DUBAI, UAE, Dec. 9, 2025 — Bybit, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, hosted its BIG Series – Bybit Institutional Gala in Abu Dhabi, bringing together senior executives, global regulators, banking partners, liquidity providers and institutional clients to discuss the next phase of regulated digital markets. The event highlighted Bybit’s strengthened global position after obtaining a full Virtual Asset Platform Operator (VAPO) license from the UAE’s Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) and a MiCAR license covering the entire European Economic Area (EEA).
Ben Zhou, Co‑founder and CEO of Bybit, said the dual regulatory foundation and a unified liquidity engine built on transparency and resilience position the company to support institutional adoption of digital finance.
Retail Scale and Scalable Infrastructure Drive Institutional Confidence
Opening the gala, Zhou framed the industry shift toward an integrated, institution-ready market and emphasized Bybit’s retail footprint as a strategic advantage. In its first year, the Bybit Card issued more than 1.8 million cards across 13 regions, supported by expanding Pay and bank-integrated fiat rails. That retail reach, he said, helps deliver tighter pricing and improved execution for institutional counterparties.
Zhou also highlighted rapid progress in Bybit’s wealth and asset management business: assets under management rose from USD 40 million in Q2 to USD 200 million in Q4, signaling growing institutional demand for qualified asset management services. He noted asset inflows increased from USD 1.3 billion in Q3 to USD 2.88 billion in Q4.
“Institutions want certainty — of liquidity, compliance and performance. We are focused on building trusted infrastructure for the next era of institutional digital finance,” Zhou said.
Compliance as a Trust Product
Robert MacDonald, Chief Legal & Compliance Officer at Bybit, delivered a keynote on compliance as a core enabler of institutional adoption. He described predictable onboarding, embedded compliance in products and proactive regulatory engagement as ways to reduce operational friction for professional investors and strengthen banking relationships, turning compliance into a competitive asset.
Expanding Institutional Products for 2026
Yoyee Wang, Head of Business to Business at Bybit, presented institutional product roadmaps planned for 2026 to improve market connectivity and operational efficiency. Key announcements included:
– INS Credit Suite upgrade: This integrates Bybit Custody with tokenized money market yield products so institutions can keep assets in custody, earn returns via RWA yield instruments, and access institutional credit simultaneously. The suite is designed to boost capital efficiency while preserving institutional control, supporting market-leading 5× leverage and up to 1,000 sub-accounts.
– Market Maker Gateway (MMGW): A dedicated, high-performance access point to Bybit’s trading environment that delivers faster, more stable connectivity for HFT and quant clients. Bybit reported the MMGW reduces round-trip latency from roughly 30 ms to about 2.5 ms.
Bybit also reported INS loan notional growth of 26% quarter-over-quarter, driven by adoption among multi-strategy and high-frequency trading firms.
“The traction from institutions is driven by tangible utility — capital efficiency, liquidity depth and operational reliability. We aim to simplify access while partnering with banks and regulators to build a more connected, scalable global market structure,” said Wang.
A Cross-Regional Dialogue on Market Structure
A panel moderated by Dimitrios Psarrakis, Head of Global Affairs at Bybit, featured representatives from European regulators and industry partners, including Jean‑Marc Laventure, Head of Financial & Securities Services Sales, Investors, Middle East, Standard Chartered Bank. The discussion emphasized an ongoing convergence between traditional finance and digital assets around shared principles of transparency, efficiency and institutional governance.
Awards and Recognition
The evening concluded with an awards ceremony recognizing institutions and ecosystem contributors for their performance and impact in global digital markets. Awards and recipients included:
Premier Corporate Trading Terminal Award
– Vantage
– Jarvis Lab
Broker Market Leadership Award
– Insilico Terminal
– Coinroutes
– Finestel
Outstanding Institutional Contribution Award
– Wintermute
– Amber Group
– Da Vinci
– GSR
– Cumberland
Liquidity Leadership Award
– Pulsar
– Atomic
– Gravity
– Hashwave
Institutional Trading Excellence Award
– CyantArb
– AlberBlanc
– Presto
– Rosario
“Receiving this recognition from Bybit at a pivotal time for mainstream adoption of digital finance is an honor. The Gala reinforced the importance of trust, infrastructure and long-term partnership,” said Xin Song, CEO of GSR.
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 aims to bridge TradFi and DeFi by providing infrastructure, secure custody, diverse marketplaces and blockchain tools that support builders, creators and enthusiasts in Web3. Learn more at Bybit.com.
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