Kao urged exchanges to balance user trust with innovation as regulation and competition intensify.
At CoinFerenceX, a Singapore-based crypto event, Alicia Kao, the managing director at KuCoin, joined a 45-minute panel discussing, “Exchanges beyond Trading: Gatekeepers or Gate-Openers of the Digital Asset Economy”.
Speaking on the role of crypto exchanges today, Kao emphasized that exchanges have a dual duty to their customers to be trusted gatekeepers of their data and assets, as well as open gateways to enable broader participation and innovation in the Web3 ecosystem.
Kao was speaking in a panel of executives from established exchanges, including Vivien Lin, Head of BingX Labs, Jeff Li, VP of Product at Binance, Catherine, CMO at BullBit, and Kevin Soltani, Founder & CEO, Gima Group.
In addition, Kao also shared KuCoin’s path to strengthening user trust, with the exchange recently obtaining an ISO certificate for Privacy Information Management Systems (PIMS). Kao further shared that KuCoin has built its platform with trust and compliance at the core, with shared investment strategy and local market commitment as solid pillars of the exchange.
Kao further explained KuCoin’s developments and vision in building user trust and advancing innovation in the space. The exchange is currently applying artificial intelligence across its platforms to strengthen compliance and anti-money laundering monitoring while offering users intelligent trading tools.
Notwithstanding, the exchange is also empowering developers, users and miners by launching futuristic innovations and products. Recently, the exchange selected to rediscover its roots in the Bitcoin mining market, relaunching the KuMining product, where a recent 1,500,000TH/s BTC Hashrate sold out in hours, as demand for BTC mining persists.
KuCoin has also fast-forwarded its token listings, product launches and user experience to drive real-world utility through crypto and blockchain. In early September 2025, KuCoin, via its global payment solution, KuCoin Pay, introduced its On-Chain Payment Solution. The solution empowers merchants and consumers with a decentralized framework for direct cryptocurrency payments on the blockchain.
Alicia also expounded on KuCoin’s approach to investment and local market development via its investment arm, KuCoin Ventures. The company is aiming to advance blockchain innovation and unlock industry-wide value and utility by investing millions in forward-thinking projects. Case in point, KuCoin Ventures participated in the $28 million seed funding round of Stable, a new Layer 1 blockchain being built for stablecoins.
In addition, KuCoin Ventures also supports projects and startups that are building valuable solutions to real-world problems in finance, payments, and local crypto adoption.
Kao also shared that the exchange is actively investing in local markets by pursuing licenses and working closely with regulators. Earlier in the year, KuCoin applied for the MiCAR license in Austria, leading to the launch of its KuCoin EU platform, built for EU citizens. However, Alicia believes getting licenses is “just the first step” with the “real challenge being protecting users, just like the regulators do”.
The launch of the $2 billion Trust Project by the exchange further solidifies its commitment to advance security, enhance trust and boost innovation across its platform. Kao concluded her statements, reaffirming the KuCoin mission of building and maintaining user trust while highlighting innovation, compliance, and responsible investment as the key drivers that will shape the next phase of the digital asset economy.
The discussion highlights a pivotal moment for exchanges, where building user trust and driving innovation are no longer optional but essential for the industry’s growth.
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