#Bybit #United Arab Emirates #Dubai #Financial Services #crypto exchange

Bybit's Bold Vision for 2026

Introduction

In a groundbreaking announcement, Bybit, the second largest cryptocurrency exchange globally, has revealed its ambitious plans to transform into "The New Financial Platform" by 2026. This visionary shift aims to create a global financial ecosystem that enhances access to banking, investment, and payment services for the billions of underserved individuals worldwide. During a recent keynote address, co-founder and CEO Ben Zhou outlined a strategy that expands the company's reach beyond traditional cryptocurrency trading to integrate with real-world financial services.

Empowering the Underserved

At the core of Bybit's transformation lies a commitment to empower the 1.4 billion underbanked individuals across the planet. Many people remain excluded from reliable banking services due to geographical barriers, insufficient infrastructure, or restrictive financial systems. Drawing on blockchain technology, Bybit intends to provide always-available and borderless financial services that align with regulated fiat infrastructures.

Ben Zhou emphasized the need for accessible finance, stating, "Finance should not be constrained by geography. We are designing a financial infrastructure that connects crypto utilities with real-world economic activities. Our goal is to eliminate inconveniences and create a financial system that is continuously accessible, efficient, and global in scope."

Innovative Retail Banking Solutions

A significant part of Bybit’s initiative is the launch of MyBank, a retail banking service scheduled to debut in February 2026. MyBank is designed to simplify high-value fiat transactions, enabling users to conduct everyday financial activities across borders while remaining compliant with local regulations. This service directly addresses the common challenges faced by users in emerging markets, such as slow transfers, high fees, and a limited range of products.

By integrating cryptocurrency liquidity with banking systems, MyBank aims to facilitate faster and more cost-effective capital utilization for both individuals and businesses, offering a bank-grade experience without the traditional limitations.

Secure Asset Management

Acknowledging that trust is fundamental for financial inclusion, Bybit is also rolling out ByCustody, its institutional-grade asset protection framework. This infrastructure currently manages over $5 billion in assets across more than 30 professional asset managers, providing secure segregation of client assets and ensuring that institutions can operate under traditional financial safeguards while accessing digital markets.

The demand for Bybit’s services has exploded, with over 2,000 institutions currently using their infrastructure—reflecting a whopping 100% year-on-year increase. This growth underlines the rising need for hybrid financial platforms that seamlessly integrate traditional and digital asset ecosystems.

Comprehensive Financial Offering

Bybit’s user base has grown to over 82 million, spanning 181 countries and regions. The platform boasts connectivity to nearly 2,000 local banks and over 200,000 P2P merchants globally. Additionally, more than 2.7 million Bybit Cards have been issued, providing versatile payment options to users. With a remarkable $7.1 billion under management in Bybit Earn, the platform generated an impressive $110 million in yield for users in 2025.

Bybit has evolved from offering the world's first TradFi product within a cryptocurrency exchange since 2022. The Bybit TradFi service now incorporates over 200 traditional financial instruments and plans to launch an additional 500 trading pairs in the first quarter of 2026. This ambitious initiative aims to create an integrated environment where users can diversify their financial activities across both traditional and cryptocurrency markets seamlessly.

Global Expansion with Compliance Focus

As Bybit continues its evolution, the company is prioritizing alignment with global regulatory frameworks while collaborating closely with licensed banking and custodial partners. By strengthening institutional onboarding standards, custody architecture, and transaction monitoring systems, Bybit is setting itself up to meet the regulatory expectations of both traditional financial participants and contemporary digital markets. Currently, the company is actively working with over ten global banks and custodians, creating cohesive collateral systems that allow fiat and crypto assets to coexist securely.

The Role of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is set to become an integral part of Bybit’s operations. Instead of being merely an auxiliary feature, AI will serve as a key efficiency engine across all aspects. A notable achievement includes a 30% improvement in engineering productivity through current AI applications. By year 2026, Bybit plans to implement various AI-driven innovations, such as AI4SE aimed at boosting efficiency across the software lifecycle by 50%. Furthermore, an AI agent network will provide support for risk control, compliance monitoring, customer service, and advanced analytics.

Conclusion

Ben Zhou encapsulated the essence of this pivotal transformation by stating, "This is about mainstream finance. We are transcending niche crypto services to create a new financial platform where cryptocurrency plays a central role in real-world financial activities, empowering users across both traditional and crypto markets to optimize capital utilization more effectively."

Bybit is positioning itself at the forefront of the financial revolution, redefining the potential of cryptocurrency within a modern financial ecosystem. Bybit's future is bright and expansive, promising to unlock new opportunities for millions worldwide.