ByBit UK Review

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ByBit is one of the largest crypto derivative exchanges worldwide. However, its services are restricted in the UK due to the FCA's ban on retail trading of crypto derivatives like futures and options.

ByBit is a global cryptocurrency derivatives exchange well known for its simplicity and technology. The company is quite young – it began operations in 2018 – but it does a great job of competing with larger firms that have been around for longer. The platform boasts over three million users worldwide with over 10 billion USD worth of transactions every day. Despite its popularity and high liquidity, ByBit’s services are restricted in the UK.

Some other restricted jurisdictions include Singapore, the United States, Mainland China, Canada, North Korea, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Sevastopol, Cuba, and Crimea. However, Bybit is available globally to users in countries where it isn't service-restricted.

It is important to note that Bybit has drawn varied reviews and there is some uncertainty concerning its legitimacy and safety, especially among crypto traders in the UK. To clarify this, we have researched if it’s safe and legal to use ByBit in the UK for your convenience.

Key points from the article

  • Trading cryptocurrencies is legal in the UK but trading crypto derivatives like futures and options contracts is banned by the FCA since January 2021 due to risks like market abuse, volatility, lack of reliable asset valuation, and harm to retail investors.

  • ByBit ceased operations for UK traders in March 2021 due to the regulatory restrictions imposed by the FCA. Using a VPN to access ByBit from the UK is illegal.

  • ByBit offers low trading fees of 0.05% maker-taker fees and above 0.2% for spot trading. Deposits are free and a small withdrawal fee is charged.

  • ByBit has a user-friendly platform with advanced trading tools. It provides a testnet environment for demo trading and 24/7 customer support.

ByBit - General Information

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Your capital is at risk.

ByBit was originally registered in the British Virgin Islands and headquartered in Singapore up until January 2023 when they moved operations to Dubai. As mentioned earlier ByBit is a fast-growing crypto platform that supports derivatives, spot, and margin crypto trading. ByBit users have access to advanced trading tools which they can utilize to trade in over 190 cryptocurrencies on a secure and transparent platform.

ByBit offers a user-friendly and intuitive platform with testnet versions for demo trading which is useful for beginners. They pride themselves on having one of the best system functionality capable of handling 100,000 TPS (99.99%) with no server downtimes. It is also worth noting that they have great 24/7 customer support service that resolves most issues quickly and as correctly as possible.

The platform offers leverage of up to 100x for Bitcoin and up to 50x for other supported coins. Users can trade up to 100 cryptocurrency pairs including BTC/USDT, LTC/USDT, EOS/USDT, XRP/USDT, and XRP/BTC, among others.

The trading fees are pretty competitive; users are charged 0.05% of each transaction in maker-taker fees and above 0.2% in spot trading fees. Moreover, deposits are absolutely free while a small fee is charged on withdrawal.

  • 💰 Account currency:

    Cryptocurrencies


  • 🚀 Minimum deposit:

    From USD 1


  • ⚖️ Leverage:

    Up to 1:100


  • 💱 Spread:

    From USD 1


  • 🔧 Instruments:

    BTC/USD, ETH/USD, XRP/USD, EOS/USD and BTC/USDT, USDT pairs — ETH/USDT, LINK/USDT, LTC/USDT, XTZ/USDT


  • 💹 Margin Call / Stop Out:

    No


Is ByBit Legal in the UK?

ByBit is not available for United Kingdom users in compliance with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ban. To sign up for ByBit, you must first confirm your location, and if your IP is found in any of the restricted countries then you cannot use the platform. The use of ByBit in the UK is illegal because it doesn’t comply with the regulatory laws of the FCA.

For the benefit of those who might not know, derivatives (also known as contracts) are financial instruments that base their value on an underlying asset. In this case, the asset is cryptocurrency. How trading derivatives works is that you don’t own the asset, but rather you own a contract to buy or sell that asset at a specific time in the future. Crypto derivatives exchanges such as ByBit allow users to buy and sell these contracts.

It is important to note that trading cryptocurrencies in the UK are completely legal. What's banned is the sale of crypto derivatives to retail customers in the UK.

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ByBit UK Pros and Cons

The platform has several advantages which make it as successful as it is in the market today. However, like all things in life, it also has a few shortcomings.

👍 Pros

Offers high leverage, up to 100x with Bitcoin and up to 50x with other cryptocurrencies.

It is a simple and easy-to-use platform with advanced trading tools.

Amazing system functionality with fast transaction speeds of up to 100,000 transactions per second and no downtime.

Top-level security features and measures with multiple layers of authentication, and use of cold wallet storage.

Available risk-free testnet environment where beginners can create demo accounts and familiarize themselves with the platform before risking any real money.

24/7 effective customer support with multiple language support.

Generous affiliate and referral program that pays up to $20 for every referral.

👎 Cons

Not available for crypto traders in the United Kingdom.

Lacks strict ID verification and Know Your Customer (KYC) policy.

ByBit doesn't support the deposit and withdrawal of fiat currency. Users can use credit or debit cards to purchase crypto, however.

Can I Trade Crypto Derivatives in the UK?

The use of crypto derivatives is highly prohibited in the United Kingdom. In October 2020, the Financial Conduct Authority banned the sale of digital currency derivatives and exchange traded notes (ETNs). The ban came fully into effect on January 6, 2021. ByBit shut down its operations in the UK on March 31 2021 owing to the ban.

The FCA mentioned that digital derivatives are not suitable for retail customers because of the high risk and harm they pose. Some of the risks to investors cited by the regulator include the prevalence of market abuse and cybercrime, extreme volatility in crypto asset price movements, and lack of a reliable basis for valuation due to the inherent nature of the underlying assets, among others.

Some traders have figured out a way to bypass the restriction using ByBit VPN. Using ByBit VPN to conceal their genuine locations these users gain unauthorized access to the exchange even within restricted regions. This act is illegal and extremely dangerous because any account discovered to have gained access from the UK will permanently have all its assets frozen. We do not recommend breaking the law, and users consider this option at their own risk.

Team that worked on the article

Ivan Andriyenko
Author at Traders Union

Ivan is a financial expert and analyst specializing in Forex, crypto, and stock trading. He prefers conservative trading strategies with low and medium risks, as well as medium-term and long-term investments. He has been working with financial markets for 8 years. Ivan prepares text materials for novice traders. He specializes in reviews and assessment of brokers, analyzing their reliability, trading conditions, and features.

Olga Shendetskaya
Author and editor at Traders Union

Olga Shendetskaya has been a part of the Traders Union team as an author, editor and proofreader since 2017. Since 2020, Shendetskaya has been the assistant chief editor of the website of Traders Union, an international association of traders. She has over 10 years of experience of working with economic and financial texts. In the period of 2017-2020, Olga has worked as a journalist and editor of laftNews news agency, economic and financial news sections. At the moment, Olga is a part of the team of top industry experts involved in creation of educational articles in finance and investment, overseeing their writing and publication on the Traders Union website.

Olga has extensive experience in writing and editing articles about the specifics of working in the Forex market, cryptocurrency market, stock exchanges and also in the segment of financial investment in general. This level of expertise allows Olga to create unique and comprehensive articles, describing complex investment mechanisms in a simple and accessible way for traders of any level.

Olga’s motto: Do well and you’ll be well!

Mirjan Hipolito
Cryptocurrency and stock expert

Mirjan Hipolito is a journalist and news editor at Traders Union. She is an expert crypto writer with five years of experience in the financial markets. Her specialties are daily market news, price predictions, and Initial Coin Offerings (ICO). Mirjan is a cryptocurrency and stock trader. This deep understanding of the finance sector allows her to create informative and engaging content that helps readers easily navigate the complexities of the crypto world.