Dante Disparte

Dante Disparte is an American business executive, security advisor,[1] and author.[2] He is currently chief strategy officer and head of global policy at Circle Internet Group.[3] Until 2021,[4] he was deputy chairman of the Libra Association, a Facebook-led cryptocurrency project.[5] At Libra he was also chief strategy officer and an executive vice president.[6] He founded the firm Risk Cooperative[7] in 2014.[8]

He was previously chairman of the American Security Project's Business Council for American Security,[9] a member of FEMA's National Advisory Council,[10] and is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations,[11] The Atlantic Council,[12] the American Security Project,[13] and the Risk Cooperative where he serves as chairman.[10]

Early Life and Education

Dante Alighieri Disparte[14] was born in Puerto Rico, where[15] he and his family lived through Hurricane Hugo in 1989.[16] Disparte, who speaks six languages,[17] graduated from the Commonwealth-Parkville School in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico in 1996.[17]

In 2000, Disparte graduated from Goucher College in Maryland[18] with a B.A. in international and intercultural studies. In 2014, he graduated from NYU Stern[8] with an MSc in risk management. He also graduated from the leadership and development program[17] Harvard Business School.[18]

Career

Early in his career, Disparte was a managing director at Clements Worldwide, an insurance brokerage.[17] In 2013 he joined the American Security Project, a think tank founded by John Kerry and Chuck Hagel.[18] In 2014, he founded Risk Cooperative,[10][8] a capital management firm based in Washington, DC.[8] With Disparte as CEO, by 2018 the firm was operating as an insurer broker and developing programs backed by Lloyd's of London.[19] Bloomberg at the time described Disparte as a "grid resiliency and security expert."[20] In April 2018, Risk Cooperative was selected by Beazley to build a blockchain-based registry for insurance.[7] Power Ledger, a blockchain technology company, hired Disparte in May 2018 to lead its efforts to restore the power grid in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria.[20]

Disparte was involved in the Libra Association, a blockchain group supported by Facebook.[21][22] Weeks before the project's public announcement in June 2019, he was named the Libra Association's head of policy and communications.[23] After the announcement, the Libra Association's proposed stablecoin faced a "beating from politicians"[24] on issues such as potentially undermining local currencies.[21] The backlash led to a ban in Europe,[24] and in early October 2019, Paypal, one of 28 founding members, dropped from the association, followed by others such as eBay and Visa. After the exodus, on October 14, 2019, Disparte was elected deputy chairperson of the Libra Council, which governs the association.[5] While retaining his role as head of policy and communications,[24] he was also named an executive vice president.[25] Under Disparte, the association began redesigning the digital coin to "appease skeptical regulators."[21]

After being renamed the Diem Association,[25] the project was ready to test its Diem stablecoin in the spring of 2021, and on the brink of approval from the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (Finma). However, the final approval needed by the US Treasury was refused, with the Biden administration requesting a delay to examine the project further. Writes The Financial Times, Disparte "quit in frustration,"[26] and the Diem project was cancelled in January 2022.[27] In a move that American Banker called "a loss for Diem,"[22] in April 2021, he was hired as chief strategy officer and head of global policy at Circle Internet Group, a stablecoin company.[4][28] After speaking at a US Senate committee on stablecoins in December 2021,[29] he spoke before the US House Committee on Financial Services about stablecoin regulation in April 2023.[30]

Writing and Public Speaking

In 2016, Disparte co-authored Global Risk Agility and Decision Making: Organizational Resilience in the Era of Man-Made Risk,[31] which was published through Palgrave Macmillan.[31] He has been interviewed by media outlets such as CNBC's Closing Bell,[32] NPR,[10] and Bloomberg Television on issues such as stablecoin regulation.[33] He has also authored articles for publications such as American Banker,[34] Harvard Business Review[35] and World Economic Forum,[36] and was a speaker at the Milken Institute's Global Conference in 2025.[37]

Boards and Committees

As of 2026, Disparte is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations,[38] a board director of The Atlantic Council,[39] and a board member of the Economic Club of Washington, D.C.[40] He is also a current Member and Contributor at Bretton Woods Committee.[41] Disparte contributes as a Senior Advisor for the Diplomatic Courier Advisory Board,[42] where he received the inaugural Envoy Award in 2026.[43] He has been an ex-officio director[16] of the American Security Project[13] and chairman of the Risk Cooperative.[10]

Disparte was also previously chairman of the American Security Project's Business Council for American Security,[9][44] and served on the board of Kjaer Group in Denmark.[6] He was a member of FEMA's National Advisory Council,[10] before the entirety of the council was dismissed in early 2025 by the Trump administration.[45]

He was an alumni leader and on the alumni board at Harvard Business School.[16] For the Harvard Business School Club of Washington, D.C., Disparte was a member, president (2012 - 2014),[46] and chairman.[17] Disparte was also formerly a board member at Communities in Schools, DC, and an advisor to the College Success Foundation.[16]

Congressional Testimony (United States)

1. U.S. Senate Banking Committee

In December 2021, representing Circle as Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Global Policy, Disparte testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs regarding the operational risks, market transparency, and regulation of stablecoins.[47] In his testimony, Disparte argued that private-sector digital dollar innovations operating within the U.S. regulatory perimeter support domestic economic competitiveness, and noted potential applications for blockchain-based systems in domestic remittances and corruption-resistant humanitarian aid delivery.[48]

2. U.S. House Financial Services Committee

In April 2023, Disparte testified before the United States House Committee On Financial Services on Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Inclusion.[49] His appearance centered on proposed stablecoin payment legislation, where he addressed consumer protection guidelines, digital dollar reserve transparency, and the financial infrastructure requirements necessary to safeguard national security.[50]

3. U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee

In April 2021, testifying as the founder and chairman of Risk Cooperative,[51] Disparte appeared before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Global Human Rights during a hearing on the structural and economic effects of climate change in Africa.[52] His testimony highlighted the continent's insurance protection gap, global health vulnerabilities, and the national security implications of climate-induced mass migration.[53]

Parliamentary Evidence (United Kingdom)

In March 2026, Disparte provided oral and written evidence to the UK House of Lords Financial Services Regulation Committee during its inquiry into stablecoin framework proposals. His testimony evaluated the policy design, asset reserve parameters, and systemic implications of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) alongside traditional sterling-denominated banking rails.[54][55]

Summary of Legislative Appearances

Date Body / Committee Topic Record / Document Link
April 27, 2021 U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee Climate Change in Africa Written Testimony
December 14, 2021 U.S. Senate Banking Committee Stablecoins & Digital Assets C-SPAN Video / Transcript
April 19, 2023 U.S. House Financial Services Subcommittee Stablecoin Legislation Committee Record
March 18, 2026 UK House of Lords Financial Services Committee Central Bank Digital Currencies & Stablecoins Oral Evidence

Publishing History

Climate Change: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review, foreword by Dante Disparte, September 22, 2020[56]

"If You Think Fighting Climate Change Will Be Expensive, Calculate the Cost of Letting It Happen", by Dante Disparte, June 12, 2017, Harvard Business Review[57]

"The Best Cybersecurity Investment You Can Make Is Better Training", by Dante Disparte and Chris Furlow, May 16, 2017, Harvard Business Review[58]

Global Risk Agility and Decision Making: Organizational Resilience in the Era of Man-Made Risk, by Dante Disparte and Daniel Wagner, September 20, 2016[31]

Personal life

Disparte and his wife Amal Disparte graduated together from Goucher College in 2000, and live in Washington, DC. Amal founded the GrandEd Foundation, which gives public school teachers in DC "rapid microgrants."[16]

References

  1. ↑ "Blockchain May Soon Be Helping Puerto Rico Keep the Lights On". www.bloomberglaw.com. Bloomberg Law. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  2. ↑ Disparte, Dante (2016). Global Risk Agility and Decision Making. Palgrave Macmillan. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  3. ↑ "Crypto Firm Circle Hires Disparte From Facebook-Backed Diem". www.bloomberg.com. Bloomberg. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Circle adds Facebook Diem vet to bring its stablecoin into mainstream". www.americanbanker.com. American Banker. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Would you trust this man with your money?". www.wired.com. Wired. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Crypto goes to Washington". www.website.com. Politico. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  7. 1 2 Barlyn, Susan (April 30, 2018). "Insurer Beazley to launch blockchain registry with Bitfury, Lloyd's broker". Reuters.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Dante Disparte, MSRM '14 - NYU Stern". www.stern.nyu.edu. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  9. 1 2 "Puerto Rico: Will Maria make island more of an American priority?". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Are We Ready For The Next One? The Striking Pandemic Warnings That Were Ignored". NPR. 2021-03-19. Retrieved 2026-06-14.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ↑ "Member Roster | Council on Foreign Relations". www.cfr.org. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  12. ↑ https://dantedisparte.com/affiliations/
  13. 1 2 "Board of Directors". American Security Project. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  14. ↑ Pesek, William (2021-09-23). "US default a greater risk than Evergrande meltdown". Asia Times. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  15. ↑ "Puerto Rico: Will Maria make island more of an American priority?". www.csmonitor.com. Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 "Dante Disparte". Goucher College. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 "Dante Disparte, CPS Comet Class of 1996 Speaks at Graduation". Commonwealth-Parkville School. 2015-06-10. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  18. 1 2 3 "Dante Disparte '00". www.goucher.com. Goucher College. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  19. ↑ Barlyn, Suzanne (April 30, 2018). "Insurer Beazley to launch blockchain registry with Bitfury, Lloyd's broker".{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. 1 2 Malik, Naureen S. (May 8, 2018). "Blockchain May Soon Be Helping Puerto Rico Keep the Lights On".{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. 1 2 3 Wagner, Kurt; Kharif, Olga; Bloomberg. "Facebook-backed Libra plans multiple single-currency coins". Fortune. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  22. 1 2 "Circle adds Facebook Diem vet to bring its stablecoin into mainstream". American Banker. 2021-04-15. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  23. ↑ Ball, James. "Would you trust this man with your money?". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  24. 1 2 3 "Libra vows to fight on despite political backlash". POLITICO. 2020-01-02. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  25. 1 2 Guida, Victoria; Weaver, Aubree Eliza (2021-04-13). "Crypto goes to Washington". POLITICO. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  26. ↑ Murphy, Hannah (March 10, 2022). "Facebook Libra: the inside story of how the company's crytocurrency dream died".{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  27. ↑ "Facebook Libra: the inside story of how the company's cryptocurrency dream died". www.ft.com. Financial Times. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  28. ↑ Ossinger, Joanna (April 12, 2021). "Crypto Firm Circle Hires Disparte From Facebook-Backed Diem".
  29. ↑ "Stablecoins: How Do They Work, How Are They Used, and What Are Their Risks? | United States Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs". www.banking.senate.gov. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  30. ↑ https://www.congress.gov/118/meeting/house/115753/witnesses/HHRG-118-BA21-Wstat e-DisparteD-20230419.pdf  
  31. 1 2 3 Disparte, Dante; Wagner, Daniel (September 20, 2016). "Global Risk Agility and Decision Making: Organizational Resilience in the Era of Man-Made Risk".
  32. ↑ "Financial networks have left people in margins, Libra helps solve that: Dante Disparte". CNBC. 2019-07-17. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  33. ↑ Kharif, Olga; Miller, Matthew (August 15, 2023). "Circle Criticizes Crypto Firms That 'Counterfeit US Dollars'".
  34. ↑ "Payment fintechs pump the gas for an on-chain world". American Banker. 2025-12-04. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  35. ↑ Disparte, Dante (2020-08-05). "Could Digital Currencies Make Being Poor Less Costly?". Harvard Business Review. ISSN 0017-8012. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  36. ↑ https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/09/us-genius-act-eu-mica-convergence-crypto-rules/
  37. ↑ "Dante Disparte | Milken Institute". milkeninstitute.org. 2025-05-05. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  38. ↑ "Member Roster | Council on Foreign Relations". www.cfr.org. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  39. ↑ "Board of Directors". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  40. ↑ "Board of Directors | The Economic Club of Washington DC". www.economicclub.org. Retrieved 2026-07-06.
  41. ↑ Fry, Molly (2026-06-30). "Dante Disparte". The Bretton Woods Committee. Retrieved 2026-07-06.
  42. ↑ "Dante A. Disparte // Senior Advisor". www.diplomaticourier.com. Retrieved 2026-07-06.
  43. ↑ "Diplomatic Courier launches 'The Envoys' Awards to honor modern diplomacy in action". Diplomatic Courier. April 16, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  44. ↑ "From Puerto Rico's ruins, an opportunity to build back better". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  45. ↑ "National Advisory Council Members | FEMA.gov". www.fema.gov. 2025-01-24. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  46. ↑ "https://www.hbsdc.org/about-us/past-presidents/". Retrieved 2026-07-06. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  47. ↑ "Stablecoins: How Do They Work, How Are They Used, and What Are Their Risks? | United States Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs". www.banking.senate.gov. Retrieved 2026-07-06.
  48. ↑ "Senate Banking Committee Examines Popular Cyptocurrency | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org. Retrieved 2026-07-06.
  49. ↑ "Hearing Entitled: Understanding Stablecoins' Role in Payments and the Need for Legislation | U.S. House Committee on Financial Services". financialservices.house.gov. Retrieved 2026-07-06.
  50. ↑ "Understanding Stablecoins' Role in Payments and the Need for Legislation | U.S. House Committee on Financial Services Democrats". democrats-financialservices.house.gov. Retrieved 2026-07-06.
  51. ↑ Barlyn, Susan (April 30, 2018). "Insurer Beazley to launch blockchain registry with Bitfury, Lloyd's broker". Reuters.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  52. ↑ "The Effects of Climate Change in Africa". House Foreign Affairs Committee. 2021-04-27. Retrieved 2026-07-06.
  53. ↑ Written statement of Dante Alighieri Disparte Before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. House.gov. April 27, 2021. https://docs.house.gov/meetings/FA/FA16/20210427/112496/HHRG-117-FA16-Wstate-DisparteD-20210427.pdf
  54. ↑ "Oral evidence - 18 Mar 2026". committees.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2026-07-06.
  55. ↑ "House of Lords - Stablecoins: waiting for regulation - Financial Services Regulation Committee". publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2026-07-06.
  56. ↑ "Sign In". hbr.org. Retrieved 2026-07-06.
  57. ↑ Disparte, Dante (2017-06-12). "If You Think Fighting Climate Change Will Be Expensive, Calculate the Cost of Letting It Happen". Harvard Business Review. ISSN 0017-8012. Retrieved 2026-07-06.
  58. ↑ Disparte, Dante; Furlow, Chris (2017-05-16). "The Best Cybersecurity Investment You Can Make Is Better Training". Harvard Business Review. ISSN 0017-8012. Retrieved 2026-07-06.
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