Shaul Kfir is a blockchain and cryptocurrency professional, computer scientist, and entrepreneur, primarily known as a co-founder of Digital Asset. Throughout his career, he has held key technical and executive roles, including Chief Technology Officer and Chief Operating Officer, where he contributed to the development of enterprise blockchain infrastructure, the Daml smart contract language, and the Canton network. ^{[4] [5]}

Education

Kfir attended the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, where he graduated in 2013 with bachelor's degrees in both Computer Science and Physics. During his time as a student and researcher at the Technion, he also served as a visiting scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) in 2013. ^[2]​

Career

Kfir began his career in the Israel Defense Forces, serving as a Missile Boat Executive Officer from 2002 to 2009, where he held the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He then worked as a software developer at Intel Corporation from 2011 to 2012, focusing on software development tasks. From 2012 to 2014, he was a software developer and researcher at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology's SCIPR Lab, contributing as one of the original authors of libsnark, a cryptographic library later used in projects such as Zcash and Quorum. During this period, he also served as a visiting scientist at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in 2013. Kfir subsequently joined Bits of Gold as Director of Technology from 2013 to 2014, before co-founding Digital Asset in 2014. At Digital Asset, he held successive technical and leadership roles, including CTO (2014–2021), Chief Architect (2021–2023), COO (2023–2025), and co-founder (2025–present), overseeing technology development, network strategy, and operational management. ^[1]

Interviews

FinTech on Crypto Rails

In April 2025, Kfir participated in a fireside chat with Clarisse Hagege at the Blockworks Digital Asset Summit in New York City. The discussion highlighted how the rise of crypto has expanded access to asset classes for retail investors, prompting financial institutions to recognize digital assets as legitimate investments. Kfir emphasized the value of blockchain technology in enabling new financial products, improving settlement efficiency, and making assets more accessible, while noting the dual opportunities of crypto as both an asset class and an infrastructure improvement. He acknowledged that adoption has been slowed by regulatory hurdles, technological readiness, and institutional hesitancy, with privacy concerns and transactional visibility remaining key barriers. Kfir stressed the importance of building secure, trusted blockchain foundations, noting that financial operations are now irreversible and require strict adherence to security practices. He encouraged fintechs and banks to evaluate how blockchain could enhance their services and recommended a pragmatic approach to adoption, starting with non-disruptive projects such as digital cash initiatives. ^[6]

Panels

Crypto Adoption

In November 2025, Kfir participated in a panel on The Empire Pod alongside Mike Belshe, Eric Saraniecki, Don Wilson, Justin Peterson, Caroline Pham, and Eli Ben-Sasson, discussing developments in institutional finance and blockchain adoption. The panel explored the impact of regulatory changes that have accelerated technology adoption, highlighted Trade Web’s historical trading volume of $3.2 quadrillion USD, and examined the growing role of cryptocurrency as an institutional asset class. Saraniecki described how institutional players have increasingly embraced crypto, recognizing Bitcoin as an established asset class and viewing stablecoins as a practical mechanism for treasury operations. Discussion of growth prospects centered on rising competitive interest from traditional firms in stablecoin markets and Trade Web’s partnership with the Canton Network to enable real-time, privacy-preserving financing of U.S. treasuries. The panel concluded with expectations that by 2026 institutions will drive further stablecoin innovation and that long-term adoption will reshape banking as market participants develop new collaborative frameworks. ^[8]

Real-World Tokenization

In February 2025, Kfir participated in a panel at ACCESS US alongside moderator Leo Scwartz, Prakash Neelakantan, and Maxwell Stein. The discussion examined recent developments in crypto and tokenization, including the implications of a meme coin launch and executive actions influencing the industry. Panelists noted that meme coins could attract new investors and bolster the legitimacy of digital assets, while also highlighting adoption challenges, including traditional finance hesitancy, infrastructure limitations, and the complexities of onboarding new users. Privacy emerged as a central concern, with technical solutions like zero-knowledge proofs discussed for their potential and limitations. The panel also explored real-world applications, including collateral and securities management, and noted successful institutional use cases, such as Broadridge’s blockchain-enabled repo transactions. Looking ahead, the panel suggested a gradual shift toward hybrid models combining traditional finance and blockchain, emphasizing tokenization’s potential to democratize access to financial products for retail investors, while underscoring the importance of financial literacy and ongoing education. ^[7]