Robert Werner general counsel with Libra Association. (Courtesy photo)

The Libra Association has appointed Robert Werner to general counsel. The Geneva-based cryptocurrency membership organization spun off from Facebook Inc.'s concept announced the appointment Tuesday, two weeks after naming HSBC Holdings' top lawyer Stuart Levey as incoming CEO.

Werner, who has held leadership roles at HSBC, Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch related to financial crime compliance and legal and audit matters, most recently was the founder and CEO of GRH Consulting in New York.

Werner also held federal government positions as director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, also known as FinCEN, under the U.S. Department of the Treasury; director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control; senior counsel to the undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence; and assistant general counsel for Enforcement and Intelligence in the Office of the General Counsel.

His further government experience includes a stint in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, where he advised the U.S. attorney general and White House counsel. He also clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justices Anthony Kennedy and Lewis F. Powell Jr. He has worked in the Office of the Attorney General for the State of Connecticut and the administration of former Connecticut Gov. Lowell P. Weicker Jr.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to join the Libra Association, as we work to transform the global payments landscape to empower billions of people," said Werner in a press release. "I have dedicated my career to combating financial crime and helping complex organizations achieve regulatory compliance, both in government and in the private sector. I look forward to meaningfully contributing to such an impactful project." He is a graduate of New York University School of Law.

Werner's appointment succeeds Levey's May 6 appointment to be the Libra Association's first CEO. Levey, who will continue as the HSBC chief legal officer until the summer, is based in Washington, D.C.

Libra, a global cryptocurrency powered by blockchain technology, was founded last year by Facebook Inc., which created the Libra Association to manage the rollout. Facebook also created subsidiary Calibra to provide financial services for users who access and participate in the Libra network.

Last month, the Libra Association initiated the payment system licensing process with the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority, or FINMA. Its 27-member roster includes Facebook and Calibra, Thrive Capital, Uber Technologies Inc., Lyft Inc. and Spotify.