Bybit CEO Ben Zhou has announced a major regulatory milestone for the exchange, confirming full approval under the UAE’s Virtual Asset Platform Operator (VAPO) regime.
A remarkable night in Abu Dhabi, institutions, policymakers, and industry leaders coming together to advance a secure, institution-ready digital asset landscape.
Thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to the conversation ✨ pic.twitter.com/lELlRA6CvX— Bybit (@Bybit_Official) December 9, 2025
Bybit secures UAE VAPO license, strengthens global crypto positioning
Speaking at the BIG Series, Bybit Institutional Gala in Dubai, Zhou said the license places Bybit under one of the world’s most comprehensive digital asset frameworks, enabling the platform to offer a complete suite of institutional products from a fully regulated UAE base.
Zhou noted that institutional appetite is shifting toward exchanges that can demonstrate operational resilience and strict alignment with compliance requirements. Bybit’s recent market performance, he said, reflects this trend. Asset inflows climbed from USD 1.3 billion in Q3 to USD 2.88 billion in Q4, while its wealth management division expanded from USD 40 million to USD 200 million in assets under management.
Regulation and market depth position Bybit for institutional growth
The strengthened regulatory standing follows Bybit’s alignment with MiCAR in Europe, further solidifying its presence across major institutional jurisdictions. The exchange’s retail infrastructure, spanning card, Pay, and fiat channels across 13 regions, now acts as the liquidity foundation for its institutional expansion.
Bybit is also deepening collaboration with banking institutions across Europe and the Middle East, aiming to position itself as a high-reliability execution venue for professional traders. Zhou stressed that these developments set the stage for a unified financial environment where traditional finance and crypto operate on shared infrastructure and liquidity standards.
He projected that within five years, global markets will no longer view TradFi and digital assets as separate ecosystems, but as a single integrated capital market supported by institutional-grade custody, governance, and execution frameworks.
In a related update, Bybit has entered a strategic partnership with an affiliate of Circle Internet Group to expand the availability and liquidity of USDC across its global platform. The collaboration strengthens the presence of the world’s largest regulated stablecoin and reinforces Bybit’s positioning as a compliance-driven, institution-focused exchange.
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