Bybit CEO Ben Zhou Signals a New Era of Regulated Institutional Finance Following Full VAPO and MiCAR Approvals
DUBAI, UAE, Dec. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- At the BIG Series – Bybit Institutional Gala, Bybit Co-founder and CEO Ben Zhou delivered a landmark address outlining Bybit's strategic path into a fully regulated institutional era. Speaking before global regulators, banks, and market leaders, Zhou detailed how Bybit's full UAE Virtual Asset Platform Operator (VAPO) license is reshaping the exchange's global positioning and setting new standards for governance, infrastructure resilience, and institutional-grade market access.
This new license places Bybit under one of the world's most robust regulatory regimes, enabling the exchange to offer a complete institutional product stack from a rigorously supervised UAE hub.
Bybit CEO Ben Zhou Signals a New Era of Regulated Institutional Finance Following Full VAPO and MiCAR Approvals
Vision Rooted in Trust, Scale, and Regulatory Alignment
Zhou opened by emphasizing that institutional adoption is accelerating toward firms that can demonstrate both operational scale and regulatory certainty — and Bybit is now positioned to lead that shift.
"Bybit's growth this year reflects a market seeking reliability," Zhou stated.
"Asset inflows rose from USD 1.3 billion in Q3 to USD 2.88 billion in Q4, while our wealth management AUM expanded fivefold from USD 40 million to USD 200 million. Institutions want partners who can scale with discipline, transparency, and governance — and Bybit is delivering exactly that."
Zhou noted that Bybit's strengthened regulatory status marks an inflection point for the industry.
"The UAE's VAPO license gives institutions what they have been waiting for — a regulatory environment where innovation is supported by rigorous oversight," he added. "It anchors our compliance-first strategy and sets a model for how global digital finance will mature."
From Retail Strength to Institutional Certainty
Zhou highlighted that Bybit's institutional advantage is built on the strength of its global retail ecosystem — now spanning card, Pay, and fiat integration across 13 regions. This scale enables one of the deepest liquidity pools in the industry, providing measurable execution benefits to institutional desks.
He also pointed to accelerated collaboration with major financial institutions in Europe and the Middle East, reinforcing Bybit's role as a high-reliability execution venue for professional market participants.
TradFi and Crypto: A Single Market Within Five Years
Looking ahead, Zhou outlined his long-term view of the industry. Rather than parallel financial systems, he predicts a unified capital market driven by shared infrastructure standards, integrated workflows, and interoperable liquidity.
"In the next five years, TradFi and crypto will not be two separate worlds," Zhou said. "We are moving toward a single, globally connected ecosystem built on institutional-grade liquidity, custody, and infrastructure — and Bybit is building the operational backbone for that future."
Commitment to a Safer, High-Performance Institutional Market
Zhou closed his keynote by underscoring Bybit's commitment to create the market's most trusted institutional trading ecosystem — anchored in transparency, execution speed, and clear regulatory standards.
With its expanded regulatory footprint, deepening institutional partnerships, and rapidly scaling liquidity, Bybit is well positioned as a foundational pillar of the global digital asset market heading into an era of rapid institutional adoption in 2026.
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About Bybit
Bybit is the world's second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, serving a global community of over 70 million users. Founded in 2018, Bybit is redefining openness in the decentralized world by creating a simpler, open and equal ecosystem for everyone. With a strong focus on Web3, Bybit partners strategically with leading blockchain protocols to provide robust infrastructure and drive on-chain innovation. Renowned for its secure custody, diverse marketplaces, intuitive user experience, and advanced blockchain tools, Bybit bridges the gap between TradFi and DeFi, empowering builders, creators, and enthusiasts to unlock the full potential of Web3. Discover the future of decentralized finance at Bybit.com.
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