Gate.io Founder 12th Anniversary Open Letter — Twelve Years of Gate, Opening the Future of Crypto

Remembering twelve years ago, I embarked on the first step of Gate.io with curiosity and love for the crypto world. Today, I am honored to announce that Gate.io has celebrated its twelfth anniversary, completed a brand upgrade, and officially adopted the new Chinese name “Da Men” (The Gate).

Looking back over these twelve stormy years, our growth along the way has been inseparable from the strong support and unwavering trust of our users and partners. As the saying goes, “Twelve cycles,” we will move forward with a more open attitude and firmer conviction, entering a new cycle and ushering in the next era of the Web3 world.

Twelve years ago, we opened a door

It was a door to financial freedom, a door for innovators, explorers, and builders in the crypto industry. In 2013, when the crypto industry was still in its wild frontier, driven by faith in blockchain technology and expectations for a decentralized future, we decided to create a secure, transparent, and fair digital asset trading platform. Now, after twelve years, Gate.io has become one of the leading global crypto ecosystems.

Reflecting on this journey, we have witnessed the rise and fall of the industry and experienced countless storms. We grew rapidly during the bull market and remained true to our original intention during the bear market; continuously expanding our business footprint—from centralized trading to decentralized ecosystems, from infrastructure development to venture capital—each step was taken with determination and stability. Gate.io is not just an exchange; it is a “safe harbor” trusted by global crypto users and a vibrant, thriving blockchain ecosystem.

What we did right in these twelve years

Innovation-driven, pioneering spirit

Twelve years ago, I quietly launched Bter in a small studio, which was the predecessor of Gate.io.

I have loved exploring technology since childhood and am very hands-on. My father was very open-minded about my education, often encouraging me to explore new knowledge. I spent many weekends in bookstores as a child. I almost disassembled all the appliances at home, and my father not only didn’t stop me but encouraged me to explore boldly. When I graduated from middle school, I owned my first computer, and I started self-learning various computer skills and programming. Back then, hunting for computer books at stalls was a delightful activity. During university, I mastered several programming languages and began my innovation journey, creating multiple websites and software, which surprisingly gained good traffic and users.

When I first read the Bitcoin whitepaper, I was deeply shocked and immediately became very interested in this new blockchain world. My first Bitcoin transaction was completed through a forum, but unfortunately, I was scammed. This “unfortunate experience” made me realize how important it is to provide a fair, transparent trading platform for users.

Driven by my passion for blockchain, I founded Bter during my postdoctoral studies. My initial goal was simple—bring a fair, secure, and trustworthy blockchain world to the masses. For me, technology was not difficult; in the early days, I supported the entire platform alone, handling all tasks myself—from platform development to operations, marketing, and customer service. Looking back, those days were busy but joyful. I was almost in the community every day, constantly absorbing industry innovations and user needs. My first reaction was to actively and quickly follow industry trends and hotspots. I believe this was my initial understanding of “blockchain speed,” a good habit I have maintained for 12 years. I remember in 2013, we were the first platform to support Dogecoin, handling huge traffic, with 90% of global trading volume and half of the circulating tokens on our platform. At that time, many platforms shunned these “novel” coins, but I insisted on innovation and listing new tokens. Looking back, I am very grateful for my decision at that time.

The spirit of innovation has always been a core part of Gate.io’s development over the past twelve years. From the earliest one-stop wallet Wallet.io, live streaming, plaza, chat rooms, to later innovations like quantitative robots and the Innovation Zone, Gate.io has always been at the forefront of the industry. As early as 2014, I applied for a fingerprint hardware wallet patent and launched this product. Today, Gate.io has hundreds of such innovative products and technologies. I have always encouraged the team to have an innovative spirit, investing generously in product R&D and innovation.

For me, innovation is not just a slogan but a habit from childhood to adulthood, as natural as breathing. It has shaped me and also made Gate.io what it is today. The spirit of innovation is always the driving force behind Gate.io’s continuous progress.

Security first, steady advancement

This industry is never short of innovation and opportunities, but it also comes with significant risks. Recently, industry security incidents have been frequent—whether it’s asset theft on centralized platforms or DeFi protocol vulnerabilities, security issues have once again become the focus of the entire crypto industry. I often tell the team that we are in an industry full of opportunities and immense potential, but also facing unprecedented severe tests. Opportunities and risks always go hand in hand. Protecting user assets and ensuring a stable, reliable trading experience is Gate.io’s unwavering core mission. This is not only a responsibility but also a principle and bottom line we have upheld for years.

In 2020, we proposed the use of Merkle trees for reserve proof and open-sourced this method, advocating for industry platforms to use it to publish reserve proofs, ensuring user safety and confidence. It wasn’t until the FTX collapse at the end of 2022 that the industry paid serious attention and quickly adopted this method, which continues to be used today.

Gate.io always adheres to the philosophy of “Safety First, User-Centric,” continuously investing resources to build a multi-layered security system, including cold wallet management, multi-signature, real-time risk control alerts, and a global security team operating 24/7 monitoring mechanisms. We believe that true long-term value is built on persistent dedication to security and steady operations.

Crossing development, steady growth

Looking back over the past twelve years, Gate.io has experienced the “Great Wilderness Era” of blockchain and witnessed the prosperity of DeFi Summer. During this period, the decentralized finance ecosystem experienced explosive growth, and Gate.io ranked among the top three globally, becoming an important player leading the industry’s rapid development.

As the industry continued to evolve, we went through the “initial startup” phase with traffic dividends, the “innovation” phase driven by technology, and now the “steady growth” phase focused on market expansion and strategic layout. We have crossed three major cycles and gradually grown into a leading global cryptocurrency exchange.

Throughout this development, Gate.io has always maintained steady operations and achieved remarkable results: our ecosystem users have reached hundreds of millions, continuously expanding our global user base. The number of supported tokens on the platform has exceeded 3,800, offering diverse trading options for users worldwide, making us the CEX with the most supported tokens globally. By 2025, our comprehensive strength will be firmly in the world’s top tier. We regularly publish total reserve data, which has now surpassed $10.328 billion, ranking in the top four globally, demonstrating strong financial stability. Our platform token GT hit a new all-time high of $25.96 this year, nearly 70% increase since the beginning of the year, with a market cap ranking in the top 40 worldwide, further solidifying our market position. The popular Launchpool/HODLer programs continue to bring continuous benefits to customers, with the total value of Launchpool airdrops exceeding $20.36 million, and over 140 projects launched on the platform.

Gate ecosystem fully upgraded, creating a diverse one-stop crypto experience

In the past year, the Gate ecosystem has continued to expand and upgrade, covering major sectors of Web3 and accelerating the construction of a multi-faceted platform. Gate Web3 now supports nearly 200 mainstream public chains; in the TON ecosystem, we took the lead in partnering with over a hundred projects to launch Gate Mini App and Gate Wallet Mini App, with monthly active users exceeding one million, maintaining industry leadership; we launched MemeBox 2.0, which allows one-click access to popular on-chain meme tokens directly into exchange accounts, combining the efficiency and convenience of CEX with the asset diversity of DEX, providing a seamless, secure Web3 trading experience. Meanwhile, we continue to optimize the global payment network, expanding deposit and withdrawal channels. Gate Card now supports multiple fiat currencies, with user numbers increasing by 327% and deposit amounts nearly 22 times. Gate.io is building a more open, efficient, and convenient crypto world, enabling every user to easily start their own on-chain journey.

At the same time, Gate Ventures continues to increase strategic investments worldwide, focusing on high-quality Web3 projects and other frontier sectors. We have already invested in many projects with long-term potential. Currently, Gate Ventures manages over $300 million in assets, supporting more than 100 projects. We not only provide capital support to startups but also empower projects through ecosystem integration and resource sharing, helping them grow and fostering industry development, promoting the prosperity of the Web3 ecosystem.

Advancing globalization and implementing forward-looking strategies

Gate.io always maintains a global perspective, promoting long-term layout with strategic vision and holistic thinking. We are not only sponsors of Inter Milan but also became the official sponsor of the Red Bull Racing F1 team in February this year—these cross-industry collaborations are bold and interesting. Through strategic partnerships with top global brands, we continuously enhance our international influence. Gate Group’s compliance efforts are among the top worldwide, with active compliance layouts and progress in major regions including the Americas, Middle East, Europe, and Asia. Additionally, this year we completed the acquisition of Japan-licensed exchange Coin Master through our subsidiary.

For years, we have promoted the construction of compliant platforms, ensuring our platform meets regulatory requirements worldwide, providing users with a safe and reliable trading environment. Only through compliance can every step be more solid and long-term. In recent years, Gate.io has attracted talented professionals from around the world to drive technological innovation, product optimization, and market expansion, maintaining our leading position in the competitive crypto industry. These forward-looking strategic decisions have laid a solid foundation for Gate.io’s global expansion and provide strong support for continuous innovation and industry leadership in the future.

Twelve years, a milestone and a new beginning

Gate.io looks forward to opening a new era for global users, welcoming a more open and intelligent crypto future. We are fully upgrading our brand, redefining the future direction of Gate.io—not just as a trading platform, but as a “super gateway” connecting the real world and the blockchain world.

In the future, Gate.io will:

• Continue to deepen Web3.0 deployment, accelerate the application of decentralized technologies, improve underlying infrastructure, and build a more open and free digital ecosystem;
• Expand global markets, strengthen compliance layouts. Continue to enhance communication and cooperation with regulators worldwide, empower industry compliance, and provide users with a safe, trustworthy trading environment;
• Emphasize both technological innovation and ecosystem building, continuously innovating around core scenarios such as trading, payments, and asset management, integrating crypto into every detail of daily life;
• Cultivate a globally competitive team culture, attracting and nurturing talented individuals with vision and action, empowering long-term development through efficient organizational collaboration;
• Strengthen industry cooperation and co-construction, working with quality projects, developer communities, regulators, and tech alliances to promote ecosystem interoperability and standardization, and to foster understanding and adoption of blockchain technology worldwide;
• Promote cross-industry collaboration and global dialogue, continuously enhancing brand influence worldwide. Collaborate with top global brands, actively participate in international platform activities, and bring blockchain technology into the broader mainstream audience.

Twelve years of shared hardships and progress. Here, I want to once again express my sincerest gratitude to all users, partners, and team members of Gate.io for your companionship and support along the way. Twelve years ago, we knocked on the door to the crypto world; twelve years later, we stand before a broader future. The next twelve years, we will not only “open the door” but also walk together into a truly new era of crypto. The door is open, the future is here. Gate.io looks forward to building and writing this great journey with you all!

Gate.io Founder and CEO
Dr. Han