Bitget CEO Gracy Chen Empowers Women in Crypto with 300,000 Participants in UNICEF Partnership

Gracy Chen, the CEO of Bitget, stands out as a rare and remarkable figure in the crypto industry. As the only female CEO among the top 10 crypto exchanges, she is acutely aware of the challenges women leaders face and is committed to leveraging her unique position to empower others. Half of Bitget’s management team is female, a testament to her dedication to lifting others as she climbs.

Chen’s charisma and intellect are evident in her interactions. With an MBA from MIT and a GMAT score in the top 1%, she is sharp and strategic. Under her leadership, Bitget has grown from relative obscurity to become a leading exchange with the largest copy trading platform and 120 million users globally. Her goal is to elevate Bitget further, acquire more users, and build stronger partnerships.

Chen’s unconventional background has shaped her into a strong leader. Growing up in Southwest China with a single mother who was also an MBA holder, Chen learned independence, determination, and the importance of education. These lessons have guided her throughout her career and inspired her to partner with UNICEF to advance digital education and gender equality through the Game Changers’ Coalition.

The Game Changers’ Coalition aims to empower women and girls in blockchain and web3 by providing scholarships, mentorship, and educational programs to 300,000 participants across eight developing countries. The initiative focuses on building foundational skills, supporting girls as creators in the digital economy, and developing a global support network. Bitget’s long-term goal is to reach 1.1 million people across 12 countries by 2027.

Chen’s commitment to mentoring and supporting women is also evident in Bitget’s Blockchain4her initiative, which focuses on elevating, empowering, educating, and embracing women to prepare them for leadership roles. The initiative includes inspiring ambassadors such as Solana President Lily Liu and Lighting Labs’ founder and CEO, Elizabeth Stark.

Chen acknowledges the additional barriers women face in the blockchain industry, including misogyny and stereotyping. She believes that changing perceptions and building female role models is key to overcoming these challenges. She often challenges the notion that women CEOs should be asked about balancing work and life, pointing out that men in similar positions face the same challenges.

Chen started at Bitget in 2022 as Managing Director and was promoted to CEO in May 2024. Her vision for Bitget was to elevate the exchange to a more global platform. As a China-born exchange, Chen was one of the few executives who spoke fluent English, and her role was to enhance Bitget’s brand image and influence globally. Today, Bitget serves more than 100 countries and has employees from over 42 different countries, with teams on every continent except the Arctic and Antarctica.

Bitget’s growth this year has been driven by institutions, with 80% of its spot volume coming from this group. Chen is in conversations with market makers, VCs, and tokenized money market funds to build institutional partnerships. Bitget has modified its strategy to accommodate institutional clients, focusing on compliance and rolling out continuous updates and tooling, such as unified trading accounts.

Chen is also focused on engaging with regulators and growing Bitget’s international and institutional base. She is in conversations with regulators in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Qatar to obtain different licenses. Bitget is also working on PayFi, a blockchain-based initiative to simplify crypto and real-world payments and financing by integrating DeFi and real-world assets. Additionally, Bitget is exploring the use of AI to streamline services and detect fraud.

Chen’s leadership style is characterized by her respect for her fellow humans and her commitment to serving her users better. She is not satisfied with Bitget’s current level of global reach and is always looking for ways to improve. Her vision for Bitget is to build more than just an exchange, but a platform that serves its users’ needs in terms of trading and daily activities.