- The exchange resumed access on Thursday, including spot trading across 100 currency pairs.
- The FCA’s rules for financial promotions, introduced in October 2023, led several crypto firms to suspend their UK activities.
- The UK government has stated it intends to establish a crypto rulebook by 2027.
Bybit, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, announced it has resumed services in the United Kingdom nearly two years after tighter rules on the promotion and marketing of crypto products prompted many firms to withdraw.
The company, which reports roughly 80 million users worldwide, restarted UK access on Thursday with a set of offerings that include spot trading across 100 currency pairs, according to CoinDesk.
The move comes as the Financial Conduct Authority continues to scrutinize how crypto services are promoted to UK residents, while the UK government has signalled plans for a more complete crypto rulebook in place by 2027.
Why Bybit left and what changed
The FCA tightened its regime for financial promotions in October 2023, triggering an industry-wide wave of operational changes and causing several firms to pause or end UK operations.
Bybit says its return is structured around meeting the FCA’s financial promotion standards, with an emphasis on clearer communication and greater transparency for UK users.
The company is not licensed in the UK but says it will operate within a framework designed to comply with the FCA’s requirements for promotions.
This framework matters because crypto marketing aimed at UK consumers generally must be approved by an authorized firm unless an exemption applies.
What UK users can access now
Bybit said UK customers can once again use its services, including spot trading across 100 currency pairs, as reported by CoinDesk.
The exchange described the relaunch as a reopening of UK services rather than a limited pilot, positioning it as a full market return following the regulatory shift.
Bybit’s policy team portrayed the UK as a market with a sophisticated financial ecosystem and clearer regulatory direction, stating the exchange intends to introduce products tailored for UK users with a focus on transparency and compliance.
How Archax enables compliant crypto promotions
To support its UK presence, Bybit will route and promote its services through London-based crypto exchange Archax.
Archax holds a specific FCA permission that allows it to approve financial promotions, creating a pathway for otherwise unauthorized companies to lawfully market and provide services to UK consumers.
Archax said it supports Bybit’s compliant access to the UK market and pointed to prior work helping other major exchanges, including Coinbase and OKX, reach UK users without requiring those platforms to hold their own approvals.
What the 2027 rulebook signal means
Alongside the FCA’s stricter approach to promotions, the UK government has declared its intention to introduce a crypto rulebook by 2027.
That announcement has raised expectations for a more clearly defined operating environment for exchanges, although marketing standards remain a key short-term gatekeeper for consumer-facing activity.
Industry watchers view the arrangement as another test case for how large global crypto platforms can re-enter the UK without direct regulatory authorization, amid evolving financial marketing oversight regimes worldwide.