Crypto exchange Bybit says it is preparing a broader European product that combines crypto trading with payment and brokerage-style services after securing a new license in Austria.

The company has received an electronic money institution license from Austria’s Financial Market Authority and already holds a MiCA license there. CEO Ben Zhou told CoinDesk that Bybit is also close to obtaining a MiFID license, a step that would expand the range of regulated products it can offer across Europe.

Three licenses aimed at one platform

Bybit, founded in 2018 and based in Dubai, said the combination of licenses is central to its European strategy. The exchange, which says it serves more than 80 million users worldwide, is positioning the approvals as the basis for a single app that goes beyond spot crypto trading.

According to Zhou, the goal is a product resembling a fintech “super app” that combines what users expect from a digital banking service with Bybit’s existing crypto offering. He said the model is designed to be fully regulated and compliant, and argued that Europe’s competitive market and compliance costs make a multi-license setup important for profitability.

What the EMI approval allows

The newly granted EMI license gives Bybit the ability to offer services closer to a regular payment account. The company said this would include local transfers, bank-like accounts and IBANs, layered on top of its crypto platform.

Bybit also said the setup could support practical everyday functions such as receiving salaries and paying bills. In effect, the exchange is seeking to make its European app usable for routine money movement as well as digital-asset trading.

MiFID would open derivatives and stock market access

The next major step is the expected MiFID license. Bybit said that approval would allow it to offer a broader set of financial instruments, including debt securities and derivatives, under the relevant European framework.

Zhou said the planned offering would include regulated derivatives and direct access to traditional stock markets. He cited the ability for clients to hold U.S. shares such as Apple and Tesla, and to trade contracts for difference as well as assets including gold and silver.

Tokenized equities partnership remains in place

Alongside direct market access plans, Bybit said it will continue working with Kraken’s xStocks on tokenized equities. Zhou said the exchange does not intend to build every stock-related product internally and instead prefers to collaborate with partners in this area.

He added that Bybit Global remains the largest partner of xStocks and that discussions with Kraken are ongoing. That suggests the company’s European expansion may combine multiple channels for equity exposure rather than relying on a single structure.

What comes next in Europe

For now, the confirmed development is the EMI approval from Austria’s FMA, alongside Bybit’s existing MiCA authorization in the country. The broader rollout described by the company depends on the additional MiFID license that Zhou said is close.

If that approval is secured, Bybit expects to package crypto trading, IBAN-linked accounts, transfers, salary and bill-payment functions, and a range of regulated investment products into one European app. The exact launch timing and full product availability were not detailed in the source report.

Source: www.coindesk.com