Yi He

Yi He is the co Chief Executive Officer and a co founder of Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges by trading volume. A long standing strategic leader inside the company, she has overseen marketing, user growth, and venture investment, and later moved into a formal co CEO role as Binance adapted to a more regulated and institutionally focused phase of its development.

Overview

Yi He is widely regarded as one of the most influential women in the digital asset industry. Since Binance launched in 2017, she has been a central architect of the exchange’s global expansion, brand positioning, and ecosystem strategy. While Changpeng Zhao became the most visible public figure associated with Binance, Yi He worked behind the scenes on product direction, marketing, and long term planning that contributed to the platform’s rapid growth to a user base measured in the hundreds of millions.

Her influence extends beyond the exchange business into venture investing and ecosystem building through Binance’s investment arm and later entities associated with early Binance leadership. This combination of operational and investment roles has made her a key node in the allocation of capital and attention across the broader Web3 landscape.

Early Life and Career

Yi He was born in Sichuan province in China and has described her upbringing as modest but academically focused. She worked part time from an early age, which she has credited with shaping her views on financial independence and personal responsibility. Her academic background includes psychology, which informed her interest in user behavior, communication, and incentive design.

Before entering the cryptocurrency sector, she worked in Chinese media as a television host, presenting travel and lifestyle programs. This experience gave her an understanding of audience engagement, messaging, and storytelling. She later transitioned into the internet and technology industries, taking roles in marketing, user operations, and product growth at online platforms, including live streaming and social applications. These positions provided practical experience in scaling digital products and managing large online communities.

Founding and Building Binance

Yi He entered the crypto industry in the mid 2010s and later joined forces with Changpeng Zhao to co found Binance in 2017. From the outset, she led global marketing and user growth efforts. Binance’s rapid ascent was driven by a combination of aggressive listing strategies, competitive fee structures, and community oriented campaigns, many of which were shaped by her approach to brand and user engagement.

She has been closely associated with the development and promotion of BNB, Binance’s native token. Public profiles have noted that she committed a significant portion of her personal savings to BNB in the early stages, signaling internal confidence in the token’s role within the Binance ecosystem. Over time, BNB became central to fee discounts, token sales, and participation in the BNB Chain, reinforcing the exchange’s integrated platform model.

Venture Investments and Ecosystem Strategy

Beyond exchange operations, Yi He has been a key figure in Binance’s venture and incubation activities. Through Binance’s investment arm, she has overseen support for a wide range of projects including infrastructure, decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols, gaming, and application layer platforms. These investments helped seed activity across multiple blockchains and strengthened the network effects around BNB and the Binance ecosystem.

As the investment arm evolved, entities associated with early Binance leadership expanded their focus beyond pure crypto into adjacent sectors such as artificial intelligence and fintech, while maintaining deep exposure to digital asset projects. Yi He’s role in these efforts has reinforced her position as a bridge between operating a major exchange and backing early stage Web3 ventures.

Co CEO Role and Leadership Focus

As co CEO of Binance, Yi He shares executive responsibilities with a counterpart focused more heavily on regulatory, legal, and risk frameworks. Her portfolio centers on product, user experience, marketing, and long term platform growth. She continues to oversee strategic decisions around listings, retail and institutional user engagement, and ecosystem development.

Her leadership comes at a time when Binance operates under heightened regulatory scrutiny and evolving compliance expectations in multiple jurisdictions. The exchange continues to handle significant spot and derivatives volumes in assets such as Bitcoin and other large cap cryptocurrencies, making its governance and operational decisions material to global crypto market structure.

Industry Influence and Recognition

Yi He is frequently cited in industry commentary as one of the most powerful figures in crypto, particularly among women leaders. Her trajectory from media and internet companies to co leading a top tier exchange highlights how skills in marketing, user psychology, and community building can translate into senior roles in digital finance. She has participated in industry conferences, interviews, and public communications where she emphasizes user protection, disciplined listing practices, and sustainable growth over short term speculation.

Through her combined roles in exchange management and venture investing, she exerts influence over which projects gain exposure, liquidity, and early funding. This makes her a central figure in the ongoing evolution of the BNB ecosystem and in the broader allocation of resources within Web3.

Risks and Considerations

As a senior executive at Binance, Yi He’s profile is closely tied to the company’s regulatory and legal environment. Binance has faced fines, settlements, and ongoing dialogue with authorities in various regions, and future regulatory outcomes could affect the exchange’s operations and strategic options. Market participants monitoring Binance’s position in the global trading landscape often view its leadership team, including Yi He, as an important indicator of how the platform will navigate compliance, risk management, and business diversification.

For the digital asset industry, her career illustrates both the opportunities and complexities of building large scale crypto platforms. On one hand, Binance’s growth under her strategic guidance has expanded access to digital assets for users worldwide. On the other, the platform’s size and regulatory exposure highlight the challenges that come with operating at the intersection of rapidly evolving technology, global finance, and national regulatory frameworks.

• Binance Co-CEO & Co-Founder
• YZi Labs Head