Bybit freezes new sign-ups in Japan amid FSA pressure

Bybit is sacrificing short-term user acquisition in Japan, opting instead to redirect resources toward a comprehensive internal review aimed at eventually satisfying the FSA’s rigorous and evolving regulatory expectations.

According to a press release dated Oct. 30, crypto exchange Bybit will cease onboarding new users in Japan effective October 31, a move the firm frames as a “proactive” step to align with the Financial Services Agency’s evolving framework.

The decision immediately walls off a lucrative market for the world’s second-largest exchange by volume, though existing Japanese users will see no immediate disruption to their services.

“There will be no immediate changes to the services available for existing Japanese users at this stage. Bybit will provide further updates should any additional measures be introduced in the future,” Bybit said in the statement.

Bybit’s recalibration comes amid Japan’s tightening crypto regime

Bybit extended a “sincere apology” for any inconvenience to its Japanese user base. The exchange clarified that this pause is designed to allow its team to concentrate fully on “reviewing local regulatory requirements,” a process that suggests a significant internal overhaul is underway to meet a higher compliance bar.

That higher bar is being set by Japan’s FSA, which has recently been busy reshaping its crypto rulebook. The agency is transitioning oversight of digital assets from the Payment Services Act to the more stringent Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (FIEA). This update reclassifies cryptocurrencies as financial instruments, a move that imposes securities-level business and compliance standards on exchanges like Bybit.

Concurrently, the FSA is contemplating a landmark shift that could allow traditional banks to directly hold Bitcoin, a policy that would further blur the lines between digital and traditional finance and demand even greater operational rigor from all licensed players.

Bybit’s regulatory reckoning in Japan arrives at a pivotal moment for the exchange. Founded in 2018, the platform rapidly grew to become a titan in the industry, now serving over 70 million global users and claiming the second-largest exchange by trading volume.

However, its trajectory was violently interrupted in February of this year by a devastating security breach. The exchange was hit with a $1.5 billion hack, an attack widely attributed to the North Korean Lazarus Group, ranking it among the largest in crypto history.