Key Takeaways
- Ben Zhou is the Co-founder and CEO of Bybit, a Dubai-based crypto exchange that says it has more than 89 million users.
- Zhou became interested in cryptocurrencies in 2016 and co-founded Bybit in 2018 to solve issues in the crypto derivatives market.
- Zhou launched Bybit Learn to educate traders on important topics like margin trading and risk management.
- In February 2025, North Korean hackers stole about $1.5 billion in ETH from Bybit, which restored its reserves with outside financing.
Who Is Ben Zhou?
Ben Zhou is the Co-founder and CEO of Bybit, a Dubai-based crypto exchange. He was born in Hangzhou, China, in 1990 and moved to New Zealand at 11. His parents taught him the importance of hard work and supported his interest in baseball, which he played through college.
In 2010, Zhou graduated with a degree in economics from Earlham College. After facing challenges with new cultures, he studied in the U.S. before returning to China.
Early Career
After finishing college, Ben Zhou began his career in China at XM, a major international forex company. During his seven years as XM’s general manager for China, he helped grow the company’s presence there. Zhou’s job included managing operations, building client relationships, and growing the business. This experience helped him gain more knowledge of finance, management, and market strategy.
Crypto Journey
Ben Zhou became interested in cryptocurrencies in 2016 after a friend introduced him to blockchain technology. He started learning more about it and began trading. When the crypto industry grew quickly in 2017, Zhou saw that many people didn’t understand it well. To help them learn, he started a YouTube channel to explain cryptocurrency. He also shared information on WeChat, building a group of about 20,000 followers.
Co-Founding Bybit
Ben Zhou is the Co-founder and CEO of Bybit, a popular platform where people can trade over 100 cryptocurrencies and more than 100 crypto contracts. He co-founded Bybit in Shanghai in 2018 and has been leading its growth, managing operations, and setting its strategy. After China’s 2021 crypto ban, he moved the team to Singapore, and in 2022 Bybit moved its headquarters to Dubai. Bybit now says it has more than 89 million users, and in January 2026 Fortune called it the world’s second-largest crypto exchange by trading volume.
Fixing Market Problems
With his experience in forex trading, Ben Zhou noticed problems in the crypto derivatives market. He created Bybit to solve these problems, focusing on making order processing smoother and reducing order rejections to meet traders’ needs better.
Customer Service Focus
Bybit cares about customer service and provides direct online support. Clients can easily contact the team through social media, and Zhou believes in-person events like meetups and seminars help strengthen users’ bonds.
Ben Zhou wanted to build an exchange where customers could always contact the support team and speak with them directly online.
Commitment to Security
Security is very important to Ben Zhou and Bybit. The platform uses security tools, like multi-signature wallets, cold storage, and insurance funds, to protect users’ assets. Bybit’s focus on providing a secure trading space helps build users’ trust.
The February 2025 Hack
On February 21, 2025, attackers took about 401,000 ETH, then worth $1.4 billion to $1.5 billion, from a Bybit cold wallet during a routine transfer. They used code planted through a hacked developer machine at Safe{Wallet}, Bybit’s multi-signature wallet provider. The FBI attributed the theft to North Korea, and security researchers named the Lazarus Group.
Zhou said Bybit was solvent and could cover the loss. Despite heavy withdrawals, Bybit restored its reserves with outside financing, though the stolen ETH was not recovered. It offered a 10% bounty for recovered funds and has since added hardware security modules to protect its keys.
Licenses And Market Changes Since 2025
In May 2025, Austria’s Financial Market Authority authorized Bybit EU under the EU’s MiCA rules. In October 2025, the UAE’s Securities and Commodities Authority gave Bybit a full license as a virtual asset platform operator. In 2026, Bybit Payments received an Austrian e-money license, and Bybit Indonesia began operating under the country’s financial regulator, the OJK.
Bybit does not serve the US, Canada, China or Singapore, and Singapore’s regulator put it on its investor alert list in June 2026. Besides crypto, it now offers stock CFDs, gold and forex.
Educational Initiatives and Bybit Learn
Knowing how important trader education is, Zhou also started Bybit Learn. This platform provides resources like webinars and seminars to help users learn key trading ideas, such as margin trading, risk management, and technical and fundamental analysis. Bybit Learn helps users make better decisions and improve their skills in the crypto industry.
Future Vision
Looking forward, Zhou sees Bybit growing and improving its services. He is focused on improving the user experience and meeting traders’ changing needs in the fast-moving crypto market. Bybit’s commitment to innovation, customer service, and education helps it stay on track for long-term success in the cryptocurrency industry.
How Ben Zhou Helped Grow Bybit
Ben Zhou’s journey from forex trading to co-founding Bybit shows his deep understanding of the crypto market and his effort to fix its problems. As CEO, he has helped Bybit grow by focusing on user experience, customer support, and security.
Zhou also started Bybit Learn to teach traders important skills for the crypto industry. With his forward-thinking approach, Zhou is set to keep leading Bybit to success in the fast-changing cryptocurrency industry.
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