Crypto Exchanges Diversify or Risk Falling Behind

Bitget's CEO Gracy Chen believes that the era of pure crypto exchanges is coming to an end. She thinks platforms must expand into traditional assets and compliance-driven models to remain competitive.

Crypto exchanges have been growing rapidly, but their pace may moderate as ETFs and platforms like Robinhood absorb incremental demand, according to Chen. Traditional banks are entering 24/7 settlement and tokenized deposit markets, challenging exchanges' historical liquidity advantage.

In response, Bitget has repositioned itself as a 'Universal Exchange', offering crypto alongside U.S. equities and other global assets tradable via stablecoins. Chen acknowledged that pursuing compliance requires trade-offs, citing regulatory complexity in the U.S., which led to Bitget's decision to exit France, Germany, and reassess its potential re-entry through partnerships.