In Conversation with KuCoin’s Alicia Kao: Why Trust Is the True Currency of Crypto’s Next Chapter

When the market tumbled a number of weeks in the past, exchanges confronted a well-known check: how properly may they shield customers in an business constructed on volatility? For KuCoin Managing Director Alicia Kao, that rigidity defines her each day work. She describes the change’s mission as being each a gateway for innovation and a gatekeeper for belief. These are two roles that not often align simply.

In a dialog with BeInCrypto, Kao mentioned how KuCoin balances innovation with safety, adapts to tighter laws, and upgrades its expertise to serve each institutional and retail customers.

Becoming “The Exchange You Can Trust” in an Institutional Era

KuCoin has constructed its id as The People’s Exchange, serving hundreds of thousands of retail merchants worldwide. Recently, it launched a brand new model slogan, “Trust First. Trade Next.” alongside with the message “The Exchange You Can Trust.” 

As establishments are getting into the market in rising numbers, the refreshed branding displays KuCoin’s broader ambition to strengthen credibility and increase its attain throughout totally different person segments. However, for Kao, that shift doesn’t imply abandoning the customers who made KuCoin what it’s.

“We don’t want establishments or retail. Both are vital for us,” she stated.

Retail merchants are inclined to want one-click simplicity, counting on AI bots and clear interfaces. Institutional desks have very totally different wants. They prioritize execution velocity, personalized metrics, and entry to deeper buying and selling engines.

She defined, “For establishments, it’s about product options that match their conduct. For retail, we deal with schooling, serving to customers turn into extra skilled in buying and selling.”

Although attaining that stability is rarely easy, Kao stated that the firm goals to keep up a balanced platform, serving each teams successfully.

To help establishments with out shifting away from its retail basis, KuCoin has launched options that strengthen each belief and effectivity. One instance is its Off-Exchange Settlement (OES) framework. It was developed with strategic companions to let establishments preserve their belongings in third-party custody. At the similar time, they’ll entry KuCoin’s liquidity throughout spot, margin, choices, and futures markets. 

The firm can be increasing into real-world asset (RWA) tokenization. This initiative connects conventional finance with blockchain infrastructure and creates new alternatives for institutional buyers.

As KuCoin works to satisfy the wants of each institutional and retail customers, the firm can be refining the expertise that helps them, together with synthetic intelligence. While AI has been round for a while, Kao believes that the surroundings at the moment is stronger. Companies now have higher metrics, extra information, and extra mature fashions to work with.

“We’ve been launching our buying and selling bot for a pair of years. But now, we’re in a position to re-architect our buying and selling bot with AI as a result of we’ve got extra information and data, and we’ve got extra mature fashions to assist us form the buying and selling bot,” she said.

Kao additionally noticed that customers’ focus has shifted. Many are serious about incomes from their belongings slightly than simply buying and selling.

“As lengthy as we will supply totally different choices to let customers earn extra of their crypto belongings, then I believe it’s all about incomes,” she added.

Guarding the Altcoin Haven

Few exchanges have KuCoin’s repute for token selection. It’s typically known as an altcoin haven, however Kao acknowledges that the surroundings is altering.

Kao talked about that KuCoin continues to replace its insurance policies for itemizing new cash as a result of the surroundings adjustments rapidly. She believes the change’s benefit lies in sustaining a transparent inner compliance construction, which isn’t at all times the case for native platforms.

She pointed to markets the place regulators preserve strict guidelines on listings. KuCoin works immediately with authorities to make sure that each listed asset complies with these frameworks.

“For now, we stay extremely selective and proceed to uphold a rigorous due diligence course of for listings,” Kao affirmed. “Our aim is to construct a various and innovation-driven product ecosystem that showcases rising blockchain tasks and delivers significant worth to customers.”

Meanwhile, KuCoin’s infrastructure and cybersecurity divisions are constructing what Kao calls the basis of belief. Their focus contains stable buying and selling structure, a custody system that minimizes vulnerabilities, and proactive measures towards scams.

Kao emphasised that KuCoin’s itemizing technique is formed by shut collaboration between the product, cybersecurity, and threat administration groups. She stated this strategy displays the firm’s dedication to balancing innovation with duty. 

“Our product crew is devoted to making sure customers can entry a complete vary of high quality belongings inside our ecosystem, whereas our threat crew upholds the highest requirements of safety and compliance. This synergy permits us to drive progress responsibly whereas sustaining person belief and market integrity,” she added.

Furthermore, KuCoin has set a brand new business benchmark by attaining 4 internationally acknowledged certifications. Among them are CCSS for cryptocurrency asset safety, SOC 2 Type II for operational controls, ISO 27001:2022 for data safety administration, and ISO 27701:2025 for privateness safety. 

The firm additionally conducts steady monitoring and proactive detection measures to fight phishing makes an attempt and impersonation scams throughout social media, reinforcing its dedication to person security and platform integrity.

That measured strategy, outlined by technical rigor mixed with cautious openness, displays how Kao sees the function of a centralized change in 2025. The aim is to welcome new concepts whereas maintaining customers shielded from pointless threat. 

“We proceed to embrace the innovation half. We work with some of the on-chain merchandise suppliers to let our customers subscribe or buy some of the staking merchandise or some structured merchandise simpler. We are very selective of our companions. We make it possible for they’re with good reputations and so they’re operating their firm correctly,” she said. “At the similar time, we stay extremely selective in our partnerships, working solely with respected and well-managed establishments to make sure each reliability and long-term person belief.”

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