Bybit expands into stocks, payments and AI finance tools

Bybit has expanded beyond cryptocurrency into stock trading, payments and AI-based financial tools, marking a broader push into traditional finance.

Chief Executive Ben Zhou outlined the strategy as Bybit added stock trading for eligible users and detailed plans for tokenised equities, pre-IPO products and payments. Eligible users can now access more than 1,000 US stocks and exchange-traded funds on the platform using USDC, with fractional-share trading available during US pre-market, regular and after-hours sessions.

The launch builds on a traditional finance business Bybit began in 2022 with contracts for difference. Since then, it has expanded across equities, ETFs, indices, commodities and foreign exchange, with more than 600 products now available through its TradFi offering.

Bybit said trading volumes on its crypto CFD platform have reached as much as USD $100 billion at peak levels. It also said its TradFi perpetual products have generated more than USD $180 billion in trading volume, alongside newer products including foreign exchange perpetuals and options tied to TradFi perpetuals.

Stocks push

Another part of the expansion is mStocks, a tokenised stock product Bybit is developing with Mantle. The product is intended to be backed one-for-one by real shares, with round-the-clock conversion between eligible stocks and mStocks planned on Bybit, and trading on decentralised exchanges through automated market maker liquidity pools on Mantle.

Converted mStocks are also expected to be transferable into Bybit's Unified Trading Account for use as collateral, subject to applicable terms and conditions. That would let users move tokenised stock exposure into a broader trading environment on the platform.

Bybit has also introduced IPO Express, which gives eligible users access to selected initial public offering opportunities at the offering price through tokenised representations of underlying securities. The service launched with SpaceX, extending the platform beyond secondary trading into selected primary market opportunities.

It is also developing new perpetual products linked to AI computing and commodities, another sign of its effort to broaden its offering beyond digital assets.

Payments expansion

Outside trading, Bybit is expanding payments services through Bybit Pay and the Bybit Card. Those products support crypto and fiat transfers, merchant payments and consumer spending, and now connect users with more than 5,000 merchants across more than 15 countries.

The service also supports transfers to bank accounts and e-wallets, as well as QR payments. Bybit has issued more than 4 million cards, giving it a larger presence in day-to-day payments as it seeks to broaden use of its platform beyond investment activity.

Compliance focus

The expansion comes as crypto groups face closer regulatory scrutiny and increased pressure to strengthen internal controls. Bybit said it secured five new licences and regulatory approvals during 2026 across the European Union, the Cayman Islands, Indonesia, South Africa and El Salvador.

It also highlighted security measures as part of the build-out. In the first half of 2026, Bybit said it intercepted more than 30,000 suspicious withdrawal requests, protecting users from more than USD $700 million in potential losses.

Bybit launched its AI assistant in September for trading, account management and customer support. The tool is part of a wider effort to bring the platform's trading, investing and payments services together under a single user experience.

The strategy reflects a wider trend among large crypto exchanges seeking new revenue sources as digital asset trading matures and competition intensifies. Bybit's push into listed equities, tokenised products and payments puts it in more direct competition with fintech groups and multi-asset brokers, while also testing how far crypto platforms can extend into mainstream financial services.

"Bybit is all about giving you the speed and scale you need when you Make Your Move. We have brought trading, investing, payments, and AI together, and we are continuing to add more markets and more ways to use them. We built the platform. Now it is about giving people the financial freedom to make their own move," said Ben Zhou, Co-Founder and CEO of Bybit.