Building Trust in a Trustless World: A Conversation with Athena Bitcoin COO, Carlos Carreño
Carlos Carreño
When it comes to navigating the fast-changing landscape of digital finance, few leaders bring as much global experience as Carlos Carreño. As Chief Operating Officer of Athena Bitcoin, Carreño oversees the operations of more than 4,300 Bitcoin ATMs across 35 U.S. states and key international markets such as Argentina, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. With a career spanning three decades in regulatory and financial crime compliance, wealth management, and fintech, Carreño has become a trusted authority on balancing growth prudence and governance. In this conversation, he shares how Athena Bitcoin is charting the path forward.
Carreño sees Bitcoin ATMs playing a vital role in providing financial access, particularly as traditional bank branches move to a more digital environment. “These ATMs are logistically and strategically more accessible,” he notes. “They represent a diversification of financial products and a sustainable way to expand global access for customers.”
“We put consumer access and trust at the center of everything we do.”
While some fintech companies focus primarily on sales, Carreño emphasizes Athena’s customer-first and compliance-driven approach. “Our operating model is rooted in service and compliance,” he explains. “We put consumer access and trust at the center of everything we do.”
Having led anti-money laundering programs and regulatory frameworks for major banks, Carreño brings discipline to the decentralized world of Bitcoin. “It’s about institutionalizing the startup mentality while creating proper governance and transparency—without falling into bureaucracy,” he says. “We develop ownership, entrepreneurial thinking, and frameworks that allow innovation and regulation to coexist.”
For Carreño, the key is not resisting regulation but aligning with it while maintaining user experience. “It’s the power of yes,” he explains. “Yes, let’s do it, but this is how. We streamline processes that align with policy and regulation while keeping the customer experience in mind.”
One of the challenges, Carreño admits, is the perception that Bitcoin ATMs are prone to fraud. “There’s a misconception that they are vessels for third-party fraud,” he says. In reality, Athena has developed a robust control framework to mitigate risks while still providing convenience. Another frequent misunderstanding? That Bitcoin is somehow “stored in the machine.” Carreño clarifies: “We don’t custody your money or your keys. The ATM is simply a secure bridge to access Bitcoin, not a vault.”
Operating in multi-jurisdictional environments brings complexity. “The hardest part is adhering to multi-state and multi-country regulations in a dynamic, evolving industry,” Carreño says. “It’s not just the rules themselves but the fact that this industry is still so new, and regulators are learning alongside us.”
While expansion has its challenges, Carreño sees huge opportunities in Latin America. “This is a region with a large underbanked and debanked population,” he explains. “Remittances and financial access create a powerful need for solutions like Bitcoin ATMs.”
Asked about leadership in fintech, Carreño highlights clarity, transparency, agility, and client-centricity. “Put the client first,” he advises. “That mindset helps you earn trust with both regulators and customers.” His global career, he adds, has reinforced the importance of multicultural sensitivity and adaptability in leadership.
So where does Carreño see the next big opportunity for Bitcoin ATMs? “The future lies in accessibility,” he says. “Bitcoin is a decentralized, global currency and asset—yet it can be made accessible in something as familiar as a convenience store, a gas station, or a shopping mall. That’s the power of this model.”
For Carreño, the story of Athena Bitcoin is about accessibility, compliance, and customer trust. “There’s still a misconception about what we do,” he says. “We’re not holding onto people’s money or keys. We’re creating a safe, transparent, and convenient way for anyone to access Bitcoin.”
