Crypto Exchange Bybit Backs Esports Heavyweight Virtus.pro

• Russia’s most decorated esports
  club teams up with the go-to platform for crypto lovers
• Bybit closes its fourth
  professional gaming sponsorship deal this summer

MOSCOW, RUSSIA – Media OutReach – 25 August
2021 – Bybit, a crypto
exchange growing in popularity and recognition, is rapidly expanding its
esports portfolio. It brings on board a new partner, Virtus.pro (“VP”), one of
the most influential and time-tested professional gaming clubs in the CIS
region, with a global reach.

 

Founded in 2003, VP
is the most prestigious pro league in its native Russia, dominating the
country’s most popular game DOTA 2 with 25.6 million viewing hours in 2020. VP
teams’ achievements in nearly two decades have been rewarded an awe-inspiring
$16m in prize money globally.

 

Bybit is having its
own “Grand Slam” moment in building esports clout. The crypto exchange branched
out to the competitive gaming community in 2021 and has struck four
high-profile esports partnership deals to date.

 

The outfits
captivate global audiences with the most coveted divisions and athletes in this
genre, winning international tournaments and championships in virtually every
popular video game on the planet. As of Aug. 25, Bybit’s esports portfolio
cover three out of the top five teams in the CS:GO World Ranking according to
HLTV.org^[1].

 

With the latest
addition of VP, the sponsorships will get the Bybit name across to a combined
global fanbase of over 28.7 million.

Winners Take All: Esports Teams and Crypto Traders to
Divide $7.5m Prize Pool

 

The announcement
makes official Bybit status as VP’s NFT Partner and exclusive Official
Cryptocurrency Platform Partner of VP, backing VP’s formidable DOTA 2 and CS:GO
teams.

 

Apart from logo
displays on branded platforms and team jerseys, the partnership spans across a
diversity of engagements and activations, with a focus on impact-driven
community initiatives — including social causes and inclusive financial
education, NFT developments, and player participation in the crypto trading
competition of the year.

 

VP’s esports
sensations will be competing with traders worldwide in Bybit’s flagship crypto
trading event, the World
Series of Trading (WSOT) 2021. Each team in Bybit’s esports family is
presenting their best players in the trading competition, leading cohorts
towards victory for a lion’s share in the record prize pool of $7.5m this year.

 

With the
advancements in software, hardware and mobile technologies, and accelerated by
societal changes brought upon us by the ongoing global pandemic in every corner
of the globe, esports is on an unstoppable course to challenge competitive
sports and entertainment as we know it.

 

“The coming of age
of esports is testament to technology’s ability to touch our lives, redefine
entertainment and inspire our imagination in only a few decades. Crypto and its
underlying technologies tell a similar tale — the potential of digital assets
has transformed our thinking of value and wealth. We are witnessing only the
beginning of profound changes for generations to come,” Ben Zhou, co-founder
and CEO of Bybit, explained his fascination with esports.

 

“Esports is now as
much a spectator sport as it’s a participation sport, and WSOT will also be
such an occasion for crypto lovers everywhere. We want to build an arena where
anyone who believes in crypto and enjoys trading can achieve their personal
best,” said Zhou.

 

VP will be curating
content on crypto and financial education across the club’s channels during the
three-year
partnership, expanding the intersection between the esports and the crypto
communities.

 

“Both digital
financial assets and esports are relatively new industries. Despite their fast
growth and the fact that everyone is talking about it, a lot of people may
still find it complicated and not easy to understand. That is where our goals
with Bybit are aligned: we are constantly improving and trying to make what we
do best as simple as possible to understand for the audience. We are delighted
to have Bybit joining esports with their large-scale projects and proud to be their
partners in Russia!” said Sergey Glamazda, CEO of VP.

 

WSOT 2021 troops
formed by Bybit’s esports partners and affiliates are listed on the official
event page: bybit.com/wsot2021, where fans
can track their performance. The final results will be ranked by profit and
loss ratio.