DUBAI, UAE, Jan. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Bybit, the world's second-largest crypto exchange by trading volume, today announced its 2026 transformation into "The New Financial Platform," a global financial ecosystem designed to expand access to modern banking, investment, and payments infrastructure for the world's underserved populations. The vision, unveiled by co-founder and CEO Ben Zhou during the biannual keynote session, positions the company beyond its origins as a cryptocurrency exchange and into a unified financial platform connecting crypto, traditional markets, and real-world financial services.
At the center of the strategy is a long-term mission: empowering the 1.4 billion underbanked people globally by reducing barriers to participation in modern finance.
Millions remain excluded from reliable banking access due to geography, infrastructure limitations, or restrictive financial systems. Bybit's platform architecture leverages blockchain technology to deliver always-on, borderless financial services that integrate seamlessly with regulated fiat infrastructure.
"Finance should not be limited by geography," said Ben Zhou, co-founder and CEO of Bybit. "We are building financial infrastructure that connects crypto utilities with real-world economic activity. Our mission is to remove the boundaries that are inconvenient for people from modern finance and create a system that is always accessible, efficient, and global by design."
MyBank: Retail Banking Without Borders
A cornerstone of this initiative is MyBank, Bybit's new retail banking layer targeting to launch in February 2026. MyBank provides dedicated accounts that simplify large-value fiat on- and off-ramps while enabling everyday financial transactions across borders under the compliance framework.
The service is designed to address real-world problems faced by users in emerging markets: slow transfers, limited access, high fees, and limited products. By integrating crypto liquidity with banking rails, MyBank enables faster and more cost-efficient capital utilization for individuals and businesses with bank-grade experience.
ByCustody: Institutional-Grade Asset Protection
Financial inclusion requires trust. Bybit's institutional custody framework, ByCustody, underpins over $5 billion in assets managed by over 30 professional asset managers on the platform. The custody architecture supports secure segregation of client assets, enabling institutions and private wealth clients to operate with traditional financial safeguards while accessing digital markets.
More than 2,000 institutions now use Bybit's infrastructure - a 100% year-over-year increase - reflecting growing demand for hybrid financial platforms that bridge traditional and digital asset ecosystems.
A Unified Financial Infrastructure
Bybit now serves over 82 million users across 181 countries and regions, supported by:
- Connectivity to nearly 2,000 local banks and 58+ fiat gateways
- Over 200,000 P2P merchants worldwide
- Over 2.7 million Bybit Cards issued globally
- Local fiat payment support in 10+ countries via Bybit Pay
- $7.1 billion in Bybit Earn AUM, generating $110 million in yield for users in 2025
- As of January 29, 2026, Bybit led XAUT (Tether Gold) spot trading worldwide with 16% market share
Evolved from the world's first TradFi product from a crypto exchange in 2022, Bybit TradFi now integrates more than 200 TradFi instruments, with plans to launch 500 trading pairs in Q1, including stocks CFDs, forex, commodities, and indices, alongside crypto markets - creating a single environment where users can manage diversified financial activity.
Compliance-Driven Global Expansion
Bybit's platform evolution is being built in alignment with evolving global regulatory frameworks and in collaboration with licensed banking and custodial partners. Institutional onboarding standards, custody architecture, and transaction monitoring systems are being strengthened to meet expectations of regulators and traditional financial participants.
The company maintains active collaborations with more than 10 global banks and custodians, enabling unified collateral systems where fiat, traditional assets, and crypto holdings can coexist securely.
AI as Financial Infrastructure
Artificial intelligence is being deployed as core infrastructure across Bybit's operations - not as an add-on feature, but as a system-wide efficiency engine.
AI adoption has already improved engineering productivity by 30%. In 2026, Bybit will roll out:
- AI4SE, targeting 50% efficiency gains across the software lifecycle
- A company-wide AI agent network supporting risk control, compliance monitoring, customer service, and analytics
- Upgraded TradeGPT, a personalized AI assistant simplifying access to financial markets
This AI framework is designed to lower operational costs, improve risk management, and scale financial services to underserved populations.
"This transformation is about mainstream finance," Zhou added. "We are moving beyond niche crypto services to build a new financial platform where crypto becomes a core part of real-world financial activity - empowering users across both traditional and crypto markets to unlock more efficient capital utilization."
Bybit / CryptoArk
About Bybit
Bybit is the world's second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, serving a global community of over 80 million users. Founded in 2018, Bybit is redefining openness in the decentralized world by creating a simpler, open and equal ecosystem for everyone. With a strong focus on Web3, Bybit partners strategically with leading blockchain protocols to provide robust infrastructure and drive on-chain innovation. Renowned for its secure custody, diverse marketplaces, intuitive user experience, and advanced blockchain tools, Bybit bridges the gap between TradFi and DeFi, empowering builders, creators, and enthusiasts to unlock the full potential of Web3. Discover the future of decentralized finance at Bybit.com.
For more details about Bybit, please visit Bybit Press
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