Crypto Cowboys & Compliance: Bybit’s CEO Rides Into Abu Dhabi On A Mission! 🐎📜

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Ben Zhou, Bybit’s CEO, kicked up sand at Solana’s Breakpoint 2025 in Abu Dhabi on Dec 12, like a rodeo rider dodging regulatory bullhorns while juggling crypto dreams and paperwork.

The man who runs the second-largest crypto exchange by volume (because who needs sleep when you’re trading?) sat down with Lily Liu of the Solana Foundation for a chat that felt less like a tech talk and more like a dusty saloon showdown between innovation and red tape.

A Seven-Year Ride Through Crypto’s Wild West 🌵

Zhou, fresh off Bybit’s seventh birthday (seven years? That’s longer than most crypto projects last!), waxed poetic about growth, resilience, and the joy of surviving a market that’s as volatile as a camel in a sandstorm. “We’ve been around the block,” he said, “and now we’re just trying to build a fence that won’t blow away.”

Compliance: The New Gold Standard (Or Just Paperwork Hell) 📄

“This year’s all about licenses and not getting sued,” Zhou admitted, as if he’d just confessed to eating his veggies. He praised Bybit’s early UAE approval (because nothing says “trust us” like dancing with regulators) and its MiCA compliance in Europe. “We’re not here to play cowboy,” he said. “We’re here to build a bank… but with more emojis.”

And let’s not forget Southeast Asia, where crypto is becoming the financial equivalent of a camel’s back-loaded with potential but needing a sturdy saddle. Zhou’s vision? “Connect to local banks so people don’t have to barter for crypto with coconuts.”

Payment Access: For The Poor, By The Poor 💸

Zhou then gushed about Latin America, Africa, and the CIS region, where crypto is less “investment” and more “how do I buy bread without a bank account?” “We give ‘em crypto cards and earn programs,” he said, “because nothing says ‘financial freedom’ like a structured product you don’t understand.”

Byreal: Liquidity’s New Playground 🎢

Byreal, Bybit’s Solana-based DEX, is the love child of liquidity and chaos. “We want good liquidity,” Zhou said, “because who wants to trade on a DEX that’s emptier than a Dubai mall at 3 AM?” He also killed his wallet project, sighing, “Wallets are like socks-useful, but nobody’s loyal to ‘em. It’s the DEX that’s the main event.”

Hyperliquid, meet your spiritual cousin. Zhou’s take? “Liquidity’s moving to DEXs, and we’re here to make sure Byreal doesn’t get trampled by the herd.”


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2025-12-17 21:10