Gate founder Dr. Han: The crypto winter drives structural reshaping, and everything on-chain will become a new paradigm in finance
On April 21, 2026, at the main stage of the Hong Kong Web3 Carnival, Gate founder and CEO Dr. Han delivered an in-depth speech titled "Move Everything On-Chain." He systematically reviewed the platform's 13-year evolution and provided a striking judgment on the underlying transformation of the global financial system: being on-chain is not an option, but the form of the financial system.
Thirteen Years of Structural Change: The Evolution from Trading Platform to On-Chain Ecosystem
Dr. Han pointed out that Gate has undergone several key structural changes since its establishment. The platform started with early digital asset trading and gradually expanded to a comprehensive platform covering derivatives, asset management, and diversified services, accelerating its evolution towards an on-chain ecosystem and multi-asset integration system. To date, Gate has served over 52 million users globally, covering more than 80 jurisdictions, and managing over $10 billion in digital assets, forming a continuously expanding global business foundation. Throughout this process, the platform has continuously adjusted its product structure and technological layout to strengthen infrastructure capabilities and promote the ongoing expansion and upgrading of its service system.
Market Status: Crypto Winter and Increasing Divergence in TradFi, On-Chain Opens New Growth Space
Dr. Han noted that the current crypto market is in a cyclical adjustment phase: btc-42">Bitcoin has fallen about 40% from its peak, with the overall market capitalization dropping from $4 trillion to about $2 trillion, and the trading activity of DEX and the number of new asset issuances have declined simultaneously. However, at the same time, the traditional financial market is performing strongly, with gold prices nearly doubling, the Nasdaq rising nearly 30%, and crude oil increasing by about 15%, creating a stark divergence from crypto assets. More critically, TradFi still far exceeds the crypto market in terms of market size and trading volume, with market capitalization over a hundred times larger and trading volume several dozen times higher. Under this structural difference, he emphasized that tokenizing traditional financial assets and bringing them on-chain (RWA) will become the core path to connect the two systems and release incremental space.
Core Insight: On-Chain is the Form of the Future Financial System
In the core part of his speech, Dr. Han emphasized that blockchain is evolving from a technical tool into financial infrastructure. He believes that the significance of being on-chain lies not in creating new asset classes but in reshaping the generation, circulation, and pricing of assets. The on-chain system brings not only efficiency improvements but also a reconstruction of traditional financial structures. Through on-chaining, assets can achieve more frequent and transparent liquidity, significantly compressing the boundaries of trading and clearing, thereby redefining the traditional model centered around intermediaries.
Regarding the future direction of the industry, Dr. Han made an important market judgment: future finance will achieve integration, no longer distinguishing between crypto and traditional. In this context, assets that are not on-chain will gradually be priced as inefficient assets, while on-chain assets will gradually gain more advantageous market pricing and broader application space due to higher liquidity and accessibility.
Strategic Layout: Restructuring Trading Entry and Liquidity System
Dr. Han stated that Gate's strategic focus is not only on promoting the integration of CEX and DEX but also on creating a unified trading entry that connects on-chain and traditional finance (TradFi). He pointed out that as RWA accelerates its implementation and multi-assets go on-chain, exchanges will gradually evolve into multi-asset liquidity hubs. In this context, Gate is accelerating the construction of an integrated trading system covering spot, perpetual contracts, and CFDs, and plans to launch thousands of tokenized assets, bridging the boundaries between on-chain and off-chain assets. Through 24/7 trading capabilities and more efficient asset access mechanisms, the platform will continue to enhance global liquidity and market depth, facilitating the more free and efficient flow of value between different asset forms and reshaping a new trading paradigm under the integration of crypto and traditional finance.
Future Outlook: Financial Integration and Global Value Network Evolution Driven by On-Chain Ecosystem
At the end of the speech, Dr. Han reiterated his confidence in the long-termism of the industry. He stated that Gate will continue to strengthen its multi-asset support capabilities, promoting more efficient connections and synergies between traditional assets and digital assets within the same system. He emphasized that as asset forms and trading structures continue to evolve, Gate will adopt a more open architecture to accommodate diverse assets, enhancing liquidity efficiency across markets and forms, and building a more extensible value connection network within the ever-changing financial system.
About Gate
Founded in 2013, Gate is one of the world's leading cryptocurrency trading platforms, with Dr. Han as its founder and CEO. The platform serves over 52 million users and supports trading of over 4,500 types of crypto assets. As an industry benchmark, Gate was the first to achieve 100% reserve proof, and its ecosystem includes diverse services such as Gate Wallet, Gate Ventures, and Gate for AI. For more information, please visit: Website | X | Telegram | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube
Disclaimer:
This content does not constitute any invitation, solicitation, or advice. You should always seek independent professional advice before making any investment decisions. Please note that Gate may restrict or prohibit all or part of its services from restricted areas. Please read the user agreement for more information, link: https://www.gate.com/zh/user-agreement.
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