Bybit hosted its BIG Series — Bybit Institutional Gala in Abu Dhabi, bringing together company leaders, global regulators, banking partners, liquidity providers, and institutional clients to discuss the next phase of digital markets. The event followed Bybit’s receipt of a full Virtual Asset Platform Operator (VAPO) license from the UAE’s Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) and a MiCAR license covering the European Economic Area (EEA), reinforcing the firm’s position in regulated digital finance.
Ben Zhou, Co‑founder and CEO of Bybit, opened the gala by describing a market transition toward an integrated, institution‑ready structure and stressed that Bybit’s retail footprint is a competitive strength. In its first year, the Bybit Card exceeded 1.8 million cards issued across 13 regions, supported by expanding Pay and bank‑integrated fiat rails. Zhou said that that retail scale helps deliver better pricing and execution for institutional counterparties.
Bybit’s wealth and asset management business also saw rapid growth: assets under management rose from USD 40 million in Q2 to USD 200 million in Q4, while asset inflows increased from USD 1.3 billion in Q3 to USD 2.88 billion in Q4. “Institutions are choosing Bybit because they want certainty — certainty of liquidity, certainty of compliance, and certainty of performance. With asset inflows rising, our role has never been clearer: we are building the most trusted infrastructure for the next era of institutional digital finance,” Zhou said.
Compliance as the new institutional trust product was a central theme. Robert MacDonald, Chief Legal & Compliance Officer, argued that predictable onboarding, product‑embedded compliance, and proactive regulatory engagement are decisive for institutional adoption, improving banking relationships and reducing operational friction for professional investors.
Yoyee Wang, Head of Business to Business at Bybit, outlined institutional offerings planned for 2026 to boost market connectivity and operational efficiency. Highlights included:
– An upgraded INS Credit Suite that integrates Bybit Custody with real‑world‑asset (RWA) yield products. Institutions can retain custody of assets, earn returns through tokenized money‑market funds, and access institutional credit at the same time. The suite continues to offer market‑leading 5× leverage and support for up to 1,000 sub‑accounts to improve capital efficiency while maintaining control.
– The Market Maker Gateway (MMGW), a high‑performance access point that delivers faster and more stable connectivity to Bybit’s trading environment, cutting round‑trip latency from 30 ms to 2.5 ms for high‑frequency and quantitative clients.
Bybit reported INS loan notional grew 26% quarter‑over‑quarter, driven by adoption from multi‑strategy firms and high‑frequency trading desks. “The momentum we’re seeing from institutions is driven by real utility—capital efficiency, liquidity depth, and operational reliability. Our role is to simplify access while working hand in hand with partners, banks, and regulators to build a more connected and scalable global market structure,” said Yoyee.
A cross‑regional panel moderated by Dimitrios Psarrakis, Head of Global Affairs at Bybit, included European regulators, Jean‑Marc Laventure of Standard Chartered Bank, and other industry representatives. The discussion emphasized the convergence of traditional finance and digital assets toward systems governed by transparency, efficiency, and institutional‑grade governance.
The evening concluded with awards recognizing institutions and ecosystem contributors for excellence across global digital markets. Award 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
“It is a privilege to receive this recognition from Bybit at such a pivotal moment for mainstream adoption of digital finance. The Gala reinforced the importance of trust, infrastructure, and long‑term partnership. GSR looks forward to continuing our collaboration with Bybit as we build institutional‑grade products and services for the crypto market together,” 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, the company focuses on creating a simpler, open, and equal ecosystem that bridges TradFi and DeFi, partnering with blockchain protocols to provide infrastructure and drive on‑chain innovation. Bybit offers secure custody, diverse marketplaces, an intuitive user experience, and advanced blockchain tools.
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