Bybit Teams Up with Tether to Strengthen Presence in Southeast Asia

Bybit, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, strengthened its presence in Southeast Asia at Coinfest Asia 2025. Ben Zhou, Co-Founder and CEO at Bybit, took center stage in a fireside chat and co-hosted an exclusive partner event with Tether APAC.

Zhou joined Steven Suhadi, Co-Founder of Coinfest Asia and Founder of Indonesia Crypto Network, for a fireside chat that explored Indonesia’s pivotal role in global crypto adoption. Zhou praised Indonesia’s rapid embrace of digital assets, particularly among the youth, describing the country as one of the most dynamic and promising crypto markets in the world. He emphasized that regulatory clarity is key to sustaining this momentum.

“Indonesia shows how education, youth participation, and progressive regulation can combine to build a thriving crypto ecosystem,” Zhou said, “Bybit is here to support this journey with secure, transparent, and innovative trading experiences.”

The discussion also touched on the growing trend of real-world asset (RWA) tokenization. Total Value Locked (TVL) in tokenized assets reached $65 billion in 2025, marking a massive increase from previous years. Zhou highlighted that real-world applications have become a new focus for Bybit, moving beyond pure speculation toward meaningful use cases such as asset tokenization and ecosystem building. 

While optimistic about the potential, Zhou cautioned that successful implementation will require time and careful planning, underscoring the need to align innovation with regulatory clarity.

Bybit Partners with Tether

Following the main conference, Bybit partnered with Tether APAC to host an exclusive gathering, dubbed ‘After Sunset,’ that brought together Bybit VIPs, Indonesian regulatory representatives, and key opinion leaders (KOLs) for an evening of dialogue on advancing adoption in Indonesia. 

Eddy Christian Ng, Tether’s APAC representative, highlighted the role of stablecoins in enabling access and financial inclusivity in emerging markets. He also reaffirmed Tether’s close collaboration with Bybit in advancing digital asset education and adoption. 

Moderated by Robert Harianto, the evening featured a panel discussion titled “The Bull Market and The Future of Crypto in Asia: What’s Coming from Bybit and Tether,” with Zhou, Ng, and Lawrence Samantha, Co-Founder and CEO of NOBI Group, which is also Bybit’s local partner in Indonesia. The discussion delved into the themes of trust, education, and partnership, positioning them as the cornerstones of Indonesia’s crypto future.

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