Bybit's Yoyee Wang: Trust will define the next era of institutional digital asset adoption (July 13

Bybit executives share their vision for regulation, tokenization and institutional trust at LEAP East 2026

United Arab Emirates Dubai, July 13, 2026

As digital assets move from early adoption into the portfolios of global financial institutions, the core issue is no longer whether blockchain technology is effective, but whether institutions can trust the infrastructure behind it.

This is the core message conveyed by Yoyee Wang, Bybit's global head of traditional finance and physical assets, at the LEAP East 2026 symposium. At the meeting, policymakers, financial institutions and technology leaders discussed how trust can be the cornerstone of the next generation of financial systems.

Trust is the New Infrastructure: Security, Identity, Fraud and Regulation of Scale

Yoyee pointed out in a discussion titled "Trust is the New Infrastructure: Security, Identity, Fraud and Regulation of Scale" that regulation, customer-first product design, and practical application scenarios are becoming key factors driving institutional adoption.

"Institutional adoption has never been about chasing the highest returns," Yoyee said."For professional investors, trust begins with capital preservation, regulatory certainty, and reliable infrastructure. When these foundations are solid, innovation becomes easier to accept."

Yoyee combined Bybit's experience in serving institutional customers around the world and pointed out that supervision has evolved from a purely compliance obligation to a strategic differentiation advantage. She said that regulatory clarity not only provides confidence for existing customers to deepen their participation in digital assets, but also encourages new institutions to begin exploring this asset class. As more major jurisdictions establish clear frameworks, institutions are increasingly willing to allocate parts of their portfolios into digital assets, expanding participation across the ecosystem.

"Trust is built gradually," Yoyee explains,"Institutions don't suddenly put large amounts of money into new asset classes. They will start with prudent allocation, verify infrastructure, and then gradually increase exposure as confidence grows. This is the path for every financial market to mature."

The discussion also touched on the rapid rise of tokenized physical assets (RWAs) and the convergence between traditional finance and blockchain-based markets. Yoyee believes that the industry's role is not to persuade institutions to adopt blockchain, but to ensure that when they decide that the time is right, they can provide the right infrastructure.

"At Bybit, we see ourselves as infrastructure builders," Yoyee said."Our responsibility is to understand the goals of institutional customers and provide solutions that meet these needs, while maintaining the standards of safety, governance and operational resilience that they expect."

Yoyee emphasized that while seeking operational efficiency, many traditional financial institutions give greater priority to principal protection rather than simply pursuing income opportunities. This shift is affecting the way digital asset platforms design products for institutional investors. She pointed out that tokenized money market funds are an example: blockchain technology enhances existing financial products by allowing customers holding on-chain assets such as stablecoins to obtain returns that would otherwise be available in traditional financial markets, while retaining flexibility in capital allocation.

"Technology should expand options rather than replace them," Yoyee said."Tokenization institutions provide additional options for managing liquidity and capital more efficiently. Whether they adopt these solutions ultimately depends on them. Our role is to provide secure and trusted access when they are ready."

Throughout the discussion, Yoyee emphasized that successful institutional adoption depends on understanding the customer's underlying goals, rather than just introducing new technologies. She believes that as digital assets become increasingly integrated into mainstream finance, long-term success will belong to platforms that can combine excellent supervision, trusted infrastructure and deep collaboration with financial institutions.