Bybit CEO Ben Zhou Champions Stablecoins and RWA as the Future of Global Finance at TOKEN2049

• Zhou emphasized how stablecoins and tokenized assets have developed from novel ideas into essential elements of the international financial system.
• As of September 2025, stablecoins, which have a market valuation of over $300 billion, have emerged as the foundation of on-chain transactions.

At the Blockchain for Good Alliance (BGA): The Scaling Summit in Singapore, a side event during TOKEN2049 Singapore, Ben Zhou, co-founder and CEO of Bybit, discussed his vision for the future of digital finance. He called for a collective shift away from speculation and toward real-world utility powered by stablecoins and real-world assets (RWA). Zhou emphasized how stablecoins and tokenized assets have developed from novel ideas into essential elements of the international financial system.

In only three years, the RWA market has grown from $5 billion in 2022 to over $30 billion in 2025, a 400% increase. Leading the increase are U.S. Treasuries ($7.3 billion) and private credit ($14.7 billion). While McKinsey and Standard Chartered predict tokenized assets to reach between $4 trillion and $30 trillion in the next ten years, global organizations like BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, and JPMorgan are leading the way.

As of September 2025, stablecoins, which have a market valuation of over $300 billion, have emerged as the foundation of on-chain transactions. Due to the adoption of blockchain-based settlement solutions by financial institutions, cross-border payments increased by over 1,000% in the first half of the year.

“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 said.

The increasing involvement of payment behemoths like Mastercard, Visa, PayPal, and Stripe, which are increasingly incorporating stablecoin settlements into their international networks, was another point Zhou made.

“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 Strategic Position in the New Financial Landscape

Bybit keeps bridging the gap between blockchain technology and conventional finance. Zhou listed a number of significant projects that demonstrate Bybit’s pioneering role in this change:

• New Institutional and B2B Unit: The establishment of a special B2B division for enterprise clientele.
• QCDT Partnership: In collaboration with QNB Group, DMZ Finance, and Standard Chartered, this exchange was the first to accept a tokenized money market fund that has been authorized by the DFSA as collateral.
• Stablecoin Growth: To increase USDC adoption and liquidity, a strategic revenue-sharing arrangement with Circle is being established.
• RWA Innovation: New treasury bill products under Bybit Earn and gold tokenization on the TON blockchain.

“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 it. When history looks back, it will show how this technology fulfilled its promise — creating a more inclusive, transparent, and resilient financial system for all.”