Michael Shaulov is a cybersecurity entrepreneur and the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Fireblocks, an institutional platform for digital asset security and transactions. His career is rooted in cybersecurity and is also an active investor in the cybersecurity sector. ^[4]

Education

Shaulov attended Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, graduating in 2009 with a dual Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Physics and Computer Science. ^[1]​

Career

Shaulov began his career in the Israeli Military Intelligence, where he served from 2001 to 2005 as a software team leader in the elite Unit 8200. In this capacity, he led development teams working on mission-critical systems. Following his military service, he worked at NICE Systems from 2008 to 2011 as a cellular technology and security team leader, focusing on mobile and telecommunications security.

In 2011, Shaulov co-founded Lacoon Mobile Security, an enterprise mobile security company, and served as its CEO. The company specialized in identifying and mitigating mobile security threats for enterprise clients. In 2015, Lacoon was acquired by Check Point Software Technologies, a major cybersecurity firm. Following the acquisition, Shaulov joined Check Point, first as Head of Mobility Product Management from 2015 to 2016. He was later promoted to Head of Products for Mobile and Cloud Security, a role he held from 2016 to 2018, where he was responsible for overseeing product strategy in these key areas.

In 2018, Shaulov co-founded Fireblocks and has served as its CEO since its inception. At Fireblocks, he leads the company's strategy to provide a secure infrastructure platform for institutional clients to move, store, and issue digital assets. ^{[2] [3]}

Interviews

Fireblocks

In a September 2025 interview on theCUBE’s Crypto Trailblazers segment, Shaulov discussed the launch of a new Fireblocks payment capability designed to connect banks and payment service providers globally for stablecoin transactions. He described stablecoins as a mechanism for faster and lower-cost international money movement, contrasting them with the delays and frictions of traditional banking systems. Shaulov identified persistent challenges for financial institutions, including fragmented global partner networks and the absence of standardized transaction processes, and noted that Fireblocks addresses these issues through a stablecoin-agnostic infrastructure that supports multiple issuers. He referenced the scale of digital asset activity processed through the platform and observed growing demand for stablecoins, particularly outside the United States, where businesses seek more efficient cross-border payment solutions. The interview also touched on expectations for continued innovation in stablecoin applications and Fireblocks’ focus on expanding its network and supporting institutional adoption through education and infrastructure development. ^[5]

SWIFT for Stablecoins

In a September 2025 interview on the Talking Tokens podcast, Shaulov discussed Fireblocks’ role in building institutional infrastructure for stablecoins, describing the platform as serving thousands of clients and facilitating large-scale transaction volumes through a broad participant network. He compared Fireblocks’ ambitions to those of legacy financial messaging systems, positioning the network as an attempt to standardize stablecoin-based payments while addressing structural limitations in traditional finance. Shaulov outlined key challenges to stablecoin adoption, including fragmented partner discovery, a lack of standardized communication protocols, and integration with fiat systems, and noted that usage has grown rapidly, particularly in developing economies and cross-border contexts. He highlighted emerging use cases such as institutional payouts, business-to-business payments, and cost-efficient international transfers, emphasizing the lower fees and faster settlement compared with conventional payment rails. The conversation also touched on the impact of clearer regulatory frameworks on institutional interest, the company’s long-term planning around payment infrastructure, and concerns about financial complexity, with Shaulov arguing that simplicity and transparency are important for the sustainable growth of stablecoin networks. ^[6]

Presentations

Stablecon Keynote

At Stablecon 2025 in June, Shaulov delivered a keynote outlining the development and current state of stablecoin infrastructure, drawing on Fireblocks’ experience supporting hundreds of issuers and facilitating large-scale transaction volumes. He described the origins of Fireblocks in the context of the shift toward stablecoins in financial services, highlighting the inefficiencies of traditional cross-border transfers compared with digital alternatives. Shaulov reviewed platform-level activity, noting growing adoption across thousands of organizations and a rising share of transaction volume attributable to stablecoins, which he framed as increasingly competitive with traditional payment systems. He discussed common use cases such as freelance and contractor payouts, business-to-business payments, and access to financial services in underbanked regions, alongside survey data indicating broad institutional interest driven by reduced regulatory uncertainty and revenue considerations. The presentation also addressed regulatory developments that have lowered barriers to entry, persistent security risks in the digital asset space, and the need for robust security and compliance infrastructure to support continued growth in stablecoin markets. ^[7]