Can crypto exchanges grow without compromising security and transparency? BTCC, founded in 2011, tested this question by scaling from 2 million users in 2022 to over 10.16 million by October 2025. The platform’s trajectory offers insight into how exchanges compete in an industry where global crypto ownership reached 560 million people in 2025, up 34% from 420 million the previous year.
The exchange’s growth coincides with a period of consolidation in the crypto market, where the top 10 exchanges control over one-third of global trading volume and smaller platforms face pressure from regulatory compliance costs and security demands.
The Why? The How? The Numbers Behind BTCC’s Expansion
BTCC’s third quarter of 2025 demonstrated momentum across trading metrics. The exchange recorded $1.15 trillion in total trading volume, comprising $1.03 trillion from futures and $124 billion from spot trading. This represented a 20% increase from Q2 2025’s $957 billion, while the user base expanded from 9.1 million to 10.16 million in the same period.
The platform’s reserve position strengthened throughout 2025, moving from 132% in July to 146% by November. Individual asset reserves showed similar depth, with Bitcoin at 162%, Ethereum at 165%, and Tether at 160%. These figures position BTCC’s reserves well above the 100% threshold that indicates full backing of user deposits.
The exchange’s Risk Reserve Fund grew from over $15 million in Q1 2025 to more than $19 million by Q3, adding $2.4 million during the third quarter alone. BTCC reports this fund has assisted approximately 280,000 users, providing coverage for liquidation protection and user asset security.
Trading pair expansion kept pace with user growth. BTCC offered over 400 futures pairs and 460 spot pairs by Q3 2025, up from 300 futures and 100 spot pairs in 2024. The platform listed coins including ASTER, MYX, FLOCK, LINEA, and WLFI during Q3, while established pairs like XRP, SOL, and DOGE generated trading volumes exceeding $70 billion, $32 billion, and $20 billion respectively.
How BTCC Executed Strategic Realignment Under New Leadership
Erik Gjergji, Head of Business Development at BTCC, joined around 2022 during what he describes as a strategic shift. In an interview with DL News, Gjergji explained that the exchange redirected its approach to user acquisition and partnerships at that time.
Gjergji noted that the last 12 to 18 months saw the user base climb from 5 million to 10 million. He attributed this acceleration to moving beyond crypto-focused positioning and delivering value to broader markets. The exchange announced plans to triple its headcount to 3,500 within six months, with 1,200 engineers accounting for 35% of the expansion.
Alex Hung, Head of Operations at BTCC, commented on the Q3 performance:
“This quarter’s growth has been impressive. We’ve crossed 10 million registered users globally, and Bitcoin’s rally certainly helped drive that momentum. Bringing on Jaren as our brand ambassador is a big step for us in reaching new audiences.”
The reference points to BTCC’s partnership with NBA All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr., announced in September 2025. Jackson, the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time NBA All-Star, serves as the platform’s global brand ambassador.
Gjergji described the partnership’s impact on user behavior. Before the collaboration, new users spent two to three seconds on BTCC’s pages before leaving. After the partnership launched, that engagement extended to 20 seconds, followed by sign-ups, deposits, and trading activity. He noted this validated the model for additional athlete or team partnerships.
How Product Evolution from Derivatives to Web3 Impacted BTCC’s Growth
BTCC operated solely as a derivatives exchange when Gjergji joined in 2022. The platform launched its spot trading team in 2024, which Gjergji said has grown to 15-25 members with plans to list 30 to 50 new coins weekly. The spot product exited beta testing and now functions alongside the derivatives platform.
The exchange introduced Futures Pro Copy Trading in November 2025, featuring Smart Copy Trading Mode. This system automatically replicates lead trader strategies without manual configuration, matching positions proportionally based on portfolio allocation. If a lead trader allocates 10% of their portfolio to a position with 5x leverage, copy traders’ positions scale to the same 10% ratio with matching leverage.
Futures Pro trading volumes grew from $6.6 billion in Q2 2025 to $18.7 billion in Q3 2025. Marcus Chen, Product Manager at BTCC, stated the feature launched based on community feedback and aims to make professional strategies accessible to all users.
The copy trading segment showed earlier traction. By August 2024, BTCC had over 600,000 copy trading users, generating over $420 million in profits from 220 million successful trades. The platform supported more than 15,000 lead traders at that time.
Gjergji outlined plans for additional Web3 features in 2026, including staking and yield farming. These products would transform BTCC from a trading platform into what he termed a comprehensive financial tool. His vision includes debit cards and expanded fiat on-ramps within 24 to 36 months, allowing users to spend crypto directly rather than off-ramping and paying taxes.
Why Regional Expansion and Localization Strategies Matter
BTCC’s expansion targets Latin America, the Middle East, and other emerging markets. Gjergji explained that the exchange’s initial influencer and partnership programs focused on English-speaking Western markets. While continuing that work, he acknowledged the platform fell behind on localization in regions with millions of Portuguese speakers in Brazil and French speakers in Africa and Europe.
He projected that matching the English-speaking influencer program’s reach in these regions could push BTCC toward 50 million users. The workforce expansion includes new heads of departments, compliance officers, engineers, and localized business development teams for each region.
The exchange participated in multiple events during Q3 2025, including the BTCC Summer Festival 2025 in Tokyo, an MVP Night side event at Taipei Blockchain Week with 250 industry participants, the Red Eagle Foundation’s Legend Golf Day featuring Chelsea legend John Terry, and TOKEN2049 Singapore with a Poolside Sync Party.
Gjergji emphasized measured growth over aggressive expansion. He stated that BTCC maintains relationships with regulators and complies when asked not to operate in specific regions. The platform prioritizes user safety and compliance over rapid scaling that could compromise security.
The State of Web3: Industry Recognition and Competitive Positioning in 2025
BTCC received three awards from FXEmpire in a 2025 industry analysis for lowest fees, best security, and best crypto exchange in the USA. The platform maintained zero security breaches since its 2011 inception. BTCC’s 10 million users place it in the second tier of exchanges by size. The exchange’s Q3 2025 trading volume of $1.15 trillion demonstrates growth from Q1’s $815 billion, though this represents a fraction of industry leaders like Binance with 250 million users and Coinbase with 120 million.
Marcus Chen commented on reserves:
“We’ve maintained our reserve ratio well above 100% since May 2025. Strong reserves matter most during market turbulence; they ensure user assets remain fully protected regardless of conditions.”
The exchange conducts monthly Merkle Tree audits to verify sufficient reserves for user deposits, addressing concerns that emerged after the November 2022 FTX collapse.
Final Thoughts
BTCC’s 400% user growth since 2022 demonstrates execution during a crypto market recovery period. The exchange faces competition from Binance’s scale and Coinbase’s regulatory standing, differentiating through its 14-year operational history without security breaches and reserve transparency.
Success of the Web3 transformation depends on execution of staking, yield farming, and fiat integration products promised for 2026. These features must compete with established DeFi protocols offering higher yields. The workforce tripling represents a bet that crypto adoption will continue growing and that BTCC can capture market share in emerging regions, testing whether 10 million users represents a sustainable platform or a milestone toward Gjergji’s 50 million user vision.
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