Key Takeaways
- • MEXC CEO Vugar Usi told BeInCrypto at TOKEN2049 that investment decisions are increasingly shaped by social signals, describing social trading as "a kind of identity signal."
- • MEXC launched on September 28 a tool connecting users' own AI agents to the exchange, enabling them to prepare and execute trades, with confirmation required for key actions.
- • MEXC's October 15 survey of 3,708 crypto traders found 84.8% had used AI for research or trading, and 65.9% of AI users acted on its recommendations at least sometimes; these are company-sample figures reflecting user impressions, not independently measured returns.
- • In a surveyed scenario prohibiting transfers and withdrawals, 54% of respondents would let AI trade with no more than 20% of account assets, and only 6.5% would authorise more than half.
- • Nasdaq plans to introduce 23-hour trading, five days a week, on December 6, extending the window in which investors can respond to events.
Summary
MEXC chief executive Vugar Usi, speaking to BeInCrypto at TOKEN2049, framed investment decisions as increasingly influenced by what others do and what people wish to signal about themselves. He described a "screen-optimised life" in which investors repeat what peers have done well. Usi said social trading has become "a kind of identity signal," with holdings expressing who an investor admires or how early they identified an opportunity. The article cites a FINRA Foundation study published in April, drawing on its 2024 investor survey, which found that social activity motivated 59% of investors using social media, compared with 11% of non-users. The same research identified a gap between confidence and tested investment knowledge among these users.
On September 28, MEXC launched a tool linking users' own AI agents to the exchange, allowing them to prepare and execute trades with confirmation required for key actions. Usi argued that AI can help individuals use analytical logic long available to quantitative trading firms, while noting that giving someone an AI assistant does not establish they can reproduce a quant fund's results. MEXC's October 15 survey of 3,708 crypto traders found 84.8% had used AI for research or trading, and 65.9% of AI users acted on its recommendations at least sometimes. The article notes these are findings from the company's own sample and that reported improvements reflect user impressions rather than independently measured returns. Usi expects greater delegation, saying "we'll see a lot of autonomous agents that can rebalance your portfolio and act on opportunities."
Extended trading hours feature in the discussion. Nasdaq plans to introduce 23-hour trading, five days a week, on December 6. Usi suggested AI agents could eventually make decisions before leveraged positions reach liquidation levels. The article stresses that this remains a proposed benefit, with no performance evidence presented showing AI prevents forced closures. For the present, Usi described a human approval step in which users confirm trades before execution, and he said safeguards should remain in place. The Financial Stability Board's October 15 guidance calls for human oversight suited to an AI system's autonomy and risk, which the article notes requires the ability to intervene as well as approve.
MEXC's survey indicates users set limits on delegation: in a scenario prohibiting transfers and withdrawals, 54% would allow AI to trade with no more than 20% of account assets, while only 6.5% would authorise more than half. Usi said platforms must either own the customer relationship or not, adding that "you have the customer and you can bring all the services to them, or you don't." The article concludes that investor control by 2027 will depend on whether users understand the authority they delegate and can withdraw it. The piece is an editorial interview, and BeInCrypto notes its views are those of the interviewee and not investment advice.
On September 28, MEXC launched a tool linking users' own AI agents to the exchange, allowing them to prepare and execute trades with confirmation required for key actions. Usi argued that AI can help individuals use analytical logic long available to quantitative trading firms, while noting that giving someone an AI assistant does not establish they can reproduce a quant fund's results. MEXC's October 15 survey of 3,708 crypto traders found 84.8% had used AI for research or trading, and 65.9% of AI users acted on its recommendations at least sometimes. The article notes these are findings from the company's own sample and that reported improvements reflect user impressions rather than independently measured returns. Usi expects greater delegation, saying "we'll see a lot of autonomous agents that can rebalance your portfolio and act on opportunities."
Extended trading hours feature in the discussion. Nasdaq plans to introduce 23-hour trading, five days a week, on December 6. Usi suggested AI agents could eventually make decisions before leveraged positions reach liquidation levels. The article stresses that this remains a proposed benefit, with no performance evidence presented showing AI prevents forced closures. For the present, Usi described a human approval step in which users confirm trades before execution, and he said safeguards should remain in place. The Financial Stability Board's October 15 guidance calls for human oversight suited to an AI system's autonomy and risk, which the article notes requires the ability to intervene as well as approve.
MEXC's survey indicates users set limits on delegation: in a scenario prohibiting transfers and withdrawals, 54% would allow AI to trade with no more than 20% of account assets, while only 6.5% would authorise more than half. Usi said platforms must either own the customer relationship or not, adding that "you have the customer and you can bring all the services to them, or you don't." The article concludes that investor control by 2027 will depend on whether users understand the authority they delegate and can withdraw it. The piece is an editorial interview, and BeInCrypto notes its views are those of the interviewee and not investment advice.
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