Bybit’s seriously leveling up. The crypto exchange is about to bring Wall Street vibes to Web3 by offering traditional financial products like U.S. stocks (hello, Apple & MicroStrategy) and commodities like gold and crude oil. CEO Ben Zhou dropped the news during a livestream on May 3, with the feature set to go live by the end of Q2 2025.
Can Bybit Beat eToro & Kraken at the Hybrid Game?
Zhou’s vision? Turn it into a powerhouse, mixing crypto with traditional assets. So, along with trading crypto, users will soon be able to buy and sell blue-chip U.S. stocks, as well as major commodities. And they’re not playing it safe—they’re offering up to 500x leverage on some of these trades. That’s huge for the high-risk, high-reward crowd.
“We want to bring Wall Street to Web3,” Zhou said in the livestream. Bold move.
It is now stepping into direct competition with platforms like eToro and Kraken, both of which have already made moves into hybrid trading. For example, eToro saw 96% of its revenue from crypto in 2024, but they’ve also been offering traditional investments since 2013. Kraken is jumping in too, with zero-commission trades on over 11,000 U.S. stocks and ETFs, plus forex futures.
Bybit’s Big Pivot: Ditch NFTs, Double Down on AI
Bybit’s not just betting on traditional finance, though. They’re also doubling down on AI. The exchange is integrating tools like CryptoLens and TradeGPT for real-time analytics and market insights. Plus, their AI is multilingual, helping them keep it global in over 160 countries.
But not everything’s been smooth sailing for Bybit. In February, they were hit with a massive $1.5 billion ETH hack—biggest in crypto history. Since then, they’ve been trying to bounce back. Zhou shared that most of the stolen funds are still traceable, but a chunk of it has gone “dark.” To recover, Bybit’s been doing audits and securing emergency loans.
Following the hack, Bybit pulled the plug on its NFT Inscription and IDO markets, focusing instead on traditional trading. It’s a bit of a vibe shift for the platform, but they’ve made it clear they’re staying strong.
What Does This Mean for Retail Traders?
Bybit’s 500x leverage is crazy high compared to what we’re used to seeing in the traditional market. It could bring some serious risk, so it’ll be interesting to see how regulators react and whether Bybit’s really prepared for all the potential scrutiny.
As for trust? Bybit’s quick to own up to the hack and reassure users their assets are backed and secure. They’ve got their reserves sorted, and withdrawals are still going strong.
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