Gate Group named Kevin Lee chief executive officer of Gate.HK, its Hong Kong virtual asset exchange. eFinancialCareers reported the hire on May 22, 2023. The company's own press release confirmed it on May 30, 202312. Lee came from the digital asset trading platform OSL, where he had been head of sales and trading for its digital securities division. Gate's release credited him with 17 years of experience in the Asia-Pacific region and prior stretches at BNP Paribas, Macquarie Group and JPMorgan Chase.
The second executive hire at Gate on the record since 2022
Every move CryptoLately has verified there, by the day it became public
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| July 5, 2022 | Yang became Executive Vice President. Tom Yang was named Executive Vice President of Gate |
| May 22, 2023 | Lee became CEO, Gate.HK. Kevin Lee was named Chief Executive Officer, Gate.HK of Gate |
20 executive hires on the record in 2023
Executive hires CryptoLately has verified, by year; 2026 through Oct. 2, 2026
- 2023: 20
- 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025, 2026
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 11 |
| 2020 | 12 |
| 2021 | 27 |
| 2022 | 37 |
| 2023 | 20 |
| 2024 | 39 |
| 2025 | 59 |
| 2026 | 45 |
The hire
eFinancialCareers framed the appointment as a race against a regulatory clock. “As new cryptocurrency regulation positions Hong Kong as one of the focal hubs for the digital asset economy in the near future, crypto firms are hoping to flesh out their teams there in preparation for a potential crypto boom,” the outlet wrote, naming Gate.io as "one firm doing so"1. Lee told the outlet Gate was “dedicated to adhering to the upcoming VASP license regimes set by the Securities Futures Commission”.
Gate's own release, issued eight days later, named the founder behind the hire. Dr. Lin Han, founder and chief executive officer of Gate Group, said, “We are excited to have Kevin Lee join Gate Group as the Chief Executive Officer of Gate.HK. Kevin's expertise and leadership will be invaluable as we continue to advance our presence in the virtual asset space, ensuring the delivery of cutting-edge services to our growing user base.”2 Lee answered with his own account of the job ahead. “In the future, our goal is to introduce a diverse range of trading services, tailoring each new product and service to meet the needs of users and the regulatory requirements in Hong Kong,” he said.
Why the timing mattered
Gate's release tied the appointment to the platform's launch and to its regulatory posture. The company said it had started preparing its application for a license with Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission earlier in 2023. It had held a Trust and Corporate Service Provider license in the city since 20222. Lee's hire put a named executive atop Gate.HK just as the platform opened deposits, withdrawals and spot trading on Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin.
What came next
Gate.HK withdrew its application for a Hong Kong virtual-asset trading licence a year later. The South China Morning Post reported the withdrawal on May 24, 2024, roughly one year after Lee's hire became public3. Gate.HK became the third exchange affiliated with a major global platform to end its license bid under the city's new regime. A firm backed by Binance and an affiliate of HTX had already withdrawn. Gate.HK called the move "a proactive step" tied to a "platform overhaul," the Post reported, and the company stopped registering new users, taking deposits and marketing in Hong Kong as of that statement. Regulators required the exchange to stop trading by May 28, 2024. Gate.HK told users to withdraw their assets by Aug. 28, 2024.
Sources
- Alex McMurray, "Ex-BNP director to lead crypto exchange's Hong Kong arm," eFinancialCareers, May 22, 2023, https://www.efinancialcareers.hk/news/2023/05/hong-kong-digital-asset-ceo
- Gate.io, "Gate Group Announces Appointment of Kevin Lee as Chief Executive Officer of Gate.HK," PR Newswire, May 30, 2023, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gate-group-announces-appointment-of-kevin-lee-as-chief-executive-officer-of-gatehk-301837275.html
- Xinmei Shen, "Hong Kong sees third major cryptocurrency exchange withdraw licence application as Gate.io unit drops out," South China Morning Post, May 24, 2024, https://news.google.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?oc=5