Bybit opens European headquarters in Vienna after securing MiCA license in Austria

  • Bybit opens European HQ in Vienna after securing Austria’s MiCA license.
  • The MiCA license allows Bybit to serve all 29 European Economic Area countries.
  • Bybit plans 100+ hires and collaboration with local universities in Vienna.

Bybit is establishing its European headquarters in Vienna, Austria, following the successful acquisition of a license under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) framework.

The regulatory milestone, announced on May 29, signals the exchange’s firm commitment to compliance and positions it to offer services legally and seamlessly across the 29 member states of the European Economic Area.

Bybit can now offer services to all European residents

The approval was granted by Austria’s Financial Market Authority (FMA), authorising Bybit EU, registered under commercial number 636180i, to operate as a regulated crypto asset service provider (CASP) within the bloc.

The MiCA framework, which became enforceable in early 2025, is reshaping the European crypto landscape by requiring all firms offering digital asset services in the region to operate under unified licensing conditions.

Bybit’s ability to secure this license not only showcases its readiness to adapt to evolving legal standards but also sets a precedent for other exchanges aiming to legitimise their presence within Europe.

The Dubai-based exchange can now serve the nearly 500 million residents across Europe under a harmonised legal framework designed to enhance market transparency, strengthen consumer protection, and combat illicit activities.

Ben Zhou, the co-founder and CEO of Bybit, emphasised that regulatory compliance remains a top priority and stated that the firm is actively collaborating with regulators worldwide to ensure its users benefit from robust legal protections.

Bybit commits to creating over 100 jobs in Vienna

As part of its entry into the European market, Bybit has committed to creating more than 100 new jobs in Vienna, supporting its goal of offering localised services that align with EU rules and meet regional customer needs.

Mazurka Zeng, the CEO of Bybit Europe, expressed enthusiasm about the move, describing Vienna as the new home of Bybit’s European operations and highlighting the firm’s contribution to Austria’s progressive financial ecosystem.

In addition to scaling its workforce, Bybit plans to strengthen ties with academic institutions throughout the region through its Blockchain for Good Alliance (BGA), an initiative designed to promote blockchain innovation and education.

Currently ranked as the second-largest crypto exchange by trading volume, Bybit continues to build its global footprint with a renewed focus on regulatory legitimacy and user-centric services.

Despite facing a major setback earlier in the year with a $1.5 billion security breach, Bybit has demonstrated resilience by regaining market confidence and recovering liquidity within just 30 days.

Notably, law enforcement authorities in Germany helped in seizing approximately €34 million from the crypto platform eXch, which was allegedly used to launder part of the funds stolen during the February 2025 attack on Bybit.

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FTT posts slight gains as FTX prepares $5B in distributions

  • FTX Token recently slipped amid news of $5 billion distributions
  • But what does FTX distributions mean for potential FTT price movement?
  • Broader market sentiment may also dictate price direction for the FTX token.

The FTX Token (FTT), the native cryptocurrency of the now-defunct crypto exchange FTX, is up 2.8% in the last 24 hours to trade above $1.24.

While not huge, the gains continue FTT token’s uptick from lows of $1.12 hit earlier in the week.

This comes as the FTX holder community eyes fresh momentum amid the impending $5 billion second phase of bankruptcy distributions.

But what does this initiative that starts on May 30, 2025 mean for FTX Token?

FTX Token recent price action

Over the past month, FTT has seen a notable 32% surge, driven by speculation around the FTX bankruptcy estate’s upcoming distributions.

However, the token has faced downward pressure in the past week, dropping to around $1.12 before rising to $1.24 in the last 24 hours.

The downturn threatened to stall the altcoin’s bullish momentum, with the pullback coming amid broader market struggles.

After initially spiking on the bankruptcy estate’s plan to distribute over $5 billion to creditors starting May 30, 2025, the token dropped again.

Now that the payouts, which will range from 54% to 120% of original claims, are about to commence, activity around FTT is rising.

Per CoinMarketCap data, daily volume has jumped 21% in the past 24 hours to reach $26.7 million.

FTX distributions and potential price movement

The FTX bankruptcy estate’s plan to distribute over $5 billion to creditors marks a significant milestone in the exchange’s recovery process.

As CoinJournal highlighted earlier, the anticipation of the announced payouts fueled a 14% surge in FTT’s price.

Some investors see the repayments as positive news that could further bolster market confidence in FTT.

It’s still possible FTX’s collapse in November 2022 continues to constrain FTT, which has plummeted to below $1 since the crypto exchange imploded.

But the token, which peaked at $85 in September 2021, has shown resilience in recent months.

While FTT has largely traded below $2, occasional spikes have driven it higher. Notable news around bankruptcy updates have provided most of this upward movement.

Also, a February 2025 post from incarcerated former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried triggered a brief 30% rally, pushing FTT to $2.34 before it retreated.

This downturn was brutal though,with FTX token hitting lows of $0.78 in early April 2025.

Bears might yet target further pain, but ongoing speculation around creditor repayments, and broader market sentiment could be huge catalysts for the altcoin.

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Best crypto presales to buy as Bitcoin ETFs hit $45 billion milestone

Bitcoin, the leading cryptocurrency by market capitalization, has remained above the crucial zone of $100,000 as hype surrounding the 2025 crypto bull run intensifies. Earlier in April, the crypto major plunged to a 5-month low as President Trump’s aggressive tariffs weighed on risk assets. 

Interestingly, Bitcoin has since benefited from the aftermath of the US president’s stiff tone in two folds. On the one hand, softening of his position on importation levies improved the market sentiment. Besides, the persistent economic uncertainties have increased the demand for Bitcoin as an alternative store of value. 

The result of this shift is a rally to a fresh all-time high at $111,977. While profit-taking has placed the crypto major on consolidation mode for a week now, it remains above the previous resistance zone of $105,000 with the bullish golden cross pattern still in place. 

A look at the Bitcoin ETFs inflows shows heightened investor interest despite the observed volatility. According to SoSoValue, BTC ETF inflows have recorded a streak of 10 sessions of daily net inflows. On Wednesday, BlackRock’s IBIT inflows of $480.96 million overrode FBTC and ARKB daily net outflows. This led to daily total net inflows of $432.62 million and cumulative inflows of $45.34 billion. 

Bitcoin price chart
Bitcoin price chart

Bitcoin Pepe is one of the best crypto presales as tier-1 exchange listings approach

As the market readies for further Bitcoin price rallying and the broader crypto bull run of 2025, related projects have become particularly attractive. Being the only Bitcoin meme ICO, Bitcoin Pepe offers crypto enthusiasts a more affordable opportunity to activate their Bitcoin capital. 

Since the launch of this meme project on 11th February, it has recorded steady upward momentum. Its unique mission of bringing the meme culture home to the Bitcoin network had crypto enthusiasts hooked from the onset. This saw it raise over $1 million within the first 24 hours of the presale. 

Slightly over three months later, the presale is coming to an en, and the momentum is skyrocketing as savvy investors strive to benefit from the presale prices. They acknowledge that after the tier-1 exchange listings slated for 31st May at 2:00 PM UTC, it will be the market deciding the token’s value.

Based on its virality, proper positioning, and one-of-a-kind infrastructure, BPEP token could record a hundred-fold growth in just a couple of days or even hours. Even if it rallies to $1, that will already be an over 2,500% surge from its current token price of $0.0377. 

As the rush to buy BPEP tokens at the currently affordable price intensifies, the supply is dwindling. This further fuels the upward momentum, which is set to continue once the token hits the public shelves on Saturday.  

Hurry up and buy Bitcoin Pepe here.

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Merlin Chain price gains as Binance adds MERL perpetual contracts

  • Merlin Chain (MERL) price rose sharply as Binance announced the launch of MERL perpetual futures.
  • The MERL token, native to the Bitcoin layer-2 solution, reached highs of $0.13 and could target $0.20.
  • Altcoins have often spiked in price after such announcements by Binance.

Merlin Chain (MERL), a Bitcoin Layer-2 solution, has witnessed a significant price surge following a major announcement from Binance.

On May 28, 2025, Binance revealed the launch of USD-margined MERL Perpetual Contracts, a move that has sparked renewed interest in the token.

The news saw the price of Merlin Chain rise amid an increase in volume, with traction likely to push MERL beyond the $0.14 mark.

Binance Futures adds MERL perpetual contracts with 50x leverage

Binance Futures, the derivatives arm of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchange, announced the addition of MERL perpetual contracts on May 28, 2025.

According to the official announcement, the USD-M MERL Perpetual Contract will go live on May 29, 2025, at 08:30 UTC, allowing traders to access up to 50x leverage.

This high-leverage offering is designed to attract both seasoned traders and those looking to capitalize on MERL’s momentum.

The announcement follows Binance’s earlier listing of MERL on its Binance Alpha, which occurred on May 20, 2025.

It’s a move that introduced MERL to a broader audience, and the addition of perpetual contracts now amplifies its appeal in the derivatives space.

Binance Futures has a history of boosting token visibility and liquidity through such listings, as seen with previous launches of other perpetual contracts.

For MERL, this move underscores Binance’s confidence in the project’s potential to drive trading activity.

Merlin Chain (MERL) price surges

The market response to the Binance Futures listing has been swift and positive.

According to data from CoinMarketCap, Merlin Chain price rose to $0.1346, doing an upward flip of over 10% in the past 24 hours.

This surge has been accompanied by a decent spike in trading volume, with MERL recording a 17% surge in daily volume to over $803 million.

The token’s market cap has reached $95.5 million.

Merlin Chain’s price gains highlight the growing interest in its ecosystem, which focuses on enhancing Bitcoin’s layer-2 capabilities.

The project supports popular Bitcoin protocol tokens like BRC20 and BRC420, and its integration of ZK-Rollups and decentralized oracle networks has made it a standout in the decentralized finance space.

While price remains well off the all-time high of $1.55 hit in April 2024, the Binance Futures listing could be a key catalyst.

In this case, the token’s value could jump to $0.2 and target December 2024 highs of $0.48 in coming weeks.

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Best crypto to buy as global companies continue to load up on BTC

  • Retail focus is turning to alternative narratives like Bitcoin Pepe, which is nearing the end of its presale.
  • Bitcoin Pepe’s presale has raised over $11.8 million, investors can still scoop up the coin at $0.0377.
  • To advance its Layer 2 ecosystem, Bitcoin Pepe has formed strategic partnerships.

The total crypto market capitalisation has slipped 0.8% over the past 24 hours to $3.43 trillion.

The retreat is notable, especially given the uptick in risk appetite across equity markets over the last two days, underscoring a more restrained mood in the crypto sector.

Bitcoin has traded within a narrow range since May 22, moving between $106,600 and $111,700. It currently sits near $108,000, suggesting continued consolidation.

As BTC holds steady and some investors take profits, retail focus is turning to alternative narratives like Bitcoin Pepe, which is nearing the end of its presale.

Bitcoin’s maturing profile, with lower volatility and increased institutional involvement, has made it less attractive to high-risk, high-reward traders.

In contrast, interest is building around speculative plays such as Bitcoin Pepe, where investors are betting on early-stage momentum and the potential for outsized returns.

Corporations continue to purchase BTC

Metaplanet has issued its largest tranche of 0% ordinary bonds to date, raising $50 million through a deal with venture capital firm EVO FUND.

The issuance, announced recently, marks the Tokyo-based investment firm’s 16th series of ordinary bonds and continues its strategy of using bond proceeds to increase Bitcoin holdings.

The company confirmed that the $50 million will be allocated toward additional Bitcoin purchases.

As of May 19, Metaplanet holds 7,800 BTC, with its total Bitcoin investments valued at approximately $846.9 million at current market prices.

CEO Simon Gerovich has reiterated the company’s goal of reaching 10,000 BTC by the end of 2025.

In a similar move, GameStop announced on Wednesday that it has purchased 4,710 Bitcoins, marking its entry into cryptocurrency investment.

The acquisition, valued at around $513.6 million based on Wednesday’s BTC price of about $108,000, signals a strategic shift for the video game retailer, echoing a playbook made famous by MicroStrategy.

Why Bitcoin Pepe is grabbing attention

Bitcoin’s recent advance to new highs is reinforcing market sentiment, a pattern that has historically signaled the start of broader rallies within the crypto sector.

As funds flow back into digital assets, speculative areas like meme coins are gaining traction among investors.

Bitcoin Pepe is emerging as a prominent beneficiary of this trend.

As the first meme-centric Layer 2 protocol on the Bitcoin network, Bitcoin Pepe combines meme culture with practical blockchain utility. 

To advance its Layer 2 ecosystem, Bitcoin Pepe has formed strategic partnerships, including with Super Meme and Plena Finance. Furthermore, collaboration with the GETE Network aims to expand its presence into the cross-chain Web3 gaming arena.

This strategy clearly seeks to blend real-world utility with meme-driven appeal—a combination positioned to resonate in the current market climate.

Investor response is strong. Bitcoin Pepe’s presale has raised over $11.8 million, with BPEP tokens currently priced at $0.0377.

With the presale ending on May 31, 2025—just three days away—the project is attracting significant attention.

A centralized exchange listing is anticipated soon after, potentially serving as a near-term price catalyst.

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