Gate.com is a cryptocurrency exchange established in 2013.
History Gate.com was founded in April 2013 by Lin Han. After China restricted cryptocurrency activity in September 2017, the company moved its operations abroad.
In 2019, the company launched Gate SAFU, a reserve fund intended to insure user assets. The following year, it introduced a Proof of Reserves system to let users verify platform collateral, and partnered with cybersecurity firm Hacken.
In September 2021, Gate.com launched its venture capital arm, Gate Ventures, with an initial $100 million fund for early-stage blockchain projects; a second $200 million fund followed in November 2022.
Products and services Gate.com operates as a centralized exchange offering margin trading, perpetual futures, and NFT products. Bloomberg estimated total assets held on the exchange at $1.88 billion in May 2023.
Its native token, GateToken (GT), launched in August 2019 on the GateChain network and is used for transaction fees and platform functions. The company also offers Gate Wallet, a non-custodial multi-chain wallet, and Gate Pay, a merchant payment settlement product.
Regulatory status Gate Group operates through regional entities to comply with local requirements. In Europe, it holds a Class 4 Virtual Financial Assets (VFA) license from the Malta Financial Services Authority, along with VASP registrations in Lithuania and Italy. In the Middle East, it holds a Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) license for proprietary crypto trading. In Hong Kong, subsidiary Hippo Financial Services Limited obtained a Trust and Company Service Provider (TCSP) license in 2022, leading to the launch of Gate.HK in May 2023.
Legal issues and controversies
Non-compliance with Chilean court orders In May 2023, the Chilean digital assets company Local Traders SpA was targeted in a cyberattack resulting in the loss of several hundred thousand dollars in cryptocurrency, which was subsequently traced to wallet addresses associated with Gate.com. In response, the 8th Guarantee Court of Santiago issued four judicial orders targeting Gate.com including an official restitution order on 27 February 2025 requiring the return of the stolen assets to the victim. Gate.com failed to comply with the directives issued by the court.
On 6 May 2026, Chile's Financial Market Commission (CMF) issued a public investor alert warning that Gate.com, and 12 affiliated entities including Gate Global UAB, Hippo Financial Services Limited, and Gate Technology FZE were not authorized or regulated to provide financial or investment services in Chile. Following ongoing non-compliance with the 8th Guarantee Court's orders, Apple removed the Gate.com mobile application from the iOS App Store in Chile.
Cross-border asset recovery efforts in Lithuania, the United Arab Emirates, and Panama faced procedural rejections due to jurisdictional limits and the absence of bilateral legal cooperation treaties regarding digital asset enforcement between Chile and those jurisdictions.
References