If Binance isn’t compliant, then practically no other global trading platform is: Binance co-founder

Yi He, who has been remarkably silent on Binance’s regulatory woes, put her finger on the scale in a new Bloomberg interview

article-image

Binance co-founder Yi He | Binance modified by Blockworks

share

Binance co-founder Yi He has spoken publicly to Bloomberg about her opinions on the world’s attempt to regulate crypto, a trend she thinks is “inevitable” and “good” — for the most part.

Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, who is in a murky relationship with Yi He, according to Bloomberg, has taken most of the arrows since the SEC sued both him and Binance in early June for allegedly selling unregistered securities and commingling customer funds. Zhao is the one tweeting in response to the SEC and Chair Gary Gensler, though Yi He does retweet many of his posts. 

Now He herself appears to be inching closer to the spotlight. Her most defiant statements on regulation came in May, just before the SEC brought down the hammer, Bloomberg reported.

“If they really took the time to understand our industry, they would see that if Binance isn’t compliant, then practically no other global trading platform or offshore company is,” she said during an interview at Address Fountain Views, a five-star hotel in downtown Dubai.

He also seemed to take issue with America’s regulation-by-enforcement approach, proclaiming that Binance has been cooperating with government agencies. 

“The trend of regulations is inevitable globally,” Yi He said. “It’s not something you can solve by shouting ‘fight’ a couple of times.”

The SEC vigorously disputes that characterization, alleging in its suit that Binance, in fact, evaded oversight and in the process “put the safety of dollars of US investor capital at risk.” 

Coinbase, a crypto exchange similar in stature to Binance, also faces a lawsuit from the SEC for similar violations. 

Ultimately, Yi He, one of the most powerful people in the digital assets industry as described by Bloomberg, made waves by acknowledging that the crypto wild wild west is now a bygone era. 

“We respect the attitude of regulators, whether it supports or opposes the development of crypto…I understand that the overall intention of regulation is good in order to protect investors.”

She continued, “If you can’t beat them, you have to surrender.”


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Research Report Templates.png

Research

Pipe Network is a decentralized content delivery network (dCDN) that replaces the sparse, capital intensive data center footprint of traditional CDNs with a permissionless mesh of independent node operators. By orchestrating under-utilized resources that already exist at the edge, rather than purchasing or leasing thousands of servers, Pipe slashes capital intensity while letting supply expand autonomously in the places where bandwidth is scarcest and most expensive.

article-image

ETH’s “breakout marks a significant structural shift and clears the path towards…$4,000,” Kraken’s OTC desk noted

article-image

Fiscal dominance isn’t about interest rates and it isn’t about Trump, either

article-image

Firestarter Storage brings decentralized storage and delivery to Solana

article-image

After lengthy closing arguments on Wednesday, the case is now in the hands of 12 jurors

article-image

Analysts cite weak trading volume and regulatory progress as factors

article-image

Builders weigh in on Ethereum’s first decade and the decisions that will define its next one