OKX is a global cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 platform that lets users trade spot crypto, perpetual and quarterly futures, options, and margin products across 350+ assets. It also offers a non-custodial Web3 Wallet supporting 100+ blockchains with 5M+ monthly active users, an NFT marketplace, DeFi yield products (OKX Earn), and OKX OS — an open-source developer toolkit processing 400M+ daily API calls. OKX has 120M+ registered users across 160+ countries and ranks as the world's second-largest crypto exchange by daily derivatives volume.

Who is the CEO of OKX?

OKX was founded by and is led by Star Xu (Mingxing Xu), a Chinese entrepreneur with a physics background who worked as an engineer at Yahoo Beijing and CTO of DocIn.com before founding OKCoin in 2013. He rebranded the platform to OKX in January 2022. Hong Fang (Goldman Sachs background, University of Chicago Booth MBA) serves as President managing global operations, Linda Lacewell (former NYDFS Superintendent) is CLO, and Roshan Robert was appointed CEO of OKX US in April 2025 following the US relaunch.

How much has OKX raised in funding?

OKX operated almost entirely on self-generated trading fee revenue for its first 12 years, with only ~$35M in early disclosed venture capital on record from investors including AU21 Capital and Bitrise Capital. In March 2026, NYSE-parent Intercontinental Exchange made a strategic ~$200M cash investment at a $25 billion valuation — the first major institutional equity raise in OKX's history — bringing total disclosed funding to approximately $235M.

Who are OKX's main competitors?

OKX's primary competitors are Binance (the largest exchange globally, ~41% CEX market share), Bybit (derivatives-focused, similar fee structure), and Coinbase (the leading US-regulated, publicly traded exchange). Additional competitors include Kraken in regulated spot markets, Deribit (now Coinbase-owned) in crypto options, and Gate.io in altcoin listings. OKX differentiates on its integrated Web3 wallet, broad international licensing footprint (MiCA, MAS, VARA), and competitive derivatives fees.

Is OKX available in the United States, and is it planning an IPO?

Yes — as of April 2025, OKX relaunched in the US with a centralized exchange and Web3 Wallet for American users, headquartered in San Jose, California, with Roshan Robert as US CEO. This followed a $505M DOJ settlement for unlicensed operations from 2018–2024. On an IPO, OKX has explicitly stated it will not rush to go public, noting poor crypto listing track records from peers like Coinbase; as of June 2026, no IPO timeline has been announced, though the ICE board seat and $25B private valuation are viewed as precursors to an eventual public offering.

Cryptocurrency Exchange & Web3 Infrastructure

What is OKX?

The world's second-largest crypto exchange and Web3 platform, connecting 120M+ users to spot, derivatives, and onchain finance.

Founded: 2013 (as OKCoin)
Headquarters: San Jose, California, USA
Registered Users: 120M+ (end of 2025)
2024 Revenue: ~$1.9B (+136% YoY)
Latest Valuation: $25 billion (March 2026, ICE strategic investment)
Exchange Reserves: $35.4B+ (36th Proof of Reserves, over-collateralized)

What is OKX?

OKX is a global cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 technology platform founded in 2013 as OKCoin by Star Xu. With 120+ million registered users across 160+ countries as of end-2025, it ranks as the world's second-largest crypto exchange by daily trading volume — processing $6 trillion in on-platform volume in 2024 alone, a 114% increase year-over-year. Annual revenue reached an estimated $1.9 billion in 2024 (+136% YoY), driven primarily by its dominant derivatives business and a bull market cycle accelerated by Bitcoin ETF approvals.

In March 2026, NYSE-parent Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) made a landmark ~$200 million strategic investment valuing OKX at $25 billion — the first major institutional equity injection in the company's history. The deal grants ICE a board seat and establishes two commercial arrangements: ICE will license OKX's spot crypto prices to launch US-regulated futures contracts, while OKX will distribute access to ICE's US futures markets and NYSE tokenized equities to its global user base. The partnership is widely viewed as institutional validation of OKX's compliance trajectory and a signal that the company is maturing into durable global financial infrastructure.

OKX holds market-leading regulatory licenses across three major jurisdictions: a MiCA license covering all 30 EEA countries (granted January 2025), a Major Payment Institution license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS, 2024), and a VASP license from Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA). In April 2025, following a $505M DOJ settlement for unlicensed US operations, OKX relaunched in the United States with a San Jose, California regional headquarters and dedicated US CEO Roshan Robert. Exchange reserves exceeded $35.4 billion in OKX's 36th Proof of Reserves report, with over-collateralization ratios exceeding 100% across all major assets.

Sources:OKX Revenue and Usage Statistics (2026) – Business of Apps ICE Makes Investment in OKX – BusinessWire, March 2026 OKX Proof of Reserves (36th Report) – OKX.com

What does OKX offer?

OKX's product suite spans centralized exchange trading, non-custodial Web3 infrastructure, DeFi and NFT access, and developer tooling — all unified under one platform and mobile app serving 120M+ registered users globally.

Spot Trading· Exchange
Perpetual Futures· Exchange
Quarterly Futures· Exchange
Options Trading· Exchange
Margin Trading· Exchange
Copy Trading· Exchange
Trading Bots· Automation
Block Trading· Institutional
OKX Web3 Wallet· Web3 Infrastructure
NFT Marketplace· Web3 Infrastructure
OKX OS Developer SDK· Developer Tooling
OKX Earn (Staking & DeFi Yield)· Yield Products
Crypto Loans· Yield Products
Jumpstart Launchpad· Token Launch
OKB Utility Token· Token Economy
Tokenized Treasury Collateral (BUIDL)· Institutional

Sources:OKX Product Overview – OKX.com OKX Exchange Review 2026 – CryptoSlate

How does OKX make money?

OKX generates revenue primarily through percentage-based trading fees on spot, futures, and options volume. Derivatives — perpetuals and quarterly futures — account for the majority of the estimated $1.9 billion in 2024 revenue, as OKX holds approximately 16% of global CEX derivatives market share and consistently processes $34 billion+ in daily derivatives volume. Secondary revenue streams include Earn product yield spreads, launchpad fees, OKB-linked services, and institutional block trading.

Spot trading fees begin at 0.08% maker / 0.10% taker for standard users. Derivatives (perpetuals and futures) start at 0.02% maker / 0.05% taker — highly competitive pricing that attracts high-frequency and institutional volume. OKX's eight-tier VIP system scales fees down by 30-day trading volume or OKB token holdings: top-tier VIP makers earn a negative rebate of –0.005% on spot and –0.01% on futures, meaning the exchange pays them to supply liquidity. Taker fees at peak VIP tiers fall to 0.02% spot / 0.015% futures.

Holding OKB — OKX's native utility token with a multi-billion dollar market cap — unlocks an additional 25% fee discount across all tiers. OKB is also used for launchpad allocations, governance, and staking yields, creating a circular demand loop: higher OKB holding drives lower cost of trading, attracting more volume, which sustains the token's utility premium. OKX Earn products (savings, DeFi strategies, ETH staking, stablecoin yield) generate spread revenue between the yield OKX earns on deployed assets and what it passes to users.

Revenue growth tracks crypto market volatility and bull cycles closely: 2024 revenue of $1.9B (+136% YoY) was powered by the Bitcoin ETF approval cycle and the ensuing 2024–2025 bull market, with Q2 2025 alone estimated at $1.2B. On-platform volume of $6 trillion in 2024 (up 114% YoY) illustrates how fee leverage at scale produces high-margin incremental revenue. Institutional products — block trading, tokenized collateral (BUIDL), and the planned ICE futures data licensing deal — represent OKX's primary growth levers for 2026 and beyond.

Sources:OKX Fees Guide 2026 – TradersUnion OKX Exchange Statistics 2026 – CoinLaw OKX Exchange Investment Memo – BlockBase Insights

Who leads OKX?

OKX is led by founder-CEO Star Xu, supported by a global C-suite that includes a President with Goldman Sachs roots, an ex-NYDFS Superintendent as CLO, and regional CEOs in the US, Europe, Singapore, and the Middle East — a team assembled specifically for the compliance normalization era.

Star Xu (Mingxing Xu)Founder & CEO2013–presentPhysics graduate of the University of Science and Technology Beijing; former engineer at Yahoo Beijing and CTO of DocIn.com; founded OKCoin in 2013, OKEx in 2017, and rebranded to OKX in January 2022. Sole credited founder of the OK Group.
Hong FangPresidentJanuary 2023–presentMBA from University of Chicago Booth School of Business; eight years in investment banking at Goldman Sachs (2008–2016); CEO of OKCoin from 2020–2023; oversees global operations, institutional strategy, and regulatory normalization across key markets.
Haider RafiqueChief Marketing Officer2022–presentNorthwestern University graduate; prior roles at Microsoft, blockchain.com, BBDO, and McCann; architected the OKEx→OKX rebrand and premium sponsorship portfolio including McLaren F1 and Manchester City.
Linda LacewellChief Legal OfficerMarch 2025–presentFormer Superintendent of the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), where she modernized the BitLicense framework; served on OKX's board from 2024 before transitioning to CLO; leads global licensing strategy including MiCA, MAS, VARA, and US compliance.
Roshan RobertCEO, OKX USApril 2025–presentFormer Executive Director at Barclays and senior roles at Hidden Road and CLST; appointed to lead the US relaunch from San Jose HQ following the DOJ settlement; joined Star Xu on NYSE TV to announce the US go-live.
Erald GhoosCEO, OKX Europe2024–presentLeads OKX's European operations from Malta under the MiCA license; responsible for onshore growth across 30 EEA member states following the January 2025 MiCA grant.
Gracie LinCEO, OKX SingaporeSeptember 2024–presentFormer executive at Grab and former regulator at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS); hired to lead the Singapore operation following the MPI license grant; oversees digital payment token and money transfer services.
Yuri MushkinGlobal Chief Risk OfficerOctober 2024–presentFormer Goldman Sachs and McKinsey Investment Office; leads global risk management as OKX operates under a DOJ compliance monitor through 2027; primary budget owner for AML, KYC, transaction monitoring, and liquidation risk systems.

Sources:OKX Leadership & Team – OKX.com OKX Appoints Ex-NYDFS Superintendent Linda Lacewell as CLO – CoinGape OKX Launches in the US, Appoints Roshan Robert as US CEO – LeapRate OKX Hires Gracie Lin as Singapore CEO – Bloomberg

Who are OKX's decision-makers?

How do you contact OKX's leadership?

OKX's verified corporate email domain is okx.com. LeadIQ and SaleZShark list the dominant email pattern as first.last@okx.com (~82% of verified contacts). OKX does not publish personal executive emails; the addresses below follow the verified first.last@okx.com pattern and should be treated as directional for outreach. Confirm via LinkedIn InMail for high-stakes contacts. Official channels: support@okx.com (customer support) and media@okx.com (press inquiries), both documented on okx.com.

Email formatfirst.last@okx.com

Star XuFounder & CEOstar.xu@okx.com
Hong FangPresidenthong.fang@okx.com
Haider RafiqueChief Marketing Officerhaider.rafique@okx.com
Roshan RobertCEO, OKX USroshan.robert@okx.com

Sources:OKX Email Formats & Examples – LeadIQ OKX Email ID Format – SaleZShark

How much funding has OKX raised?

OKX has raised approximately $235M in disclosed external funding across its history — operating as a self-funded, fee-revenue-driven business for its first twelve years before a landmark ~$200M strategic investment from Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) in March 2026 valued the company at $25 billion. For a business generating $1.9B in annual revenue with $35.4B+ in exchange reserves, this is notable less for capital need than for the institutional signal it sends.

OKX's early financing was minimal by any standard. PitchBook records approximately $35M in seed-stage capital raised before 2023 — sourced from crypto-native investors including AU21 Capital, Bitrise Capital, Private Markets Capital, and Blok Ventures in small early rounds. The company relied almost entirely on its own derivatives trading fee cashflows from 2013 onward, which scaled from under $1B in 2023 to an estimated $1.9B in 2024 (+136% YoY). There were no disclosed institutional equity rounds in the intervening decade — an outlier for a company at OKX's scale.

The transformative financing event came on March 5, 2026, when Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE) — the parent of the New York Stock Exchange, ICE Futures US, and ICE Clear US — announced a ~$200M cash investment at a $25 billion valuation. The implied equity stake is under 1%, with ICE receiving a board seat. Two commercial arrangements accompany the equity: ICE will license OKX's spot crypto price data to launch US-regulated futures contracts; OKX will distribute access to ICE's US futures markets and NYSE tokenized equities to its 120M+ global accounts, subject to regulatory approval. A joint venture covering clearing, multi-chain custody, and risk management infrastructure is also planned for H2 2026.

This investment came just 13 months after OKX agreed to pay $505M in penalties to the US Department of Justice and Treasury — $84M in direct fines and $421M in forfeiture of profits earned from unlicensed US operations between 2018 and 2024. The ICE round signals institutional validation of OKX's compliance remediation and marks the first major third-party equity injection at a $25B implied valuation — one of the largest private crypto company valuations on record.

Sources:OKX receives $200M Investment from ICE at $25B Valuation – Architect Partners Crypto Exchange OKX Valued at $25B After ICE Investment – Bloomberg DOJ Reaches $500M Settlement with OKX Affiliate – The Block

How much has OKX raised?

How did OKX get here?

OKX grew from a 2013 Chinese spot exchange into a $25B global Web3 platform over 13 years, navigating Chinese regulatory crackdowns, a decade of self-funded derivatives-driven growth, a $505M DOJ settlement, and a landmark NYSE-parent strategic investment.

June 2013OKCoin founded by Star Xu in BeijingMingxing 'Star' Xu launches OKCoin as one of China's first BTC/CNY spot exchanges, quickly becoming a top-3 Chinese exchange by volume alongside Huobi and BTC China.
2017OKEx launches internationally from Hong KongOK Group spins out OKEx targeting global institutional traders and pioneers deep perpetual and quarterly futures markets that would define OKX's revenue model for years. The platform introduces perpetual swaps alongside BitMEX.
January 2022OKEx rebrands to OKXThe rebrand signals a strategic pivot beyond exchange toward a broader Web3 platform identity; OKX Web3 Wallet and NFT marketplace launch as flagship non-custodial products. The company simultaneously launches a major global marketing push including Formula 1 and Premier League sponsorships.
August 2024MAS MPI license and Gracie Lin appointed Singapore CEOOKX Singapore Pte. Ltd. receives a full Major Payment Institution license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore; Gracie Lin (ex-Grab, ex-MAS regulator) is appointed Singapore CEO.
January 2025MiCA license granted across 30 EEA countriesOKX becomes one of the first global exchanges to receive a full EU MiCA license, passported across all 30 EEA member states, with operations consolidated through its Malta entity. Erald Ghoos leads the European build-out.
February 2025$505M DOJ and Treasury settlement finalizedOKX's Aux Cayes FinTech entity pleads guilty and pays $505M — $84M in direct penalties and $421M in forfeiture — for operating as an unlicensed money-transmitting business serving US customers from 2018 to 2024. OKX accepts a 3-year compliance monitor and overhauls its AML/KYC program.
March 2025Linda Lacewell (ex-NYDFS Superintendent) appointed CLOOKX elevates former board member Linda Lacewell to Chief Legal Officer. Lacewell previously served as Superintendent of the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), where she oversaw the BitLicense framework for crypto exchanges.
April 2025US relaunch with San Jose HQ and Roshan Robert as US CEOOKX formally re-enters the US market with a San Jose, California regional headquarters, a compliant centralized exchange and Web3 Wallet for US users, and Roshan Robert (ex-Barclays, Hidden Road) as US CEO.
March 5, 2026Intercontinental Exchange invests ~$200M at $25B valuationNYSE-parent ICE acquires a <1% equity stake for ~$200M cash, receives a board seat, and agrees to mutual commercial arrangements: spot crypto price licensing and tokenized NYSE equity access for OKX's 120M+ users. OKX's first major institutional capital raise at a $25B implied valuation.

Sources:OKX Wikipedia ICE Makes Investment in OKX – BusinessWire OKX DOJ Settlement Agreed – Fintech Futures

Who are OKX's competitors?

OKX competes primarily with Binance and Bybit for global derivatives share, with Coinbase and Kraken in regulated markets, and with Deribit in crypto options. Its integrated Web3 wallet and broad international licensing footprint differentiate it from most pure-play exchange competitors.

BinanceWorld's largest exchange by volume (~41% global CEX share vs. OKX's 16%); deeper coin listings but heavier regulatory scrutiny, DOJ investigation ongoing, and effectively no US access as of 2026.
BybitDerivatives-focused competitor with similar perpetual swap mechanics; slightly higher default maker/taker fees (0.02%/0.055%) than OKX; aggressive retail marketing but narrower Web3 product suite.
CoinbaseUS market leader and the only major publicly traded crypto exchange (NASDAQ: COIN); prioritizes regulatory compliance and institutional custody; higher fees and more limited derivatives vs. OKX.
KrakenWell-regarded for security and fiat on-ramps in Europe and the US; smaller derivatives offering; now US-public via NinjaTrader acquisition; competes on regulated spot and futures markets.
DeribitDominant in BTC and ETH options by open interest; pure-play derivatives venue without OKX's spot, wallet, or Web3 product breadth; acquired by Coinbase in 2025 for $2.9B.
Gate.ioBroad altcoin listings and derivatives; smaller brand presence and lower brand trust scores than OKX; competes primarily on token availability for long-tail altcoin traders.