Exclusive Interview: XT.COM's First Female COO, Tracy Jin, on Breaking Through in a Competitive Market

VICTORIA, Seychelles - In our conversation, XT.COM COO Tracy Jin made one thing clear: the exchanges that will lead the next chapter of crypto aren’t the ones chasing size. They’re the ones doubling down on security, compliance, and innovation. These three pillars, she says, are shaping the new competitive landscape and defining what sustainable growth really looks like.

2025 has been an exceptionally competitive year for centralized exchanges (CEXs). Major platforms are racing to list trending assets, accelerating processes to capture attention in a fragmented post-Meme-era market. They are constantly refining risk management and compensation systems to withstand black swan events. As PerpDEXs challenge CeFi, exchanges are incubating or investing in DeFi products to complete their ecosystem and stake a claim on the future. Aggressive campaigns in public chains and wallets—often including substantial token giveaways—aim to attract and activate users, while social media has become a battleground for influence.

In this landscape, some exchanges are striving to catch up. XT.COM (hereafter “XT”) stands out, supporting over 1,300 tokens and 1,300 trading pairs, offering a wide range of products and timely services, such as cards and prediction markets, combined with low fees and transparent rates as well as online and offline campaigns. All this has drawn over 12 million traders from more than 200 countries, with 2 million monthly active users.

To understand the strategies behind these achievements, we spoke with XT COO Tracy Jin about the company’s brand philosophy, business priorities, operational strategies, competitive advantages, and industry outlook. The highlights of the conversation are summarized below.

1. XT’s mission is “Explore Crypto, Trade with Trust.” How does the team bring this vision to life for users?

I’ve always believed that “Xplore Crypto, Trade with Trust” is more than a slogan—it’s what we do every day.

“Xplore” reflects XT’s spirit of innovation and boundary-pushing. We want every user to access the latest trends in the blockchain world effortlessly. Trust sits at the heart of our brand — in finance and crypto alike, nothing matters more.

We embed these values throughout the user experience:

• In terms of security, we maintain a fully transparent Proof of Reserve system, so users can verify their assets anytime.
• In product design, we focus on simplicity, efficiency, and stability, making trading truly “stress-free.”
• In customer service, our 24/7 multilingual team addresses user needs in the most approachable, practical way.

Additionally, we bring the brand to life through global media, community engagement, and offline educational events. Our goal is for users to see XT not just as an exchange, but as a long-term, trusted financial partner.

1. Could you walk us through the size and organizational structure of XT’s operations team?

XT is a truly global company, with teams across key regions that bring our global strategy to life through local execution.

Our organization is divided into four main pillars:

First, Product & Technology. This builds our core trading systems and drives innovation — from derivatives and Earn products to the recently launched AI-powered strategy trading tools.

Second, Marketing & Branding. We focused on global promotion, localized campaigns, content creation, and PR partnerships.

Third, Compliance & Risk Control. This forms the foundation of our platform, ensuring every operation aligns with international regulatory standards.

And fourth, Customer Service & Operations. We directly connect with users and provide 24/7 multilingual support.

Our culture is open and flat, where every voice matters. This setup allows us to move fast in innovation while maintaining operational stability.

1. From an operational perspective, which metrics does XT prioritize? How would you rank them?

At XT, we don’t just focus on growth for growth’s sake — we pay attention to the health and trust behind the numbers.

The four key metrics we prioritize are:

First, liquidity and trading depth. This is the cornerstone of a professional trading platform and directly impacts the user experience.

Second, user retention. True growth comes from users who stick around — the longer they trade with you, the more they trust you.

Third, asset security and risk control. This is always our top priority.

Fourth, new user acquisition. This reflects our brand appeal and market reach.

We look at these metrics holistically, not in isolation. For example, if retention is up but trading depth drops, we immediately review the user experience to identify issues.

In short, our approach is simple: we use data to reinforce trust and trust, in turn, drives sustainable growth.

1. How does XT approach user acquisition, retention, and engagement? How does it stand out from competitors?

For us, user growth isn’t just about numbers — it’s about building lasting trust. XT’s approach is clear and can be divided into three stages: acquisition, retention, and engagement.

Acquisition: We bring new users on board through airdrops, task centers, and referral rewards, giving them a safe and reliable environment to start their trading journey.

Retention: Our Earn products, derivatives strategies, and copy-trading features create a seamless experience where users can both engage and earn.

Engagement: We keep users active with recurring campaigns like “Crazy Wednesday,” seasonal themed events, and weekly community challenges, so participation goes beyond just trading.

What truly sets XT apart is our focus on long-term relationships rather than short-term hype. A loyal user is worth far more than ten fleeting ones. Our goal is for XT to be seen as the “most trusted long-term choice” by our users.

1. Who are XT’s target users, and how do you engage them?

We segment our users into three main groups:

First, there are professional traders—the ones who care a lot about liquidity, market depth, and advanced trading tools.

Then we have emerging investors—people who are newer to crypto and want a safe, easy way to learn and grow.

And finally, institutions and partners, who are focused on brand credibility and building ecosystem partnerships.

To engage these audiences, we take a “global vision, local execution” approach. We build communities on X, Telegram, and YouTube, while partnering with regional KOLs, educational institutions, and media outlets to deliver crypto education, host AMAs, and run co-creation campaigns.

This positions XT not just as an exchange, but as a global crypto community. Whether someone is new to blockchain or a seasoned trader with a decade of experience, XT provides a space where every user can find their place and participate fully.

1. XT’s online and offline events are impressive. Who are the main audiences for each, and which upcoming event should users pay the most attention to?

We place a lot of emphasis on events because they’re the most direct—and genuinely “human”—way to connect with our users. Events aren’t just communication channels; they’re how we bring our brand values to life.

Online events mainly target global users and focus on accessibility and education. Airdrop seasons, trading challenges, and AMA sessions are designed to be easy to join and rewarding. Users can learn, get a feel for the market, and experience the XT ecosystem in a hands-on way.

Offline events focus on industry influence and ecosystem collaboration. We host anniversary celebrations, blockchain forums, and regional meetups that bring together institutions, project teams, and investors. These events help bridge CeFi and DeFi, as well as traditional finance and on-chain finance.

The RWA Global Dialogue Forum was a key event we co-hosted with XT Labs. Centered on “On-Chain Trust,” it brought together global institutions and leading projects to discuss RWAs and the future of compliant on-chain finance. It was all about turning trust into a true bridge between TradFi and Web3.

At XT, we believe the value of brand events isn’t just exposure—it’s about letting trust and value grow sustainably on a global scale.

1. Does a CEX need a spokesperson or personal brand? What kind of image resonates best with users?

In today’s world, where everyone can be a media outlet, I think exchanges do benefit from having a “human face” that embodies the brand’s spirit. A spokesperson who is approachable, confident, and professional makes the brand more tangible and trustworthy.

At XT, we don’t rely on a single voice. We embrace “decentralized communication”—our employees, KOL partners, and even loyal users all help convey the XT brand. At the same time, we maintain a consistent brand persona: professional, reliable, and friendly.

I believe this approach brings users closer. When a brand has a face, a voice, and a sense of personality, trust forms naturally.

1. XT offers a wide range of products, covering essential features while staying on top of market trends. With this foundation, how do you plan to further boost trading liquidity, Earn product capital retention, and on-chain activity?

Over the next year, XT will continue to focus on “innovation-driven, ecosystem-focused” growth, strengthening both our product offerings and ecosystem collaboration.

On the trading front, we’ll keep listing high-quality projects, refine our order-matching systems, and introduce incentive programs, copy trading strategies, and AI-powered tools to enhance liquidity and engagement. The goal is to deliver a trading environment that feels both efficient and professional.

For Earn, we’re developing more flexible yield products—including tiered deposits, portfolio-based options, and ecosystem staking. Paired with events and VIP benefits, these offerings encourage longer holding periods, support stable returns, and reinforce overall platform liquidity.

On-chain, we’re expanding partnerships with leading blockchains and emerging projects to enable better asset interoperability, DeFi integration, staking, and node operations. On-chain missions and airdrops will also attract more users, bridging movement between CeFi and DeFi.

At XT, everything starts with user experience. We’re building a crypto ecosystem where trading is active, assets are secure, and the platform thrives—so that trust and value keep circulating throughout the whole ecosystem.

1. How does Tracy see the CEX competitive landscape in 2025? Any lessons XT can take from others?

In 2025, the competition among CEXs has shifted from “who is the largest” to “who is the most trusted and the most innovative.” It’s truly a race for long-term advantage.

Top exchanges are concentrating on three pillars: security, compliance, and innovation. We’ve also observed many leading platforms experimenting with AI-assisted trading, RWA standardization, and social trading. XT’s positioning is clear: security as the foundation, innovation as the engine, and trust at the core.

Looking ahead to next year, we plan to step up investments in AI trading tools, expand our regulatory licenses, and further develop the RWA asset ecosystem, all to help advance the industry toward greater maturity.

1. How do you see the impact of PerpDEXs like Hyperliquid on CeFi this year? What trends do you expect in 2026, and how is XT positioning itself?

The rise of PerpDEXs like Hyperliquid is part of where the market is naturally heading. We don’t see it as CeFi versus DeFi. Users simply want flexibility, transparency, and different ways to trade. Both sides can grow together, and when they do, the whole ecosystem becomes stronger.

Looking ahead to 2026, I see three clear trends:

• First, RWAs will move even more on-chain as institutions get more comfortable.
• Second, AI will become a standard layer in trading and risk systems.
• Third, regulations will continue tightening, raising expectations of trust and transparency across the board.

XT will continue to focus on security, professionalism, and innovation, acting as a bridge between traditional finance and the future of Web3.

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