Tag: Ben Zhou

On Feb 21, 2025, the crypto industry witnessed its largest theft to date when hackers successfully breached ByBit, a major cryptocurrency exchange, and stole approximately $1.5 billion worth of digital assets, primarily in Ethereum (ETH). This unprecedented hack has sent shockwaves through the crypto world, raising serious questions about the security of digital assets and the future of cryptocurrency exchanges.

In a shift within the crypto exchange landscape, Bybit has emerged as the world's second-largest cryptocurrency exchange, overtaking Coinbase. This change comes amid a backdrop of regulatory challenges faced by Binance, the leading exchange by trading volume. The Chinese national Ben Zhou is the key figure behind Bybit's rapid growth, having founded the cryptocurrency exchange in 2018.

The Binance case has kept the crypto scene busy over the last few days. Binance and its founder, Changpeng Zhao (CZ), have pleaded guilty to money laundering as part of a $4.3 billion settlement with the U.S. authorities. The U.S. authorities are also investigating Bybit, which works with the same payment processors as Binance. We have added this crypto exchange to our Red Compliance list in our initial review. Here is our review.

Bybit, one of the world's largest crypto exchange operators, anticipates withdrawing from the United Kingdom in anticipation of forthcoming marketing regulations. These new rules, scheduled to take effect in the coming weeks, are poised to impose more stringent requirements on crypto-related marketing practices. Ben Zhou, co-founder and CEO of Bybit, commented: "We do see regulation becoming more strict."

Founded in 2018 in the British Virgin Islands, crypto exchange ByBit is currently operated through Singapore-registered ByBit Fintech Limited. In the UK, ByBit has cashed in on an FCA warning and withdrawn from the UK. German regulator BaFin announced an investigation into ByBit in July 2021. In 2023, Japan's regulator FSA warned against the crypto exchange. Despite Western sanctions, Similarweb analysis shows that most website visitors come from Russia.

Bybit is a leader in the gamification of crypto trading. FinTelegram published an initial review on Singapore-based crypto-derivate trading platform Bybit (www.bybit.com) of Ben Zhou a few days ago. In this context, we also reported on an investor and scam warning issued by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) against Bybit. In October, the FCA had issued a ban on the sale of crypto derivatives to UK retail investors or consumers. In a recent blog post, Bybit has now announced the suspension of services to UK customers.