Bybit Review (January 2026)
Bybit is a major centralized crypto platform best known for derivatives (perpetuals/futures), alongside spot trading, fiat on-ramps, P2P trading (escrow flow), Earn products, trading bots, copy trading, and (more selectively after 2025) a Web3/wallet layer. What you can access depends strongly on your country/region, verification level, and Bybit’s restricted jurisdictions rules.
Brief history: founders and CEO
Founder / CEO: Ben Zhou
Bybit was founded in 2018 by Ben Zhou, who is publicly presented as Co-Founder & CEO.
HQ shift: Singapore → Dubai
Bybit announced relocating its global headquarters from Singapore to Dubai in 2022 (and continued building its Dubai footprint afterward).
Bybit “global” access vs. restricted jurisdictions (critical difference)
Bybit does not operate as “available everywhere.” It explicitly excludes service for users in a set of jurisdictions (and may add others over time).
Important: I will not describe “workarounds” like VPNs or misrepresenting residency. Those typically violate terms and can lead to account closure or frozen funds.
Restricted and sanctioned jurisdictions (access limitations)
Bybit publishes an “Excluded Jurisdictions” list (as of the Dec 19, 2025 update). It states it does not offer services/products to users in, including:
- United States
- Chinese Mainland
- Hong Kong
- Singapore
- Canada
- France
- North Korea
- Cuba
- Iran
- Uzbekistan
- Sudan
- Syria
- Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine (including Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk) and Sevastopol
- “Any other jurisdictions” it may designate from time to time
Because eligibility and product access can change, the most conservative approach is to rely on:
- the restricted countries notice, and
- what the app shows for your account after you attempt onboarding/KYC.