Bybit CEO on how stablecoins and RWAs are powering the next era of finance

Bybit co-founder and CEO Ben Zhou outlined his vision for the future of digital finance at the Blockchain for Good Alliance (BGA): The Scaling Summit in Singapore, a TOKEN2049 side event, emphasizing that real-world assets (RWAs) and stablecoins have moved beyond speculation to become essential pillars of the global financial ￰0￱ speculation to real-world adoption Zhou cited recent data showing that the RWA market has grown more than 400% over the past three years, from approximately $5 billion in 2022 to over $30 billion in ￰1￱ credit and ￰2￱ account for the largest share, at $14.7 billion and $7.3 billion, ￰3￱ referenced forecasts from McKinsey and Standard Chartered, estimating that tokenized assets could reach between $4 trillion and $30 trillion within a decade.

Stablecoins, meanwhile, have become a central pillar of on-chain activity, with a market capitalization exceeding $300 billion as of September 2025. Cross-border blockchain payments have increased by more than 1,000% in the first half of the year as financial institutions adopt blockchain settlement tools. “Stablecoins and tokenized assets are no longer ideas for the future — they are the building blocks of a more efficient and transparent global financial system,” Zhou ￰4￱ also pointed to the role of traditional payment providers such as Mastercard, Visa, PayPal, and Stripe, which are now integrating stablecoin settlements into their networks.

“When companies that serve hundreds of millions of users embrace blockchain payments, we are seeing a fundamental shift in how money moves around the world,” he added. Bybit’s initiatives in bridging traditional finance and blockchain During the event, Zhou highlighted several recent initiatives demonstrating Bybit’s position in the evolving financial ￰5￱ include the launch of a new B2B and institutional division, the exchange’s partnership with QNB Group, DMZ Finance, and Standard Chartered to accept a DFSA-approved tokenized money market fund as collateral, and its revenue-sharing collaboration with Circle to expand USDC ￰6￱ has also introduced gold tokenization on the TON blockchain and new treasury bill products under its Bybit Earn offering, underscoring its focus on connecting traditional assets with on-chain infrastructure.

“Bybit’s mission is to connect traditional finance with the blockchain economy,” Zhou said. “The future belongs to those who see blockchain not as a replacement for traditional finance, but as a tool to strengthen ￰7￱ history looks back, it will show how this technology fulfilled its promise — creating a more inclusive, transparent, and resilient financial system for all.” Featured image via Shutterstock.