Bybit Reopens In The U.K. With 100 Spot Trading Pairs After Two Year Pause

Bybit has switched its U.K. platform back on after a two year break, offering British users spot trading on 100 crypto pairs and a peer to peer venue. The Dubai based exchange pulled out of the country in 2023 when the Financial Conduct Authority’s tougher rules on the promotion and marketing of crypto products came into force, but has now returned under a new, compliant setup.  

Instead of seeking its own full FCA authorization, Bybit is working through London based Archax, an exchange and custodian that already holds the necessary licenses. Archax acts as the approved firm for financial promotions, allowing Bybit to advertise and operate its U.K. offering while staying within the regulator’s rulebook. The new platform is open to both retail and professional traders, though leverage products remain off the menu for now, in line with local restrictions on derivatives for ordinary investors.  

The relaunch comes against a complicated backdrop. In February 2025 Bybit suffered one of the largest exchange hacks on record, with around 1.45 billion dollars in digital assets stolen in an incident later linked by blockchain analytics firms to North Korea’s Lazarus Group. The company has since overhauled its security systems and beefed up insurance arrangements in an effort to reassure users and regulators, changes it now highlights as part of its U.K. reset narrative.  

Bybit’s return also lands as the U.K. moves toward a full crypto regime that will begin to treat exchanges and custodians more like traditional financial firms from 2027 onward. Officials have set out plans for stricter listing standards, conduct rules and capital requirements, which means Bybit and its partners will need to keep adapting in the years ahead. For now, though, the exchange is pitching its comeback as a win for local traders who gain another liquid venue under an FCA supervised framework and as a signal that large global platforms are still willing to engage with Britain’s maturing rule set rather than write the market off.  

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