Who Is Yi He? The Co-Founder Turned Co-CEO

Yi He’s path to Fortune’s list started far from crypto trading floors. Before Binance, she worked as a Chinese television host, then pivoted into the blockchain world in 2014 at OKX (then Okcoin)—where she recruited Changpeng “CZ” Zhao as chief technology officer . When CZ launched Binance in 2017, he brought her on as a co-founder. For years, she served as chief marketing officer and became the public face of the exchange, especially in Asia .

In December 2025, Binance formalized her influence by promoting her to co-CEO alongside Richard Teng, who had taken over after CZ stepped down in 2023 . The move balanced Teng’s regulated-finance background with He’s deep ties to the crypto community . She also heads YZi Labs (formerly Binance Labs), the venture capital and family-office arm that invests in Web3, AI, and biotech . Reports from Fortune and the Wall Street Journal put her stake in Binance at roughly 10%, making her a multibillionaire and the exchange’s second-largest shareholder .

Binance’s Reaction and Why This Matters

The company didn’t keep quiet about the honor. Binance posted on X that He’s listing underscores her “vision and leadership in helping shape Binance,” and cast it as a watershed not just for her but for the wider crypto industry . The message was amplified across Binance’s global channels, framing the milestone as proof that digital-asset leaders can stand alongside executives from Citigroup, GM, and Accenture .

Industry observers echoed the sentiment. For years, Fortune’s Most Powerful Women list included no one from the crypto sector, but He’s inclusion suggests the walls are cracking . She now sits in the same ranking as Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser (#1) and AMD chief Lisa Su (#3), a reflection of crypto’s deepening integration into mainstream finance .

Inside the Numbers: Binance’s Scale

He’s influence rests on Binance’s staggering reach. As of its 2025 year-end review:

• 300+ million registered users across more than 100 countries .
• $34 trillion in total trading volume processed in 2025 .
• Spot trading volume alone reached $7.1 trillion .
• Average daily trading volume across all products jumped 18% year-over-year .

Binance also became the first global crypto exchange to win full authorization under Abu Dhabi Global Market’s framework, bridging scale and regulation . The user base grew by 90 million in just three years—from 210 million in 2022 to over 300 million by the end of 2025 . That means roughly 1 in 27 people worldwide now has a Binance account .

The Next Target: From 300 Million to 3 Billion Users

Yi He isn’t slowing down. She has publicly set a target of 3 billion users, about ten times Binance’s current base . “1 billion is a clear goal, and we can achieve that,” she said earlier this year. “So for this reason, we set a more aggressive goal at the 3 billion target” .

The strategy goes beyond trading. He believes the next wave of adoption will come from payments, yield products, on-chain services, and tokenized traditional assets, not just spot or derivatives volume . In her vision, Binance transforms from a crypto exchange into “global financial infrastructure” .

That ambition tracks with broader industry trends. As of mid-2025, about 741 million people globally used crypto, and products built on crypto rails were scaling fast—real-world tokenized assets alone topped $25 billion . He’s own promotion and Fortune recognition now give her a global platform to push that narrative forward.

For a former TV host who entered the space only a decade ago, the Fortune nod is more than a personal trophy. It marks the moment crypto’s glass ceiling started to crack from the inside out.

Who Is Yi He? The Co-Founder Turned Co-CEO

Yi He’s path to Fortune’s list started far from crypto trading floors. Before Binance, she worked as a Chinese television host, then pivoted into the blockchain world in 2014 at OKX (then Okcoin)—where she recruited Changpeng “CZ” Zhao as chief technology officer . When CZ launched Binance in 2017, he brought her on as a co-founder. For years, she served as chief marketing officer and became the public face of the exchange, especially in Asia .

In December 2025, Binance formalized her influence by promoting her to co-CEO alongside Richard Teng, who had taken over after CZ stepped down in 2023 . The move balanced Teng’s regulated-finance background with He’s deep ties to the crypto community . She also heads YZi Labs (formerly Binance Labs), the venture capital and family-office arm that invests in Web3, AI, and biotech . Reports from Fortune and the Wall Street Journal put her stake in Binance at roughly 10%, making her a multibillionaire and the exchange’s second-largest shareholder .

Binance’s Reaction and Why This Matters

The company didn’t keep quiet about the honor. Binance posted on X that He’s listing underscores her “vision and leadership in helping shape Binance,” and cast it as a watershed not just for her but for the wider crypto industry . The message was amplified across Binance’s global channels, framing the milestone as proof that digital-asset leaders can stand alongside executives from Citigroup, GM, and Accenture .

Industry observers echoed the sentiment. For years, Fortune’s Most Powerful Women list included no one from the crypto sector, but He’s inclusion suggests the walls are cracking . She now sits in the same ranking as Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser (#1) and AMD chief Lisa Su (#3), a reflection of crypto’s deepening integration into mainstream finance .

Inside the Numbers: Binance’s Scale

He’s influence rests on Binance’s staggering reach. As of its 2025 year-end review:

• 300+ million registered users across more than 100 countries .
• $34 trillion in total trading volume processed in 2025 .
• Spot trading volume alone reached $7.1 trillion .
• Average daily trading volume across all products jumped 18% year-over-year .

Binance also became the first global crypto exchange to win full authorization under Abu Dhabi Global Market’s framework, bridging scale and regulation . The user base grew by 90 million in just three years—from 210 million in 2022 to over 300 million by the end of 2025 . That means roughly 1 in 27 people worldwide now has a Binance account .

The Next Target: From 300 Million to 3 Billion Users

Yi He isn’t slowing down. She has publicly set a target of 3 billion users, about ten times Binance’s current base . “1 billion is a clear goal, and we can achieve that,” she said earlier this year. “So for this reason, we set a more aggressive goal at the 3 billion target” .

The strategy goes beyond trading. He believes the next wave of adoption will come from payments, yield products, on-chain services, and tokenized traditional assets, not just spot or derivatives volume . In her vision, Binance transforms from a crypto exchange into “global financial infrastructure” .

That ambition tracks with broader industry trends. As of mid-2025, about 741 million people globally used crypto, and products built on crypto rails were scaling fast—real-world tokenized assets alone topped $25 billion . He’s own promotion and Fortune recognition now give her a global platform to push that narrative forward.

For a former TV host who entered the space only a decade ago, the Fortune nod is more than a personal trophy. It marks the moment crypto’s glass ceiling started to crack from the inside out.