A Letter from Bitget CEO: As We #GearUpTo7, Bitget Evolves Beyond a Centralized Exchange

This past June, I found myself in the small city of Mugello in central Italy, where the 2025 MotoGP Italy was taking place.

As the riders roared past at breathtaking speed, the piercing sound of their engines seemed to shake the air itself. A MotoGP staff member beside me leaned over and said, “Did you know these bikes can reach up to 350 km per hour, almost the same as an airplane at takeoff?”

I nodded, then asked in awe, “To reach such speeds, the gearbox must be incredibly powerful, right?”

He smiled. “Of course. On the track, the bikes usually have six gears. But pushing to sixth doesn’t guarantee victory. The champions, the ones who go faster, are the ones who break conventions, as if shifting into a seventh gear that doesn’t really exist. ”

That idea of a “seventh gear” stayed with me. To win a race is not about following a set pattern, but about breaking limits. And building a trusted exchange follows the same principle.

This year marks Bitget’s seventh anniversary. We chose #GearUpTo7 as the theme not simply because of the number, but because it represents a mindset: only by breaking conventions can we move forward at full speed.

Play As a Challenger

Over the past seven years, we have always played the role of a challenger, which is why we’ve had to work so hard. Here at Bitget, we don’t care about politics. We care about results, and we support each other to get them. Along our journey, we’ve ignored hype and instead made smart decisions on which products to launch and which initiatives to build. We’ve incubated and invested in Bitget Wallet and Morph Chain to build a holistic ecosystem. We’ve introduced GetAgent , the world’s first all-in-one AI crypto trading assistant. We’re committed to our charity programs like Blockchain4Her, Blockchain4Youth, and our partnership with UNICEF. These aren’t just “corporate social responsibility”—they’re promises we’ve kept with the community to make finance fairer.

What has always excited me about our industry is the opportunity for financial freedom. The freedom to take charge of your money without being beholden to ancient institutions and those that run them.

Our industry has evolved beyond the simple dichotomy of centralized and decentralized exchanges. The limited scope of asset listings on centralized exchange (CEX) or the complex, fragmented experience of a decentralized one (DEX) both have their place, but neither provides a truly complete solution.

I’ve always believed the ultimate goal is not to choose one over the other, but to build an ecosystem that thrives on the needs of its users. We’ve been quietly working to break the  “impossible triangle” of user experience, asset variety, and security.

Beyond a Centralized Exchange

Today, on our seventh anniversary, I’m excited to introduce a new paradigm we have built: UEX.

UEX stands for Universal Exchange. It’s the next-generation of exchange that offers all the tradable assets; not just the top few hundred cryptocurrencies, but all existing tokens. And it’s not only about crypto anymore; high-quality assets worldwide, such as stocks, ETFs, forex, and gold, will all be tradable on a single UEX. It’s more than a product suite built by combining CEX and DEX, it is a technical and philosophical fusion.

UEX brings everything that can be traded to a new level of integration. With the ability to offer universal products, crypto can work alongside Wall Street in ways that weren’t possible before.

What excites me the most is the possibilities for financial freedom. Before, in order to trade in the asset or equity of a certain country, you needed to open an equity account with proof of a home address in that country. No more. The traditional financial market isn’t 24/7 — but using UEX, it is. So now, those underlying traditional financial products can be invested in anywhere, anytime, by almost anyone.

It’s a philosophy in line with the very spirit of the origins of crypto, when Satoshi Nakamoto dreamt of democratising the financial world.

Within Bitget’s roadmap to transform into a UEX, we are building on three core technical breakthroughs:

• Comprehensive Asset Coverage. Whether it’s niche tokens or stock tokens like U.S. equities, you can now trade them all on Bitget. Early in September, we became the first exchange to enable direct purchase of over 100 tokenized US equities. In just a few weeks, the next major update to Bitget Onchain will go live, enabling you to trade every coin on major chains (that means millions of tokens) directly with the funds in your exchange account. No more hopping between platforms to find assets. Everything you want to trade is right here on Bitget.
• AI-Powered Integration. AI isn’t just a “customer service tool”: While many other crypto AIs are still limited to simple information summaries, Bitget’s AI Agent (we call it GetAgent) can already understand your trading history, risk profile, asset allocation, and execute trades on your behalf. Looking ahead, AI will make trading much easier for users: no need to learn complicated steps, just give a command and it gets done.
• Enhanced Security Infrastructure. Security is our very foundation. The UEX model combines hybrid on-chain and off-chain custody, uses intelligent tools to detect early signs of token concentration or rug-pull risks, and relies on a growing user protection fund to safeguard against even the most extreme security challenges.

With the upcoming upgrade to support all onchain assets, we are proud to say that Bitget is no longer just a centralized exchange. We’re now the world’s first Universal Exchange — or as we call it: UEX.

Build As a Marathoner

Many Asian classics use water as a metaphor. One line I particularly like, which echoes the philosophy of the Tao Te Ching: “The stream does not rush to lead, but to flow on without end.” The last 7 years have been a marathon driven by a “user-first” philosophy. On this journey, we’ve never chased short-term gains; instead, we’ve laid a solid foundation with a diligent approach and navigated bull and bear markets with a persevering mindset.

Today, as we stand at the seventh anniversary and look back, Bitget’s growth path resonates perfectly with the industry’s cycles. And moving forward, I believe the future is not a zero-sum game between CEX, DEX, or traditional finance, but an era of breaking the norms and connecting beyond our networks.

The Universal Exchange (UEX) is our blueprint as we build an ecosystem where financial access is not a privilege, but a fundamental right for all. We are breaking down the traditional barriers that have excluded billions from the global financial system. Bitget, as a UEX, empowers people across the globe, providing them with the tools and access to participate in the financial revolution, truly making finance inclusive for everyone.

To our 120 million users and our 2,181 global team members: thank you. I’m thrilled to witness this milestone with you, and to continue to work to bring the future of financial revolution to 8 billion people across the globe.

Seven is an auspicious number and is considered the rhythm of a cycle. We are told it took seven days to create the world. Seven steps to reach enlightenment. Bitget’s first seven years have been an extraordinary cycle. Now, we begin again — not to repeat, but to ascend. I can’t wait to see what we can achieve! Let’s #GearUpTo7, together!

Gracy Chen

CEO at Bitget