Gate CEO Dr. Han Exclusive Interview: MiCA and VARA Dual Authorization Rewrite the 2026 Market

Gate rebrands to Gate.com, obtains MiCA and Dubai VARA licenses. Gate founder Dr. Han reveals that in October, the CrossEx cross-exchange platform will be launched for professional investors to manage capital uniformly, with Gate Layer supporting Gate Perp DEX and Gate Fun zero-code token platform.

Gate MiCA and VARA dual licensing opens the institutional market door

(Source: BeInCrypto)

Gate’s most significant breakthrough in 2025 is the comprehensive achievement of regulatory licenses. By obtaining a MiCA (EU Crypto Asset Market Regulation) license through a Malta entity, Gate becomes one of the few exchanges legally operating in all 27 EU countries. MiCA is the world’s first comprehensive crypto asset regulatory framework, with very high licensing standards covering capital adequacy, risk management, information security, and consumer protection.

The full operational license from Dubai VARA (Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority) is equally significant. VARA is the strictest crypto regulator in the Middle East, and its license enables Gate to serve institutional clients in the Middle East and North Africa. Dubai is becoming a global institutional trading hub for crypto assets, with surging demand from sovereign funds and family offices for compliant trading channels. Gate’s VARA license allows it to capture this influx of institutional capital.

The strategic value of these two licenses lies in opening the institutional market door. Traditional financial institutions prioritize compliance licenses when choosing crypto counterparties. Exchanges without a MiCA license cannot serve EU institutional clients, and those without VARA license cannot access Middle Eastern funds. By obtaining both licenses, Gate maintains a leading position in institutional competition.

Dr. Han states that increased regulatory transparency is changing the entire market structure. “Regulators have drawn clearer boundaries in major markets. This is most important for professional traders and institutional clients,” he told BeInCrypto. “They need to know that the platform they trade on is compliant, so they can confidently allocate large sums.”

CrossEx cross-exchange platform targets professional traders

Gate’s CrossEx, launching in October, is a direct response to market structural changes. This cross-exchange trading and clearing platform allows professional investors, quant teams, and institutional clients to manage execution and capital across multiple platforms through a single system. Dr. Han explains that the development of this product stems from in-depth observation of how professional traders operate.

“Professional traders and institutional clients need to trade through more professional interfaces, like APIs. They also require faster connections, low latency, and ultra-high-speed trading, which we call high-frequency trading,” Dr. Han told BeInCrypto. “At the same time, they can instantly transfer assets between different platforms. They no longer need to withdraw and deposit on separate platforms as before.”

Many professional trading firms trade across multiple exchanges, managing dispersed balances and collateral simultaneously. This operational mode is highly inefficient, requiring maintenance of multiple API connections, monitoring liquidity across platforms, and manually coordinating cross-platform fund transfers. CrossEx offers a unified interface and API, enabling users to deploy crypto assets more efficiently across platforms.

CrossEx three core advantages

Unified liquidity pool: Aggregates order books from multiple exchanges, providing the best execution prices and minimal slippage

Real-time capital allocation: Instantly transfers assets across platforms, eliminating withdrawal/deposit time gaps and fee losses

Single API interface: Quant teams no longer need to maintain multiple connections, greatly reducing technical complexity and maintenance costs

This “exchange of exchanges” model has precedents in traditional finance but remains innovative in the crypto market. The launch of CrossEx demonstrates that Gate is transforming from a simple trading platform into a provider of professional trading infrastructure.

Proof of reserves and MPC insurance vaults build a security defense

No matter how innovative the products, security and transparency are always non-negotiable. Gate implemented proof of reserves as early as 2020, well before such practices entered mainstream discussion. The exchange combines Merkle tree verification with zero-knowledge proofs, allowing users to verify that their assets are fully backed without exposing sensitive account information. The system is open-source and externally audited.

“We implemented Merkle trees with zero-knowledge technology. We published the open-source code. We also conducted audits. We partnered with Hacken to review our code,” Dr. Han said. As of September 2025, Gate’s proof of reserves covers approximately $12 billion in assets.

In September, the insurance vault system was launched as an additional layer of security. This vault is built on Multi-Party Computation (MPC) technology, functioning as a multi-chain wallet, where assets cannot be moved without explicit user authorization. “This is a self-sufficient solution. Without permission, we cannot move their assets. They must sign the transaction from their side before we can transfer assets,” Dr. Han explained. The withdrawal process also includes a time delay, so even if the account is hacked, funds cannot be immediately withdrawn, giving users time to intervene and cancel unauthorized actions.

AI-driven 2026 simplification revolution

In 2026, Gate’s primary goal is to simplify the experience of CEX and DEX environments. Dr. Han points out that the issue is not a lack of tools but friction. “For example, users can tell us they want to buy one Bitcoin; they don’t need to place an order or understand all the underlying tools. We find the best price, optimal execution location, and complete the task at the lowest cost,” he said. This approach can also extend to more advanced requests, reducing the need for users to understand each underlying mechanism before acting.