Interview | Crypto exchanges must evolve beyond trading: Bitget CMO

Crypto isn’t just complicated—it’s a communication challenge. With wallets, DeFi, tokenized assets, and endless trading options, users can easily get lost in the noise. Selling crypto is challenging due to its complexity. Marketers need to focus on user experience, pain points, and expectations. The future lies in universal exchanges, bridging both crypto and traditional finance to provide a seamless experience.

Franco, Bitget’s new Chief Marketing Officer, is addressing these challenges head-on. Bitget is working towards the universal exchange model, integrating centralized and decentralized systems as complementary rather than competing. This would create a single gateway for financial tools that real users can access globally. Franco highlights the need for balancing DeFi’s openness with improved UX, liquidity, and security layers, which centralized systems offer.

Franco emphasizes the stark contrast between developed and emerging markets. For users in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and similar regions, crypto often represents their first financial access—where their first debit card might come from a crypto exchange. Bitget is constructing a hybrid platform that integrates crypto, tokenized stocks, payment rails, DeFi liquidity, and TradFi instruments. Security, compliance, and accessibility are key pillars, bolstered by innovations like their AI engine, GetAgent.

GetAgent, Bitget’s AI assistant, is designed to offer more than generic assistance. It simplifies the user experience by integrating advanced tools that enable smoother trades. While it is still AI-driven, it’s not just another virtual assistant—it’s engineered to redefine how users trade and learn about crypto in today’s dynamic landscape.

Franco notes that marketing crypto is more challenging because it involves abstract products like blockchains, wallets, and tokens. To succeed, storytelling needs to be clear and emotionally relevant. Referencing Steve Jobs’ approach, Franco explains the importance of making complex technology relatable. For Bitget, it’s less about listing features and more about showing users how they can manage money better with less friction and greater ease.

Franco advocates for focusing on user outcomes, not just technology. Features like copy trading and automated bots allow newcomers to participate without extensive knowledge. By reducing friction and stress, Bitget positions itself as a platform that adapts to real-life needs. Marketing should highlight how crypto fits into everyday scenarios, like remittances and savings, instead of merely showcasing technical specs.

Traditional finance (TradFi) and fintech firms entering the crypto space are inevitable competitors. However, Franco argues that legacy firms rely on outdated infrastructure, while Bitget, being crypto-native, is ahead in innovation. By offering products like US stock perpetuals using USDT and integrating DeFi, AI tools, and tokenized assets, Bitget combines innovation, compliance, and liquidity—its core competitive edge. Franco states, "Innovation needs compliance and liquidity to be sustainable."

Despite the technological advancements in AI, tokenization, and decentralized systems, staying human-focused is critical. Franco stresses that crypto marketing must foster trust, access, and relevance, creating a platform that resonates with users in Berlin, Bogotá, or Bangkok. Bitget’s mission is to be more than just another exchange—it aims to be a reliable, user-first institution that prioritizes people over buzzwords.