Yi He, the co-founder of leading cryptocurrency exchange Binance, took to social media over the weekend to defend the company amid recent controversy.
Posting on X on Saturday night, she shared data showing Binance at the top of exchanges by assets and trading volume. She quoted the tweet, telling the crypto community to “do your own research” and dismissing critics spreading doubt about Binance as “jokers.”
Her comments come after a turbulent few weeks for Binance and fellow co-founder Changpeng Zhao. Zhao recently stepped down from his role as Binance CEO and from the board of Binance’s U.S. affiliate.
This follows Binance and Zhao agreeing to pay approximately $175M in fines after pleading guilty to money laundering charges in the U.S.
Yi He has been involved with Binance since its founding but her exact role has been unclear. She previously described herself as a “Chief Customer Service Officer,” confusing some customers as she claimed in 2022 not to manage customer service operations.
Little is also known about her personal relationship with Zhao. However, a 2022 Reuters report revealed they have two children together and are romantic partners – details Zhao asked the media not to publicize.