- Zhou challenged the accepted notion of how consumers engage with financial services. He suggested that in the future, users may not interact with platforms at all.
- At Paris Blockchain Week 2026, Ben Zhou, the CEO and co-founder of Bybit, spoke at a fireside chat.
What will it take to create a financial system that billions of people can rely on without even noticing?
At Paris Blockchain Week 2026, Ben Zhou, CEO and co-founder of Bybit, spoke at a fireside chat titled “Trust, Technology and Transformation: Building the New Financial Platform for a Symbolized Economy,” setting the tone for a future where finance becomes smarter, more accessible and ultimately invisible.
Zhou described the next phase of the industry as a fundamental redesign of financial infrastructure driven by the convergence of programmable assets, artificial intelligence and regulatory security, rather than price cycles or passing trends.
From Interfaces to Intelligence: The Rise of Agent Financing
Zhou challenged the accepted notion of how consumers engage with financial services. He suggested that in the future, users may not interact with platforms at all.
“We launched AI agent accounts, which allow customers to create sub-accounts for AI to interact, execute strategies and access market data,” Zhou shared. “Agent payments are becoming an important issue – and we are only at the beginning.”
Users can assign tasks to AI agents – systems that analyze data, make judgments and optimize results in real time – rather than traversing marketplaces manually. Today, data access and analysis are at the heart of these apps. You could redefine execution yourself tomorrow.
The conclusion is significant: intelligence replaces the interface.
The quiet transformation of finance
Although “crypto” continues to dominate most of the public narrative, Zhou said a subtler but more significant change is already underway. Traditional financial institutions are integrating blockchain as infrastructure instead of entering the market through speculation. Stablecoins in particular are becoming the bridge that enables faster payments, more effective settlements and access to global liquidity.
Zhou pointed out that these organizations often build on crypto rails without adopting the term.
This marks a paradigm shift: cryptocurrency becomes an integral part of the foundation rather than an alternative system.
Trust is the true product
Zhou believes that trust, not technology, is the key constraint and opportunity. In recent years, the regulatory structure has become significantly more transparent. By aggressively embracing innovation and offering structured development pathways, jurisdictions like the UAE are setting the benchmark.
Regulatory clarity is becoming an incentive rather than a hindrance, as shown by the changing positions of the United States and the United Kingdom and Europe’s organized approach. Institutions follow rules when they establish themselves. Furthermore, the system begins to evolve as institutions are added.
A system that works without being seen
Zhou concluded with a viewpoint that reinterpreted the industry’s ultimate goal:
“This is not about replacing existing financial systems, but rather improving them. Our focus is on building an infrastructure that makes financial services more accessible, efficient and intuitive for users worldwide.”
He suggested that the ultimate scenario is one where financial services are effortlessly integrated into daily life, rather than a scenario where consumers consider blockchain, wallets or even platforms. In this future, technology becomes invisible, intelligence works in the background and trust is deeply embedded in the system.
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