How to Use Bybit in the United States

Can you use Bybit in the United States? A short answer is No. A longer answer is Yes. An even longer answer is Maybe. But the correct answer is Yes, but you’re going to need a VPN to use Bybit in the USA. 

In recent years, the US has cracked down on cryptocurrency regulations, making it more difficult for citizens to trade in crypto. This is problematic in many ways, costing law-abiding, tax-paying individuals potential profits and preventing them from having trading careers. 

Wish to trade crypto on Bybit from the US? Alas, customers that are located in or are residents of the United States are restricted from accessing or trading on this platform. This limitation also applies to several other countries, the United Kingdom for instance. But don’t you worry! On this page, you will learn how to use VPN Unlimited to use Bybit in the US.

Note: VPN Unlimited is also available as a part of the MonoDefense security bundle.

Under normal circumstances, citizens of the US can’t use Bybit. The decision to lock American traders out of Bybit was made by the platform itself. They did this because of the lack of clarity regarding the US crypto regulations. Rather than getting sued by the US regulators like the SEC, Bybit opted to stay away from the United States market altogether.

Bybit, along with some other platforms, like BitMEX, FTX, and Binance, is a top coveted exchange that, according to their terms and conditions, block U.S. traders. And don’t forget, Bybit offers derivatives, including options and futures trading, which gives users added trading opportunities. No wonder that being unable to use Bybit is a bummer for any US crypto trader. 

To ensure that Americans can’t use Bybit, the platform is constantly monitoring user IP, banning any that originate in the US. This is an ol’ reliable type of geo-blocking - and the one that is quite easy to bypass using a VPN, such as VPN Unlimited. Just connect to a VPN server located outside the US and you’ll get your real IP address masked behind that of the server. And don’t forget to use VPN Unlimited every time you use Bybit in the United States!

Your crypto trading options are drastically limited if you’re a US citizen. And while some amount of regulation is important and useful, certain laws can certainly be too much. For instance, Know Your Customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) regulations ensure the legal use of money, including crypto assets like bitcoin (BTC). Given the amount of nefarious activity and scams within trading, the need for national protection and regulation is understandable. 

However, current crypto regulations go overboard in more than a few places. Traders are significantly limited in the decisions they can make and the risks they are willing to take. Another problem is the non-transparency of the laws and restrictions - for instance, you find out that you can’t use Bybit in the US and don’t even know why that is. 

As mentioned, the most likely reason for being unable to use Bybit in the US is difficulties in regulation. However, it can be difficult to know for sure unless there’s an official statement by the platform, like the one they did in regards to suspending services to UK users. In it, they cite the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) ban of crypto derivatives, as the reason for ceasing to provide services to UK customers. Besides the US and UK, other countries where Bybit is unavailable include China, Iran, North Korea, etc.