Bybit CEO highlights compliance and decentralized innovation at Solana Breakpoint 2025

Bybit CEO Ben Zhou joined a fireside chat at Solana’s Breakpoint 2025 conference in Abu Dhabi on Dec 12.

Bybit, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, was represented by its CEO and co-founder Ben Zhou at a fireside chat held on December 12 during Breakpoint 2025, Solana’s annual global conference hosted in Abu Dhabi from December 11 to 13. 

Zhou joined Lily Liu, President of the Solana Foundation, for a discussion on where the crypto industry is heading next. The conversation took place shortly after Bybit marked its seventh anniversary, a step Zhou said reflects the platform’s resilience and growing global user base during a period of rapid industry evolution.

Licensing and compliance as core priorities

Zhou said the past two years have marked a shift in Bybit’s operational priorities as the company concentrated on securing regulatory approvals in key markets. 

“This year for me is really focused on compliance and getting licensed,” he said. He noted that Bybit was “one of the early exchanges to secure a license from the UAE’s Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA)” and also obtained licensing under Europe’s MiCA framework. He added that markets across Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia, are preparing for broader onboarding into crypto.

For Bybit, regulatory alignment goes hand in hand with building trusted access points. “The role of the exchange now is really how do we connect to the local banks and become the place for people that haven’t been onboarded into crypto,” Zhou said.

Expanding payment access in emerging markets

Zhou highlighted commendable adoption in Latin America, the CIS region and Africa. He also noted that in underbanked markets crypto platforms are increasingly used as primary financial interfaces. 

“In several markets where Bybit holds local regulatory approvals, users often rely on crypto exchanges much like banks. We give them a crypto card they can use, and at the same time they have an earn program and can even buy structured products,” he said.

Zhou added that expanding payment functionality is driving real-world utility and contributing to the platform’s continued global user growth.

Byreal and the move toward decentralized liquidity

Zhou discussed Byreal, the decentralized exchange incubated by Bybit and built on Solana, highlighting liquidity as its core strength. “We want to make sure that the DEX has really good liquidity,” he said, noting that trading activity is already “being routed to Byreal because the liquidity and the spread is quite good.”

He also outlined how Bybit refined its broader product strategy, saying the company discontinued its wallet project after determining the category lacked user stickiness. “I don’t see a competitive stickiness on wallets,” he said, explaining that users often choose wallets based on airdrops or ecosystem access rather than loyalty.

He contrasted that with the durability of decentralized exchanges. “DEX is where trading happens,” Zhou said, pointing to a broader market shift in which liquidity, including derivatives activity, is moving from centralized exchanges to platforms such as Hyperliquid. He said this trend reinforces Byreal’s focus on execution quality and depth of markets.

Zhou closed by reaffirming Bybit’s focus on building compliant, accessible infrastructure while driving innovation across decentralized markets. The exchange’s seven-year track record reflects its commitment to reliability, strong user growth and the ability to adapt to rapidly changing global market conditions.