Who is Yi He, Binance Co-CEO and Fortune's Most Powerful Women of 2026?

Yi He, Co-CEO and co-founder of Binance, was named to Fortune's Most Powerful Women in Business 2026 list. She is the first woman from the crypto world to receive this honor.

She is ranked 64th among the 100 most influential female leaders in global business. This news broke on May 27, 2026, and immediately attracted attention in the crypto community. We'll discuss the full facts in a relaxed manner so you understand who Yi He is and what she means to the crypto industry.

Key Takeaways

• Yi He has served as Co-CEO of Binance since December 2025, sharing duties with Richard Teng, and has played a key role in the growth of the platform, which serves 310 million users.
• She was ranked 64th in Fortune's Powerful Women 2026 list as the first native crypto executive, a sign that the crypto industry is gaining recognition in the business world.
• His background from a rural village in Sichuan makes his journey inspiring, from supermarket worker to head of the largest crypto company.

Register at Bittimenow and start trading crypto with a fast, safe, and easy process in the app.

Who is Yi He and His Important Role at Binance

Yi He was born in 1986 in a rural village in Sichuan, China. Her childhood was very simple. The house had no electricity or running water. 

Her father died when Yi He was nine years old. By the age of 16, she was working promoting soft drinks at a supermarket.

Yi He then became a travel TV host. She taught herself English in her 30s to help Binance go global. In 2014, she joined OKCoin as a marketing executive, where she recruited Changpeng Zhao as chief technology officer. Two years later, in 2017, the two of them founded Binance.

Yi He has been serving as Co-CEO of Binance since December 2025. He shares duties with Richard Teng. Yi He focuses on product vision, company culture, and a user-first approach. He consistently emphasizes that new employees must first handle customer support tickets. This approach allows Binance to stay close to its users.

Binance currently serves over 310 million registered users worldwide. Trading volume in 2025 alone reached US$34 trillion. The total lifetime volume will reach US$145 trillion by the end of 2025.

Yi He also leads YZi Labs, a family-owned subsidiary of Binance Labs. YZi Labs manages over US$10 billion in assets across more than 300 portfolio companies in Web3, AI, and biotech.

In the Chinese-speaking crypto community, people call her "一姐," or "Sister Yi." Bloomberg once called her the most influential woman in crypto. Yi He holds approximately 10 percent of Binance's shares through a holding company, making her one of the richest women in the crypto sector.

Here are some quick facts about his contributions:

1. Co-founder of Binance in 2017.
2. Build global branding and user growth.
3. Implement a user-first philosophy across the team.
4. Lead YZi Labs with assets under management of over US$10 billion.
5. Actively respond to scam reports directly on X, Telegram, and WeChat.

All this shows that Yi He is more than just an ordinary business leader. He built Binance from scratch to become the largest blockchain ecosystem.

Read also: The commotion at Polymarket has caused a stir among netizens about Prabowo's resignation as president.

Yi He Named in Fortune's Powerful Women 2026 List and What It Means for the Crypto Industry

On May 27, 2026, Fortune announced its list of the Most Powerful Women in Business 2026. Yi He ranked 64th. She became the first native crypto executive to ever make the list. Previously, the crypto industry rarely appeared in mainstream business rankings.

This award recognizes the 100 most influential women in business. Yi He is among the Fortune 500 leaders from the finance, retail, and technology sectors. Fortune Powerful Women highlights women who have had a significant impact on their companies.

For Yi He, this is both a personal moment and a moment for the entire crypto community. He said, "I am truly humbled to receive this recognition as the first native crypto executive on the Fortune MPW list. Building Binance from scratch has been an incredible journey, and this is a very personal moment for me."

Yi He also emphasized that this award belongs to the Binance team, users, Satoshi Nakamoto, and the entire crypto community. He sees this as proof that crypto has moved from the fringes to the center of the global economy.

Check out the BNB (BNB) price today!

For the crypto industry, Yi He's inclusion in Fortune's Powerful Women 2026 list is a positive sign. It demonstrates crypto's growing maturity and acceptance within traditional businesses. Binance itself continues to expand into other asset classes and broader financial services.

Crypto's most influential women, like Yi He, are paving the way for more female talent to enter the sector. She demonstrates that humble backgrounds are no barrier to great success. This recognition also fuels discussions about diversity in crypto leadership.

Overall, Yi He's achievements in 2026 are a milestone. He's proof that hard work, long-term vision, and a focus on users can bring about significant change.

Read also: Claude AI Helps Recover a Bitcoin Wallet That Was Inactive for 9 Years

Yi He's Journey from a Small Village to the Top of the Crypto Business

Yi He's journey has been filled with perseverance. From a village with no basic amenities, she built her career step by step. After becoming a TV host, she entered the tech world. Then she discovered an opportunity in crypto.

In 2017, during the ICO boom, Yi He and Changpeng Zhao started Binance. They built the company quickly. Yi He handled marketing and branding. He ensured that Binance always put users first.

Now in 2026, Yi He is the Co-CEO and remains active. She has three children with Changpeng Zhao, although they are not legally married. They are also co-owners of YZi Labs.

Yi He once said, “I never thought of my role as just running a company. I thought about how we serve the people left behind by the old system—many of whom are women, in places the world rarely saw before.”

Start trading BNB/IDR with Bittime here!

His vision is clear: reach 3 billion users, meaning everyone still outside the formal financial system. He wants money to move as freely as information, and for everyone to be able to participate in the open economy without special permission.

This journey demonstrates that success in crypto requires resilience and empathy. Yi He remains humble despite her immense success. She always remembers her humble roots. This is why many in the community respect her as one of the most influential women in crypto.

With her achievements in Fortune Powerful Women 2026, Yi He's story is an inspiration for the younger generation who want to enter the world of crypto or technology business.

Read also: SEC Investigation into TLKM: A Full Explanation

Conclusion

Binance Co-CEO Yi He ranked 64th on Fortune's Most Powerful Women 2026 list. This is a historic achievement for her as the first native crypto executive. From humble beginnings to leading a platform with 310 million users, her journey has been filled with lessons.

This award is not just for him, but also for the advancement of the crypto industry as a whole. We can all draw inspiration from it to continue learning and contributing in our own ways. Congratulations to Yi He, and may the crypto industry become more inclusive in the future.

Yi He’s story is truly inspiring—it’s entirely possible that you could be just as successful by investing in crypto on the right platform.

Bittime is a licensed and regulated Digital Financial Asset Trader (PAKD) supervised by Indonesia’s Financial Services Authority (OJK) — where you can buy Bitcoin in Indonesia and hundreds of other crypto assets starting from just Rp10,000. The registration process is fast, secure, and you can get started today.

Track USDT to IDR conversions and monitor your favorite crypto assets in real time. Everything is available in one crypto investment app that you can download for free on the Play Store

Ready to start? Register now on Bittime and execute your investment strategy with a platform trusted by millions of users in Indonesia.

FAQ

Who is Yi He at Binance? 

Yi He has been Co-CEO and co-founder of Binance since December 2025, sharing the role with Richard Teng.

What does it mean to be included in Fortune Powerful Women 2026? 

Yi He ranked 64th and became the first crypto executive on the list, a sign that crypto is increasingly recognized by the business world.

What is Yi He's background like? 

Born in 1986 in a Sichuan village, he had a difficult childhood, worked in a supermarket, and then became a TV host before entering crypto.

What is Yi He's main contribution to Binance? 

Build branding, user-first focus, and lead YZi Labs with assets of over 10 billion US dollars.

Why is this recognition important for crypto? 

Demonstrate a mature crypto industry and pave the way for more women in global business leadership.