Sri Lanka Joins Global Crypto Education Drive Through Bybit Partnership

While the initiative is technically positioned by Bybit within its overall global education agenda, the push is against the backdrop of enormous regulatory and education uncertainty in Sri Lanka's cryptocurrency market. The program indicates both a market opportunity and a regulatory challenge.

Bybit's Official release emphasizes that the program is designed "with a shared vision to advance blockchain awareness and inclusive knowledge transfer for crypto enthusiasts in Sri Lanka." Each cohort will have about seven hours of weekly classes, via live Zoom and on-demand videos, over three months, all culminating in a certificate. Three batches will be launched on 20 November 2025, 23 December 2025 and 21 January 2026. MTA already claims it has served more than 100 sessions to more than 1,500 students and created a community of more than 20,000 members in Sri Lanka.

While the launch gives academic depth to crypto trading, the overall regulatory environment in Sri Lanka continues to be in doubt. According to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), cryptocurrencies have never been declared as legal tender and no licensing of any cryptocurrency exchange, mining company, or advisory organization has been done by the regulator.

Crypto use in Sri Lanka has grown steadily, with many individuals turning to stablecoins such as USDT to preserve value amid domestic financial uncertainty. This growing adoption has emerged even as formal regulation continues to evolve, reflecting both public interest and gaps in official oversight. The lack of defined regulatory clarity raises questions about how trading education providers might align with national objectives on investor protection, anti-money-laundering standards, and broader fintech innovation.

While Bybit’s program focuses on core areas such as trading fundamentals, technical analysis, trading psychology, and asset security, Sri Lanka’s policy environment has yet to clearly outline how institutions offering such education will be supervised or licensed.

For Sri Lanka, crypto trading appeal is inextricably linked to macro-economic distress. Experienced devaluation of the Sri Lankan currency, upward pressure on prices, and shortage of local investment options have forced some residents towards cryptocurrencies. Within that environment, educational offerings such as this one can perform a double function: on the one hand permitting participants in the marketplace to understand trading risk, asset security, and research capacity.

On the other hand, facilitating the gap for exchanges or platforms to extend to newer markets in comparatively under-penetrated jurisdictions. For an overseas exchange like Bybit, connecting with a local group within Sri Lanka can both signal market development and brand positioning.

From a regulatory and policy perspective, the initiative also raises questions. Who ensures that participants understand the risks of trading in unregulated environments? Is the certified knowledge sufficient to protect retail participants who may lack safeguards? Sri Lanka still lacks defined taxation or reporting mechanisms for crypto gains, and the banking sector is prohibited from processing crypto-related card payments, factors that complicate the ecosystem.

From a market-access point of view, Bybit's involvement gives the program immediate legitimacy. The exchange is branded in its news release as "the world's second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume." That perch may attract participants, but also shines a light on how the exercise works with local regulatory needs, especially in a regulatory environment where crypto is murky.

For students, the advantage is in getting structured trading education at a low cost and being members of cohorts that promise live classes, on-demand viewing, and certification. But the real test will be whether that education will translate into safer involvement in crypto markets where investor protection is lax.

For the ecosystem, the initiative is part of a broader trend: while regulators are dragging their feet, private actors are filling the gap left by education. Such private education can help increase levels of literacy and market conduct, but in the absence of supportive policy frameworks, the risk of untrained players suffering large losses remains real. Sri Lanka's crypto-education campaign could be a model for other developing economies in which infrastructure and regulation trail behind adoption in the future. If this strategy works, domestic authorities will pay attention and think about how to incorporate certified schooling into broader consumer-protection policies.

However, its success will depend on three things: whether participants do or do not use the knowledge to trade responsibly, whether the national bank, exchange, and tax authority environment evolves to enable safe participation, and whether the education provider and platform remain transparent, fairly screening, and alumni supportive. If all goes well, this program might be a major milestone on the way to closing Sri Lanka's crypto knowledge gap.