Bybit Not Working in the EU? Global Platform vs Bybit EU, and How to Move

On 29 June 2026, just before the MiCA transition ended, Bybit said access to certain services on its global platform for EEA residents “will be progressively limited”. Under MiCA, a firm needs authorisation from an EU member state to offer crypto-asset services to EU residents, and the transition period for firms without it ended on 1 July 2026. Bybit’s global platform is not MiCA-authorised; Bybit’s separately regulated Bybit EU GmbH is, by an FMA decision of 28 May 2025. The notice describes the step as part of Bybit’s “ongoing regulatory alignment efforts”, calls Bybit EU “the group’s regulated European platform” and adds that Bybit EU is pursuing additional licensing in Austria for a broader product range.

Bybit’s wording is deliberately gradual: “prior to any measures being implemented, affected users will receive clear communications outlining the timelines for managing both existing and new positions”, and users “will retain access to your assets custodied in your account” so they can deal with positions and balances. The notice lists 29 countries: every EU member state except Malta, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Switzerland and the UK are not on the list. Swiss residents use the global platform; UK residents use Bybit’s UK service, running since December 2025 with spot trading and P2P only, and FCA rules ban referral bonuses, so we do not offer PCNVIP to UK residents.

That differs from Binance’s EU suspension, which stopped new EU trading and deposits on 1 July 2026 without a phased notice period; Binance has no licensed EU entity. What Bybit has not published, as of 23 September 2026, is a completion date, an exact date for each phase or a country-by-country schedule: the step that applies to you appears in your own account notices. The incentive Bybit EU offered for exactly this move, the “Move Your Funds, Get Rewarded” campaign, ended on 31 July 2026 (see below).

If you are an EEA user on the global platform: check which entity your account sits under rather than assuming from habit; plan the move before a restriction step reaches your account (steps above); compare costs before moving anything, since Bybit EU, OKX Europe and Coinbase are MiCA-licensed with different fee structures (fee calculator); and weigh counterparty risk. Bybit was hacked on or about 21 February 2025; the FBI attributed the theft of about 1.5 billion USD in virtual assets to North Korea (FBI announcement, 26 February 2025). Keep on any exchange only what you trade. The wider licensed landscape, including where Binance stands, is on our MiCA licence tracker; what PCNVIP is and where it applies is on the Bybit referral code page.

Bybit EU’s “Move Your Funds, Get Rewarded” campaign ran from 19 June to 31 July 2026 and has ended. New users resident in the EEA, excluding Malta, who had never held a Bybit EU account could get a welcome package, VIP trial cards from 100 USD of crypto deposits and 3% annualised USDC cashback from 50,000 USD, capped at 30,000 USDC. It was Bybit EU’s own promotion and applied regardless of how you signed up; current Bybit EU promotions are set by Bybit EU, and our global code PCNVIP does not apply there.

Not the global 30,000 USDT tier. The 30,000 USDT figure often quoted for Bybit belongs to the global platform: it is the top tier of Bybit’s new-user rewards in the Rewards Hub, seen on 21 September 2026, and needs a deposit of 250,000 USD plus 150 million USDT of trading volume. It is not a benefit of any referral code and not a Bybit EU offer; the closed campaign’s cashback cap of 30,000 USDC was a separate programme with its own terms (a missing bonus on the global platform: deposit bonus not credited). If you live in the EEA, judge Bybit by what Bybit EU offers, not by the global bonus pages. Bybit EU presented the campaign as an incentive for users moving to a licensed platform before national MiCA transition periods ended on 1 July 2026, the day Binance suspended its EU services.

What EEA users can do now. Bybit EU sets its own promotions; we have not verified a successor offer, so read the terms on bybit.eu (no affiliate link) before depositing anything to reach a tier. Know what you are getting (table above): spot and spot margin, no perpetual futures. Compare with other licensed venues on their fee pages read on 22 and 23 September 2026: OKX Europe 0.08% / 0.10%, Coinbase 0.40% / 0.60% on its Exchange schedule, Kraken 0.40% / 0.80%; our fee calculator works out a year of trading. If you still hold a global account, the move is under moving to Bybit EU.