Malaysian digital asset exchange Hata has successfully closed an $8 million Series A funding round, led by global cryptocurrency exchange giant Bybit. The investment, announced on April 21, 2026, also included participation from several prominent global family offices with a focus on Southeast Asian technology and financial markets.
The $8 million raise marks a deepening of the relationship between the two companies, building upon Bybit's earlier participation in Hata's $4.2 million seed round. This new capital injection is framed as the beginning of a "deep strategic collaboration" that extends beyond mere financial backing, aiming to jointly grow Malaysia's digital asset ecosystem.
Ben Zhou, Co-founder and CEO of Bybit, highlighted the strategic rationale behind the move: "Malaysia is a strategically important market for Bybit, with one of the most digitally engaged populations in Southeast Asia and strong long term potential for digital asset adoption. We see Hata as the right partner to help serve Malaysian investors through a compliant and regulated platform." Zhou emphasized the goal of combining Hata's local market leadership with Bybit's global technological and product innovation strengths to accelerate the growth of Malaysia's digital asset and tokenized real-world asset ecosystem.
Hata plans to deploy the fresh capital across three key areas: strengthening platform liquidity, accelerating user growth through marketing and ecosystem initiatives, and jointly developing innovative digital asset products tailored for the Malaysian market in collaboration with Bybit.
David Low, CEO of Hata, called the partnership a "defining moment" for the company and Malaysia's digital asset industry. "Bybit's decision to lead this round and partner with us strategically is a strong validation of our belief that crypto should be built the right way, with proper licensing, rigorous compliance, and an unwavering commitment to investor protection," Low stated.
Hata, founded by Malaysians, holds the distinction of being Malaysia's only dual-licensed digital asset exchange, operating under licenses from the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) and the Labuan Financial Services Authority (LFSA). The platform has seen significant growth since its launch in May 2023, amassing over 209,000 registered users by the end of 2025. In 2025 alone, Hata processed RM1.04 billion (approximately $220 million) in transaction volume. Its assets under custody (AUC) reached RM86.3 million by end-2025, having peaked at RM115 million in September 2025.
Notably, Hata expanded its product offerings in 2025 with the launch of a staking service, beginning with Solana (SOL), alongside its existing Auto-Invest (DCA) feature. Bybit, founded in 2018, is the world's second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, serving over 70 million users globally.
