As Bitcoin (BTC) continues to reach new highs, the launch of spot ETFs, and various countries around the world accelerate the introduction of regulatory frameworks for virtual assets, the cryptocurrency industry is entering a new development cycle. At the same time, competition among exchanges is shifting from a "land grab" approach to acquiring new users to a more refined operational phase focused on deepening engagement with existing users, enhancing user retention, and increasing user stickiness.
In this industry landscape, breaking through user scale is not just a victory of traffic but also a test of the platform's long-term technical strength, product innovation, and global compliance capabilities. Recently, Gate announced that its global registered users have officially surpassed 30 million, becoming one of the few cases of counter-cyclical growth in the current market dynamics.
Cointelegraph conducted an exclusive interview with Gate founder Dr. Han, who shared the deeper significance behind this number and how Gate positions itself as the "next-generation super unicorn exchange," exploring new growth curves for the industry through multi-dimensional layouts in technology, products, compliance, and ecology.
Here is the content of the interview:
Cointelegraph Chinese: Gate's user count has officially surpassed 30 million. What do you think the significance of this number is? Is it a result or a new starting point?
Dr. Han: The fact that Gate's user count has officially surpassed 30 million is not just a number for us; it represents a heavy trust and responsibility. This is a milestone achievement, indicating that 30 million users worldwide have chosen Gate and trust our ongoing investments in technology, security, products, and services. Behind this number lies the collective journey of countless users who have walked through every market cycle with us; this trust is our most valuable asset. However, I prefer to view 30 million as a new starting point. The crypto industry is still in its early development stage, and there is a long way to go for the large-scale application of Web3, the popularization of blockchain technology, and user education. The growth of users means we need to take on more responsibility: continuously enhancing our technological innovation, product experience, and security measures, while making blockchain more user-friendly, accessible, and valuable. Exchanges should not just be tools for buying and selling digital assets; they should be bridges to the future digital world. In the future, we will adhere to the principles of technology-driven, safety-first, and user-centric, continuously investing and innovating to create value for global users. I believe the next 30 million will not take too long to achieve.
Cointelegraph Chinese: You repeatedly mention the concept of "next-generation super unicorn exchange." What is the biggest difference between Gate and the previous generation of exchanges?
Dr. Han: The "next-generation super unicorn exchange" is Gate's new definition of the future form of exchanges. It not only signifies an enhancement in technical capabilities but also represents a fundamental evolution of the platform's role. We believe that an exchange with true long-term leadership must possess five core capabilities: serving billions of users, supporting millions of tokens, executing billions of transactions, managing trillions in funds, and fully adapting to global compliance regulations. Over the past twelve years, Gate has consistently focused on users, continuously achieving technological reforms and product innovations, gradually building a complete infrastructure that covers matching, risk control, cross-chain, wallets, on-chain research, and more. We are not just an exchange that lists coins quickly and has a wide variety; we are building a crypto ecosystem that connects users, assets, and scenarios. This vision has gradually materialized in several products: xStocks connects traditional finance with the on-chain world, Gate Alpha reconstructs the participation methods for emerging assets like Memes using AI, and products like CandyDrop, NFT platforms, and wallets continuously expand users' on-chain participation paths. Gate is opening the door to the future crypto world for global users. This is what we mean by the "next-generation super unicorn exchange"—a global core hub with continuous innovation and connectivity capabilities.
Cointelegraph Chinese: The explosion of Gate's contract market has only occurred in the past year. What key products or strategies have driven this growth?
Dr. Han: Over the past year, Gate's contract business has experienced rapid growth, driven by a highly focused and systematic "disruptor strategy." First, in terms of competitive strategy, we have not directly confronted the giants but have focused on a differentiated route of "long-tail assets + professional functions." By being the first to support contracts for emerging coins and establishing a rapid launch mechanism, we have become the "first stop for contracts" for many early assets, meeting the market's demand for hedging and speculation on high-volatility, high-potential assets. Secondly, Gate has long invested in underlying technology construction, creating a stable trading engine that includes high-frequency matching, cross-asset pools, and deep order book optimization. Whether it’s slippage control, large order execution, or system responsiveness, we have gained high recognition among professional traders. More importantly, we have optimized the entire user risk control experience, including supporting full margin/isolated margin stop-loss and take-profit, dynamic trailing stop-loss, MMR stop-loss mechanisms, and other combined functions, greatly enhancing flexibility and trading security. The platform also offers various order types, such as smart market orders and time-limited orders, to meet different trading strategies. Driven by these continuous investments, Gate's open interest and market share have significantly increased, rising to fourth globally in the first quarter of 2025. According to the latest assessment by CoinDesk, we have also entered the global Top 3 in the contract sector. This not only recognizes our product strength but also signifies that Gate has become a key variable in the changing landscape of the contract market.
Cointelegraph Chinese: Which product in Gate's product system do you think is the most underrated? What breakthroughs can we expect in the future?
Dr. Han: Among Gate's complete product system, I believe the most underrated is our on-chain smart trading platform—Gate Alpha. It is not just an investment tool; it is building a "next-generation Meme market entry" that integrates AI, data insights, and risk control systems. In the past, users wanting to participate in early on-chain projects often had to configure wallets, perform cross-chain transfers, and manage private keys, which had high operational thresholds and risks. Gate Alpha has achieved truly "on-chain trading as simple as buying spot." Users only need to use USDT in their Gate accounts to trade on-chain tokens with one click, without needing to leave the platform or deal with private keys. More importantly, Gate Alpha is not a "luck-based" Meme platform. We use AI to filter on-chain hotspots in real-time, combined with mechanisms for security audits, contract analysis, fund tracking, and wash trading detection, continuously listing quality assets, truly achieving the integration of "fast, easy, good, and safe." It serves as a convenient entry point for ordinary users into Web3 and an important tool for professional traders to discover early opportunities. Additionally, I am optimistic about our ongoing "cross-border integration" attempts, such as the recently launched Gate xStocks section, which is an important starting point connecting traditional finance and on-chain finance. In the future, we hope Gate will not just be a trading platform but become a hub for users to connect with diverse assets, ecological opportunities, and financial tools. Being underrated also means growth potential. We will continue to delve into segmented needs, using products to bridge the "understanding barriers" between different types of users, allowing more people to truly understand and utilize the value of the crypto world.
Cointelegraph Chinese: Gate Group recently obtained a full license from VARA in Dubai. What is your view on the position of the Middle East market in global expansion? Where is Gate's next stop?
Dr. Han: The Middle East is becoming one of the most strategically significant growth poles in the global crypto industry landscape. The Dubai license is not only an important milestone in Gate Group's compliance process but also marks a new phase in our global expansion. We are very optimistic about the long-term potential of the Middle East market. On one hand, it has a highly open policy environment and government support, being one of the few regions in the world to establish an independent regulatory framework for virtual assets. On the other hand, the high net worth population, institutional funds, and high acceptance of new technologies in the region provide fertile ground for the development of the Web3 ecosystem. Gate Group hopes to enter the local market through compliance, building local teams, participating in the local ecosystem, and providing more targeted services for Middle Eastern users. From a global perspective, Gate Group's strategy has always emphasized compliance first. We have already established multiple compliant licensed entities in Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America, and are continuously promoting localized operations. In the next phase, we will accelerate compliance and business implementation in several emerging markets globally, focusing on the integration of financial technology, expansion of payment scenarios, and on-chain asset allocation, bringing safe, open, and efficient digital asset services to more users.
Cointelegraph Chinese: Does the launch of Gate.com and the brand refresh mean that Gate is taking a different global strategic path from traditional CEXs?
Dr. Han: The launch of Gate.com and the brand refresh mark an important step in our strategic evolution. It signifies not only a more globally recognizable brand image but also symbolizes that we are embarking on a new path distinct from traditional centralized exchanges—a path focused on future infrastructure construction that is global and ecological. The role of traditional CEXs is more confined to the definition of "digital asset trading platforms," while we position Gate as a "new generation digital finance gateway," a key infrastructure connecting users with the blockchain world. We believe that the future digital economy is not an isolated Web3 small circle but a large ecosystem deeply integrating on-chain and off-chain, virtual and real. The launch of Gate.com is part of our overall strategic layout to step onto the global mainstream stage and serve the next generation of users. We hope to build an open system encompassing trading, wallets, payments, RWA, AI, developer platforms, and more through this unified international brand, providing global users, developers, and institutions with more efficient, secure, and reliable digital financial infrastructure. This refresh is a leap from a trading platform to a global digital ecosystem hub; it is not just a brand upgrade but a response and push towards the future direction of the entire industry. Gate's goal has never been to follow existing paths but to participate in shaping new paths, injecting new momentum into the long-term sustainable development of the entire industry.
Related: Gate launches xStocks US stock trading section, leading the deep integration of crypto finance and global capital markets.
免责声明：本文章仅代表作者个人观点，不代表本平台的立场和观点。本文章仅供信息分享，不构成对任何人的任何投资建议。用户与作者之间的任何争议，与本平台无关。如网页中刊载的文章或图片涉及侵权，请提供相关的权利证明和身份证明发送邮件到support@aicoin.com，本平台相关工作人员将会进行核查。
