John Nahas calls crypto a teenage pubescent market and says he has never been more bullish. * Guido Battigelli * Published: August 21, 2026 * 3:46 pm * Updated: August 21, 2026 * 3:47 pm Table of Contents * Nahas, Chief Business Officer at Ava Labs, stated he has never been more bullish on the crypto market despite falling prices. * The executive compared the crypto market to a teenager going through puberty and highlighted that Avalanche focuses on real use cases. * Ava Labs is undergoing a leadership change: John Wu moves to an advisory role and Charley Cooper takes over as president while retaining the COO title. John Nahas, Chief Business Officer at Ava Labs, appeared at the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium 2026 and said he has never been more bullish on the future of the crypto industry, despite acknowledging that token prices and the broader market are going through a bearish phase. "I think blockchain and cryptocurrencies are in that pubescent teenage phase right now," Nahas said. "We're full of acne and we don't know what we're doing." The metaphor conceals no pessimism - quite the opposite. The executive underscored that, from his vantage point, he had never seen so many opportunities in the sector nor such a promising influx of talent entering the ecosystem. The most recent market data shows some recovery: Bitcoin is hovering above $77,000, up more than 8% over the past 24 hours, while Ethereum is trading above $2,400, having gained 6%. Nahas rejects short-term speculative cycles. Nahas distinguished Avalanche's current growth from the traditional cycles that have defined the market. "What we have been focusing on has not been the traditional crypto cycles," he explained. "They have always been narratives, six-month speculative cycles that come and go." In contrast, the executive outlined Avalanche's strategic pillars: enterprise payments, government adoption, digital identity, and ticketing for the World Cup - all concrete use cases built on blockchain infrastructure. He also highlighted as a competitive advantage Avalanche's ability to deploy customized Layer 1 blockchains, tailored to specific jurisdictions and assets. While other networks require businesses to adapt to their technology, Avalanche operates in the opposite direction: the technology adapts to the business. Changes at the top of Ava Labs. Alongside Nahas's statements, the company announced a leadership reorganization. John Wu, who held the presidency for seven years, will move to a senior advisory role. Charley Cooper, until now Chief Operating Officer, will assume the presidency without relinquishing his duties as COO, consolidating both positions under his leadership. flash news Dutch prosecutors sold the seized cryptocurrencies from Knaken, a Dutch platform declared bankrupt on July 16 by a Rotterdam court, and raised $2.5 million (€2.2 million) to distribute among creditors. TL;DR Boerse Stuttgart Digital and Tradias have completed their merger, forming a digital asset infrastructure unit with nearly 300 employees. The combined entity will provide Bitcoin News TL;DR: Analyst Peter Brandt rules out the presence of technical signals for an imminent trend change on the weekly chart. Firm CryptoQuant registered the reactivation TL;DR Bitwise argues that Hyperliquid and Robinhood will lead the convergence between traditional finance and blockchain in the next bull market. Matt Hougan (Bitwise) identified flash news The State Duma of Russia, the lower chamber of Parliament, approved bill No. 1194918-8, titled "On Digital Currency and Digital Rights," in its second and third readings. The TL;DR: Strategic appointments: Bank of America designated Sonali Theisen to lead its global digital assets platform and Kevin Milsom as head of AI transformation. Role Follow Crypto Economy on Social Networks Crypto Tutorials Crypto Reviews

Ava Labs names Charley Cooper president as John Wu moves to Senior Advisor. Cooper will lead Ava Labs' operations as Wu becomes a senior advisor and Lydia Chiu takes the CFO role, while Emin Gün Sirer remains CEO. Published 2 hours ago · Updated 3 hours ago Key Highlights * Charley Cooper has been appointed president of Ava Labs. * John Wu will transition from president to senior advisor. * Lydia Chiu has been appointed chief financial officer after serving as interim CFO. Ava Labs has made several changes to its executive team, appointing Charley Cooper as president while moving current President John Wu into a senior advisor role. The company also appointed Lydia Chiu as chief financial officer after she previously served as interim CFO. Founder and CEO Emin Gün Sirer announced the changes in a post on X on August 18, saying his own role as CEO would remain unchanged. He said he would continue overseeing Ava Labs' long-term direction and Avalanche's development. The statement also reiterated the company's focus on infrastructure for blockchain developers, institutions and enterprises. Charley Cooper takes over as president. Cooper will take over the president role with a background spanning crypto policy, regulation and institutional markets. In a separate post on X, Cooper said he was grateful to Wu and the Ava Labs team for the work that had built the company's foundation over the past seven years. "I'm excited to step into the role of President at Ava Labs." Cooper said Wu's continued involvement as senior advisor would help provide continuity during the transition. Looking ahead, Cooper identified several areas he believes could shape the company's next phase, including the move toward 24/7 financial markets, tokenization and the growing use of artificial intelligence. Cooper said his focus would be on turning those developments into sustainable business growth rather than simply expanding the company's activities. He added that this would involve greater operational focus and closer engagement with builders, partners, customers and the Avalanche community. John Wu moves to Senior Advisor. Wu will remain with Ava Labs after stepping down as president, taking on a Senior Advisor role focused on long-term strategy and relationships with financial institutions. In his announcement, Wu said he intends to continue working on Avalanche's relationships across Wall Street and Silicon Valley, while also spending more time with his family. Wu also reflected on his seven years at Ava Labs, describing how the company developed from a small team working out of Brooklyn into an organization with more than 200 employees. "It was not so long ago when we were a team of ten Cornellians working out of a modest office in Brooklyn." Wu made these remarks in the same X post announcing his transition. He said the company's institutional relationships have changed significantly since he joined. Wu said the broader industry had moved past the question of whether blockchain could support real-world assets and was now focused on which products could be brought onchain and at what scale. He also thanked Sirer for their partnership and said he looked forward to continuing to work with Cooper and Chiu. Lydia Chiu becomes CFO. Ava Labs has also appointed Lydia Chiu as CFO, making permanent a role she had been holding on an interim basis. Chiu said she was proud to take on the position and credited Wu and Sirer with helping build the company. Chiu also highlighted Wu's role in building relationships between Ava Labs and traditional financial institutions. "In 2019, John was one of the only people who could sit across the table from Wall Street and be taken seriously as a peer, as a bridge to blockchain." She said Wu's transition would allow him to remain involved with the company and industry. Chiu added that she was looking forward to continuing to work with Sirer and Cooper. Institutional focus remains in view. The changes come as Ava Labs continues pursuing institutional applications for Avalanche, particularly in areas such as tokenization, financial markets, and enterprise blockchain infrastructure. Wu's comments suggest that relationships with traditional financial institutions will remain an important part of his advisory work, while Cooper's background in regulation and traditional finance could shape his approach to the company's operational strategy. For now, the transition is primarily a change in executive responsibilities rather than a departure from Ava Labs. The company will now enter its next phase with Cooper leading day-to-day operations, Wu remaining involved as a strategic advisor, Chiu overseeing finance, and Sirer continuing as CEO. Disclaimer: The information researched and reported by The Crypto Times is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional financial advice. Investing in crypto assets involves significant risk due to market volatility. Always Do Your Own Research (DYOR) and consult with a qualified Financial Advisor before making any investment decisions.