Athena Yu is a business executive and operator active in digital-asset infrastructure, blockchain products, and emerging-technology partnerships. She is the CEO of United Stables, a U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin. Her background includes experience in partnerships, operations, and emerging technology sectors. ^[4]

Education

Yu completed a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology at Renmin University of China from September 2008 to July 2012. During her undergraduate studies, she also attended a summer economics program at the University of Oxford from July to September 2011. She later pursued a Master’s degree in Social Psychology at the London School of Economics and Political Science from September 2012 to February 2014. ^[5]

Career

Yu began her career in marketing and operations, working as an Operational Specialist at Tencent from March 2011 to March 2012, and as a Marketing Communications Manager at Schneider Electric from September 2011 to July 2012. She later worked as a Marketing Associate at Ogilvy in London from November 2012 to June 2013. From June 2014 to May 2018, she held a business role at Sinopec International Petroleum Service Corporation in Beijing. She subsequently co-founded the Made in Africa Initiative in 2015, remaining involved until January 2020, and served as a Global Shaper with the World Economic Forum from 2018 to 2021. In July 2018, she joined Binance, where she held roles including Head of Fiat Partnerships and, later, Business Head of NFTs, until August 2022, while also contributing to the Binance Charity Foundation during this period. She then served as Chief Executive Officer of Ceffu from August 2022 to November 2023. From November 2023 to December 2025, she was co-founder of Wello, working remotely from France. Afterward, she became the CEO of United Stables. ^[6]

Interviews

NFT Market Insights

In an interview with Binance, Yu, Vice President of Binance Custody and former Deputy of Binance NFT, shared her journey into the crypto and NFT space, emphasizing her early involvement at Binance since 2018 and her passion for promoting mass adoption of blockchain technology. She recounted how Binance initially focused on charity, education, and bridging traditional finance with cryptocurrency through fiat adoption. She highlighted the transformative potential of NFTs, noting how projects like CryptoKitties and NBA Top Shot helped introduce mainstream audiences to the concept and demonstrated the broader utility of NFTs beyond art, including in sports, music, and fashion. Yu observed that while NFT adoption was still in its early stages, its future lay in providing real utility, such as enabling celebrities and influencers to independently manage their brands, foster closer community relationships, and generate new revenue models through smart contract-based mechanisms. She expressed excitement about NFTs revolutionizing the creative economy and strengthening the connection between creators and fans across industries. ^[3]

Presentations

BNB Chain Keynote

At a BNB Chain Hong Kong Event, Yu discussed the development of digital financial systems, focusing on accessibility, interoperability, and efficiency. She referenced economic ideas such as those of Friedrich Hayek to frame the concept of decentralized monetary systems, while emphasizing practical challenges in regions with limited financial infrastructure. The discussion highlighted the role of digital assets in addressing cross-border payment inefficiencies and expanding access to financial services. She also noted the importance of reducing fragmentation across blockchain ecosystems by enabling interaction between different assets and networks. The keynote further addressed the use of digital assets to improve capital utilization, including their integration into financial protocols that keep assets active rather than idle. It also examined the potential role of programmable digital currencies in automated systems, including transactions conducted by software

• or machine-based agents. The overall framework emphasized integration across financial platforms, support for both individual and institutional use cases, and adaptability to emerging technological environments. ^[7]