Overview
- Starting at 12:00 UTC on Oct. 31, Bybit will stop new account sign-ups from Japanese residents and nationals.
- Current Japanese customers keep full access for now, with the company pledging updates if further measures are needed.
- Bybit frames the pause as temporary and focused on reviewing local requirements to align with Japan’s regulatory expectations.
- Japan’s FSA is preparing reforms that include a 2026 proposal to bring crypto under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act and new insider-trading definitions, and it is considering whether banks may hold cryptocurrencies.
- Bybit, ranked second globally by trading volume, recently obtained a full UAE virtual-asset license and has emphasized compliance after a $1.5 billion hack reported in February 2025.