KASmedia’s Jennifer speaks with Kyle Chiu, Chief Marketing Officer at Gate, about how crypto exchanges are moving into traditional finance, what tokenised assets and everyday payments mean for users, and how Gate is reaching new audiences through Formula 1. They also discuss Dr. Lin Han’s upcoming Oxford Union appearance and the value of bringing different perspectives into the crypto debate.

This transcript has been edited for clarity and length.

Introduction

Jennifer: Good morning and welcome to KASmedia, where we cover developments across the cryptocurrency industry, blockchain technology and digital finance.

Today we are joined by Kyle Chiu, Chief Marketing Officer of Gate, one of the cryptocurrency industry’s longest-established exchanges.

Founded in 1823, the Oxford Union has spent more than two centuries as a forum where leading figures from politics, science, business and culture present and defend their ideas before a questioning audience.

On November 12, Gate founder and CEO Dr. Lin Han is scheduled to address the Oxford Union, bringing the perspective of a still-young industry into one of the world’s longest-established forums for public debate.

Ahead of the appearance, we’re joined by Kyle Chiu, whose career has spanned global finance, fintech and Web3, with roles at Deutsche Asset Management, EQONEX, Animoca Brands and now Gate. Kyle, welcome, and thank you for joining us this morning.

Kyle: Hi, everyone. Hi, Jen. This is Kyle, CMO of Gate. Thank you so much for having me.

From traditional finance to Web3

Jennifer: We’re happy to have you. Before we get started, would you like to give us a quick introduction to your roles through traditional asset management, Web3 and now at Gate?

Kyle: For sure. As I said, I’m the Chief Marketing Officer at Gate. Even before traditional finance, my background had always been in marketing and advertising. I worked in multiple advertising agencies and brand consultancies. That’s how I learned brand positioning, storytelling and these marketing skills.

Then I moved into the finance world. I worked at Deutsche Bank, Deutsche Asset Management, for almost four years. I ran digital marketing, which was a new arm for the APAC office. That was very different from the crypto world we’re working in now.

Back then, that meant CEO and CIO roundtables, very institutional client events, usually with very long decision chains. One event could take six to eight months to plan and prepare. At the event, we would only talk to 10 to 20 clients. Those clients might take a quarter or two to turn into conversions and revenue.

After that, I went into Web3 and joined Animoca and Gate. You can imagine how different the pace is. Especially at Animoca, I helped run a project, and everything was so fast-paced. You set a marketing or project strategy in the morning, test it in the afternoon, and already get a sense of whether your users or community like it. That’s super rare in traditional finance.

In Web3, that’s when I felt a very strong sense of standing with our community and seeing things through the lens of users, instead of having a “we serve our clients” mindset. That’s very different.

But what I learned from TradFi and crypto is very complementary. TradFi taught me how to build institutional-grade trust over the long term, making sure everything is black and white and crystal clear on compliance and trust. Web3 taught me to think nimbly, be flexible and be agile. You test different strategies and ideas, and the turnaround might be 12 to 24 hours—way faster. We need to set all the parameters with better measurement.

A couple of years later, I’m now at Gate, and I use both mentalities very much. I would say the line between TradFi and crypto is getting blurrier every year.

Jennifer: In an industry that moves so fast, it’s interesting that Gate is one of the exchanges that has lasted such a long time. Unfortunately, there seems to have been a pretty high turnover among crypto exchanges from back in the day. The fact that Gate launched in 2013 and is still around and evolving is a testament to the brand itself.

Kyle: I think it’s one of the very few exchanges that has lasted over 13 years. The more important thing is that we’re still evolving and thriving. You can survive for 13 years but become completely irrelevant to the industry.

The strength of Gate is always catching the trend and making sure we’re relevant to the market, the trends, the users and what they really want. That makes Gate different from a lot of other exchanges.

Why “crypto exchange” may become simply “exchange”

Jennifer: I want to call back to something I heard you mention in a recent interview about the term “crypto exchange.” If I have it correctly, you predicted that even by 2027, we might stop calling them crypto exchanges in favour of just “exchange.”

What trends are you seeing in the market that make you think we’re heading in that direction, and why is this shift happening already?

Kyle: I think the trend started last year, in 2025, and it’s happening really fast. I think 2026 was the year when everything sped up.

The first thing that stood out is the products. Back in the day, people talked about buying, storing and trading crypto. Then they moved into diversification, into NFTs and non-fungible items, and expanded the categories into a lot of different concepts. They moved into meme coins and altcoins. It was still very much within the crypto realm.

Going into 2024 and 2025, that’s when the concept of RWA started to thrive. Exchanges are at the forefront of leading that transition. You see exchanges like Gate launching tokenised stocks and pre-IPO assets, and having stablecoins backed by US Treasuries on the same platform.

Exchange products are leading the trend by enabling users to trade crypto and on-chain assets such as tokenised stocks, tokenised gold, precious metals and pre-IPO assets. These are considered traditional assets, but they’re on a crypto platform.

When users can find products from both worlds—crypto and TradFi—on one platform, you can no longer just say, “Gate is a crypto exchange.” Thirteen years ago, we started as a crypto exchange. We’ve evolved so much that we’re offering a wide enough spectrum of products to be an exchange.

As an innovative exchange, Gate has been leading the trend in the industry to blur the lines even more. We’re introducing more products that non-crypto users are interested in, know how to use and will be happy to use.

That leads to a seismic shift in branding as well. We no longer call ourselves a crypto exchange. We’re an exchange, an all-in-one financial platform or a super app. These are the positions we’re moving into.

Lately, we launched Gate Money. We’re talking about everything money in one app. That’s our target. We’re definitely moving in that direction, from both a product and a brand perspective.

Tokenised stocks, pre-IPO access and real-world assets

Jennifer: It’s like these hybrid products that are traditional finance with a little more of a crypto twist. That leads to a hybrid exchange, mixing crypto and TradFi.

For listeners who might not be familiar with these newer products—you mentioned RWA, real-world assets, tokenised assets and pre-IPO assets—could you give us a quick rundown of what they are and how they fit in? Tell us a little about the products and their benefits.

Kyle: Tokenised stocks bring traditional stocks—whether US, Hong Kong, Japanese or Taiwanese stocks—onto the platform. Gate is the platform that hosts the most stock assets from the most markets in one platform.

Bringing them on-chain enables liquidity. Users on Gate can purchase or trade these stocks using stablecoins. They don’t need to go to a particular traditional exchange regionally.

If we’re based in Hong Kong, for example, you need to go through a local brokerage that has access to foreign stock markets to enable those services. Through exchanges like Gate, we’re breaking geographical barriers. Anyone who has an account on Gate can access multiple stock markets and trade these stocks using stablecoins or crypto. That enables usability, accessibility and liquidity.

One of the big pillars is also pre-IPO access. Traditionally, IPOs favour brokers or institutions. Before they go live, VIPs and big institutions have a first-mover or timing advantage: they can get in earlier.

With exchanges like ours enabling pre-IPO products, normal retail users have access to these as well. They can trade or purchase them using stablecoins. That enables different users to access traditional assets that were traditionally only available to Wall Street.

Jennifer: Would you like to touch on real-world assets and, as you mentioned, tokenised gold or those types of products?

Kyle: RWA, or real-world assets, is a general concept of bringing real-world assets on-chain: tokenised assets. In theory, RWA can mean anything. It can mean stocks or gold being brought on-chain, or even real estate, paintings and art. If we tokenise them and put them on-chain, that’s the real-world asset category in general terms.

In recent years, real-world assets have probably been one of the hottest trends because everyone is trying to apply blockchain or tokenisation technology to real-world assets. That’s where the real application can take place and bring the biggest benefits, or maximise the technology in real-world applications.

Gold is very similar. Companies like Tether have put XAUT on-chain. Precious metals and metals—silver, gold, copper—can be brought on-chain and made available for trading.

At Gate, we enable tokenised gold trading and perpetual trading as well. It’s also a concept in crypto: perpetuals with leverage. Users can now trade metals that traditionally have fixed trading hours. Through exchanges, stablecoins and crypto infrastructure, we can allow trading in tokenised stocks, metals and commodities on Gate.

Gate Money and everyday financial use

Jennifer: Speaking of services for traders and users, I saw a recent interview with your CEO and founder, Dr. Han, where he mentioned that in the future, people could make everyday purchases—like buying a cup of coffee—with their stock shares without having to sell them first. How do you see that working and benefiting people?

Kyle: I believe you’re referring to our new product vision, Gate Money. It’s a revolutionary concept that Dr. Han and Gate recently launched, about a month ago, in October at TOKEN2049 in Singapore.

It brings different assets—crypto, stocks, gold and cash—into one app. Eligible users can open their own virtual bank account on Gate under the same name. That’s powerful for users or regions where it’s traditionally hard to get a bank account. We’re transcending the line between an exchange and almost a neobank concept.

Within the app, we’re solving a fragmentation problem. People have different apps for different purposes: a brokerage for stocks, a crypto app, a payment app, a bank app to store and secure money, and other accounts to hold other assets. One person can have six or seven apps just to manage different financial needs. It’s frustrating sometimes.

The idea is to bring everything together so that your money, as one concept, can work in a complementary way and help your assets grow. The concept is to store, use, spend, grow or trade your different assets in one place, in Gate.

A great showcase is what you just mentioned: Dr. Han buying a cup of coffee with NVIDIA shares without having to sell them. Traditionally, when you want to spend the value of an NVIDIA share, you have to sell it, cash out and use the cash to buy something. That means giving up your position, waiting for settlement, transferring or withdrawing to a bank app, and using that app to buy a coffee. There are two or three steps in between already.

The vision is to have your assets stay where they are, remaining useful and growing. Maybe you’re bullish on a stock and want to keep it. This is where traditional and on-chain finance can work so well together: allowing users to see money as it is, and to spend what they want, whenever they want, through Gate.

Jennifer: It would be nice to have everything in one place. I bet people would appreciate that at tax season, instead of having to pull lots of different statements. It helps with convenience and user experience.

I also saw that you have plans to launch a crypto-linked Visa card, starting in over 40 markets, if I’m correct. That sounds like a perfect fit with the app, making it even more convenient for users to spend their crypto. Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about the new Visa card?

Kyle: It’s a strategic move for us. You’re absolutely right: it’s a great addition and complement to the Gate Money concept. After cash, cards are one of the most commonly used money mediums that people use every day.

Having a Gate card, or working with Visa, is meeting people where they already are. Millions of merchants already accept Visa. Instead of introducing a completely different payment process, we want to integrate crypto into that normal daily routine so it’s seamless and not foreign. People can do what they do every day without needing to change.

I see cards as almost a bridge. Cards and crypto are getting more blended and integrated every day.

The goal is accessibility and choice for users in one app. They can choose whichever they prefer: “I have cash; I want to spend cash,” or, “I have crypto; today I want to spend crypto.” The goal is that it’s there, and you can spend whatever you want, whenever you want. It gives the choice back to end users.

AI tools for traders and developers

Jennifer: One more feature I read about, built to help users, is Gate AI. AI is such a hot topic these days. Could you tell us a little more about what it is and how it helps users with their accounts?

Kyle: Gate AI is an umbrella, or a suite of products, that uses AI technology to make traders’ and users’ lives easier. It includes a number of products.

There are Gate AI chatbots, along with APIs, MCP and skill hubs for developers who want to build on the infrastructure. We also have a router or aggregator model. It enables multiple models and intelligently routes users to whichever model is most efficient for their needs. They can use the best model and work more efficiently.

This whole AI concept is about empowering traders and users to make the most of it. Maybe they’re setting up trading strategies or integrating a news hub through skills, saving time reading the latest or trending news. Maybe there’s a signal or an alert, or a particular point in their strategy that triggers something.

It saves time and optimises their strategies using AI and data for better performance. The whole concept is to empower end users to make the most of their daily use of the Gate platform.

Education and bringing new users onboard

Jennifer: Thank you. I think our listeners would definitely be excited to hear that. I know I can use any tool to help empower me and help with my trading strategy. On that trading strategy and helping with empowerment, you have a lot of resources to help people with their trades through Gate Learn, correct? Resources where they can learn about markets and trading. Can you tell us how someone who isn’t really into trading could learn more about the markets through your platforms?

Kyle: We provide a lot of resources to help users at different levels. Whether you’re an expert, intermediate, a beginner going into crypto, or someone who doesn’t even know what crypto, Bitcoin, Satoshi or a white paper is, we have resources and materials for people to learn and come onboard.

You mentioned Gate Learn. We also have blogs and Gate Research, where we do proprietary research on megatrends and macro trends, analyse macro news and its implications for crypto, and look at trends and security. We have a whole academic hub for people to learn and onboard.

From a product perspective, Gate Money is a perfect way for people who are interested but have never done it. The concept targets normal, non-crypto people. A lot of people trade, but compared with the entire population, the percentage actively trading is really low.

When you zoom out, everyone pays, spends and shops. With Gate Money, we’re tapping into that target user group. As easily as depositing and spending money, you can use Gate.

Once you’re onboarded, it’s a good payment app or neobank-style app that you use every day, with a handy, seamless UX and UI. Then you might read about Bitcoin breaking its all-time high in the news and want to get into trading. In your Gate app, there’s a portal where you can go straight into trading. There are resources, tools and materials to guide you, and many different financial products and assets you can start trading.

From a product-design perspective, everything is strategically designed to onboard more non-crypto or retail users into trading in general. If you’re not ready, there’s no pressure. Use us as a seamless neobank-style app. Whenever you become interested, the trading part is ready for you as well.

Jennifer: It’s nice to have those features together on one platform. It shows how far the industries have come. Around 2013, it was so hard to find news about Bitcoin. Acquiring crypto was difficult, and getting into a brokerage was a process as everything started moving online.

It’s a testament to how these tools are there to help the average person who wants to get involved in finance. It’s a really cool time for retail traders.

Proof of Reserves and Proof of Security

Jennifer: Another thing I wanted to ask about is that Gate was one of the earlier exchanges to publish Proof of Reserves. It seems more commonplace now, but I was always impressed that you were one of the earlier exchanges to do that.

In addition to resources to help people trade, you have this resource or figure to help build trust and confidence in the brand. Can you tell our listeners more about Proof of Reserves and why it’s important to Gate and its users?

Kyle: To add to that, Gate was the first global exchange to pioneer 100% on-chain, open-source Proof of Reserves. That was a visionary move from Dr. Han.

Back in 2020, he foresaw the importance of transparency and platform security. That’s why he pioneered the concept of 100% open-source Proof of Reserves.

This is great timing because just yesterday, we took this to the next step. We pioneered Proof of Reserves, and now we want to introduce a new concept called Proof of Security.

Proof of Reserves shows whether user assets are there. Proof of Security discloses how user funds are stored. Recently, there have been some big security incidents in the industry. Users are very concerned, and trust is becoming a big issue.

Advocating Proof of Security encourages exchanges to disclose user-fund allocation in cold and hot wallets. That increases transparency so users can know whether their funds are safe, instead of just believing the exchange.

At its core, Proof of Security shows what we call a cold coverage ratio: assets an exchange puts in cold storage against all user funds. If that ratio is above 100%, what that essentially means is that, knock on wood, if hot-wallet funds are stolen, hacked or lost, the exchange will have enough funds in cold storage to cover everyone, and user funds will be safe.

In the past, users had to believe an exchange saying, “Your funds are safe. Don’t worry; we have the funds.” Now there are open, transparent numbers and ratios for people to look at, almost like Proof of Reserves, where people can check and verify assets.

Proof of Security discloses numbers in cold and hot wallets, and total user funds, and benchmarks them against Proof of Reserves. They work hand in hand.

At Gate, I think the cold coverage ratio is about 104%. We’re committed to keeping that ratio above 100%. We encourage everyone in the industry to do the same and disclose information that gives users peace of mind.

Formula 1, mainstream audiences and the partnership ecosystem

Jennifer: I wanted to switch gears and talk about Gate’s partnerships. You have some big sports partnerships. Could you tell us more about them, how they came about and whether you took part in pursuing and working on them? I know our listeners would be excited to hear about them.

Kyle: We’re currently the exclusive crypto exchange partner of Oracle Red Bull Racing in F1. It’s a huge partnership for us.

The vision is to tap into one of the fastest-growing sports industries in the world. F1 has been growing fast and touching so many areas of culture, entertainment, movies, merchandising, television and sports. The drivers catch everyone’s attention. The Red Bull Racing drivers, Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, are stars of the sport.

The key goal is to reach users and fans who aren’t typically in the crypto industry. Working with Red Bull Racing, we collaborate on many levels. From a brand-exposure perspective, we have a huge logo on the car’s rear wing. We also work together on Web3 activations.

We’ve launched a few Web3 activations with Red Bull Racing and received positive feedback from fans. They said, “This is my first time interacting with anything Web3- or crypto-related.” It’s eye-opening and a great experience for them. The ultimate vision is to reach a new audience.

That’s visibility. The second thing is the ecosystem. F1 is expensive, and everyone questions the ROI: “Is it really worth it? Are the impressions worth it?” But it’s not just branding. The biggest value lies within the ecosystem.

There are many other large companies sponsoring Red Bull Racing: Visa, mophie and retail brands that have nothing to do with crypto. By being a sponsor and part of the Red Bull family, we unlock opportunities to work with other consumer brands.

Sponsorship is just the beginning. It opens more doors to amplify the strategies, Web3 integration and adoption we have in mind. Tapping into that, working with institutions and consumer brands, can have a huge impact for Gate and crypto as an industry.

Dr. Han’s upcoming Oxford Union appearance

Jennifer: It’s exciting to be part of such an established ecosystem with a strong tradition. Red Bull Racing is at the top of the game, with a longstanding tradition of excellence.

That brings me back to the Oxford Union, which also has a longstanding tradition of excellence. Is there anything else you wanted to share about Dr. Han’s upcoming talk at the Oxford Union? Is there a way for our listeners to listen in or catch it in person?

Kyle: Absolutely. Dr. Han and we as a company are excited to join and speak at the Oxford Union. As you said, it represents excellence and performance. Looking at its history of speakers, they excel in an academic field or industry, or discuss controversial or impactful topics.

Crypto is still very young as an industry. We’re learning and growing. There have been barriers and mistakes, but we’re always innovating and finding ways to be better.

Dr. Han can share his personal experience, whether in crypto or entrepreneurship in general. He’s a great leader and entrepreneur, and he has a doctorate, so he has an academic background as well. He has rich insights and experience to share with students, faculty and anyone curious about crypto.

There may be different voices. Some might challenge crypto as an asset class; some might have questions or want clarification about where the industry is going. What better than to hear from an industry leader who founded a company with such a long history in crypto, has been through bull and bear cycles, and knows the industry’s ins and outs? It’s an opportunity to discuss it and ask questions.

I think Dr. Han will be excited to share his insights, vision and experience with intelligent students and future leaders. It’s about learning from each other, and I’m sure it will be a great session.

Closing

Jennifer: Thank you. I’m looking forward to catching it later on the Oxford Union’s YouTube channel. If you can’t be there in Oxford, check it out on YouTube.

Kyle, I’ve had a great time talking with you and learning about Gate, your philosophy and your background in crypto. It’s inspiring to hear from people building useful, innovative products in crypto and now traditional finance as well. Thank you again for being here.

Before we wrap up, do you have any final thoughts to share with our listeners?

Kyle: It’s been a pleasure talking to you too, Jen. It’s been fun. Crypto moves super fast. Things can change within a day or an hour, with new technology, developments, policies and regulation.

We’re adapting, evolving, improving and innovating alongside the development of crypto. It’s exciting to witness something I believe is revolutionary and changing people’s daily lives, spending and financial behaviour.

For anyone interested in Gate, follow us on X. Our handle is @Gate. We’re on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn as well. Browse our website to learn more about what we do, what we represent and what we offer.

I’ll be in London. It would be great to meet anyone interested in crypto face to face.

Jennifer: Thank you again, Kyle, for your time today, and thank you to our listeners for joining us. This has been KASmedia, and we’ll see you at the Oxford Union.

Kyle: Thank you so much for having me. Thanks, Jen.