Bybit has secured a Virtual Asset Platform Operator License from the UAE’s Securities and Commodities Authority.
Following this announcement, under the SCA framework, Bybit is expected to offer regulated virtual asset trading, brokerage, custody, and fiat conversion services to both retail and institutional clients throughout the country.
The SCA’s regulatory scope extends beyond Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) framework, which allows it to apply to entities operating across the UAE mainland outside VARA’s jurisdiction. In addition, Bybit also holds a provisional license under the VARA framework, which gives the institution dual regulatory coverage across different UAE jurisdictions.
More information on Bybit’s strategy of development in the crypto landscape
Earlier this year, Bybit announced the adoption of Nasdaq’s Market Surveillance solution in order to optimise the detection and prevention of market abuse across the region of Europe. Through the process of adopting this new technology, Bybit Europe aimed to ensure its compliance with the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR), which compels digital asset exchanges to enforce stronger surveillance and reporting requirements. At the same time, Nasdaq’s modular and flexible architecture was set to allow Bybit Europe to boost its expansion strategy, benefitting from rapid compliance with local regulations.
In May 2025, Bybit received its MiCAR licence and opened its Vienna headquarters. This initiative aimed to enable the company to expand its regulated services across the European Economic Area (EEA), while also allowing Bybit to offer crypto-asset services in compliance with EU standards, and to passport these services to 29 EEA member states from its base in Austria.
As part of this development, Bybit also established its European headquarters in Vienna, as the firm planned to recruit more than 100 employees in the city to support its operations and adapt its services to regional regulatory requirements.
