Binance's icon and self-proclaimed “secret weapon” Miss He Yi, born He Ying (何英), hails from a rural Sichuan village where both her parents worked as teachers. She began primary school at the age of five and achieved a near-top academic standing. Miss Yi later recounted that her family had limited financial resources, and she grew up performing arduous chores such as carrying water and chopping wood. She dedicated most of her free time to reading the few books her parents possessed, which earned her the nickname “bookworm” from her classmates.
Yi commenced working as a teenager. At 16, she secured a position promoting soft drinks at various events. Shortly thereafter, she managed a bedding shop for two months, taking responsibility for staff scheduling and accounting.
In 2006, Yi relocated to Beijing to pursue an in-service master’s program in counseling psychology, where she obtained a national psychological-counselor certificate. She noted that the field offered very few employment opportunities, leading her to transition away from it.
Subsequently, Yi spent two years teaching at a private arts college in Lijiang, where she honed her management abilities while overseeing student groups.
Yi Builds Binance with CZ and Enters the Top Circle
Yi entered the cryptocurrency space before it was widely recognized, including by most individuals at Binance, as she began participating in the market in 2009. Later, in 2014, while employed at OKCoin, she encountered Changpeng Zhao, now widely known as CZ, at a public blockchain event. She extended an immediate job offer to him.
Three years later, in 2017, the two co-founded Binance, which would eventually become the world's largest crypto exchange. Yi and CZ also became life partners, marrying and raising three children together, though they maintain a highly private personal life for well-founded reasons.
In 2020, federal prosecutors requested internal communications from Yi and other executives as part of their examination into the launch of Binance.US and the company's initial anti-money-laundering controls. This contributed to Yi's public image as a figure of significant influence within Binance, despite her consistently low profile.
Currently, Yi serves as the co-CEO of Binance, sharing executive leadership with Richard Teng. Teng had been acting CEO after CZ stepped down following his 2023 guilty plea to U.S. money-laundering charges.
When asked for his thoughts on her appointment, Richard Teng stated, “Yi has been there from the start, and she is the driving force behind a lot of changes and the growth of Binance.”
Yi Defends CZ, Faces U.S. Scrutiny, and Stays Central in Binance’s Structure
Yi’s role within Binance was not always publicly defined. Her social media profiles indicated her position as Chief Customer Service Officer, but many of her responsibilities remained undisclosed. In 2024, she was among the 161 individuals who submitted letters to the court seeking leniency in CZ's case.
Writing in Chinese, Miss Yi referred to herself as his partner and “the mother of his three children,” stating, “As CZ’s life partner, I’ve known him for nearly ten years, so I understand a side of him that’s often overlooked.”
A 2023 Wall Street Journal report described Miss Yi as a former Chinese talk-show host who entered into a relationship with CZ while they worked together in Shanghai. The report also indicated that she assumed broad control over Binance’s marketing and investment divisions.
Binance later commented that she had “played a fundamental role” in shaping the exchange’s strategic direction. In her own statement, Yi expressed that she and Richard Teng brought “complementary perspectives and a shared vision” for the company's future trajectory.