Bybit has received a licence from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) to offer spot trading in the emirate.

The exchange hopes to expand its licensed activities in Dubai to include derivatives, subject to regulatory approval.

VARA issued the licence to Bybit Fintech FZE, the company’s local entity, as a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) licence for exchange services.

Dubai has been home to Bybit’s international headquarters since 2022.

“Dubai has made significant progress in building a regulatory environment for virtual assets, and we are pleased to take this next step in our journey here,”

said Ben Zhou, Co-Founder and CEO of Bybit.

According to Peter Loo, chief legal and compliance officer at Bybit, derivatives account for a large share of the company’s global trading business.

He added that Bybit plans to bring more of its offering to Dubai through the appropriate regulatory process.

“In time, we also hope to expand our licensed activities to include derivatives, subject to the necessary regulatory approvals,”

said Loo.

The Dubai licence follows other licences and regulatory approvals that Bybit obtained in 2026 across the European Union, the Cayman Islands, Indonesia, South Africa and El Salvador.

As it enters new markets, the exchange said it will continue investing in compliance, security and risk management.

It also plans to develop its services in Dubai in line with applicable regulatory requirements.

Featured image: Edited by Fintech News UAE, based on image by Bybit via its Press Release.