Naomi Osaka partners with FTX to bring more women into crypto

Tennis star Naomi Osaka is partnering with FTX, one of the world's largest crypto exchanges, to focus on bringing more women onto the trading platform and Web3, according to a company statement.

"We have seen the statistics about how few women are part of crypto by comparison, which kind of mirrors the inequality we see in other financial markets," Osaka said in a statement. "Cryptocurrencies started with the goal of being accessible to everyone and breaking down barriers to entry. I'm excited to partner with FTX to get back to that mission and to innovate on new ways to reach more people and further democratize the space." 

As part of the partnership, Osaka will receive an equity state in FTX Trading and be paid in crypto. 

For the most part, women make up less of the crypto space than men -- from conference speakers, to crypto company founders, to NFT artists. For example, women account for under 5% of all crypto company founders, according to one 2021 survey of 121 founders. Female artists also accounted for only 5% of all NFT artists according to a survey published by Art Tactic in November 2021. And while 92% of women report having heard of crypto, only 24% report owning it. 

At FTX, Osaka will work to bridge this gender gap, as the first female pro athlete to partner with the exchange. To start, her role will involve producing and creating content with FTX to target a global audience, and debuting FTX's logo on her outfit for the Miami Open.

FTX will also work with Osaka to help her invest in cryptocurrencies of her choice, and donate to Play Academy, which is Osaka's charitable organization to support girls in sports.