Bybit Launches Pre-IPO Perpetual Futures on Unitree, Moonshot AI
Summary
- Bybit said it launched pre-IPO perpetual futures tied to Unitree and Moonshot AI.
- The products are traded and settled in USDT, allowing investors to bet on private companies' price swings without holding unlisted shares.
- Crypto exchanges are expanding beyond tokenized stocks to companies preparing for IPOs, further blurring the line between traditional finance and digital-asset markets.
Forecast Trend Report by Period
Global cryptocurrency exchange Bybit has launched pre-IPO perpetual futures tied to Chinese robotics company Unitree and artificial intelligence startup Moonshot AI.
Cointelegraph reported on Aug. 15 that the contracts are perpetual futures traded and settled in Tether's USDT. The products let investors bet on swings in the companies' valuations without owning their private shares.
Unitree won approval from Chinese securities regulators in July for an initial public offering on Shanghai's STAR Market. Bybit's new product gives investors a way to trade changes in the company's valuation before its stock-market debut.
Bybit has been broadening its offerings beyond digital assets into traditional finance and private-company products. Its TradFi perpetual futures, launched in April, now span more than 200 instruments, including stocks, exchange-traded funds, commodities, indexes and private companies.
Crypto exchanges are increasingly pushing into private-company investment products. Binance, Coinbase and Kraken each launched related derivatives in June ahead of a SpaceX listing, giving investors a way to trade pre-listing price moves.
The shift also aligns with growth in the tokenized asset market, which brings traditional assets such as stocks onto blockchain rails. RWA.xyz data show the total circulating value of tokenized stocks has climbed to $2.38 billion, while the number of holders surged 123.62% in the past 30 days to 1.31 million.
As crypto exchanges expand from tokenized stocks into private companies and firms preparing for IPOs, the boundary between traditional finance and digital-asset markets is eroding quickly.
