France regulator AMF removes Bybit from blacklist after 2-year long review

Crypto exchange Bybit is no longer on France’s Autorité des Marchés Financiers blacklist after more than two years of regulatory scrutiny. 

On Feb.14, Bybit CEO Ben Zhou announced on his X account that the company had resolved its ongoing issues with the AMF. According to Zhou, Bybit had been working closely with French regulators to address compliance issues. The AMF confirmed that Bybit no longer appears on its list of “unauthorized companies and websites.” 

Zhou also mentioned that the exchange is working toward securing a Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation license, which would allow it to operate across the European Union. Bybit is still facing regulatory challenges in other countries despite its progress in France.

In India, the exchange was fined ₹9.27 crore ($1.06 million) for breaking money laundering laws. This came just weeks after it stopped services in the country due to regulatory concerns.  Bybit faced additional international difficulties when authorities in Malaysia forced the company to cease operations.

In other news, Zhou has refuted reports that he would join the Pi Network. He revealed on X that he was requested to join Pi but declined, citing his prior experience in FX trading where refund requests were common. Although exchanges such as Bitget, MEXC, and OKX have confirmed their intention to list the coin, Bybit has not yet released an official statement. 

The mainnet launch of Pi Coin, which is powered by Pi Network, is scheduled for February 20, 2025, at 8:00 UTC. The official announcement caused Pi Coin’s price to spike despite earlier delays. IOU values for Pi, which are transferable debt tokens used on exchange platforms until the mainnet goes live, have already begun to appear on several markets.