The Dubai-headquartered firm said the move shows its commitment to compliance with local rules. The license strengthens the exchange's presence in the European Union (EU) after it faced regulatory scrutiny in Japan and exited Canada, and the U.K.

“This landmark is a testament to Bybit's commitment to adhering to robust regulatory frameworks while expanding our global presence,” Ben Zhou, Bybit’s co-founder and chief executive officer, said in a statement. “We wholeheartedly support the regulatory objective of building a cryptocurrency industry that is both compliant, secure, and transparent.”

Companies in the European Union are preparing for new rules known as the Markets in Crypto Assets regulation, MiCA, that will allow them to serve the whole bloc with a license from a single member state. Cyprus is one of the EU members to introduce an advance registration regime before MiCA takes effect in 2024.

Cyprus was the home of FTX’s EU arm, until its license was withdrawn following the exchange’s abrupt collapse in November. Binance recently sought to withdraw its status in the country as part of an apparent regulatory consolidation anticipating MiCA.

Regulations Bybit Cyprus EU

Jack Schickler

Jack Schickler was a CoinDesk reporter focused on crypto regulations, based in Brussels, Belgium. He previously wrote about financial regulation for news site MLex, before which he was a speechwriter and policy analyst at the European Commission and the U.K. Treasury. He doesn’t own any crypto.