An Open Letter from Gate Founder Dr. Han on 13th Anniversary: Releasing the Power of Transformation Through Cycles

Dear Gate users, partners, and friends from the media,
This year marks Gate's 13th anniversary. When I founded the platform, Bitcoin and blockchain were still far from mainstream. Today, Gate serves tens of millions of users worldwide. This journey would not have been possible without the trust of our users, partners, and team. On this occasion, I would like to share a few reflections on where we started, what we have learned, and how we see the road ahead.

The Start of a Choice: Out of the Comfort Zone, Into What's Next

Thirteen years ago, I made a decision that went against a well-defined path.
At the time, I was pursuing postdoctoral research in optoelectronics overseas. Following the existing path to becoming an academic researcher was a highly certain and widely recognized option.
From a rational perspective, it hardly required more debate.
But I chose a different direction.
Had I stayed in that field, focusing on the fields of optoelectronics and semiconductors, my life might have followed a completely different trajectory. Those fields were also shaping the future and offered both stability and long-term value.
But the real question back then for me was not which path felt safer. It was the direction pointed toward the next structural shift.
At that time, blockchain was still an emerging idea with little consensus. It was uncertain and easy to overlook. Precisely because of that, it required conviction and patience. Looking back, that decision shaped everything that followed in the next 13 years.
It was more like a personal choice.
There was no team, no roadmap, and very limited resources. What started with one person gradually became a small group, and eventually a global organization of nearly 3,000 people. The progress was already an answer.
I still remember our first team gathering. It was a cold winter day, and only a few of us were there. There was no formal agenda. We simply sat together and discussed ideas that were still uncertain.
But at that moment, it felt real.
As the team grew, structure followed. But that early moment already carried the essence of what Gate would become.

Defining Capability Through Actions

In hindsight, this choice was not accidental.
From a young age, I was used to making my own decisions and validating answers through hands-on exploration rather than following predefined paths.
After getting my first computer in middle school, I began systematically teaching myself programming, disassembling and rebuilding machines repeatedly.
I was less focused on outcomes and more interested in understanding how things worked at a fundamental level. This curiosity later extended into more structured learning.
Choosing electronics as my field of study was not just an academic decision, but a continuation of this mindset. I spent more time on experiments and hands-on practice than on formal coursework, gradually developing a problem-driven approach to learning.
During my graduate and doctoral years, this approach intensified. Most of my time was spent in the lab, designing, debugging, and validating systems in a highly focused, repetitive cycle. It reminds me of the intensity behind Gate's recent investment in Intelligent Web3, where the team worked relentlessly for nearly two months. It was demanding, but also deeply exciting, and we delivered.
Looking back, these experiences shaped lasting traits: attention to detail, patience in deconstructing complex systems, and an instinctive work rhythm. Some colleagues joke that this is why I tend to work late into the night.
In the early days of entrepreneurship, I was often the last person to leave the office. Many key decisions were made during those quiet hours. After a few hours of rest, the cycle would begin again. Internally, people would joke that my schedule operated in a different time zone.
But in many ways, that rhythm reflects how I think and make decisions. I value my "uninterrupted time".

Navigating the Unknown

Choosing to commit long-term to an unproven and often misunderstood field is, in itself, a risk.
At that time, the industry lacked clear rules, mature infrastructure, and even basic trust.
The challenge we faced was not just technical. Instead, it was fundamental: does the world need to be rebuilt in this way? Our answer was yes.
And so Gate took its first step.
In those early years, I often found myself on the least-traveled path. Being misunderstood, questioned, or overlooked was the norm.
But over time, the road not taken often proves to be the start of new paradigms. Intelligent Web3 today is going through a similar phase, marked by skepticism, limited consensus, and repeated validation of long-term value.
From obscurity to widespread discussion, from experimentation to infrastructure, Gate has consistently maintained its pace of innovation, boldly staying at the forefront of the industry while continuously exploring new products, technologies, and models.
Looking back, I've taken some wrong turns and made decisions that weren't perfect, but every attempt has added to our experience and proven worthwhile. I once told the team that, over the years, the cost we've paid for our mistakes has exceeded a billion dollars.
During periods of market euphoria, we maintained discipline. During downturns, we did not abandon long-term investment.
We came to understand that what defines a platform is not its ability to expand in bullish cycles, but its discipline in bearish ones, whether it remains rational under pressure, cautious in the face of risk, and committed to first principles amid uncertainty.
These qualities matter more than growth itself.
Through continuous attempts, we have finally transformed ourselves from initial explorers into more constructive industry pioneers.

2025: A Year of Structural Progress

Today, as we reflect at the beginning of our 13th year, the industry is undergoing a transition:
From narrative-driven to infrastructure-driven;
From sentiment to long-term value accumulation;
From isolated innovation to real-world applications.
New variables are entering the system: technology, regulation, and a broader user base. This means the bar for the industry is rising. At the same time, the opportunity for true long-term players is expanding.
Gate is shifting its role from a builder to a shaper of industry structure. We are no longer limited to facilitating trading services. We are building connections between users and assets, liquidity and innovation, and opportunities across markets.
This path is more complex, and it comes with greater responsibility.
For Gate, 2025 is not simply a year of growth, but a year of deliberate structural advancement.
In spot and derivatives markets, we continue to strengthen liquidity, efficiency, and risk management, further strengthening our leading position within the mainstream trading landscape. These capabilities are not merely a reflection of scale, but the foundation for enduring across cycles.
More importantly, transformation is happening beyond trading.
Over the past year, we have advanced our global compliance and localization efforts, not as a passive response, but as a proactive move into higher-standard markets. At the same time, we are progressing across multiple fronts:
RWA, connecting crypto assets more directly with the real world;
TradFi integration, reshaping the boundaries between traditional and on-chain finance;
From CeFi to DeFi, enabling the platform to evolve beyond merely carrying a centralized structure and become part of a more open ecosystem;
AI, redefining efficiency in trading, risk management, and decision-making.
These directions are converging into a clear trajectory: the industry is shifting from transaction-driven to infrastructure-driven competition.
At this stage, the nature of competition has fundamentally changed. Competition is no longer about individual products, but system-level capabilities; not just scale, but structure and standards.
Gate is not chasing short-term narratives. We are building ahead of the curve across key layers, so that in the next cycle, platforms with true infrastructure capabilities will not just participate in the market, but help define it.
We are well aware that a position like this is not granted in the short term. It must be earned through sustained investment, discipline, and judgment.
And 2025 is just one step forward in that process.

Looking Ahead: Gate is Defining the Next Phase

12 years was more of a full cycle. We have seen expansion and contraction, uncertainty and rebuilding. Boom, bubble, collapse, reconstruction, and a new consensus. We've been through it all. This is not just a passage of time. It is a continual recalibration of understanding, capability, and boundaries.
And for us, the thirteenth year is not merely a continuation. It feels more like a new phase.
If Gate were compared to a person, what would turning thirteen and entering the teenage years mean?
It is no longer dependent on external conditions, yet it has not fully evolved into a stable, mature system. It begins to form its own judgment and understand the rules, and to explore defining them. It knows the world is not simple, yet still chooses to move forward.
The next phase has already begun. Every strategic move and every innovation is not only about growth, but about contributing to how this industry develops.
We will reconstruct rules and lead trends with a higher-dimensional strategy, continuous innovation capabilities, and profound industry insights, making Gate a truly irreplaceable force in the market landscape.
Thank you for your trust and support, no matter when.
In an industry shaped by volatility and uncertainty, trust is never given lightly.
In the 13th year, we are still on the road.
Like a growing man, it is imperfect but more conscious; it does not make promises easily, but it takes responsibility for every choice.
The road ahead is long. Let us continue this journey together.

Dr. Han
Gate Founder and CEO