Bybit Unveils Vision for 2026: The New Financial Platform
In a groundbreaking announcement, Bybit, currently the second-largest cryptocurrency exchange globally by trading volume, has outlined its transformative plans for 2026. The initiative is titled "The New Financial Platform." This ambitious vision aims to extend beyond traditional exchanges, shifting towards a comprehensive financial ecosystem designed to improve access to modern banking, investment, and payment solutions for the 1.4 billion unbanked individuals worldwide.
A Mission for Financial Empowerment
During a recent plenary session, Bybit's co-founder and CEO, Ben Zhou, presented the company's renewed mission to eliminate barriers preventing many from participating in the modern financial landscape. Millions remain without reliable banking access due to geographic limitations, infrastructural challenges, or restrictive financial systems. Bybit's platform architecture is underpinned by blockchain technology, facilitating frictionless financial services that integrate seamlessly with regulated fiat infrastructures. As Ben Zhou emphasizes, "Finance should not be constrained by geography," underscoring the company's commitment to crafting an infrastructure that connect crypto utilities to the real economy.
Introducing MyBank: A Borderless Banking Solution
A key element of this comprehensive strategy is MyBank, Bybit's upcoming retail banking layer set to launch in February 2026. This innovative service will simplify the entry and exit of high-value fiat currencies, enabling seamless cross-border transactions while complying with regulatory frameworks. Designed to address the challenges faced particularly in emerging markets—such as slow transfer times, limited access, high fees, and restricted product offerings—MyBank integrates crypto liquidity into conventional banking structures, allowing faster and more cost-effective capital utilization.
ByCustody: Institutional-Grade Asset Protection
As the journey towards financial inclusion continues, trust plays a pivotal role. Bybit's ByCustody framework manages over $5 billion in assets and is utilized by more than 30 professional asset managers on the platform. This custody architecture ensures secure separation of client assets, enabling institutions and private clients to operate with traditional financial guarantees while tapping into the digital markets. To date, more than 2,000 institutions harness Bybit's infrastructure—a 100% increase compared to the previous year. This rise demonstrates the escalating demand for hybrid financial platforms that bridge traditional and digital asset ecosystems.
A Unified Financial Infrastructure
Currently, Bybit boasts over 82 million users across 181 countries and regions, facilitated by its connections to nearly 2,000 local banks, and over 58 fiat gateways. The exchange has also issued over 2.7 million Bybit cards globally, allowing local fiat payments in more than 10 countries via Bybit Pay. The management of $7.1 billion in assets through Bybit Earn generated impressive returns of $110 million for users in 2025. On the same note, as of January 29, 2026, Bybit leads the market for XAUT (Tether Gold) spot exchanges globally with a 16% market share.
In response to the evolving financial landscape, Bybit has expanded its services to encompass over 200 TradFi instruments through its platform, a pioneering offering by a crypto exchange, allowing users to not only participate in crypto markets but also in CFD stocks, forex, commodities, and indices.
Global Expansion with Compliance in Mind
As Bybit evolves, it does so while adhering to the ever-changing global regulatory landscapes. The company works closely with banking partners and licensed custodians to enhance institutional integration standards, custody architecture, and transaction tracking systems to meet the expectations of regulators and traditional financial entities. Collaborative efforts with over 10 global banks and custodians facilitate unified collateral systems that allow fiat, traditional assets, and crypto holdings to co-exist securely.
Integrating AI Across All Operations
Artificial intelligence plays a foundational role in Bybit's operations—not merely as a secondary feature, but as a core productivity engine. With AI already enhancing engineering productivity by 30%, Bybit plans to deploy AI4SE in 2026, targeting a 50% efficiency improvement across the entire software lifecycle. This comprehensive AI framework will support risk control, compliance monitoring, customer service, and financial analysis, reducing operational costs and improving risk management.
A New Era of Financial Services
Ben Zhou succinctly states, "This transformation pertains to traditional finance. We are expanding our offerings beyond niche crypto services to cultivate a new financial platform where cryptocurrencies become integral to real financial activity." Bybit is gearing up to redefine access to financial services for underserved populations, paving the way to ensure inclusivity and efficiency in the global financial system.
For further information, you can explore Bybit's official website or engage with their community through various platforms.