Bybit CEO Ben Zhou Addresses Exposure to Genesis Market Event, Community Calls for More Transparency

Bybit, a leading cryptocurrency exchange, has recently faced questions from its community regarding the platform’s exposure to market risk, specifically in relation to the “Genesis” market event.

The Genesis Fiasco

Since Genesis filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy, the community has started raising questions to all the firms having exposure to its lending firm.

According to one report, several cryptocurrency firms, such as Gemini, Bybit, VanEck, and Decentraland, had potential exposure to the market event known as Genesis. The Bybit CEO, Ben Zhou, promptly addressed these reports by confirming that Bybit did have $150 million of exposure to the failed crypto lender through its investment subsidiary Mirana.

Ben Zhou, CEO of Bybit, acknowledged that Mirana, the investment arm of Bybit, managed a portion of the exchange’s assets, and that the reported $151 million of exposure had around $120 million of collateralized positions, which were already liquidated. He reassured clients that their funds are kept separate and that Bybit’s earning products don’t use Mirana. The CEO took to twitter to offer a pointed explanation on the accusations:

Full disclosure:
1. Mirana is the investment arm of bybit.
2. Mirana only manage some bybit company asset. Client fund is separated snd bybit earn product doesn’t use mirana.
3. The reported 151m has abt 120m of collateralized positions which mirana had already liquidated. https://t.co/kqVPpAMGky

— Ben Zhou (@benbybit) January 20, 2023

Bybit’s Reassurance Amidst Community’s Concerns

The cryptocurrency market is known for its volatility, and exchanges like Bybit are exposed to market risk as they hold digital assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum on behalf of their users. This means that the value of these assets can change rapidly, potentially leading to financial losses for the exchange. To mitigate this risk, Bybit has implemented a number of measures such as setting margin requirements, implementing stop-loss orders and utilizing insurance funds. The exchange also regularly conducts stress tests to ensure that it can handle large market fluctuations.

In regards to the recent “Genesis” market event, Bybit CEO Ben Zhou stated that the exchange did not experience any negative effects and that all user funds were safe. Zhou also emphasized that Bybit’s risk management system is constantly being improved to ensure the safety of user funds.

Despite these assurances, some members of the Bybit community have called for more transparency and information on the exchange’s risk management strategies and measures. Bybit has responded by committing to providing more detailed information and reports on its risk management efforts in the future.