Bybit CEO Says Pure Crypto Exchanges Are Becoming Obsolete

Bybit co‑founder and CEO Ben Zhou told Cointelegraph that the era of a “pure crypto exchange” is ending. He said customers who trade digital assets also want access to stocks, gold, forex, indices and derivatives, as well as payment, saving and wealth‑growth services in a single platform.

Bybit’s new positioning

The comments were made alongside the launch of Bybit’s “Make Your Move” campaign, which markets the exchange as a broader financial platform. Bybit already provides derivatives linked to stocks, gold, indexes and forex, giving users price exposure without owning the underlying assets.

Industry trends

Other crypto exchanges are also adjusting or winding down. BitMEX stopped trading after 11 years, CoinEx announced a wind‑down citing lower volumes and higher compliance costs, and BitMart, which planned a July closure, is exploring a restructuring that could revive parts of its business. Meanwhile, Coinbase is expanding under an “Everything Exchange” strategy that adds stocks and prediction markets to its crypto offerings.

Outlook

Zhou concluded that the next generation of financial platforms will not focus on a single asset class, reflecting a broader shift toward multi‑asset services.