Bitget Appoints Ignacio Aguirre Franco as Chief Marketing Officer to Drive Global Growth and UEX Evolution

VICTORIA, Seychelles, Nov. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Bitget, the world's largest Universal Exchange (UEX), has strengthened its leadership in global brand narrative and user engagement strategy with the appointment of Ignacio Aguirre Franco as its new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).

Ignacio brings over fifteen years of experience across technology, fintech, and blockchain, with a career that bridges engineering and marketing. Before joining Bitget, he held senior roles at Adobe, SAP, Scorechain, and Xapo Bank, where he helped scale global products, strengthen market positioning, and drive user growth. A self-described builder at heart, Ignacio combines an engineer's analytical mind with a marketer's storytelling flair, translating complex technology into clear, compelling messages that resonate across cultures.

At Bitget, Ignacio's mission is to advance the company's Universal Exchange (UEX) vision, bridging CeFi, DeFi, and TradFi into an easily accessible ecosystem for users of all levels. He will lead the brand's global marketing initiatives, with a focus on expanding user engagement, enhancing product storytelling, and driving mass adoption of Bitget's key innovative products, including Onchain, GetAgent, and Stock Futures. His approach emphasizes simplifying complex and technical products and injecting creativity, while positioning Bitget as both a financial and cultural platform for the next generation of users.

"The core of any great tech is based on its access and the greater opportunities it brings to disrupt. For too long, finance has been a fractured landscape; my mission at Bitget is to dismantle those old barriers," said Ignacio Aguirre Franco, CMO at Bitget. "I will ensure the story of the UEX, the blueprint for the future of finance, resonates with billions of people across the globe, making secure access to crypto and RWA a reality for every person," he added.

Ignacio's arrival follows Bitget's recent transition to a new era of the Universal Exchange aimed at deepening Bitget's global influence and reinforcing its reputation for innovation, security, and trust. With a goal to reach 150 million users by 2026 and a growing number of cross-market trading solutions, Bitget continues to build toward its long-term vision of financial inclusivity.

"Ignacio brings a mix of technical fluency and creative vision, and it aligns perfectly with our mission. His direction will influence how we link innovation, culture, and community globally as Bitget develops into a true Universal Exchange," said Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget, in a statement welcoming Ignacio's appointment.

As Bitget celebrates its seventh year by broadening its cultural reach through global partnerships with icons such as LALIGA, MotoGP, and the UNTOLD Festival, Ignacio's appointment signifies Bitget's dedication to bridging the realms of technology and humanity, bringing people closer to a free financial future.

Read Ignacio's full CMO letter here.

About Bitget

Established in 2018,Bitget is the world's largest Universal Exchange (UEX), serving over 120 million users with access to millions of crypto tokens, tokenized stocks, ETFs, and other real-world assets on a single platform. The ecosystem is committed to helping users trade smarter with its AI-powered trading tools, interoperability across tokens on Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and BNB Chain, and wider access to real-world assets. On the decentralized side, Bitget Wallet runs as the leading non-custodial crypto wallet supporting 130+ blockchains and millions of tokens. It offers multi-chain trading, staking, payments, and direct access to 20,000+ DApps, with advanced swaps and market insights built into the platform.

Bitget is driving crypto adoption through strategic partnerships, such as its role as the Official Crypto Partner of the World's Top Football League, LALIGA, in EASTERN, SEA and LATAM markets. Aligned with its global impact strategy, Bitget has joined hands with UNICEF to support blockchain education for 1.1 million people by 2027. In the world of motorsports, Bitget is the exclusive cryptocurrency exchange partner of MotoGP™, one of the world's most thrilling championships.

For more information, visit: Website | Twitter | Telegram | LinkedIn | Discord | Bitget Wallet

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Bitget Appoints Ignacio Aguirre Franco as Chief Marketing Officer to Drive Global Growth and UEX Evolution

KANAZAWA, Japan, April 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Kanazawa Biyori, a regional media platform rooted in Hokuriku, is committed to sharing the living culture of this region with a broader audience — not only its celebrated landmarks, but the traditions that continue to define what it means to call this city home. The Hyakumangoku Festival is the beating heart of Kanazawa: magnificent, historic, and unmistakably alive.

The Procession That Defines a City

The Hyakumangoku Festival is held each June in commemoration of Lord Maeda Toshiie's triumphant entry into Kanazawa Castle on June 14, 1583 — the moment that laid the foundation of the Kaga Domain and shaped the city as we know it today. Now in its 75th edition, the festival runs from Friday, June 5 to Sunday, June 7, 2026, transforming the center of Kanazawa into a stage for one of Japan's most spectacular civic celebrations.

At its heart is the Hyakumangoku Gyōretsu — a procession of breathtaking scale and pageantry that departs from the iconic Tsuzumimon Gate at Kanazawa Station and winds its way through the city to Kanazawa Castle Park. On Saturday, June 6, from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m., the streets of Kanazawa belong entirely to history brought to life.

This Year's Highlight: Where Living Tradition Meets National Drama

The defining draw of this year's festival is a convergence that happens once in a generation. Lord Maeda Toshiie will be portrayed by Daito Shunsuke, and his consort Omatsu-no-Kata by Sugai Yuka — both currently starring as Toshiie and Matsu in Toyotomi Kyodai!, the 2026 NHK Taiga Drama.

For those unfamiliar with the format: the NHK Taiga Drama is Japan's most prestigious historical drama series, broadcast annually by the national public broadcaster since 1963. In Japan, historical figures are often remembered — and reimagined — through the lens of whoever portrayed them in a given year's Taiga. To see these actors step from the screen into the streets of Kanazawa, embodying the very figures who built this city, is an experience with few parallels.

A Procession of Power and Craft

The Gyōretsu is more than a parade — it is a living tableau of Kaga culture in motion. Music corps perform at three points along the route, filling the streets with sound and energy. The Kaga Tobi — the storied firefighters of the Edo-period domain — take to the street four times, their acrobatic ladder performances drawing gasps from the crowd. The thunderous Kaga Shishi lion dance, a designated cultural property of Kanazawa, moves through the procession with an energy that is as ancient as it is electric.

This year, the procession once again incorporates the Kiriko float parade from Noto — a powerful gesture of solidarity with the region's ongoing recovery from the 2024 earthquake. The sight of Noto's lantern floats moving through the streets of Kanazawa carries a meaning that no words can fully capture.

Three Days of Living Culture

The festival extends well beyond the Gyōretsu. Across three days, a series of events deeply rooted in Kanazawa's cultural identity are planned. The Hyakumangoku Takigi Nō is set to bring Noh theater to life under the open sky, performed by firelight in the grounds of Kanazawa Castle Park — a hauntingly beautiful tradition. The Hyakumangoku Chakai tea ceremony will offer visitors a window into the refined world of Kaga's tea culture. And as night falls, the Hyakumangoku Odori Nagashi fills the streets with dance, open to all — no experience, no affiliation required.

An Invitation

Kanazawa Biyori shares this festival not simply as a seasonal event, but as a window into the soul of this city — a place where history is not preserved behind glass, but performed, danced, and lived each June. Whether you come to watch or to join, the Hyakumangoku Festival is Kanazawa at its fullest.

• Information The 75th Hyakumangoku Festival
  Dates: Friday, June 5 – Sunday, June 7, 2026 Main Event — Hyakumangoku Gyōretsu: Saturday, June 6, 2:00–6:00 p.m. Location: Central Kanazawa (departing from Tsuzumimon Gate, Kanazawa Station)

Media Contact
Kanazawa Biyori Co., Ltd.
Sunpia Izumigaoka 511, 255 Fushimishinmachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0964, Japan
Email: info@kanazawabiyori.com

©Ishikawa Prefecture Tourism Federation

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Hyakumangoku Festival in Kanazawa: A Grand Procession Rooted in Samurai Legacy