stable coins

Story: Vanuatu Names Its First Stablecoin Commissioner, But Key Questions Stay Unanswered

By Jean-Luc Maracon

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What the Commissioner Actually Does. The role isn't just a figurehead. Miake's core responsibilities include organizing SSC meetings,…

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The Transparency Gap Nobody's Talking About. Here's the thing, though. Neither the Ministry of Finance and Economic Management, nor the Vanuatu…

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Jackson Miake is now Vanuatu's Commissioner of Stablecoins. The appointment took effect in July 2026, making him the first person to hold the role under a brand-new legislative…

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The job sits inside the Ministry of Finance and Economic Management and it's a contract position — not a permanent civil service post.

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The SSC's mandate is broad. It oversees stablecoin operations across Vanuatu, and the bill gives it real teeth: licensing requirements for issuers, reserve mandates, and ongoing…

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The role isn't just a figurehead. Miake's core responsibilities include organizing SSC meetings, setting agendas, putting decisions into action, and drafting annual strategic…

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Miake's background covers a pretty wide range. He spent six years — from 2012 to 2018 — as ICT Policy Manager at Vanuatu's Department of Communications and Digital Transformation.

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More recently, he was Governance Risk and Compliance Specialist at Exness, a role he held from January to July 2026 — right up until the appointment.

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On the education side, Miake holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Massey University.

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Related: Goldman Sachs CEO Backs CLARITY Act as Stablecoin Fight Stalls Congress Vote

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Here's the thing, though. Neither the Ministry of Finance and Economic Management, nor the Vanuatu Financial Services Commission, nor the SSC itself has put out any public…

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That's a notable gap. The Stablecoins Bill specifically calls for a merit-based, fair, and transparent process. But the public record right now doesn't show how that played out.

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It's unclear whether the SSC ran an open competition, whether Miake was the sole candidate evaluated, or what the timeline looked like between the bill passing in 2025 and the…

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Small nations entering the stablecoin regulation space face real scrutiny. Larger financial centers have spent years building out their frameworks — and even they get questioned…

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More context: Startale CEO Flags Yen Stablecoin Fragmentation Risk Across Japans 4 Major Issuers

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