OKX

2013

Star Xu founds OKCoin, a Chinese cryptocurrency exchange, in Beijing.

2017

OKEx launched as international brand, registered outside mainland China.

11 April 2018

OKEx announces expansion to Malta, citing the island's favorable blockchain regulatory environment.

31 July 2018

A single trader's approximately $420 million BTC futures long position is force-liquidated; OKEx initiates a 17.7% socialized loss clawback on profitable traders and adds $18.5 million to its insurance fund.

16 October 2020

OKEx suspends all customer withdrawals, citing unavailability of a private key holder cooperating with Chinese police. Founder Star Xu is reported to have been detained by Chinese authorities approximately one week prior.

19 November 2020

OKEx announces resumption of unrestricted withdrawals after a 42-day suspension. Star Xu surfaces publicly and states he was cleared by authorities.

October 2021

OKEx ceases mainland China operations following China's comprehensive ban on cryptocurrency trading.

2022

OKEx rebrands to OKX, dropping the 'Ex' suffix.

July 2022

OKX obtains a Virtual Asset license from the Dubai Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA).

November 2022

OKX begins publishing monthly cryptographic Proof of Reserves reports following the collapse of FTX.

12 December 2023

OKX DEX aggregator is exploited; losses estimated at $370,000 by OKX and up to $2.7 million by PeckShield, attributed to a compromised proxy admin contract upgrade.

March 2024

Malta MFSA imposes EUR 304,000 penalty on OKCoin Europe for failing to comply with the Virtual Financial Assets Act.

15 August 2024

OKX ceases all operations in Nigeria, citing regulatory concerns. Nigerian Naira withdrawals had been suspended in May 2024.

27 January 2025

OKX Europe Ltd receives full MiCA authorization from the Malta MFSA, becoming among the first global exchanges to obtain the EU-wide crypto license.

24 February 2025

Aux Cayes Fintech Co. Ltd (OKX) pleads guilty in the Southern District of New York to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and agrees to pay $504 million in fines and forfeitures.

March 2025

OKX temporarily suspends its DEX aggregator service after detecting that the North Korean Lazarus Group attempted to use it to launder approximately $100 million stolen in the Bybit hack. EU regulators open a related investigation.

15 April 2025

OKX relaunches US operations with a new San Jose, California headquarters and regional CEO Roshan Robert, offering spot exchange and Web3 wallet services to US users.

April 2025

Malta FIAU imposes EUR 1.1 million fine on OKCoin Europe for serious and systematic AML breaches identified in an April 2023 on-site examination.

5 March 2026

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE parent) makes a roughly $200 million strategic investment in OKX at a $25 billion valuation, obtaining a board seat and two commercial data/trading partnerships.