Yi He: From Niche to Mainstream, Crypto Is Maturing and Moving Toward Real-World Adoption

At Crypto Finance Forum in Hong Kong, Binance Co-Founder Yi He  noted that in its early days, crypto was largely a space for geeks and idealists, but is now gradually being embraced by traditional financial institutions, with the launch of crypto ETFs being a key milestone.Yi He added that the industry itself has expanded beyond public chains and exchanges to include real-world use cases such as cross-border payments with stablecoins, DeFi, and DePIN. In her view, the evolution of crypto mirrors the transformation of Silicon Valley—from its roots in the 1960s counterculture to becoming the backbone of modern technology. Web3, she said, may have started with a rebellious spirit, but will ultimately serve the broader public.