What Bity is
Founded in 2014 in Neuchâtel by Alexis Roussel and Yves Honoré, Bity is a Swiss cryptocurrency brokerage company: through bity.com it lets individuals and companies buy, sell and exchange crypto against fiat currencies (and vice versa), with a historic positioning attentive to privacy and the culture of decentralisation. It is a small operation by industry standards (around fifteen employees) and not an exchange with an order book: the model is brokerage. In 2024 it went through a corporate transition: co-founder and public face Alexis Roussel departed and leadership passed to Melissa Song, with a repositioning decided by the board of directors. (Verified: September 2026)
Regulation and licences
- MiCA: NO — and not through any failing: Switzerland is outside the EU and therefore outside the MiCA perimeter. Bity operates as a financial intermediary under Swiss anti-money-laundering law (AMLA).
- The point is a concrete one: since 01/07/2026 crypto services in the EU require a MiCA-authorised CASP. A Swiss provider such as Bity does not appear in the ESMA register of CASPs and falls under the third-country regime: operating towards EU clients is possible only within narrow limits (at the client's own initiative, without active solicitation). Anyone looking for an operator with MiCA protections must look elsewhere; anyone deliberately choosing the Swiss jurisdiction will find in Bity an operator with a decade of history. (Verified: September 2026)
Security
A broker model, not a custodial exchange with an order book: exposure of customer funds is limited to the duration of transactions. There are no known breaches of customer funds in the company's history. (Verified: September 2026)
Alternatives
- SwissBorg — another operation of Swiss origin, a crypto investment app
- Kraken — for those who want an exchange with a full MiCA licence
- Bitstamp — a European veteran with a MiCA licence via Luxembourg
FAQ
- Is Bity regulated? Yes, but in Switzerland: it operates as a financial intermediary under Swiss anti-money-laundering law. It does not have (nor can it have, being outside the EU) a MiCA licence: the protections of the European regime do not apply to its clients.
- Who leads Bity today? Melissa Song, CEO since 2024, with experience in traditional finance (Bloomberg Hong Kong) and at Gold DAO. Co-founder Alexis Roussel left in spring 2024; the other co-founder Yves Honoré remained with the company.
- Is Bity an exchange? Technically it is a broker: you buy and sell against the company's own quotes, without an order book. For many retail users the practical difference is minimal, but the custody model is different.
Verified sources
- https://www.bilan.ch/story/blockchain-loperateur-crypto-neuchatelois-bity-se-repositionne-
- https://tracxn.com/d/companies/bity/__IlJ9wW9RsxJuUxFwezswAjEtvcil_L5fjkErLMc1qaU
- https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/bity
TEAM MEMBERS
LEADERSHIP
QUARTERS GENERAL OF THE BITY
R. des Usines 44, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
CONTACTS OF BITY
All images, branding and wording are copyright Bity. All content on this page is used for informational purposes only. Spaziocrypto has no affiliation or relationship with the company mentioned on this page.
