Gate CEO Lin Han says banks have lost the ‘existential’ war against stablecoins

The traditional four-year crypto cycle, long-tethered to bitcoin’s BTC$66,988.52 halving events, may be a thing of the past.

Han Lin, founder and CEO of Gate and an early advocate of bitcoin, told CoinDesk on Thursday the digital asset market has matured into a global macroeconomic pillar that now moves in lockstep with U.S. equities and AI-driven technological shifts rather than internal supply shocks.

Lin, who leads the world’s fourth-largest exchange with daily volume exceeding $2 billion, laid out his vision of an industry that has transitioned from an “existential threat” to the foundational infrastructure of traditional finance.

The American Bankers Association (ABA) urged U.S. Congress to ban yield on payment stablecoins and revise open banking rules, framing the changes as necessary for consumer protection and competitive balance. Crypto and fintech critics say the ABA’s agenda would tilt the regulatory playing field toward banks by limiting how wallets, stablecoin issuers and apps can access users and their financial data.

“I don’t believe in the four-year cycle anymore,” Lin said, noting that Gate (formerly Gate.io) is positioning itself for an upward move driven by the convergence of crypto and TradFi. “The market is bigger now. It is more related to the global economy and the U.S. stock market. You cannot see it as isolated.”

Lin’s outlook comes as Gate executed a massive global rebranding, moving to the Gate.com domain and securing high-profile sponsorships with Oracle Red Bull Racing and Inter Milan. The goal, Lin says, is to prepare for a wave of real-world asset (RWA) tokenization that extends far beyond the current stablecoin market.

While stablecoins like USDC and USDT are the “most successful use cases” today, Lin anticipates a rapid migration of stocks, precious metals, and commodities onto the blockchain. Gate is already facilitating this shift, offering users access to traditional assets in a tokenized, 24/7 format.

“We will beat traditional exchanges and banks very soon,” Lin claimed, citing the inherent efficiency of onchain liquidity. He argues that while legacy institutions like the New York Stock Exchange are only now exploring 24/7 trading, crypto-native platforms have already perfected the infrastructure required for a round-the-clock global market.

Lin dismissed the idea that stablecoins are an inherent threat to bank deposits. Instead, he views them as a technological upgrade that banks are increasingly eager to adopt.

“I have talked with some banks; they are no longer eager to go against crypto,” Lin said. “They can use stablecoins to accelerate their own service. We use them as a rail for money transfer.”

Despite the competitive landscape, Lin confirmed that his crypto exchange has no plans to develop its own stablecoin, preferring to remain a neutral venue that integrates existing tokens like Circle’s USDC. This strategy focuses on “building the infrastructure” rather than competing with the assets themselves.

Market resilience and AI tailwinds

Despite a volatile 2025 that saw many retail participants sidelined, Lin remains bullish on the “believers” who continue to accumulate at low points. He points to the 15x growth in crypto-based payments over the last two years as evidence that digital assets are finding “real-world utility” beyond simple speculation.

Lin sees the current AI boom as a “strong support” for crypto. As investors hunt for the next technological frontier, the intersection of AI and blockchain, particularly in lowering the barrier to entry for new users, is expected to drive the next wave of adoption.

“We don’t care about the price alarms,” Lin concluded. “We care about the applications. We are making it lower cost and more efficient. The technology works, and nobody can stop that.”