Top

Bybit CEO Applauds Hong Kong and UAE Regulatory Approaches

Policy & Regulation·July 25, 2023, 12:44 AM

Ben Zhou, the CEO of Dubai-based crypto spot and derivatives trading platform Bybit, has recently lauded the regulatory approach of Asian and Middle Eastern countries.

In a recent interview with CoinDesk, Zhou singled out Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in particular, while also drawing attention to the contrasting approach taken to regulation of digital assets in North America, particularly Canada.

Photo by Alex King on Unsplash

 

Differing regulatory approaches

The Bybit CEO believes that the tone set by regulators towards the crypto industry differs significantly between regions, with Asia and the Middle East displaying a more collaborative and supportive stance compared to North America. He perceives a shift in the attitude of regulators, seeing cryptocurrencies as an opportunity rather than a crisis.

Praising Hong Kong and Dubai Regulators, Zhou highlights Hong Kong’s aggressive efforts to attract crypto companies by tapping into the talents within the industry. While recognizing the common goals among regulators worldwide, he notes that Dubai’s crypto regulatory framework has advanced even further than Hong Kong’s.

Bybit’s strategic moves underline Zhou’s praise for these regions’ regulatory environments. On April 1, Bybit announced plans to establish its core operations in Hong Kong, positioning its research and development (R&D) and marketing teams in the Chinese autonomous territory.

Subsequently, on April 17, Bybit officially unveiled its headquarters at the Dubai World Trade Center, a year after receiving in-principle approval to operate its crypto asset business in the UAE.

 

Canadian market exit

However, Bybit faced challenges in Canada due to its evolving regulatory landscape. While the company claimed not to operate in the United States, it had onboarded customers in Canada in the past. The situation changed in May when Bybit withdrew its services from Canada following the fallout from the FTX exchange scandal in November 2022.

The regulatory environment became increasingly stringent, prompting Bybit to exit the Canadian market. Despite having ongoing conversations with Canadian regulators and receiving an invitation to apply for a crypto license, the restrictions on stablecoin usage played a significant role in the company’s decision to withdraw.

 

Fifth most popular exchange

Presently, Bybit ranks as the fifth most popular crypto exchange in the world, according to a report by CoinGecko for the second quarter of 2023.

The company has been extending out its product offering, recently entering the crypto lending arena. Towards the end of May, the business received “in-principle” approval from the Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA) to operate as a digital asset trading business and digital asset custodian in Kazakhstan.

In June the crypto exchange followed the lead of other global crypto platforms such as Crypto.com and Binance by integrating artificial intelligence-driven trading tools into its platform for the benefit of its users.

As the crypto sector continues to evolve, the differing regulatory approaches in different regions will play a crucial role in shaping its future. Bybit’s CEO, Ben Zhou, advocates for collaboration between regulators and crypto companies, emphasizing that viewing cryptocurrencies as an opportunity will foster innovation and growth in the industry.

More to Read
View All
Web3 & Enterprise·

Aug 25, 2023

BS Universe to Leverage Burrito Wallet’s Multichain Capabilities for Global IP Project

BS Universe to Leverage Burrito Wallet’s Multichain Capabilities for Global IP ProjectBS Universe, the Singapore-based company behind the globally popular intellectual properties (IPs) Pinkfong and Baby Shark, said Friday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Burrito Wallet — the digital wallet developed by Rotonda, a subsidiary of Korean crypto exchange Bithumb. Through this new partnership, BS Universe aims to make the user experience on its open-world ecosystem, Baby Shark Universe, more convenient by utilizing the multichain blockchain support capabilities of Burrito Wallet.Photo by Shubham Dhage on UnsplashThis is part of the company’s goal to introduce a new paradigm by merging global IPs with innovative technologies.Multichain tech meets Web3 ecosystemBurrito Wallet is a Web3.0 digital wallet that supports 11 mainnets including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Polygon, along with over 1,300 cryptocurrencies. It also incorporates an easy sign-up and wallet formation system while enabling users to send NFTs and virtual assets through chatting without the hassle of wallet addresses, thereby reducing the risk of faulty deposits.BS Universe’s Baby Shark Universe project is a joint venture between Baby Shark Games, a subsidiary of The Pinkfong Company’s gaming division, and Retro Future, a pixel game developer. This project aims to create a Web3-based open-world ecosystem. The company also joined the Polygon ecosystem in April and is consistently updating its products and services.Sneak peek of Baby Shark UniverseBS Universe plans to reveal the pre-alpha version of Baby Shark Universe at Next Block 2023 — a conference co-hosted by Rotonda and Bithumb META, Bithumb’s metaverse subsidiary, for accelerating joint Web3 projects — on September 4. Through efforts like this, the company intends to increase interactions with users.

news
Web3 & Enterprise·

Sep 26, 2023

Crypto Exchange Korbit Raises Daily KRW Deposit Limits From 300K to 5M

Crypto Exchange Korbit Raises Daily KRW Deposit Limits From 300K to 5MKorbit, one of the leading cryptocurrency exchanges in South Korea, raised the daily deposit limit for its customers as of 16:00 KST on September 25. This move aligns with the early implementation of the operation guidelines of real-name bank accounts for cryptocurrencies, which is scheduled to be introduced in January next year. Korbit collaborates with Shinhan Bank, utilizing its real-name accounts to facilitate Korean won transactions.Photo by manseok Kim on PixabayUser protection and AMLThe operation guidelines have been established to fortify the protection of virtual asset users and to bolster efforts against money laundering. Financial authorities, the Korea Federation of Banks, and cryptocurrency exchanges have collaborated to initiate these measures at every local exchange starting next January. Meanwhile, exchanges are obliged to maintain reserves in their banks beginning this month, ensuring they are poised to provide compensation for involuntary losses in the event of hacking incidents or system failures.Investor inconvenience and market confusionSince the introduction of the real-name bank account system in 2018, banks and crypto exchanges have had different terms of use and user protection measures, leading to varied deposit and withdrawal limits as well as reserve levels across different exchanges. These inconsistencies have resulted in inconvenience to customers and have sown confusion in the market. In response, the entities in question have agreed to implement a shared set of guidelines for real-name bank accounts from January next year.Daily limit of KRW 300K to KRW 5MWith the implementation of these guidelines, Korbit has elevated the current daily deposit limits from KRW 300,000 (approximately $222) and KRW 1.5 million to KRW 5 million. Moreover, once the bank authenticates the user’s transaction purpose — for instance, purchases of KRW 5 million or more in virtual assets in a month following the initial KRW deposit — and verifies the source of the funds, the constrained account can transition to a standard account. This adjustment allows the daily deposit and withdrawal limit of up to KRW 500 million.The limitations associated with constrained and standard accounts apply solely to fund transfers between the crypto exchange and the bank. When holders of Shinhan accounts initiate fund transfers to accounts in other banks, the limitations imposed by Shinhan continue to apply.Oh Sejin, CEO of Korbit, expressed enthusiasm that the higher deposit limit enabled by the new guidelines would improve investor convenience and draw in new customers. He added that the crypto exchange is committed to collaboration with Shinhan Bank, aiming to enhance user protection and anti-money laundering (AML) measures.

news
Web3 & Enterprise·

Sep 01, 2023

CJ ONE to Sell 3,000 NFTs for New Membership Service

CJ ONE to Sell 3,000 NFTs for New Membership ServiceCJ ONE, a lifestyle membership service operated by digital service company CJ OliveNetworks of South Korean conglomerate CJ Group, announced on Tuesday that it will sell 3,000 digital membership NFTs for its new lifestyle service, PRISM ONE. This comes as part of efforts to enhance brand value and boost customer benefits.Photo by Choong Deng Xiang on Unsplash“The PRISM ONE Membership NFT is an important milestone that reflects changes within CJ ONE. As a lifestyle membership, our brand will strive to provide unique experiences in all aspects of our members’ lives,” said Ha Jae-young, Head of Data Marketing at CJ OliveNetworks.Tier benefitsThe NFTs are categorized into four tiers — Basic, Special, Premium, and Prestige — with higher tiers offering more benefits. Depending on the tier, which will be decided randomly, customers can receive up to 10,000 CJ ONE membership points per month and eight times the number of points that they accumulated the previous month over a period of half a year.CJ ONE points can be used like cash at various CJ Group subsidiaries that offer services in culture, dining, shopping, and entertainment, as well as over 30 brand partners such as cafe Mega MGC Coffee, convenience store CU, and refinery company Hyundai Oilbank.10 customers with the Prestige NFT will also be chosen to receive benefits worth KRW 1 million, including welcome packages from CJ The Market, CJ Group’s online grocery shopping mall, and accommodation vouchers to use at Starville, a luxury “glamping” — a portmanteau of “glam” and “camping” — site.Limited sales and resell opportunitiesMinted with a new brand identity design, the NFTs will be sold for KRW 45,000 each on the NFT trading platform Pala starting from 7 PM (Korea Standard Time) on September 13. Customers who participate in an event until September 3 can win a chance to purchase them at a discounted price of KRW 42,000 prior to the public sale. Payments can be made with Polygon tokens (MATIC) or Korean won, and digital wallets Klip and MetaMask are also supported, the company said. In particular, the NFTs can be resold on trading platforms like Pala.

news
Loading