"High-End Dialogue" Bitget CEO Gracy: Cryptocurrency Doesn't Need a "Wall Street Elite" Persona—Bitcoin Should Enter Every Household
TechFlow Selected TechFlow Selected
"High-End Dialogue" Bitget CEO Gracy: Cryptocurrency Doesn't Need a "Wall Street Elite" Persona—Bitcoin Should Enter Every Household
We don't believe the crypto industry should put on airs of being some highbrow "Wall Street elite." On the contrary, we firmly believe Bitcoin should become accessible to everyday people.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsArticle author, source: Echo, MetaEra
In the male-dominated crypto industry, Gracy Chen is crafting a unique narrative through her distinctive career path. From a Phoenix Finance journalist to CEO of Bitget, transitioning from an industry observer to a change driver, this female CEO—equipped with both media insight and business execution prowess—has led Bitget to rise against the tide during bear markets, bringing the exchange into discussions about the "top three platforms" within just three years. This exclusive interview by MetaEra not only reveals the business logic behind Bitget's rapid growth but also showcases a female leader’s deep reflections on industry equality, talent strategy, and crypto inclusivity.
Key Insights
· Not feminism, but equality;
· We don’t believe the crypto industry should act like elite “Wall Street professionals.” On the contrary, we firmly believe Bitcoin should reach ordinary households;
· We uphold a results-driven culture: as long as someone delivers tangible outcomes for their role, they can achieve substantial growth here.
Full Interview
MetaEra: In the widely circulated photo of Hong Kong’s crypto OGs dining together, you were the only woman present. Did you notice that at the time? How do you define your role in such settings?
Gracy: I wasn't just the only woman—I was also the only person who entered the space after 2020. I officially joined the industry in early 2022, so compared to veterans who were mining back in 2012, my experience is indeed limited. What's more interesting is that I was actually the last one to arrive. When I walked into the room, only one seat was left. I looked up and saw a gathering of “arhat lineup” figures. After sitting down, I half-jokingly asked, “Am I the only woman here today? Then how about you all treat me as a brother! Today, I'm one of the guys.”
Though said in jest, I still felt a bit regretful—out of fifteen industry OGs at the dinner, only one was a woman. At the same time, I felt honored that because of the platform I represent, I had the opportunity to sit and exchange ideas with these OGs. It was truly joyful to be able to chat with them. The conversation topics were surprisingly down-to-earth—the seniors genuinely cared about our exchange’s latest developments. Keep in mind, many of them have already achieved success and retired; some own estates in the U.S., enjoying retirement, others are focusing on family life. Yet they still asked earnestly: “Gracy, what new moves has your exchange made recently?”
What surprised me even more was that they raised many practical needs. For instance, regarding Bitcoin asset custody—some seniors may hold thousands of Bitcoins and wonder: how can they plan inheritance distribution among multiple children? Are there reliable trust institutions or exchanges offering professional services? I’ve started seriously researching this issue. Of course, the details involving legal compliance, regulatory coordination, and trust partnerships are quite complex. These topics are truly fascinating.
MetaEra: As your image as a female CEO becomes increasingly prominent, discussions around gender are growing. Do you embrace these topics as attention-grabbing moments, or do you prefer to downplay gender labels?
Gracy: It depends on context. From the perspective of brand communication and market influence, in our industry environment, it actually serves as a strong talking point. I’m often asked about this by media outlets—common themes like challenges faced by single mothers, or how a female CEO balances career and family life—are real and relatable issues people care about. I’m happy to share on these topics, and from a communications standpoint, it makes sense. So I never avoid them—in fact, I might even strategically leverage them. If people want to talk, then let’s talk.
At work, especially when it comes to “putting results on the table,” I prefer to disregard gender. Whether for myself or any team member, performance quality has nothing to do with gender. I see such identity constructs as having different meanings in different contexts. We don’t talk about women’s rights—we talk about equality!
MetaEra: Bitget has grown rapidly in recent years and become an industry focal point. What do you consider the core drivers behind this fast development?
Gracy: Looking back at our journey, we seized opportunities amid industry turbulence. Shortly after I joined the company in 2022, we faced consecutive black swan events—Luna’s collapse, Three Arrows Capital and Celsius going bankrupt—which dragged the entire industry into a bear market. But precisely during this adversity, we managed to break through. The key was our relentless focus on product development and service optimization, treating the bear market as a valuable period to strengthen our foundation.
When the market warmed up—for example, following the approval of Bitcoin ETFs in 2024 and the election of a crypto-friendly president—and Bitcoin prices surged from the $60k–$70k range to $90k, we were fully prepared. This validates our core philosophy: doing the right thing at the right time. Our accurate judgment of industry cycles, combined with the team’s continuous investment in product and user experience, form the dual engines powering Bitget’s rapid growth. Our timing calls have been fairly accurate, and our core belief remains: do the right thing at the right time. While easy to say, identifying what the “right thing” is requires strong strategic capabilities.
MetaEra: Bitget’s brand marketing has repeatedly crossed into mainstream awareness, opening new doors for promoting crypto—such as signing Messi, creative CEO street-style videos, expansion onto Xiaohongshu and Douyin, and eye-popping year-end bonuses. How does your team balance the professionalism of the crypto industry with mass-market communication logic?
Gracy: We don’t believe the crypto industry should carry itself like high-and-mighty “Wall Street elites.” On the contrary, we firmly believe Bitcoin should enter everyday households—if you don’t own Bitcoin yet, you should start buying now and build your position. This “inclusive finance” mindset shapes our communication strategy: staying close to the public and actively listening to community voices. For instance, when listing tokens, we prioritize those genuinely loved by users and with significant holder addresses.
As for the street-style videos, that’s purely a personal hobby. My first job was as a journalist at Phoenix Finance, and the media DNA drives me to keep sharing. Recalling my twenties, I deeply desired to hear insights from those ahead of me. Now that I’m in this position, I naturally hope to pass on workplace wisdom and life experiences to more young people through such formats.
MetaEra: Regarding the recent buzz around hiring only 28 people out of 10,000 campus recruitment resumes, what talent selection mechanisms and considerations were behind this? Any insights to share?
Gracy: Indeed, we received tens of thousands of applications from top global universities during this campus hiring round. But it must be emphasized: academic background is precisely the factor we value the least in Bitget’s talent evaluation system. Whether campus hiring, public recruitment, or industry talent mobility, we consistently apply the same value assessment criteria: what value can the candidate create, what are they good at, what are their career goals, and do these align with Bitget’s developmental needs?
Based on this, our team composition is highly diverse. Taking gender ratio as an example, female executives account for 44%—a number that speaks volumes. At Bitget, gender, marital status, or childbearing plans—traditional “sensitive factors” in recruitment—have zero impact on hiring decisions.
Actually, joining Bitget isn’t that hard—the real challenge lies in continuously creating value. We uphold a results-oriented culture: as long as you deliver tangible results for your role, anyone can achieve substantial growth here.
MetaEra: The industry often discusses the “big three” exchanges. Bitget has already ranked among the top tier in many data metrics. Can you share some key performance figures or upcoming initiatives for this year?
Gracy: According to exchange rankings on CoinMarketCap and CoinGecko, whether in spot or derivatives trading, we’ve consistently maintained a top-five position, with certain metrics even entering the top three. But data is only superficial—I care more about whether we’re truly doing things well. Bitget initially served retail users. Starting last year, we began systematically expanding into institutional services. Once we scale up our institutional business, I’m confident we’ll move even higher.
MetaEra: Your career path is highly representative. You also came from journalism and climbed your way to this position. Any advice for newcomers following a similar trajectory?
Gracy: Rather than advice, let me share some personal reflections. My media background certainly gave me unique advantages: strong external communication skills, expertise in building influence, and sharp industry intuition. But there’s also a huge gap between that and running an exchange.
It took me ten years to go from journalist to exchange CEO—from graduating in 2014 to officially becoming Bitget’s CEO in May 2024. This journey was full of twists: launching my first startup in 2015–2016, later serving as co-founder and CEO at various companies, and earning an MBA from MIT along the way. There were many changes and setbacks. These experiences taught me this: while leveraging the natural strengths of a journalist, one must seriously develop hard skills in business management—practical operations, solid team leadership, and macro-level strategic judgment. When you integrate media “soft power” with business “hard skills” and diligently execute, the rest will naturally follow.
MetaEra: Could you briefly introduce Bitget’s latest product launch?
Gracy: We recently launched an Onchain (on-chain trading) product, marking a significant step in Bitget’s expansion into the on-chain ecosystem. Previously, we released a product called Bitget Seed. This new Onchain product represents a major upgrade over Bitget Seed. Simply put, it enables users to enjoy decentralized trading experiences within a centralized exchange while breaking down on-chain transaction barriers. Currently, Onchain supports popular public chains including Solana (SOL), BNB Smart Chain (BSC), and Base.
For example, using a traditional decentralized exchange (DEX) requires manually entering token contract addresses, securely managing private keys, and performing numerous cross-chain bridge operations. We’ve integrated all these complex steps into the Onchain product. AI within the product helps users screen tokens, and the purchasing process is extremely smooth. This allows users to access DEX-like trading experiences directly through a centralized exchange. To encourage user adoption, we’ve also rolled out multiple incentive programs.
Join TechFlow official community to stay tuned
Telegram:https://t.me/TechFlowDaily
X (Twitter):https://x.com/TechFlowPost
X (Twitter) EN:https://x.com/BlockFlow_News
