Yi He Named to Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Amid Binance Evolution
Yi He, Binance‘s Co-Chief Executive Officer, has been named to Fortune’s 2026 Most Powerful Women in Business list, becoming the first crypto-native executive to achieve this recognition. The announcement on May 27 underscores Yis growing influence in both the cryptocurrency sector and broader business world. Yi‘s journey is a case study in transformative leadership. Born in Sichuan, China, the 37-year-old co-founded Binance alongside Changpeng Zhao (CZ) in 2017, shepherding the company’s rise to become the world‘s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume. Starting as Chief Marketing Officer, she led Binance’s global user acquisition strategy during its early years of rapid growth. In 2022, she took on an additional role as Head of Binance Labs, steering its venture arm into high-growth areas like Web3, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology. In December 2025, Yi was appointed Co-CEO, sharing leadership responsibilities with Richard Teng after CZ stepped down in the wake of U.S. regulatory pressures. Her recognition on the Fortune list coincides with a pivotal period for Binance. The company has been navigating increased regulatory scrutiny worldwide while attempting to maintain its dominance in the crypto and blockchain sectors. Yi‘s leadership has been instrumental in expanding Binance’s ecosystem, particularly through the rebranding of Binance Labs to