What is Bybit Stocks and how does it work?

Bybit Stocks lets you buy and sell real US equities directly through the Bybit platform. Unlike derivative products such as Stock TradFi Perpetuals or Stock CFDs, which track stock prices without giving you ownership, Bybit Stocks provides actual economic interests in the underlying shares, along with dividend eligibility and exposure to corporate actions. This guide covers what Bybit Stocks is, how it works, the key benefits it offers and how it compares to other ways to access stock exposure through Bybit.

Key Takeaways:

• Bybit Stocks routes your orders through Bybit's broker entity to Alpaca, which executes on NASDAQ or NYSE, giving you real equity-market access through the Bybit platform.

• You hold actual economic interests in the underlying shares, making you eligible for dividends and corporate actions such as stock splits.

• There is no leverage, no liquidation risk and zero trading commission, with fractional shares available from $5 and settlement in USD on a T+1 basis.

What is Bybit Stocks?

Bybit Stocks is a product that allows you to buy and sell real US equities, such as shares in major NASDAQ and NYSE-listed companies, without leaving the Bybit platform. When you place an order, it routes through Bybit's licensed broker entity to Alpaca, a regulated US broker-dealer, which then executes the trade on the underlying exchange.

The result is that your holdings represent actual economic interests in real shares, not a derivative that simply tracks a stock price. This means you are entitled to receive cash dividends and benefit from corporate actions such as stock splits, just as you would through a traditional brokerage.

Settlement is in USD and follows the US equity market's standard T+1 convention. Your trade settles one business day after execution.

How order routing works

Understanding the order flow helps clarify why Bybit Stocks behaves differently from crypto spot or derivatives trading.

When you submit an order through the Bybit app or web interface, it follows this path:

1. Your order is received by Bybit.

2. Bybit routes it through its licensed broker entity.

3. The order is passed to Alpaca for execution.

4. Alpaca routes the order to NASDAQ or NYSE.

5. Your order fills at the market or limit price you specified.

6. Settlement completes in USD one business day after execution (T+1).

During regular trading hours, spreads generally reflect prevailing bid-ask conditions in the underlying US equity market. Outside regular hours, during pre-market, post-market or overnight sessions, liquidity may be thinner and spreads may widen.

Key benefits

Real equity ownership

The most important distinction between Bybit Stocks and other Bybit stock products is ownership. When you buy through Bybit Stocks, you hold actual economic interests in the underlying company. This entitles you to:

• Dividends: Cash dividends paid by the company are passed through to you as a beneficial owner, subject to applicable withholding tax.

• Corporate actions: Events such as stock splits are reflected in your holdings automatically.

No other Bybit stock product, TradFi Perps or CFDs, provides these entitlements.

How dividends and taxes work

When a company pays a cash dividend, a 30% U.S. dividend withholding tax is deducted from the gross dividend before the remainder is credited to your account. This withholding applies to dividend income, not to the purchase or sale of the stock.

The 30% withholding does not necessarily settle your local tax obligations. For example, a Korean resident may still have reporting or tax obligations in Korea relating to dividends, capital gains or overseas holdings. These depend on local law and individual circumstances, so users should check the rules that apply to them.

Dividends and other supported corporate actions are processed according to the issuing company’s terms and instructions from Alpaca. Eligibility can depend on the relevant dates, settled holdings and event terms. Some events may temporarily restrict trading, cancel orders or delay account adjustments. Fractional entitlements may remain fractional, be rounded or be settled in cash depending on the event.

Zero trading commission

Bybit charges no trading commission on Stocks orders. Other costs that may apply include dividend withholding tax, ADR fees where applicable and external charges associated with trade execution, but Bybit itself does not add a per-trade commission.

No leverage, no liquidation risk

Stocks carry no leverage. You can only buy up to the value of the USD you have funded. There is no margin to maintain and there is no automated liquidation. This makes the product straightforward for users who want stock exposure without the mechanics of margin management.

Fractional shares from $5

You do not need to buy a full share. Fractional shares are available from $5 per order, which means you can build exposure to high-priced stocks, such as those trading at hundreds or thousands of dollars per share, with a small initial outlay.

Extended trading hours (~24 hours per day)

Bybit Stocks trades across multiple weekday sessions:

This gives you approximately 24 hours of access per trading day. Markets are closed on weekends and US public holidays.

No ongoing holding fee

There is no overnight swap fee or periodic holding charge. Once you own the shares, the main ongoing cost consideration is the spread on execution and any third-party charges that may apply. This makes the cost model particularly simple for longer-term holders.

Unified Trading Account integration

Stocks sit within your Unified Trading Account (UTA), so you can view and manage them alongside your crypto holdings in the same interface using one login. Note that Stocks are unleveraged positions and are not used as margin collateral within the UTA framework.

Supported instruments and fractional shares

Bybit Stocks supports a selection of US equities listed on NASDAQ and NYSE. The available symbol list includes major US companies and, where listed, ETFs. The instrument offering may expand over time.

Fractional share trading starts at $5 per order, enabling accessible position sizing regardless of a stock's individual share price.

How Bybit Stocks differs from crypto spot trading

Users coming from a crypto-native background will notice several differences when trading Stocks:

The T+1 settlement cycle is one of the most important differences. Unlike crypto, where your balance updates the moment a trade executes, proceeds from a Stocks sale settle to your USD balance one business day later in line with US equity market rules.

Bybit Stocks vs other Bybit stock products

Bybit also offers two derivative-based products for stock exposure:

Stock TradFi Perpetuals are USDT-settled perpetual contracts that track stock prices. They trade 24/7, offer up to 100x leverage, operate through the UTA and carry ongoing funding costs. You hold no ownership stake in the underlying company.

Stock CFDs are contracts for difference available through MT5, the Bybit App and web. They offer up to 20x leverage, charge a daily overnight swap fee and use a separate MT5 CFD Account isolated from your main Bybit balance.

Neither product entitles you to dividends, corporate actions or any legal claim on the underlying shares.

Stock Trading Fees

Bybit Stocks has no trading commission, but a small-order fee or trading spread applies based on the order value. The fees below are from Bybit’s Stock Trading Fees page.

Bybit says applicable regulatory fees, including SEC, FINRA and CAT fees, are currently absorbed and may change without prior notice. Other fees may change with advance notice. Check the current Stock Trading Fees page before trading.

If you want real ownership, dividend eligibility and a simple cost model for longer-term holding, Bybit Stocks is the most direct option. If you want leveraged or 24/7 access to stock-price movements, TradFi Perps or CFDs may fit your strategy better.

The bottom line

Bybit Stocks provides real equity ownership through a familiar Bybit interface, routing your orders to NASDAQ and NYSE via Alpaca. With zero trading commission, fractional shares from $5, USD settlement, no ongoing holding fee and integration into the Unified Trading Account, it is built for users who want to hold actual stocks alongside their crypto portfolio, with dividend eligibility and no margin complexity.

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