At Goalkeepers Abu Dhabi, global leaders outline a path to improve and save the lives of millions of children through lifesaving innovation and renewed investment
Partners announce $1.9 billion to advance polio eradication
Event held in partnership with the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity highlights urgency, honors leadership, and showcases champions advancing progress despite historic global funding cuts
ABU DHABI, UAE, Dec. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- At Goalkeepers Abu Dhabi, leaders from government, philanthropy, business, and civil society issued a unified call to accelerate progress on child survival and infectious disease eradication. The appeal was anchored by US$1.9 billion in commitments to advance polio eradication announced earlier in the day at Abu Dhabi Finance Week.
The Gates Foundation contributed US$1.2 billion, reflecting its long-term commitment to a future where no mother, baby, or child dies from preventable causes, and where deadly infectious diseases like polio are eliminated forever.
Co-hosted by the Gates Foundation and the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, Goalkeepers Abu Dhabi brought together more than 500 global leaders. The leaders delivered a clear message: the world must act now to reverse rising child deaths, stop preventable maternal deaths and finish the job of ending preventable diseases, starting with polio.
Held in the Middle East and North Africa region for the first time, the event marks a significant expansion of Goalkeepers to audiences across the region and underscores the UAE's growing leadership in child health. Together, the leaders delivered a clear message: the world must act now to reverse rising child deaths and finish the job of ending preventable diseases, starting with polio.
New data from the Gates Foundation's 2025 Goalkeepers Report shows that the number of children dying before age 5 is projected to rise for the first time in a century. Leaders stressed that this turning point demands bold choices, renewed financing, and commitment to scaling innovations that can save millions of lives by 2045.
$1.9 Billion in New Commitments Toward Polio Eradication Announced
Earlier in the day in the pledging event convened by the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, countries, philanthropic foundations, and development partners announced US$1.9 billion including approximately US$1.2 billion in newly pledged funds that reduce the remaining resource gap for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative's (GPEI) 2022-2029 Strategy to $440 million. This funding will strengthen global health systems, expand immunization, and accelerate progress toward polio eradication.
"Far too many children are still dying from diseases we know how to prevent," said Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation. "The tools exist—vaccines, treatments, and proven delivery strategies—and countries are working hard to get them to those who need them most. The support announced today will strengthen those efforts, protect the most vulnerable children, and help the world stay on course to end polio for good."
The pledges reflect the growing recognition that even in a constrained global fiscal environment, strategic investment in human health delivers unmatched returns.
A significant portion of the funding will support child survival efforts: expanding vaccine access, protecting newborns, and sustaining critical immunization programs in fragile and conflict-affected settings.
With polio now 99.9% eradicated, leaders stressed that closing the final gap is both a moral imperative and proof that coordinated global action can defeat even the toughest diseases.
"Polio eradication is within reach and today's generous pledges bring us closer than ever to this goal," said Her Excellency Dr Shamma Khalifa Al Mazrouei, Acting Director General of the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity. "Both Goalkeepers Abu Dhabi and today's pledging moment underscore what is possible when countries and donors act together: a world free from polio and a healthier, more resilient future for all."
Under the leadership of His Highness Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity works with partners to accelerate progress towards a healthier and more equitable world.
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has personally committed US$525 million since 2011 to polio eradication, helping to reach more than 400 million children each year with vaccines.
Goalkeepers Abu Dhabi: Imagine the Possible
This year's Goalkeepers Abu Dhabi theme, "Imagine the Possible," spotlighted what the world can achieve with courage, partnership, and innovation.
Key moments included:
- An address by His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, honoring H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, "Mother of the Nation," and celebrating decades of progress for women and children
- Host David Oyelowo, acclaimed actor and advocate, guiding the evening with purpose and urgency
- CNN International's Managing Editor Becky Anderson bringing Bill Gates and Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, UAE minister of state for international cooperation, together on stage
- Ramesh Ferris, polio survivor and global champion, delivering a powerful call to achieve eradication
- Storytelling performances from global changemakers sharing lived experiences on child survival and equity
- A standout musical performance by Adekunle Gold that energized the audience with a message of resilience and hope
These voices illustrate that progress is possible when the world commits to it.
About the Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, we work with partners to create impactful solutions so that people can take charge of their futures and achieve their full potential. In the United States, we aim to ensure that everyone—especially those with the fewest resources—has access to the opportunities needed to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman, under the direction of Bill Gates and our governing board.
About Goalkeepers
Goalkeepers is the foundation's campaign to accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals). By sharing stories and data behind the Global Goals through an annual report, the Gates Foundation hopes to inspire a new generation of leaders—Goalkeepers who raise awareness of progress, hold their leaders accountable, and drive action to achieve the Global Goals.
Media Contact: media@gatesfoundation.org
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
With Child Deaths Projected to Rise for the First Time in a Century, Gates Foundation and Mohamed Bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity Urge Action as World Faces Critical Turning Point
With Child Deaths Projected to Rise for the First Time in a Century, Gates Foundation and Mohamed Bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity Urge Action as World Faces Critical Turning Point
With Child Deaths Projected to Rise for the First Time in a Century, Gates Foundation and Mohamed Bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity Urge Action as World Faces Critical Turning Point
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DUBAI, UAE, Dec. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Bybit, the world's second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, hosted its BIG Series – Bybit Institutional Gala in Abu Dhabi, bringing together key Bybit executives, global regulators, banking partners, liquidity providers, and institutional clients for a forward-looking dialogue on the evolution of digital markets. The evening set the stage for Bybit's strengthened global strategy following its newly secured full Virtual Asset Platform Operator (VAPO) license from the UAE's Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) and its MiCAR license across the entire European Economic Area (EEA), — a milestone that positions the company at the center of regulated digital finance.
"With our regulatory foundation in the UAE and EEA, plus a unified liquidity engine built around transparency and resilience, Bybit is committed to powering the next phase of institutional digital finance," said Ben Zhou, Co-founder and CEO of Bybit.
Institutional Confidence Powered by Retail Strength and Scalable Infrastructure
Opening the gala, Ben emphasized the industry's shift toward an integrated and institution-ready market structure. He reiterated a core advantage of Bybit was its uniquely powerful retail ecosystem.
In just its first year, the Bybit Card surpassed 1.8 million cards issued across 13 regions, complemented by expanding Pay and bank-integrated fiat rails. This retail scale increasingly fuels superior pricing and execution for institutional clients.
Ben also highlighted the acceleration of its wealth and asset management business, where AUM grew from USD 40 million in Q2 to USD 200 million in Q4, underscoring widening institutional engagement and strong demand for qualified asset management services.
"Institutions are choosing Bybit because they want certainty — certainty of liquidity, certainty of compliance, and certainty of performance. With asset inflows rising from USD 1.3 billion in Q3 to USD 2.88 billion in Q4, our role has never been clearer: we are building the most trusted infrastructure for the next era of institutional digital finance," added Ben.
Compliance as the New Institutional Trust Product
In a keynote session from Robert MacDonald, Chief Legal & Compliance Officer of Bybit, reinforced the growing importance of compliance as a decisive factor in institutional adoption.
He highlighted how predictable onboarding, product-embedded compliance, and proactive regulatory engagement now function as a competitive advantage — strengthening Bybit's banking relationships and reducing operational friction for professional investors.
Bybit's Expanding Institutional Ecosystem
In her keynote, Yoyee Wang, Head of Business to Business at Bybit, introduced the next wave of institutional offerings coming in 2026, aimed at strengthening market connectivity and operational efficiency for institutional clients. These include two major advancements:
- Bybit's upgraded INS Credit Suite now integrates Bybit Custody with RWA yield products, enabling institutions to keep assets in custody, earn returns through tokenized money market funds, and simultaneously access institutional credit. This unified structure enhances capital efficiency without compromising control. The suite continues to offer market-leading 5× leverage and support for up to 1,000 sub-accounts.
- The recent launch of Bybit's Market Maker Gateway (MMGW), a dedicated high-performance access point that gives institutional clients faster and more stable connectivity to Bybit's trading environment, reducing round-trip latency from 30ms to 2.5ms for high-frequency and quant clients.
Bybit also revealed that INS loan notional grew by 26% quarter-over-quarter, driven by strong adoption from multi-strategy and High-Frequency Trading (HFT) firms.
Yoyee highlighted the importance of collaboration in shaping the next phase of institutional adoption:
"The momentum we're seeing from institutions is driven by real utility—capital efficiency, liquidity depth, and operational reliability. Our role is to simplify access while working hand in hand with partners, banks, and regulators to build a more connected and scalable global market structure," stated Yoyee.
A Global Dialogue on the Future of Capital Markets
As part of the evening program, the gala convened a cross-regional dialogue moderated by Dimitrios Psarrakis, Head of Global Affairs at Bybit, and featuring European regulator, Jean-Marc Laventure, Head of Financial & Securities Services Sales, Investors, Middle East, Standard Chartered Bank and other honorable guests.
The conversation highlighted a clear industry shift: traditional finance and digital assets are no longer parallel tracks but converging systems built on shared principles of transparency, efficiency, and institutional-grade governance.
Celebrating Industry Achievement
This convergence provided a fitting transition to the evening's closing ceremony, where Bybit recognized leading institutions and ecosystem contributors for their excellence, performance, and impact across global digital markets.
The awards presented included:
Premier Corporate Trading Terminal Award
Broker Market Leadership Award
- Insilico Terminal
- Coinroutes
- Finestel
Outstanding Institutional Contribution Award
- Wintermute
- Amber Group
- Da Vinci
- GSR
- Cumberland
Liquidity Leadership Award
- Pulsar
- Atomic
- Gravity
- Hashwave
Institutional Trading Excellence Award
- CyantArb
- AlberBlanc
- Presto
- Rosario
"It is a privilege to receive this recognition from Bybit at such a pivotal moment for mainstream adoption of digital finance. The Gala reinforced the importance of trust, infrastructure, and long-term partnership. GSR looks forward to continuing our collaboration with Bybit as we build institutional-grade products and services for the crypto market together", said Xin Song, CEO of GSR.
#Bybit / #CryptoArk
About Bybit
Bybit is the world's second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, serving a global community of over 70 million users. Founded in 2018, Bybit is redefining openness in the decentralized world by creating a simpler, open and equal ecosystem for everyone. With a strong focus on Web3, Bybit partners strategically with leading blockchain protocols to provide robust infrastructure and drive on-chain innovation. Renowned for its secure custody, diverse marketplaces, intuitive user experience, and advanced blockchain tools, Bybit bridges the gap between TradFi and DeFi, empowering builders, creators, and enthusiasts to unlock the full potential of Web3. Discover the future of decentralized finance at Bybit.com.
For more details about Bybit, please visit Bybit Press
For media inquiries, please contact: media@bybit.com
For updates, please follow: Bybit's Communities and Social Media
Discord | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Reddit | Telegram | TikTok | X | Youtube
DUBAI, UAE, Dec. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Bybit, the world's second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, hosted its BIG Series – Bybit Institutional Gala in Abu Dhabi, bringing together key Bybit executives, global regulators, banking partners, liquidity providers, and institutional clients for a forward-looking dialogue on the evolution of digital markets. The evening set the stage for Bybit's strengthened global strategy following its newly secured full Virtual Asset Platform Operator (VAPO) license from the UAE's Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) and its MiCAR license across the entire European Economic Area (EEA), — a milestone that positions the company at the center of regulated digital finance.
"With our regulatory foundation in the UAE and EEA, plus a unified liquidity engine built around transparency and resilience, Bybit is committed to powering the next phase of institutional digital finance," said Ben Zhou, Co-founder and CEO of Bybit.
Institutional Confidence Powered by Retail Strength and Scalable Infrastructure
Opening the gala, Ben emphasized the industry's shift toward an integrated and institution-ready market structure. He reiterated a core advantage of Bybit was its uniquely powerful retail ecosystem.
In just its first year, the Bybit Card surpassed 1.8 million cards issued across 13 regions, complemented by expanding Pay and bank-integrated fiat rails. This retail scale increasingly fuels superior pricing and execution for institutional clients.
Ben also highlighted the acceleration of its wealth and asset management business, where AUM grew from USD 40 million in Q2 to USD 200 million in Q4, underscoring widening institutional engagement and strong demand for qualified asset management services.
"Institutions are choosing Bybit because they want certainty — certainty of liquidity, certainty of compliance, and certainty of performance. With asset inflows rising from USD 1.3 billion in Q3 to USD 2.88 billion in Q4, our role has never been clearer: we are building the most trusted infrastructure for the next era of institutional digital finance," added Ben.
Compliance as the New Institutional Trust Product
In a keynote session from Robert MacDonald, Chief Legal & Compliance Officer of Bybit, reinforced the growing importance of compliance as a decisive factor in institutional adoption.
He highlighted how predictable onboarding, product-embedded compliance, and proactive regulatory engagement now function as a competitive advantage — strengthening Bybit's banking relationships and reducing operational friction for professional investors.
Bybit's Expanding Institutional Ecosystem
In her keynote, Yoyee Wang, Head of Business to Business at Bybit, introduced the next wave of institutional offerings coming in 2026, aimed at strengthening market connectivity and operational efficiency for institutional clients. These include two major advancements:
- Bybit's upgraded INS Credit Suite now integrates Bybit Custody with RWA yield products, enabling institutions to keep assets in custody, earn returns through tokenized money market funds, and simultaneously access institutional credit. This unified structure enhances capital efficiency without compromising control. The suite continues to offer market-leading 5× leverage and support for up to 1,000 sub-accounts.
- The recent launch of Bybit's Market Maker Gateway (MMGW), a dedicated high-performance access point that gives institutional clients faster and more stable connectivity to Bybit's trading environment, reducing round-trip latency from 30ms to 2.5ms for high-frequency and quant clients.
Bybit also revealed that INS loan notional grew by 26% quarter-over-quarter, driven by strong adoption from multi-strategy and High-Frequency Trading (HFT) firms.
Yoyee highlighted the importance of collaboration in shaping the next phase of institutional adoption:
"The momentum we're seeing from institutions is driven by real utility—capital efficiency, liquidity depth, and operational reliability. Our role is to simplify access while working hand in hand with partners, banks, and regulators to build a more connected and scalable global market structure," stated Yoyee.
A Global Dialogue on the Future of Capital Markets
As part of the evening program, the gala convened a cross-regional dialogue moderated by Dimitrios Psarrakis, Head of Global Affairs at Bybit, and featuring European regulator, Jean-Marc Laventure, Head of Financial & Securities Services Sales, Investors, Middle East, Standard Chartered Bank and other honorable guests.
The conversation highlighted a clear industry shift: traditional finance and digital assets are no longer parallel tracks but converging systems built on shared principles of transparency, efficiency, and institutional-grade governance.
Celebrating Industry Achievement
This convergence provided a fitting transition to the evening's closing ceremony, where Bybit recognized leading institutions and ecosystem contributors for their excellence, performance, and impact across global digital markets.
The awards presented included:
Premier Corporate Trading Terminal Award
Broker Market Leadership Award
- Insilico Terminal
- Coinroutes
- Finestel
Outstanding Institutional Contribution Award
- Wintermute
- Amber Group
- Da Vinci
- GSR
- Cumberland
Liquidity Leadership Award
- Pulsar
- Atomic
- Gravity
- Hashwave
Institutional Trading Excellence Award
- CyantArb
- AlberBlanc
- Presto
- Rosario
"It is a privilege to receive this recognition from Bybit at such a pivotal moment for mainstream adoption of digital finance. The Gala reinforced the importance of trust, infrastructure, and long-term partnership. GSR looks forward to continuing our collaboration with Bybit as we build institutional-grade products and services for the crypto market together", said Xin Song, CEO of GSR.
#Bybit / #CryptoArk
About Bybit
Bybit is the world's second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, serving a global community of over 70 million users. Founded in 2018, Bybit is redefining openness in the decentralized world by creating a simpler, open and equal ecosystem for everyone. With a strong focus on Web3, Bybit partners strategically with leading blockchain protocols to provide robust infrastructure and drive on-chain innovation. Renowned for its secure custody, diverse marketplaces, intuitive user experience, and advanced blockchain tools, Bybit bridges the gap between TradFi and DeFi, empowering builders, creators, and enthusiasts to unlock the full potential of Web3. Discover the future of decentralized finance at Bybit.com.
For more details about Bybit, please visit Bybit Press
For media inquiries, please contact: media@bybit.com
For updates, please follow: Bybit's Communities and Social Media
Discord | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Reddit | Telegram | TikTok | X | Youtube
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Bybit Institutional Sets the Stage for 2026 at High-Profile Abu Dhabi Gala
