I'm speaking with LAN, the Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of BIT Exchange. Today, we delve into their personal blockchain journey and explore the strategic decisions behind introducing new trading markets and innovating and adapting to stay ahead in the rapidly changing crypto space.
Please tell us about yourself and what you do at BIT Exchange
I’m the Co-founder & Chief Operating Officer at BIT and have previously worked at Bitmain and Matrixport.
I joined Bitmain in 2018. When Bitmain launched Matrixport in 2019, I joined Matrixport as part of the founding team. I served as the product leader of the trading department, where I helped design the first structured digital currency product for dual-currency wealth management.
Matrixport initiated BIT in November 2019 and launched it in August 2020. As a co-founder of BIT, I now lead its strategic direction, encompassing business growth, product development, and operations.
Can you explain the decision-making process that led BIT Exchange to introduce new trading markets?
BIT Exchange is constantly exploring opportunities to expand our offerings and provide diverse investment options for our users. Our decision to introduce new trading markets, such as the one for EigenLayer Points (ELP), comes from our commitment to pioneering innovation in the crypto space and ensuring broader access to the growing crypto economy for both retail and institutional investors.
The crypto market evolves fast, from ICO to IEO, to IDO. People fight for whitelists, staking opportunities, and early minting opportunities in inscription space. As a centralized exchange, we need to start building infrastructure for the next asset issuance trend. Just like how exchanges built launchpads in 2020, we need to build the infrastructure for Pre-market listing now, which we believe will see increased demand.
How do you assess the interest from both retail and institutional investors?
Interest from Retail and Institutional often goes hand in hand. Retail looks at institutional portfolios, and institutional looks at on-chain wallet numbers as a benchmark for retail popularity.
We've observed significant interest from both retail and institutional investors in emerging protocols like EigenLayer. Retail investors are drawn to the potential for earning rewards by participating in new projects early on, while institutional players are increasingly recognizing the value of diversifying their portfolios with exposure to new and cutting-edge DeFi applications.
Can you describe BIT Exchange's approach to identifying and launching new trading markets? What criteria do you use to determine which markets to enter?
BIT Exchange adopts a proactive approach to identifying and launching new trading markets. We closely monitor market trends, engage with our user community to understand their preferences, and collaborate with leading projects to bring exciting opportunities to our platform.
Our criteria for entering new markets are multifaceted, focusing on factors such as project innovation, market demand, user engagement, and regulatory compliance. We prioritize projects with strong fundamentals and the potential to drive meaningful value for our users.
Are you bullish on EigenLayer? If so, why?
We are indeed bullish on EigenLayer due to its groundbreaking approach to re-staking and enhancing network security within the Ethereum ecosystem. EigenLayer's ability to attract over $12 billion in total value locked demonstrates its traction and future potential for reshaping the DeFi landscape.
Can you describe the decisions that led BIT to launch the EigenLayer Points (ELP) market?
The decision to launch the EigenLayer Points (ELP) market aligns with our mission to provide early access to promising projects for our user base. By offering trading for ELP ahead of the token generation event, we enable our users to participate in the EigenLayer ecosystem early on.
There are many pre-listing opportunities however we also need to identify trusted partners who are selling these points. It is a long due diligence process to investigate which are the popular points that are reliable and who would like to sell in the pre-market.
Could you explain the significance of launching the EigenLayer Points market on BIT Exchange? What opportunities does this provide for early adopters?
Opening the EigenLayer Points market on BIT Exchange is a big step forward. We're the first exchange to do it, showing we're leading the pack in making new crypto opportunities available to more people.
This provides them with a head start in engaging with a promising protocol and potentially benefiting from its growth.
What are some operational challenges involved in being the first centralized exchange to offer a new product like EigenLayer Points?
Being the first centralized exchange to offer a product like EigenLayer Points comes with operational challenges such as ensuring reliable security measures and sufficient liquidity, keeping trading fees at competitive levels, and educating users about the new market. However, we are committed to overcoming these challenges to provide a seamless trading experience for our users.
With the upcoming EigenLayer airdrop being highly anticipated, how is BIT preparing to support its users through this event?
As the EigenLayer airdrop approaches, BIT Exchange is actively preparing to support our users through this event by providing relevant information, facilitating trading, and ensuring the smooth distribution of airdropped tokens to eligible holders.
It is mostly bookkeeping work, when the token is airdropped, we need to understand the airdrop rules, and conversion rate. The token would be in the Exchange wallet and then distributed to users’ accounts according to their points portfolio.
Can you discuss any recent upgrades or innovations in BIT’s trading platform that have been particularly impactful?
Recently, BIT Exchange has made significant upgrades to our trading platform, particularly in the BRC-20 sector. We've empowered our users with the ability to drive new BRC-20 listings through organic community in-app votes, building a more inclusive and community-driven environment.
Are there any industry trends or technologies that BIT is particularly focused on to stay ahead of the competition?
We're also focused on staying ahead of the competition by embracing more crypto-native features such as staking. Back in Feb 2024, we began offering staking services for projects like Merlin Chain, for example, enabling our users to participate in that particular airdrop while earning rewards and contributing to the growth of the Merlin ecosystem.
Looking ahead, what new types of tokens is BIT Exchange considering?
Looking ahead, BIT Exchange is considering listing new types of tokens with a strong focus on our community-led approach. We listen to our users and give them a say in what gets listed on our platform. This way, we ensure that we're offering assets that truly resonate with our community's interests.