Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, valued at $64 Bn, which recently roped in Pankaj Gupta, Google Pay’s former engineering lead in India and the Asia Pacific, as the Vice-president of engineering and site lead for India, plans to hire hundreds in India.

Gupta will be “responsible for leading and building from scratch the company's technology hub in India.”

The cryptocurrency exchange recently made a stellar debut on the Nasdaq. In March this year, it had announced its India entry and said that it is setting up a business presence in the country.

The company had said in a blog, “We expect to open a physical office, initially in Hyderabad, for Indian employees as COVID-related conditions allow.”

The company is now aggressively hiring in India, with openings for product and engineering roles. 

Gupta on Twitter that India has world-class tech expertise and some of the brightest minds in the industry. Coinbase plans to tap and develop this local talent. The plan is to hire hundreds of employees, across all levels in Eng, PM & UX (engineering, product management, and user experience) within the next 1–2 years to build out a full tech hub.

He also added that Coinbase could also look at some possible startup acquisitions and acquihires to support its ambitious growth plans in India.

While cryptocurrency remains engulfed in controversies and hasn’t yet gotten approval from the government in India, it will be interesting to see how Coinbase’s expansion plans pan out in the country.