Yi He: From a Small Village in Sichuan to the Top of Global Crypto

She co-founded the world’s largest crypto exchange, steered it through its biggest crisis — and is now officially its Co-CEO. Meet the woman Fortune calls one of the most powerful in business.

There is a detail about Yi He that tells you everything. When she was promoted to Co-CEO of Binance in December 2025, she posted on X with her old self-given title still intact: “Still the same Chief Customer Service Officer, at your service.” No fanfare. No power pose. Just a reminder of where she has always stood — close to the user, not above them.

That instinct, more than any title, explains how Yi He became the most powerful woman in crypto.

From Sichuan to the Exchange Floor

Yi He was born in 1986 in rural Sichuan province, western China, where her parents worked as teachers. Her first job was handing out free soft drink samples in front of a supermarket. From there, she built a career in Chinese media and marketing, eventually becoming a television travel show host — a world away from blockchain and trading pairs.

She pivoted into crypto in 2014, joining the exchange OKCoin — now known as OKX — as a marketing executive. It was there that she made perhaps the most consequential hire of her career: she recruited a then-little-known engineer named Changpeng Zhao as chief technology officer. Most people assume CZ brought Yi He into crypto. The reality is the opposite.

Building Binance — The Woman Behind the Giant

The pair later became life partners and co-founded Binance during the 2017 ICO boom. Yi He led marketing, branding, and global user growth while CZ handled the technology stack.

While CZ became one of the most recognizable faces in crypto, Yi He operated in the background — methodically building the infrastructure that would turn Binance into the world’s dominant exchange. She built Binance around what she calls a user-first philosophy, and enforces it operationally: new employees, regardless of seniority, must spend time handling customer support tickets. She also engages directly with users on X, Telegram, and WeChat — personally responding to scam reports and complaints.

In Chinese-speaking communities, she is known simply as “一姐” (Yi Jie) — “Big Sister Yi.”

Holding the Line When It Mattered Most

In 2023, the ground shifted. Following Binance’s $4.3 billion settlement with U.S. authorities and Zhao’s resignation, the company faced intense regulatory scrutiny globally. Yi He emerged as one of the key figures stabilizing the business alongside CEO Richard Teng, helping Binance maintain its dominance even as rivals and regulators questioned its future.

CZ pleaded guilty to violating US anti-money laundering laws and served time in prison. Yi He’s 10% equity stake in Binance means her personal fortune is directly tied to the exchange’s performance and reputation. She had every reason to step back. Instead, she stepped forward.

In late 2025, Binance elevated Yi He to Co-CEO, formalizing a leadership role many insiders believed she had already been performing informally for years. The promotion reflected Binance’s shift toward a more compliance-focused and institutional structure.

A Historic First

In May 2026, Fortune Magazine named Yi He to its Most Powerful Women in Business list at rank #64 — the first time a crypto-native executive has ever appeared on the list. Her entry places her alongside the most powerful figures from Wall Street, Big Tech, and global industry.

It is a milestone that lands differently in Asia. Yi He’s story — from a poor family in Sichuan to the co-leadership of a company that processes billions in daily trading volume — resonates across a region where crypto adoption runs deeper than anywhere else on earth.

The dual leadership structure at Binance now combines Richard Teng’s background as a former financial regulator with Yi He’s experience in user-focused innovation — a pairing designed for a new era where exchanges must be both trusted institutions and community-driven platforms.

What Comes Next

The questions ahead are not small ones. Binance still faces ongoing scrutiny over compliance. Global regulators are watching. And the crypto industry itself is at a crossroads between mainstream finance and its decentralized roots.

Yi He has navigated every version of this tension before — as builder, as crisis manager, and now as Co-CEO. The woman who once handed out soft drink samples in front of a supermarket now runs the most important exchange in the world.

Big Sister Yi is still at your service. She just has a bigger desk now.