• 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

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.