It’s a little-known fact that women are behind two of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges.
It’s a little-known fact that women are behind two of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world.
In a blog post published on May 21, Gracie Chen, former managing director of cryptocurrency exchange Bitgate, who is now CEO of the company, detailed her journey leading the exchange that currently facilitates a volume of transactions of 4 billion dollars:
“I was raised by a single mother and I was supposed to grow up happy. Like many Asian parents, she hoped that I wouldn’t be too aggressive and that my biggest future mission would be to find a life partner. However, from a young age, I was drawn to the idea of leadership. Starting in elementary school, I actively sought every opportunity to be a leader. My desire to lead was not to manage or direct others, but to create more value.
Chen described how, at 18, she won a scholarship to study applied mathematics in Singapore and became a television presenter for a Chinese finance and technology program after graduation, where she discovered Bitcoin (BTC ), priced at $300 at the time, thanks to people she interviewed. in 2015. .
“I started reading the Bitcoin whitepaper and was immediately blown away. As a mathematician, I loved its mathematical beauty. I was enthusiastic about the democratic nature of the system. Most of all, I was attracted to how he created the new decentralized ledger. Which complements the traditional centralized financial sector.
Soon after, Chen quit his TV job and co-founded two fintech and virtual reality startups, while simultaneously enrolling in an MBA at MIT: “What do you call an entrepreneur who fails? Initiative. and it’s me!”
In spring 2022, Chen joined Bitget after seeing an opening for a general manager position. As the company’s current CEO, she manages more than 1,500 employees.
Other personalities include He Yi, co-founder of the popular cryptocurrency exchange Binance.
In 1986, Yi He was born into a family of teachers in the remote countryside of Sichuan Province, mainland China. Despite her simple upbringing and relatively isolated childhood, Yi Hee quickly showed an innate talent for learning, finishing first in all of her school exams and using her free time to read.
In her early adult years, Yi He left her hometown to pursue a career in psychology in Beijing, but she soon found that there were few prospects, as she relates that, unlike the current situation, people weren’t “concerned about mental health” back then. this time. However, she developed communication and interaction skills, which became the cornerstone of her breakthrough in 2012 when she auditioned for a TV show about Chinese tourism and got the role.
After traveling the country as a television host, in 2013, when Bitcoin was still trading at $1,100, Ye met Star Xu, the founder of Okcoin, now known as the exchange OKX, which was looking for a well-known influencer to promote Okcoin. . OKX brand. After making a small fortune in the Chinese bull market from 2006 to 2008, Yi He became interested in the cryptocurrency sector and, in addition to her TV presenting experience, accepted an offer to become vice president of OKcoin .
Under Yi He’s leadership, OKX quickly became a leading exchange in mainland China. Also around this time, Yi He introduced her future husband, Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, who was a friend at the time, to take on the role of CTO at Okcoin.
Unfortunately, CZ reportedly had a rocky relationship with Okcoin’s Star Shaw, and by 2015 he had resigned from the company. Ye Hee apparently didn’t like being caught in the crossfire and also resigned that same year. For two years, Yi He worked in the technology industry and by 2017, she had developed an ambition to run not only a company in China, but also a company with global influence.
Around the same time, CZ released his white paper describing the global cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, which he showed to Yi He. Realizing that CZ was the only person in his network with the experience and personality to build an international exchange, Yi He jumped on board and co-founded the exciting Binance in June 2017.
Today, Binance is the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world, with a daily trading volume of $36.5 billion and total assets of $134.6 billion. Although CZ is no longer involved in Binance’s decision-making or operations, Yi He and its current CEO, Richard Teng, have since taken the reins and have often shared their predictions about the future of the cryptocurrency industry.
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