Yi He named first crypto executive on Fortune MPW list

Yi He, co‑CEO of Binance, was named to Fortune’s Most Powerful Women in Business list at No. 64 for 2026, marking the first appearance on the list by an executive who built a career inside the cryptocurrency industry.

Fortune placed Yi at No. 64 after Binance promoted her to co‑CEO in December 2025. She shares the title with Richard Teng, who is responsible for compliance and regulatory affairs. Yi’s responsibilities have focused on marketing, branding, product growth and user operations.

Binance promoted Yi after several years during which she served as a central operator inside the company, including work related to the fallout from the 2023 U.S. legal settlement tied to the firm’s founder. The 2023 case included a $4.3 billion agreement with U.S. authorities.

Yi entered the crypto industry in 2014 after a career in Chinese television and a marketing role at OKCoin, now OKX. From that position she recruited Changpeng Zhao as chief technology officer, and the two later co‑founded Binance in 2017.

At Binance, Yi established a user‑first approach that she enforces through operations. New employees, regardless of seniority, are required to spend time handling customer support tickets. She also responds directly to users on X, Telegram and WeChat about issues including scam reports.

Yi was born in 1986 in a rural village in Sichuan province. She grew up without reliable electricity or running water and lost her father at age nine. She held early jobs promoting soft drinks and worked as a travel television host. In her thirties she taught herself English to support Binance’s global expansion. She lives with Changpeng Zhao and their three children and is reported to control roughly a 10% stake in Binance through a holding company, with Zhao holding the remainder.

Yi leads YZi Labs, the family‑office successor to Binance Labs that rebranded in January 2025. The investment vehicle deploys capital across Web3, artificial intelligence, biotech and other sectors and is reported to manage more than $10 billion in assets across more than 300 portfolio companies.

In a post on X responding to the Fortune listing, Yi wrote that she was ‘truly humbled to be the first crypto‑native executive to receive this recognition on the #FortuneMPW list’ and added that the honor ‘may carry my name, but it belongs to the Binance team, Binance users, Satoshi Nakamoto, and to every member of the crypto community who helped turn this industry from an idea into a global wave.’

Within Chinese‑speaking communities Yi is often called ‘一姐,’ or ‘Big Sister Yi.’ Binance said Yi’s promotion recognizes her long role shaping the company’s culture, product direction and customer focus.