Bybit, a UAE-based crypto exchange that reports more than 80 million users, has launched stock trading for eligible users. The service gives access to more than 1,000 US-listed stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), including Apple, NVIDIA, Tesla, Micron Technology, and the Invesco QQQ ETF. The service is available to users in permitted jurisdictions who have completed know your customer (KYC) verification. Trades are funded in USDC, so users can buy and sell equities within the same environment they use for digital assets. According to Bybit, the launch is part of its strategy to connect financial markets that have traditionally been split across separate products and platforms.
Execution and custody through Alpaca
Orders are routed through Bybit's regulated brokerage infrastructure and executed by Alpaca, a US self-clearing broker-dealer. Alpaca also holds the underlying securities in custody. Unlike price derivatives or synthetic instruments, the service gives users an economic interest in the securities they buy. Yoshi Yokokawa, Co-founder and CEO of Alpaca, said the partnership extends a broader multi-asset trading offering to Bybit's international user base. At launch, the service supports fractional shares for eligible securities and charges no trading commissions on eligible stock purchases and sales. Trading runs 24 hours a day, five days a week, covering US pre-market, regular, and after-hours sessions, subject to product availability. Users can also manage eligible crypto and equity positions within the same Bybit account.
The platform supports corporate actions for holders of eligible securities. Cash dividends are converted from USD into USDC and credited to the user's Unified Trading Account (UTA). Stock dividends are reflected directly in the user's position, and stock splits are applied to holdings in line with the relevant corporate action. Bybit plans to introduce voting rights in a future phase.
Narrowing the gap between crypto and traditional markets
The launch adds to Bybit's existing range of traditional market products. Alongside crypto spot and derivatives trading, the exchange already offers access to traditional markets through its MT5 platform, tokenized equities, and TradFi perpetuals.
Ben Zhou, Co-founder and CEO of Bybit, said the company sees the separation between crypto and traditional markets narrowing, and that real-world asset tokenization is already part of its current offering. The move reflects a wider trend of crypto platforms adding traditional asset classes, which lets users manage equity and digital asset exposure in one account. By using a US broker-dealer for execution and custody, Bybit can offer direct ownership of the underlying securities rather than synthetic exposure.
