Ben Zhou

Ben Zhou is a Chinese-born entrepreneur and the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Bybit, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges by trading volume, known for its derivatives, spot, and advanced trading products. Under his leadership, Bybit has grown into a major global platform serving tens of millions of users across dozens of countries.

Zhou was born in Hangzhou, China, and spent part of his youth in New Zealand before moving to the United States for university, where he studied economics. Early in his career, he worked in traditional financial markets; notably as Regional Manager for Greater China at the Forex broker XM; gaining deep experience in trading platforms, market infrastructure, and customer support; which later informed his approach to building a more robust crypto exchange.

In 2018, he co-founded Bybit with the vision of creating a high-performance, reliable, and trader-centric crypto exchange, focused on derivatives trading with strong execution quality, low latency, and responsive customer service. Over time, the platform expanded into spot markets, options, copy trading, yield products, and educational initiatives like Bybit Academy to support traders of all levels.

Under Zhou’s leadership, Bybit relocated its headquarters to Dubai and pursued a strategy of regulatory engagement and compliance, securing licenses in multiple jurisdictions and emphasizing adherence to evolving global standards. The exchange also pursued brand visibility through esports and sports sponsorships while innovating with products like unified trading accounts and institutional services.

Zhou’s tenure hasn’t been without challenges: in February 2025, Bybit experienced one of the largest security breaches in crypto history, and his handling of the incident; including transparent communication, a proof-of-reserves audit, and a recovery bounty program; demonstrated crisis leadership and commitment to user asset protection.

Today, he is widely recognized in the crypto industry for advocating responsible trading practices, customer education, and the integration of blockchain technologies into broader financial markets, positioning Bybit as a trusted gateway for both retail and institutional participants in digital assets.