[//]:content-type-MARKDOWN-DONOT-DELETE **Happy New Year!** Stepping into 2023, Gate.io would like to thank each of you for being with us through 2022 and wish a bright New Year to our 12 million global users. 2022 marked the ninth anniversary of Gate.io and nine years of providing millions of users with secure access to the digital economy, with the ultimate goal of accelerating crypto into the next phase of adoption. Looking back, this year was filled with milestones contributing to furthering this goal. While there's a lot to cover, here's a quick end-of-year wrap-up of some notable moments. ##Bringing crypto to new regions Following a complete brand overhaul and introduction of the new brand mascots, Gatsby and Blocky, this year saw Gate.io reach new corners of the globe, bringing safe and secure digital asset services to more users worldwide. Throughout the year, regional entities of Gate Group received licenses, registrations, and approvals in Dubai, Hong Kong, Lithuania, and Malta. Furthermore, the launch of the GateTR exchange in Turkey and the upcoming United States exchange Gate US were revealed in the final half of 2022. ##Upholding commitments to security Over 3 million new active users joined Gate.io, peaking at over 13 million active worldwide. As the user base grew, so did Gate.io's commitments to user asset security. After being the first exchange to provide third-party audited Proof of Reserves with Merkle tree verification in 2020, Gate.io produced a second audit in October, showing over 100% of users' assets were held in reserve and releasing the method open source. In addition, Gate.io launched a dedicated page to educate users on the $100M Gate SAFU fund, which has protected user deposits on Gate.io since 2019. ##Diversifying the digital finance landscape Gate.io continued to expand its tools and offerings to bring more crypto and Web3 technologies to users, from new products that develop the Gate.io exchange ecosystem to decentralized blockchain-based solutions. Introduced to millions of users worldwide were new fractional NFTs, which brought greater liquidity and accessibility to the most popular NFT collections. This was later expanded to include fraction tokens, enabling NFT trading on Gate.io's spot market. These products are supported by the new automated market maker and liquidity pool feature, allowing instant NFT trading and new passive earning opportunities for NFT holders. To integrate crypto payments into everyday life, Gate Pay launched a free-to-use crypto payment technology, making it easier than ever for users to pay for goods and services with cryptocurrency. In addition, Gate.io expanded the list of accepted fiat currencies, such as the integration of GEOPay, which brought Ukrainian Hryvnia (UAH) to the exchange. Gate.io also made significant progress on the decentralized front with the notable release of GateOracle, which brought advanced data interoperability between off-chain and on-chain networks. ##A megaphone for blockchain industry support Ensuring that the voice of crypto and blockchain is heard loud and clear, Gate.io attended blockchain events, summits, and conferences in countless countries, which brought together crypto users, governments, and industry leaders to forge the path toward mass adoption. Further, in Hong Kong, Gate.io exchanged viewpoints on the region's growing blockchain industry with government representatives, with ambitions to collaboratively progress the digital economy in the region. ##Merging philanthropy and blockchain Although Gate.io has been active in philanthropy for several years, 2022 marked the founding of Gate Charity, a non-profit blockchain philanthropy organization. So far, Gate Charity has launched philanthropic initiatives in the Philippines, Turkey, Vietnam, India, and South Korea, where orphaned children had their artwork minted and sold as NFTs to fundraise for their welfare centre. ##Offering help when it's needed most As the bear market pressure increased, Gate.io removed fees on the most popular trading pairs across the spot and futures market, alleviating strain on users who continued to trade and accumulate during the dip. On top of this, Gate.io implemented a new portfolio margin account functionality, allowing traders to utilize their portfolios better. Bear market support wasn't limited to direct support for users, as Gate.io launched the $100M industry liquidity support fund to bolster industry and market health and help industry practitioners continue to thrive and provide vital services to users during the market downturn. ##Leading by example Throughout 2022, Gate.io delivered on its commitment to bringing secure cryptocurrency services to more users worldwide, supporting the development of next-gen blockchain solutions and bringing the world closer to an interconnected Web3-based global society. As we enter 2023, Gate.io has further solidified itself as a global leader in diversifying the blockchain and cryptocurrency landscape, reaching new peaks as the second-largest exchange by trading volume in early 2022 and receiving a nod from Forbes UK, which put Gate.io at the top of the list for best crypto exchanges for December 2022. Gateway to Crypto Trade over 1,400 cryptocurrencies safely, quickly and easily on Gate.io [Sign up](https://www.gate.io/signup "Sign up") to enter the crypto gateway and get 40% commission from [referrals](https://www.gate.io/referral "referrals") [Download iOS/Android App](https://www.gate.io/mobileapp?ch=ann27560 "Download iOS/Android App") right now. Reach out to us! Twitter: https://twitter.com/gate_io GateVIP Twitter: https://twitter.com/GateioVIP Telegram: https://t.me/gate_io API Telegram: https://t.me/gateioapi Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gateioglobal Medium: https://gateio.medium.com/ Podcast: https://gateio.buzzsprout.com/?ch=buzzs Gate.io Team January 1st, 2023