OpenAI вводит в совет директоров глав Nubank и BNY на фоне подготовки к IPO

In July 2026, it became known that OpenAI had appointed two heads of major banks — Nubank founder David Vélez and BNY CEO Robin Vince — to both its boards of directors, nonprofit and for-profit. The publication The Next Web links these appointments to the company's preparations for a possible initial public offering.

Who was appointed to the board

OpenAI appointed two sitting bank executives to both of its boards of directors. David Vélez is the founder and CEO of Nubank, the largest digital bank in Latin America, which went public on the NYSE in December 2021. Robin Vince heads BNY (Bank of New York Mellon), one of the oldest banks in the US and one of the world's largest asset custodians.

• David Vélez — founder and CEO of Nubank
• Robin Vince — CEO of BNY (Bank of New York Mellon)
• Both were appointed to both boards at once: the nonprofit (controlling) board and the for-profit board
• OpenAI remains a private company for now
• The move is being interpreted as preparation for an IPO

Why bankers, not technologists

A company preparing to face public investors needs banking experience on its board. Both appointees run institutions of planetary scale: Nubank, according to the company itself, serves more than 100 million customers, while BNY administers tens of trillions of dollars in assets. That's exactly the profile responsible for financial discipline, relationships with institutional investors, compliance, and dealings with regulators.

"This is the kind of Wall Street ballast a company takes on when it's preparing to face public investors,"

The Next Web writes.

For OpenAI, which until recently was primarily a research lab, this marks a shift in the type of people in the room: from engineers and scientists to financiers who know how to steer a company through an IPO.

Is OpenAI preparing for an IPO

Officially, OpenAI has not announced a stock market listing and remains a private company, but the composition of its new board points in that direction. In 2025, OpenAI restructured itself: the for-profit division became a public benefit corporation (PBC), while the nonprofit arm retained control. Appointing people with stock-exchange experience to both boards at once reinforces the assumption that the company is building a governance framework for the public market.

That said, OpenAI has not named any dates, offering size, or valuation in connection with an IPO — for now, this is only about personnel signals, not filed documents.

What this means

Bringing in two banking heavyweights to the boards of directors is governance preparation for OpenAI's next stage of maturity. Even without an official announcement, such appointments are read by the market as a signal that the company will, sooner or later, head toward public investors.

Frequently asked questions

Has OpenAI already gone public?

No. As of July 2026, OpenAI remains a private company and has not officially announced a stock offering. Appointing bankers to the board is only an indirect signal of preparation.

Who is David Vélez?

David Vélez is the founder and CEO of Nubank, the largest digital bank in Latin America. Nubank went public on the NYSE in December 2021.

What is BNY, the bank led by Robin Vince?

BNY (formerly Bank of New York Mellon) is one of the oldest banks in the US and one of the largest asset custodians in the world. Robin Vince, its CEO, joined both of OpenAI's boards of directors.