The 12th Anniversary Open Letter of the Founder of Gate.io – 12 Years of the Door, Opening the Future of Encryption

Dear Gate.io users and partners:

I still remember twelve years ago, I started the first step of Gate.io with a curiosity and love for the crypto world . Today, I am very honored to announce that Gate.io has gone through its twelfth year and has completed its brand upgrade and officially launched the new Chinese name "Gate".

Looking back at the twelve years of storm, the growth along the way is inseparable from the strong support and consistent trust of all users and partners. As the saying goes, "Twelve and One Reincarnation", we will move towards a new cycle with a more open attitude and firmer belief, and usher in the next era of the Web3 world.

Twelve years ago, we opened a door.

It is a door to free finance, a door to innovators, explorers and builders of the crypto industry. In 2013, the crypto industry was still in a wilderness. With our belief in blockchain technology and expectations for a decentralized future, we decided to build a safe, transparent and fair digital asset trading platform. Now, twelve years later, Gate.io has become one of the world's leading crypto ecosystem platforms.

Looking back on this journey, we have witnessed the ups and downs of the industry and experienced countless storms. He once grew rapidly in a bull market, and also sticked to his original aspirations in a bear market; he continued to expand his business territory, from centralized transactions to decentralized ecology, from infrastructure construction to venture capital, and every step was firm and down-to-earth. Gate.io is not only an exchange, it is a "safe harbor" trusted by global crypto users, but also a vibrant and prosperous blockchain ecosystem.

What have we done right in the past twelve years?

Innovation-driven, dare to be the first

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

I have loved to study technology since I was a child and have strong hands-on ability. My father is very open-minded about my education method. He often encourages me to explore new knowledge. I often spent my childhood weekends in bookstores. When I was a child, I almost removed all the appliances at home. Not only did my father not stop me, but I encouraged me to explore boldly; when I graduated from junior high school, I had my first computer in my life. At that time, I began to learn various computer knowledge and program. At that time, it was a good thing to buy various computer books and newspapers on the book stalls. During college, I was already proficient in several computer languages ​​and started my journey of innovation, and wrote multiple websites and software by myself. Fortunately, these websites and software have achieved good traffic and users.

When I first read the Bitcoin White Paper, I was deeply shocked and I immediately developed a strong interest in this brand new blockchain world. My first bitcoin transaction was done through the forum and unfortunately I was cheated. It was this "unfortunate experience" that made me realize that providing a fair and transparent trading platform is so important to users.

With my passion for blockchain, I founded Biter during my postdoctoral period. My original intention was simple - to bring the fair, safe and trustworthy blockchain world to the public. Technology is not a problem for me. In the early days of launch, I was the only one who supported the entire platform, and I took on all the work. From platform development to operation, marketing, and even customer service, I am responsible for it myself. Now when I think back on that time, I seem to be busy and happy. At that time, I spent almost every day in the community, constantly absorbing the innovative concepts and user needs in the industry. At that time, my first reaction was to actively and quickly follow the industry innovation and hot topics. I think this is my initial understanding of "blockchain speed". I have maintained this good habit for 12 years. I still remember that in 2013, we were the first to launch Dogecoin platform, which undertook huge traffic, and 90% of the global transaction volume and half of the circulating tokens are on our platform. At that time, many platforms kept their distance from these "novel" currencies, but I insisted on innovation and innovation. Looking back to this day, I am very grateful for my current decision.

The sense of innovation has always been throughout Gate.io 's development over the past twelve years. Gate.io is the first to take the lead in taking advantage of all the latest products and trends . From the earliest one-stop wallet Wallet.io, live broadcast, square, chat room, and later quantitative robots, innovation zones, etc., Gate.io has always been at the forefront of the industry. As early as 2014, I applied for a fingerprint hardware wallet patent and put into production this wallet. Now Gate.io has hundreds of innovative products and technologies of this type. I have always encouraged the team to have an innovative spirit and never be stingy in product research and development and innovative development.

For me, innovation is not a concept that is advertised, but a behavioral habit from childhood to adulthood, as simple and comfortable as breathing. It not only shaped me, but also made Gate.io. The spirit of innovation has always been the source of motivation for Gate.io to move forward.

Safety-based, move forward steadily

This industry has never lacked innovation and opportunities, but it also comes with risks that cannot be ignored. Industry security incidents have occurred frequently in recent years. Whether it is the theft of centralized platform assets or the vulnerabilities in DeFi protocols, security issues have once again become the focus of attention of the entire crypto industry. I often tell the team that we are in an industry full of opportunities and the most development potential, and we are also experiencing unprecedented severe tests, and opportunities and risks are always inseparable. Protecting the security of user assets and ensuring stable and reliable trading experience is Gate.io 's core mission. This is not only a responsibility, but also the principles and bottom line we have adhered to for many years.

In 2020, we proposed the method of Merkel Tree as a reserve fund proof and opened source, and advocated that industry platforms use this method to publish reserve fund proof to make users safe and secure. It was not until the FTX burst at the end of 2022 that it was valued by the industry and was quickly and widely used until today.

Gate.io has always adhered to the concept of "safety first and user-oriented", and has continuously invested resources to build a multi-level security system, covering cold wallet management, multi-signature, real-time risk control warning and global security team all-weather monitoring mechanism. We believe that true long-term value establishment begins with every persistence and steady operation of security.

Leapfrog development and steady growth

Looking back on the past twelve years, Gate.io has experienced the "big wilderness era" of blockchain and witnessed the prosperity of DeFi Summer. During this period, the decentralized financial ecosystem ushered in explosive growth, and Gate.io also ranked among the top three in the world in its report card, becoming an important member leading the rapid development of the industry.

With the continuous development of the industry, we have experienced the traffic dividends of the "start-up period" and the technology-driven of the "innovation period", and then to the current "stable period" market expansion and strategic layout, crossing three important cycles and gradually growing into the world's leading cryptocurrency exchange.

During this development process, Gate.io has always adhered to steady operations and achieved remarkable achievements: the ecological users reach tens of millions, and our global user base continues to expand. The number of currencies on the platform has exceeded 3,800, providing global users with diverse trading options and is the CEX exchange with the largest number of currencies in the world. In 2025, our comprehensive strength has firmly ranked first in the world. We released the total reserve data on time. Now the total reserve has exceeded US$10.328 billion, ranking among the top four in the world, reflecting strong financial stability. Platform Coin GT also hit a record high of $25.96 this year, an increase of nearly 70% from the beginning of the year. Its market value rankings have jumped into the top 40 in the world, further consolidating our market position. Gate.io's popular Launchpool and HODLer Airdrop continue to bring continuous benefits to customers, with the total cumulative value of Launchpool airdrops exceeding US$20.36 million, and there are more than 140 projects launched on the platform.

The Gate ecosystem is fully upgraded to create a diverse one-stop encryption experience

In the past year, the Gate ecosystem has continued to expand and upgrade, covering all major sectors of Web3, and accelerating the construction of a diversified and integrated platform. Gate Web3 has supported nearly 200 mainstream public chains; in terms of the TON ecosystem, we have been the first to work with more than 100 projects to launch the Gate Mini App and Gate Wallet Mini App, with more than one million monthly active users, and continue to lead the same track; we launched the innovative MemeBox 2.0, which connects popular Meme tokens on the chain to the exchange account with one click, integrating the efficiency and convenience of CEX and the asset diversity of DEX, bringing a convenient and secure Web3 trading experience. At the same time, we continue to optimize the global payment network and continuously expand deposit and exit channels. Gate Card has supported a variety of fiat currencies, with the number of users soaring by 327%, and the recharge amount has increased by nearly 22 times. Gate.io is building a more open, efficient and convenient crypto world, allowing every user to easily start their own on-chain journey.

At the same time, Gate Ventures continues to increase its strategic investment worldwide, focus on cutting-edge tracks such as high-quality Web3 projects, and has laid out a number of high-quality projects with long-term potential. At present, Gate Ventures has managed assets of more than US$300 million, and the number of supported projects exceeds 100. It not only provides capital support for start-ups, but also uses ecological empowerment and resource collaboration to help project growth and industry development and promote the prosperity and co-construction of the Web3 innovation ecosystem.

Promote global layout and implement forward-looking strategies

Gate.io always adheres to a global perspective and promotes long-term layout with strategic heights and global thinking. We are not only a sponsor of Inter Milan, but also became the official sponsor of the F1 Red Bull team in February this year. These cross-border cooperations are bold and interesting. Through strategic cooperation with top global brands, we will continue to enhance our international influence. Gate Group's layout and investment in compliance ranks among the world's forefront, achieving compliance layout and making positive progress in major regions such as the Americas, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. In addition, this year, we have completed the acquisition of Japan's licensed exchange Coin Master through our subsidiaries.

Over the years, we have promoted the construction of compliant sites to ensure that the platform meets local regulatory requirements worldwide and provides users with a safe and reliable trading environment. Only compliance can make every step we take is more solid and longer. In recent years, Gate.io has continuously attracted outstanding talents from all over the world to join in order to promote technological innovation, product optimization and market expansion, so that the company can always maintain a leading position in the highly competitive crypto industry. These forward-looking strategic decisions provide a solid foundation for Gate.io ’s global expansion and provide strong support for future continued innovation and industry leadership.

Twelve years are a milestone and a new starting point.

Gate.io looks forward to opening the "door" of the new era for global users and welcoming a more open and smarter encryption future. We are upgrading our brand comprehensively and redefining the future direction of Gate.io – not just transactions, but a "super entrance" that connects the real world and the blockchain world.

In the future, Gate.io will:

● Continue to deepen the layout of Web3.0, accelerate the application and implementation of decentralized technologies, improve underlying infrastructure, and build a more open and free digital ecosystem;

●Expand the global market and strengthen compliance layout. Continue to strengthen communication and cooperation with regulatory agencies around the world, empower the industry's compliance process, and provide users with a safe and credible trading environment;

●Adhere to the principle of putting technology-driven and ecological construction at the same time, and continue to innovate around core scenarios such as transactions, payments, and asset management, so that encryption can be integrated into every detail of real life;

●Create a globally competitive team culture, attract and cultivate more visionary and action-oriented talents, and empower long-term development with efficient and collaborative organizational strength;

● Strengthen cooperation and co-construction within the industry, work with high-quality project parties, developer communities, regulatory agencies and technology alliances to promote ecological interoperability and industry standardization construction, and promote the global understanding and popularization of blockchain technology;

●Promote cross-border cooperation and global dialogue, and continuously enhance the brand's global influence. Cooperate with world-leading brands and actively participate in international platform activities, so that blockchain technology can enter a broader vision of mainstream people.

After twelve years of hard work, here, I would like to express my sincerest thanks to all Gate.io users, partners and team members for their company and support along the way. Twelve years ago, we knocked on the door to the crypto world; twelve years later, we stood in front of the door and saw a broader future. In the next twelve years, we will not only "open the door", but also enter a real new era of encryption together. The door has opened and the future has come. Gate.io looks forward to working with you to continue to build and write this great journey together!

Founder and CEO of Gate.io

Dr. Han

Disclaimer : This content does not constitute any offer, solicitation, or suggestions. You should always seek independent professional advice before making any investment decisions. Please note that Gate.io may restrict or prohibit all or part of services from restricted areas. Please read the User Agreement for more information, link: https://www.gate.io/zh/user-agreement .