Bullish Names Stacey Cunningham President

The digital asset exchange has tapped the former head of the New York Stock Exchange for its president role.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in People

Bullish Names Stacey Cunningham President

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Bullish, a regulated digital asset exchange focused on institutional clients, has named Stacey Cunningham as its president. Cunningham previously ran the New York Stock Exchange from May 2018 to January 2022.

Why it matters

The appointment brings a veteran of traditional equity markets into a crypto-focused exchange as it expands into derivatives and tokenization. Bullish is led by CEO Tom Farley, who also previously served as NYSE president.

Cunningham was the 67th president of the NYSE and its first woman to hold the post. Bullish ranked #2 globally in options trading by open interest in one recent period, though its executive page had not yet reflected the appointment.

The players

Stacey Cunningham

Cunningham is a longtime figure in U.S. equity markets who led the New York Stock Exchange as its 67th president and first woman in the role.

Bullish

Bullish is a regulated digital asset exchange focused on institutional clients, expanding into derivatives and tokenization.

Tom Farley

Farley is Bullish's chief executive officer and previously served as president of the New York Stock Exchange.

The details

Cunningham started at the NYSE as an intern in 1994 and worked her way up across equity markets, operations and technology. She was a central figure in rolling out Pillar, the exchange's trading platform, and steered the NYSE through the COVID-19 pandemic.

1994: Cunningham starts at the NYSE as an intern.
May 2018: Cunningham begins her tenure as NYSE president.
2020 and 2021: IPO activity surges during her tenure.
January 2022: Cunningham's NYSE tenure ends.
November 9, 2026: Bullish names Cunningham as president.

Market Landscape

Bullish's hiring of a former NYSE president extends a pattern set by CEO Tom Farley, who came to the exchange from the same institution. The move positions the firm to compete for institutional derivatives and tokenization business alongside traditional market operators.

For customers and institutional clients trading on Bullish, the leadership change signals continued investment in derivatives and tokenization products. Users should watch for any updates to fees, product availability or trading access as the new president takes over.

The takeaway

Leadership moves like this one show traditional market veterans increasingly shaping how digital asset exchanges are built and run. Investors tracking crypto infrastructure can watch executive hires as an early signal of where a platform plans to grow.