Journalist Colin Wu shared the story of a trader known by the pseudonym Vida, whose rapid trading and high profits have drawn the attention of Binance’s risk management department. By the age of 24, Vida has earned 130 million yuan (~~$17.8 million) and now operates with 51 million yuan (~~$7 million).

On November 11, an unidentified address purchased 10.9 million Act I The AI Prophecy (ACT) tokens for $320,000 just two seconds after Binance announced the token’s listing. The subsequent price increase and timely sale yielded a profit of 24 million yuan (~$3.4 million), according to Lookonchain.

The transaction took place seven seconds before Binance posted the listing announcement on a Chinese platform, raising suspicions of insider trading. In response, the trading team BWEnews claimed responsibility for the transaction, stating that it was based on an English-language source and executed using a custom algorithm overseen by Vida.

Vida’s share of the profit amounted to 21 million yuan (~$3 million).

This success earned Vida the title of “the most influential algorithmic trader in the current bull market.” On the Chinese platform Zhihu, Vida revealed that his net worth had reached 130 million yuan (~$17.8 million).

From Low IQ to Trading Genius

Vida, born in 2000 in Jiangsu Province to a middle-class family, was considered a “fool” in school due to an IQ of 70 and struggles with mathematics. He failed to meet academic thresholds for traditional education, a setback that ultimately allowed him to focus on his strengths and unlock his potential outside the education system.

His talent for languages, especially English, enabled him to enroll in an international high school. Vida later discovered his knack for leveraging information asymmetry in a more open and flexible environment, laying the foundation for his financial success.

Vida credits his father, an investor since 1996 who followed Warren Buffett’s principles, for influencing his journey.

First Million and Algorithmic Trading

In 2015, Vida began testing his theories through arbitrage of “light assets,” exploiting information asymmetry. Over four years, he earned his first million yuan ($137,000).

His primary strategy focused on low-cost, high-efficiency price differentials arising from market data imbalances. Only 10–20% of his trades were successful, but he kept each bet under 1% of his portfolio, minimizing risk and maximizing returns.

This phase revealed Vida’s trading intuition and synchronization with market movements, prompting a shift toward macro investing. His wealth grew from 1 million yuan (~~$137,000) to 7 million yuan (~~$960,000).

To further refine his approach, Vida formed a team of programmers and quantitative analysts to develop automated trading strategies.

Automation and Scaling

By late 2021, Vida’s quantitative strategies had generated over 10 million yuan ($1.37 million) in profits. He then automated his trading model, enabling him to outperform competitors in speed and accuracy.

In 2022, focusing on real-time news trading and latency arbitrage, Vida turned 8 million yuan (~~$1.1 million) into 20 million yuan (~~$2.74 million) during the bear market.

By 2023 and 2024, Vida had nearly fully automated his system, which collected data and executed trades instantly. With millisecond-level speed, he grew his net worth from 30 million yuan (~~$4.11 million) to 100 million yuan (~~$13.7 million).

Cryptocurrencies as a Path to Wealth

Vida attributes his success to developing unique skills and leveraging information asymmetry. He advises aspiring traders to become experts in a specific field and focus on opportunities that provide initial advantages.

“If you don’t work hard in these favorable market conditions, you’ll regret it in the next four years. Use this high-liquidity environment to fully capitalize and earn as many U.S. dollars as possible,” he emphasized.

According to Vida, the crypto market’s primary role is to “redistribute wealth from 95% of retail investors to the top 5% elite.”

Notable Trades

In October, Cryptol reported a trader earning $140,000 in under 20 minutes by monitoring new Binance listings. In September, another user turned $815 into $9.4 million with MOODENG, though low liquidity prevented them from realizing the full potential profit.