASX: DCC) and as Head of Digital Innovation and Sustainability at National Australia Bank.

During her time at NAB, Wade led Project Atom, the Reserve Bank of Australia’s central bank digital currency pilot, and Project Carbon, a global alliance focused on tokenizing voluntary carbon credits involving NAB, CIBC, and NatWest, now Carbon Placet. Earlier in her career, she spent nine years as a Director at Citigroup, specializing in arbitrage, derivatives, and equities trading. She also co-created RARI, Australia’s first responsible-investment ETF.

Wade serves in an advisory capacity to the DFCRC Venture Fund and is a Director on ASX Subsidiary Clearing and Settlement Boards. She previously served as Co-Chair of the Digital Economy Council of Australia (DECA) for five years, concluding her term in December 2025. In 2024, she was named Australian Fintech Female of the Year. She is on the Board of Assetora and WhiteHawk Ltd. 

“AstraBit is building the infrastructure that can make digital asset markets more accessible and usable for institutional participants—not only for crypto-native users,” said Wade. “I look forward to supporting the team as it continues to scale.”

Josh Hawes

Josh Hawes brings over two decades of experience spanning systematic trading, quantitative risk architecture, investment banking, and public company governance. He is the Founder and CEO of Aegis Guild Capital and serves as Chairman of the Board of Royalty Management Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: RMCO), as well as independent director and Audit Committee Chair for American Resources Corporation (NASDAQ: AREC), alongside board roles across several private enterprises.

Hawes’ capital markets background centers on quantitative strategy design and algorithmic execution across global equities, futures, commodities, and fixed income. Throughout his career, including managing systematic investment funds and co-founding the securities-lending platform Delta1X at broker-dealer Drexel Hamilton, he has engineered proprietary models, automated trading infrastructure, and institutional risk-transfer solutions across domestic and international venues.

Complementing his quantitative background, Hawes brings deep corporate finance and transaction experience. He served as lead investment banker for USA Rare Earth at Four Points Capital Partners before joining the executive team as Chief Strategy Officer, where he helped shape the U.S. critical minerals supply chain solution. He holds an engineering degree from Auburn University and continues his advanced executive education across institutions including Harvard, MIT, and Cambridge.

“Every maturing asset class follows the same trajectory: fragmentation eventually gives way to institutional demand for transparent execution, robust risk architecture, and enterprise-grade infrastructure,” Hawes said. “Digital assets have crossed that threshold. AstraBit is building the deterministic trading rails and controls that institutional capital actually requires to scale.”

About AstraBit

AstraBit is a digital-first fintech firm building trading and portfolio infrastructure for digital asset markets. AstraBit operates through CPT Capital LLC, a U.S. broker-dealer registered with the SEC and a FINRA member firm (CRD #331540). For more information, visit astrabit.io or FINRA BrokerCheck at brokercheck.finra.org.This communication is informational only and is not an offer to buy or sell any security or digital asset, or investment advice.

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Cam Paulding
marketing@astrabit.io
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https://astrabit.io