Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget/Image: Supplied
Bitcoin’s latest swings may be generating headlines, but for Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget, which claims to be the world’s first Universal Exchange (UEX), the real focus should be on the deeper structural shifts happening across the digital asset ecosystem — many of which are now being led from the Gulf. Speaking to Gulf Business, Chen explained that the recent market dip and rebound attempts cannot be viewed in isolation. “Volatility is nothing particularly new for Bitcoin, but what’s happening now is tightly linked to the macro cycle,” she says, noting that markets are closely watching clarity from central banks. “When monetary direction is clearer, investors tend to move with more confidence.”
Bitcoin’s current consolidation between $86,000 and $94,000 reflects caution rather than capitulation, and its correlation with equities ensures that macro headlines are transmitted almost instantly into crypto valuations.
Looking ahead, Chen sees the next year shaped by macroeconomic shifts and a rapid expansion of institutional access. If the Federal Reserve proceeds with rate cuts in 2026, she believes Bitcoin could revisit the $95,000 to $100,000 range, supported by improving liquidity conditions. She points to the emerging rotation between asset classes as evidence of a more mature investor base. “Bitcoin ETF outflows have cooled… while Ethereum ETFs are seeing coordinated inflows,” she explains. “This type of rotation is a sign that investors are increasingly treating crypto as an allocatable asset class rather than a single-asset trade.” The recent entry of major global players reinforces this trend. “When large players like Vanguard set aside long-held positions and enter the Bitcoin ETF market with extraordinary trading volumes from day one, it feels like a foregone conclusion.”
This evolving landscape is central to Bitget’s Universal Exchange model, which aims to eliminate the fragmented experience that has defined the trading journey for most retail and institutional users. “The Universal Exchange model is our response to how fragmented the trading experience has become,” Chen says. Users today move between centralised exchanges, decentralised protocols, on-chain tools and traditional brokers — each with its own interface, liquidity and settlement rules. Bitget’s approach integrates these environments so traders can access CEX-grade liquidity, DEX-style transparency and traditional instruments in one place. “User expectations have changed,” she adds. “Traders want optionality without friction. Institutions want compliant access at scale. And the technology is now mature enough to make a unified model possible.”
Chen argues that this convergence solves long-standing gaps that neither CEXs, DEXs nor traditional finance have been able to address alone. CEXs offer strong execution but require trust; DEXs provide transparency but face slippage and efficiency issues; and TradFi largely remains disconnected from digital assets. The Universal Exchange model removes these silos, creating an environment where money moves more freely and risk management can operate across both on-chain and off-chain assets.
This unified view aligns perfectly with the momentum in the Middle East, which Chen sees as entering a new phase of leadership in the global crypto landscape. She believes the region is now far beyond the “emerging hub” label. “It’s fairer to say that MENA is well past the point of being an ‘emerging’ hub. Now it’s actively becoming a leading one,” she says. Adoption is being driven by a strong appetite for new investment models, tech-forward demographics and regulators who see digital assets as part of long-term economic strategy. “Governments in MENA countries, like the UAE or Saudi Arabia, genuinely seem to view digital assets as part of national economic strategies, not fringe experiments,” she adds. That level of commitment has created stability that many traditional markets still lack.
For Bitget, trust and compliance form the foundation of its strategy for high-growth markets like the GCC. Chen emphasises the importance of transparency, robust security architecture, proof-of-reserves, localised services and institution-grade infrastructure. “Trust is built through consistent quality of service, transparency, and integrity,” she says. “For Bitget, growth isn’t just about acquiring more users. It’s about building long-term confidence in the ecosystem we’re building.”
Ultimately, Chen believes the future of global finance lies in coexistence rather than competition between crypto, DeFi and traditional financial systems. “Crypto offers innovation and flexibility, DeFi offers transparency, and TradFi offers long-standing structure, scale, and trust,” she says. Bitget’s Universal Exchange was designed to bridge these worlds and allow them to reinforce one another. “The future of finance is heading towards interoperability and efficiency, where all experiences are user-driven above all else. And Bitget’s desire is to help build that world from the frontlines.”
