Bybit appointed Peter Loo as chief legal and compliance officer on August 3, 2026, according to its own press release. That release credits him with “over 25 years of cross-jurisdictional experience spanning investment banks, regulators, law firms, and digital asset institutions”1. The Global Legal Post independently reported the hire on August 4, 2026. Loo "was most recently chief operating officer at blockchain business MANTRA," the outlet wrote, a post he left in September 20252. Before MANTRA, Loo served as general counsel and head of sector development at Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority. There, he “led development of the regulator's licensing frameworks, market conduct policies and enforcement protocols,” the Global Legal Post reported.
Two leadership moves at Bybit on the record since 2026
Every move CryptoLately has verified there, by the day it became public
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| March 7, 2026 | Liu left as Co-CEO. Helen Liu left as Co-CEO of Bybit |
| Aug. 3, 2026 | Loo became Chief Legal & Compliance Officer. Peter Loo was named Chief Legal & Compliance Officer of Bybit |
45 executive hires on the record in 2026 so far
Executive hires CryptoLately has verified, by year; 2026 through Oct. 2, 2026
- 2026: 45
- 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 11 |
| 2020 | 12 |
| 2021 | 27 |
| 2022 | 37 |
| 2023 | 20 |
| 2024 | 39 |
| 2025 | 59 |
| 2026 | 45 |
The move
Bybit Co-founder and CEO Ben Zhou framed the hire around Loo's experience on both sides of financial regulation. “Peter brings a depth of experience that is both rare and highly relevant to where Bybit is headed. Having worked across regulators, global financial institutions and Web3 platforms, he understands not only how rules are written, but also how they are applied in practice across jurisdictions,” Zhou said2. Loo described his own mandate in terms of the industry's shift toward formal oversight. “The opportunity at Bybit is to help shape what a truly global, regulated digital financial platform can look like. The industry is entering a phase where credibility, structure, and regulatory alignment are no longer optional,” Loo said1.
Before and after the move
Loo was head of legal at MF Global in London, and worked in-house at Barclays and Citigroup, before his regulatory work in Dubai. He began his legal career as an associate at Clifford Chance, the Global Legal Post reported2. Bybit's release tied his appointment to the exchange's “ongoing transformation from a high-growth crypto exchange into a mature, globally recognised financial platform.” His mandate, the release states, is “enhancing internal governance, advancing licensing efforts in priority markets, and fostering constructive engagement with regulators worldwide”1.
What to watch
Loo's record at Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority gives the CryptoLately.com Desk a baseline for judging his first licensing moves at Bybit. Any announcement of a new regulatory approval or market exit under Loo's watch would test whether his hire changes Bybit's footprint the way Zhou said it would when he called Loo's leadership "critical in strengthening our regulatory foundations"1.
Sources
- Bybit, "Bybit Appoints Peter Loo as Chief Legal & Compliance Officer to Advance Global Regulatory Strategy," PR Newswire, August 3, 2026, https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/bybit-appoints-peter-loo-as-chief-legal--compliance-officer-to-advance-global-regulatory-strategy-302841084.html
- Ben Edwards, "Dubai crypto exchange Bybit hires ex-regulator legal head as CLO," The Global Legal Post, August 4, 2026, https://www.globallegalpost.com/news/dubai-crypto-exchange-bybit-hires-ex-regulator-legal-head-as-clo-4628339