Financial Controller - Digital Assets

Ripple•Chicago, IL

About The Position

At Ripple, we’re building a world where value moves like information does today. It’s big, it’s bold, and we’re already doing it. Through our crypto solutions for financial institutions, businesses, governments and developers, we are improving the global financial system and creating greater economic fairness and opportunity for more people, in more places around the world. And we get to do the best work of our career and grow our skills surrounded by colleagues who have our backs. If you’re ready to see your impact and unlock incredible career growth opportunities, join us, and build real world value. THE WORK: The Financial Controller acts as the senior accounting officer in charge of financial reporting, general ledger accuracy, and control measures across Hidden Road's OTC operating entity and its BVI offshore entities. This position is not responsible for FCM or broker-dealer regulatory capital reporting. Instead, it concentrates on sub-consolidated and entity-level financial statements, intercompany accounting, management reporting, and governance frameworks to support a complex multi-jurisdictional corporate structure. The Controller will work closely with the CFO, Legal, and Tax teams to ensure the group's offshore entities are accurately accounted for. They will also ensure intercompany transactions are recorded correctly and eliminated. Additionally, they will help the firm's financial reporting systems grow with the business. This role demands a skilled accountant experienced in financial services, knowledgeable about offshore holding structures, and able to handle accounting challenges in a fast-growing digital asset company.

Requirements

CPA (active) required.
Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in Accounting, Finance, or a related field; advanced degree a plus.
10+ years of progressive accounting experience, with relevant exposure to financial services, asset management, or trading entities.
Strong technical GAAP proficiency, including consolidation, intercompany elimination, equity method accounting, and revenue recognition.
Experience handling the bookkeeping and documentation for multiple legal entities, including non-US or offshore structures.
Confirmed capability to lead a financial close process from start to finish, encompassing general ledger, reconciliations, and financial statement preparation.
Comfort operating in a fast-paced, high-growth environment with evolving processes and organizational change.
Deep command of US GAAP with the ability to research, interpret, and apply complex standards to novel transactions in a digital asset context.
Understands the rigor required to maintain clean, well-documented books across multiple legal entities and jurisdictions.
Capable of forming and defending accounting positions, bringing up issues appropriately, and exercising sound professional judgment under ambiguity.
Develops strong working connections across Finance, Legal, Tax, Operations, and executive leadership.
Thinks in systems and processes, not just transactions — able to design control frameworks and reporting infrastructure that scale with business growth.

Nice To Haves

Experience handling accounting and governance for BVI, Cayman, or other offshore entities, including understanding statutory reporting obligations and registered agent interactions.
Understanding of digital asset accounting under US GAAP, including familiarity with ASU 2023-08 (fair value accounting for crypto assets) and on-chain/off-chain reconciliation methods.
Proficiency with Python or other data analysis tools to drive greater efficiency in the function.
Background in prime brokerage, OTC derivatives, or structured finance — sufficient to understand the economic substance of transactions being accounted for.
Experience with intercompany transfer pricing documentation and how it relates to financial reporting.
Previous experience at a Big 4 or national accounting firm concentrating on financial services or alternative investment funds.
Experience with ERP rollout or accounting system transition within a financial services environment.

Responsibilities

Handle the monthly, quarterly, and annual financial close process for the OTC entity and all BVI entities, guaranteeing accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of results.
Prepare and review entity-level, divisional reporting, and sub-consolidated financial statements in accordance with US GAAP, including accurate presentation of intercompany balances, investment in subsidiaries, and offshore entity results.
Lead the general ledger and chart of accounts for all in-scope entities, guaranteeing consistent handling and suitable segregation of activity by legal entity.
Handle revenue recognition within the OTC book, encompassing fee income, spread income on matched principal transactions, along with any performance or incentive allocations.
Oversee accruals, prepayments, fixed asset accounting, and other balance sheet substantiation processes.
Manage all intercompany transactions across the Hidden Road group, including service fee arrangements, funding flows, cost allocations, and intercompany loans.
Design and implement intercompany accounting policies, ensuring transactions are properly documented, priced on arm's-length terms, and eliminated appropriately in consolidation.
Coordinate with the regulated entity finance teams (FCM/BD) to ensure intercompany positions and flows are reconciled and consistently reported across the group.
Prepare sub-consolidation workpapers and supporting schedules, including minority interest calculations and currency translation adjustments where applicable.
Assist with transfer pricing documentation in collaboration with the Tax function.
Keep the books and records of Hidden Road's BVI holding and operating entities up to date, ensuring adherence to relevant accounting standards and local statutory requirements.
Collaborate with offshore legal counsel, registered agents, and any local accounting service providers to fulfill statutory filing and governance obligations.
Manage equity accounting for investments held through BVI structures, including capital contributions, distributions, and fair value assessments of underlying holdings.
Monitor cash and funding positions within offshore entities, coordinating with Treasury on upstreaming, downstreaming, and cross-entity cash management.
Assist with parental guarantee or support arrangements between BVI entities and regulated subsidiaries, making sure disclosure aligns with applicable accounting standards.
Implement current GAAP guidelines for digital asset accounting. The role involves fair value measurement according to ASC 820 and the FASB's ASU 2023-08 framework for crypto asset holders.
Maintain accounting policies for digital asset positions held by OTC and BVI entities, including recognition, measurement, impairment, and derecognition.
Work alongside Custody and Operations to reconcile on-chain and off-chain digital asset positions, ensuring the balance sheet presentation is complete and accurate.
Stay on top of updates from SEC, FASB, and IASB on digital asset accounting and provide the CFO with insights on the impact to accounting policies.
Produce monthly management accounts and variance analysis for the OTC and BVI entities, including P&L attribution, balance sheet movements, and critical performance measures.
Develop and maintain financial models that support budgeting, forecasting, and multi-year planning processes for the non-regulated entities.
Prepare board and investor reporting packages for offshore entities, including financial summaries, capital position updates, and narrative commentary.
Collaborate with the CFO on ad hoc analysis, new entity structuring, and financial due diligence related to strategic transactions or new product launches.
Develop and uphold a reliable internal control environment within the OTC and BVI entities, encompassing reconciliation frameworks, approval workflows, and exception reporting.
Function as the key point of contact for external auditors throughout the audit of in-scope entities; handle PBC deliverables, address audit questions, and facilitate financial statement sign-off.
Develop and maintain accounting policies and procedures documentation encompassing all significant accounting areas.
Detect control weaknesses or process shortcomings and guide corrective actions in collaboration with Finance leadership.
Build and lead a small, high-quality accounting team supporting the OTC and offshore entity perimeter.
Use Python or data tools to automate reconciliations, build reporting pipelines, or handle large position datasets.
Encourage use and improvement of the firm's accounting systems and ERP infrastructure, including chart of accounts design, reporting hierarchies, and automated reconciliation tools.
Partner with Technology on financial system enhancements and integration with middle and back-office platforms.