This episode of The New Money Podcast features Vugar Usi Zade, COO of Bitget. Vugar recounts his unconventional path from marketing director at Sony to scaling crypto giant Bitget from 12 million to 100 million users in under two years. Vugar explains the key drivers behind Bitget’s growth, including its strategic $30M partnership with Lionel Messi, the launch of the Bitget Wallet (now one of the most downloaded crypto wallets globally), and investments into Telegram’s TON ecosystem. He shares how Bitget scaled its operations to 1,800 employees across 60 countries, why the company prioritizes local autonomy over centralized control, and how they maintain performance through a rigorous metrics-driven culture. This episode is a masterclass in operating at scale, building trust in a post-FTX world, and thinking contrarian in crypto. A must-listen for builders, investors, and anyone fascinated by the future of money.

Key Chapters

• 03:06 Vugar’s Unconventional Path: From Sony to Crypto

• 08:51 Evaluating Crypto Projects: Red Flags and Due Diligence

• 12:04 The Importance of Founders and Their Backgrounds

• 14:50 The Bitget Story Begins: Why Vugar Joined

• 17:57 Inside Bitget’s 8x Growth Playbook

• 20:50 Strategic Partnerships: The Messi Deal & Beyond

• 23:59 Rebuilding Trust in a Post-FTX Crypto World

• 27:01 Challenges of Rapid Growth and Talent Acquisition

• 28:36 Decentralization at Scale: How Bitget Operates

• 30:32 Culture Without Borders: Managing 1,800 Remotely

• 34:42 Performance Metrics and Accountability

• 35:54 Navigating Employee Performance and Retention

• 39:50 The Vision of a Crypto Super App

• 42:04 Tokenization of Real World Assets

• 46:50 Legislation and Regulatory Challenges in Crypto

• 49:30 Geographical Strategy and Market Focus

• 40:10 Quickfire Insights on Fintech and Crypto Trends

This is NOT financial, tax, or legal advice

Music by Marcelo Cataldo