Bybit Unveils 2026 Strategic Vision: Building a 'New Finance Platform' to Construct Global Financial Infrastructure

The cryptocurrency exchange platform Bybit announced yesterday that it will begin a strategic transformation towards a "New Financial Platform" by 2026, planning to build a global comprehensive financial ecosystem to provide a more modern banking, investment, and payment infrastructure for underserved and unserved financial populations worldwide. Bybit Co-Founder and CEO Ben Zhou presented this vision during a keynote speech in the first half of the year, stating that the plan aims to drive deep integration between crypto assets, traditional finance, and the real economy, marking Bybit's transition from a platform focused on digital asset trading to a new phase of connecting the global financial system. By 2025, Bybit ranked second in monthly trading volume.

In his first live stream event in 2026, Ben stated that the core of this strategy is a long-term mission: aimed at breaking down the barriers of modern finance so that all of the world's 1.4 billion financially underserved populations can benefit and empower them to integrate into the next generation financial system.

Currently, millions of people worldwide still lack reliable banking services due to geographic, infrastructural, or financial system limitations. Bybit's platform architecture leverages blockchain technology to provide round-the-clock, geographically unrestricted financial services seamlessly integrated into regulated fiat infrastructure.

"Finance should not be limited by geographic boundaries," said Bybit Co-Founder and CEO Ben Zhou. "We are building a financial infrastructure that connects digital assets with real-world economic activities, aiming to eliminate various inconveniences of modern finance and create an always-on, efficient, and global financial system."

MyBank: A New Retail Banking Experience Breaking Geographical Barriers

One of the key focuses of the new plan is MyBank, Bybit's brand-new retail banking service set to launch in February 2026. MyBank provides exclusive accounts that enable users to easily and securely deposit, withdraw large sums of money, and make cross-border transfers, fully compliant with relevant regulations.

This service is designed to address real-world challenges for emerging market users, including slow transfers, limited financial services, high fees, and limited product choices. By combining cryptocurrency liquidity with banking channels, MyBank allows individuals and businesses to efficiently deploy funds with a banking-grade experience.

ByCustody: Institutional Asset Protection, a Cornerstone of Financial Inclusion

The foundation of financial inclusion is trust. Bybit's institutional custody architecture, ByCustody, has already enabled over 30 asset managers on the platform to oversee more than $50 billion in assets. ByCustody supports individual client asset segregation to ensure asset security, enabling institutions and high-net-worth clients to access the digital asset market while enjoying the protection of traditional financial safeguards.

Currently, over 2,000 institutions have adopted the Bybit infrastructure, with a yearly growth rate of 100%, reflecting the increasing market demand for a hybrid financial platform connecting traditional and digital assets.

All-in-One Financial Infrastructure

Bybit now serves over 181 countries and regions globally, with more than 82 million users. The platform's advantages include:

· Connecting to nearly 2,000 local banks and over 58 fiat currency channels

· Over 200,000 P2P merchants worldwide

· Issued over 2.7 million Bybit cards

· Bybit Pay supporting local fiat payments in over 10 countries

· Bybit Earn managing assets worth $71 billion, set to generate $110 million in user returns by 2025

· As of January 29, 2026, Bybit holds a 16% market share in the global XAUT (Tether Gold) spot market, ranking first worldwide

Since launching Bybit TradFi as the world's first traditional financial product line by a crypto exchange platform in 2022, it has integrated over 200 traditional financial instruments. It plans to introduce 500 trading pairs in the first quarter, covering stock CFDs, forex, commodities, and indices, running parallel to the crypto market, enabling users to manage diversified financial activities on a single platform.

Compliance-Driven Global Expansion

Bybit's platform innovation closely follows the development of global regulatory frameworks and collaborates with licensed banks and custodians to continuously enhance institutional access mechanisms, custody structures, and transaction monitoring systems to meet the needs of regulatory bodies and traditional financial users.

Currently, Bybit closely collaborates with over 10 international banks and custodians to establish a unified collateral system, allowing the secure coexistence and management of fiat, traditional assets, and cryptocurrency holdings.

AI as Financial Infrastructure

Bybit integrates artificial intelligence into its core operational infrastructure, considering it as the efficiency engine running throughout the entire system.

Based on existing data, AI applications have improved operational efficiency by 30%. Looking ahead to 2026, Bybit will introduce:

· AI4SE: Aims to enhance efficiency by 50% throughout the software development lifecycle

· Full-Stack AI Network: Empowering Risk Control, Compliance Monitoring, Customer Service, and Analytics

· Enhanced TradeGPT: Personalized AI Assistant Facilitating Seamless Connection to Financial Markets

Bybit's AI framework aims to reduce operational costs, strengthen risk management, and expand financial services to previously underserved populations.

Ben Zhou added, "This innovation is to embrace the future of traditional finance. We are not just providing cryptocurrency services, but building a brand-new financial ecosystem—making cryptocurrency an essential part of real-world financial activities and helping users deploy their funds more efficiently in both traditional and crypto markets."

About Bybit

Established in 2018, Bybit is the world's second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, serving over 80 million users worldwide. Bybit is committed to creating a simpler, more open, and fairer ecosystem for everyone, redefining openness in a decentralized world. Bybit is deeply involved in the Web3 space, strategically partnering with leading blockchain protocols, providing robust infrastructure, and driving on-chain innovation. Bybit is renowned for its secure custody services, diverse markets, intuitive user experience, and advanced blockchain tools, bridging the gap between Traditional Finance (TradFi) and Decentralized Finance (DeFi), empowering builders, creators, and enthusiasts to fully explore the potential of Web3.

This article is a contributed content and does not represent the views of BlockBeats.