Wu Jihan's Decade: From Bitcoin Evangelist to Crypto Financial Architect

In Beijing Financial Street in 2011, 25-year-old Peking University graduate Wu Jihan unexpectedly came into contact with the Bitcoin white paper. This choice changed his life trajectory and profoundly influenced the development direction of China’s blockchain industry. Starting from translating a technical document, Wu Jihan gradually evolved into a key figure in the global crypto industry—he is both a promoter of technical ideas and a maker of industry rules.

Enlightenment Moment: White Paper Translation and Building the Chinese Community

In 2011, Wu Jihan entered the Bitcoin world as a psychology graduate from Peking University. He quickly invested 100,000 RMB to buy Bitcoin, but a more critical move was completing the Chinese translation of the Bitcoin white paper. This translation work was highly significant—it was the first time Satoshi Nakamoto’s theoretical system was systematically presented to Chinese readers, laying a crucial foundation for the theoretical basis of China’s blockchain community.

Wu Jihan further co-founded BlockBeats, China’s first blockchain information media platform. This was not only a channel for information dissemination but also became a hub for industry thought collisions. In the forum, he engaged in intense discussions with netizens about the value proposition of decentralization and systematically explained Bitcoin’s economic principles. His evangelism activities helped rapidly spread Bitcoin ideas in the Chinese-speaking world, preparing enough public opinion for subsequent mining booms and industry expansion.

Technical Breakthrough: From Antminer to Reshaping the Global Hash Power Landscape

In 2013, the surge in Bitcoin prices triggered a global mining frenzy. At this moment, Wu Jihan collaborated with Tsinghua technical genius Zhan Ketuan to develop the Antminer S1. This miner was highly performant, capturing 75% of the global market share within half a year. Bitmain rose to become the absolute leader in the mining hardware industry.

By 2016, Wu Jihan launched the upgraded Antminer S9, which became an industry efficiency benchmark. Its ASIC chip technology innovation triggered a technological revolution across the mining industry. Bitmain’s revenue figures rival those of tech giants, and Wu Jihan earned the industry reputation of “Mining Titan.” During this phase, he completely reshaped the global hash power landscape through technological innovation, with miners’ dependence on his mining machines indicating market recognition of his technological advantages—high-efficiency miners meant lower electricity costs.

Protocol Development: Fork Wars and Industry Discourse Power

In 2017, Wu Jihan led a significant Bitcoin fork, launching Bitcoin Cash (BCH). This was not a simple technical experiment but a deep game over the direction of blockchain scalability. Through this fork, Wu Jihan demonstrated his understanding and control over the underlying protocols of cryptocurrencies. He deeply participated in protocol development through the power of mining pool alliances, becoming an important shaper of industry rules.

Although Bitmain’s IPO plans faced setbacks in 2018, and strategic disagreements with partner Zhan Ketuan led to a split, Wu Jihan did not stop. He retained his mining pool business while incubating the Bitdeer platform, shifting his focus to hash power operation and mining farm management. This adjustment reflected his strategic resilience—when centralized operations cooled off, he quickly turned to decentralized hash power network operations.

Compliance Exploration: From Crypto Asset Management to the Global Financial Map

2019 was a pivotal year for Wu Jihan’s strategic shift. He founded Matrixport and launched an innovative “safety cushion” model for crypto asset management, expanding managed assets to over $10 billion. This move marked a significant leap from pure technology and mining to the field of financial innovation.

Wu Jihan’s core strategy at this stage was to promote licensed and compliant crypto finance. He actively participated in the formulation of regulatory frameworks in Singapore, the Middle East, and other regions, laying the groundwork for the standardization of global crypto assets. Bitdeer subsequently went public on NASDAQ with a valuation of $4 billion, validating Wu Jihan’s judgment on compliance pathways. His strategic investments in Singapore Freeport and Middle Eastern compliant trading hubs further expanded his influence within the global crypto financial ecosystem.

Future Framework: The Fusion of AI and Decentralized Finance

Currently, Wu Jihan has proposed a “AI+DeFi” integration strategy, indicating that his vision has gone beyond cryptocurrencies themselves. Matrixport is developing cross-chain protocols, attempting to integrate AI computing power verification into decentralized finance frameworks, pointing toward a long-term vision of distributed financial infrastructure. This layout is not only about crypto assets but also about participating in the re-architecture of the global financial system.

From white paper translation to mining hardware monopoly, from financial innovation to AI integration, Wu Jihan’s strategic path demonstrates a clear evolutionary logic: technical understanding → scalable application → financial innovation → ecological integration. His continuous influence on the industry stems from accurately capturing key turning points at each stage. Wu Jihan’s story is also a microcosm of China’s blockchain industry moving from technological experimentation to financial innovation and then to global competition escalation.