Bybit Plans European Super-App for Stocks and Derivatives
Founded in 2018 and based in Dubai, Bybit serves more than 80 million users and is seeking to evolve from a crypto exchange into a regulated, all-in-one financial platform. The push matters because Europe’s MiCA regime gives crypto firms bloc-wide access but carries high compliance costs; CEO Ben Zhou said Bybit’s MiCA operation has yet to turn profitable. The strategy also pits it against Revolut, which has more than 80 million customers and was valued at about $115 billion in July 2026.
Zhou told CoinDesk on Sept. 10, 2026, that Austria’s Financial Market Authority had granted Bybit an electronic money institution license, adding to its existing MiCA authorization. He expects a MiFID license in roughly two months, which would clear the way for regulated derivatives and direct equity offerings. The planned app would give customers IBAN accounts for salary payments, utility bills and local transfers, alongside crypto, stablecoins, Apple and Tesla shares, contracts for difference, gold, silver and oil. Bybit said its tokenized-stock partnership with Kraken’s xStocks would continue.
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The history behind this eventBybit EU Payments Arm Secures Austrian E-Money License
European regulators have tightened oversight of crypto-linked payment services, requiring operators to secure appropriate authorization before offering electronic money and cross-border transaction products. Bybit’s use of a dedicated European payments subsidiary gives the crypto exchange a regulated foundation beyond trading, potentially supporting broader everyday payment functions across the European Economic Area while reducing licensing and operational risks.
Bybit Payments GmbH, the exchange’s European payments arm, has secured an electronic money institution license from Austria’s Financial Market Authority, known as the FMA. The licensing date and any associated financial terms were not disclosed. The authorization will underpin Bybit.eu services across the European Economic Area, including card payments, merchant settlement, open banking and peer-to-peer transfers.
Bybit Adds Tokenized US Stocks as Loan Collateral
Tokenized equities bring exposure to publicly traded companies onto blockchain networks, allowing the assets to circulate within crypto trading and lending systems. Bybit offers the products through a partnership with tokenization platform Backed, whose tokens are designed to be backed 1:1 by the corresponding shares. Accepting them as collateral extends their utility beyond spot trading and could improve capital efficiency for holders.
Bybit said on July 31, 2026, that six tokenized US stocks, including instruments linked to Nvidia, Apple and Tesla, would be supported for margin trading and as collateral for crypto and institutional loans. The exchange did not disclose a new lending cap, interest rate or dollar value for the rollout. Collateral ratios, eligibility and availability remain subject to individual product terms and regional restrictions.
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