# OKX (centralized exchange)

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/okx-exchange
> research date 2026-05-29 · extracted at 2026-10-03
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [OKX — official](https://www.okx.com/)

## Overview

**OKX** is **a major centralized cryptocurrency exchange + Web3 wallet** (Web3 wallet covered Batch 27) <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [crypto-cro]</sup>. **2025 baseline**: **120M+ customers worldwide (year end 2025)** (up from 50M+ mid-2025) + **~16.19% global CEX market share + 16% trading volume growth 2025 + $1.4B+ daily 24-hour volume on CoinGecko** + **190,000 new accounts daily** + **DEX trading volume +262% globally 2025 + daily active wallets +100% YoY**.

**Distinctive OKX positioning** <sup>[1][1], [3][3], [4][4]</sup>:
- **Major centralized cryptocurrency exchange** (world's 2nd or 3rd largest by various metrics)
- **120M+ customers worldwide** (year end 2025; up from 50M+ mid-2025)
- **~16.19% global CEX market share** + **2nd spot by CEX volume on CoinGecko**
- **16% overall 2025 trading volume growth**
- **190,000 new accounts daily** in 2025
- **DEX trading volume +262% globally during 2025** — distinctive OKX DEX growth
- **Daily active wallets +100% YoY** in 2025
- **Seychelles-incorporated + Bahamas-registered entities**
- **OKX Wallet** (Web3) covered Batch 27 — distinctive separately-tracked Web3 wallet brand

## History

**2017 — OKEx founded** by **Star Xu** in Beijing — distinctive Chinese crypto exchange founding.

**2018 — OKEx moves operations out of China** post-China crypto crackdown to Malta + Seychelles.

**2020 — OKEx temporary withdrawal freeze** post-founder Star Xu's "police cooperation" — distinctive Chinese crypto exchange founder regulatory incident.

**2022 — OKEx rebranded to OKX** + Bahamas + Seychelles operational base consolidation.

**2025 — OKX 120M+ customers year end + ~16.19% global CEX market share + 16% trading volume growth + DEX trading volume +262% globally + daily active wallets +100% YoY** <sup>[1][1], [3][3]</sup>.

## Ownership & operator

**Operating entity**: **OKX** (Aux Cayes FinTech Co. Ltd.; Seychelles-incorporated + Bahamas-registered entities; private).

**Major shareholders**: **Star Xu (founder + CEO; majority shareholder)** + various institutional investors.

**Regulators**: **VARA (Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority Dubai; UAE; OKX MENA)** + per-jurisdiction crypto regulators.

## Technical integration

| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| **Channels** | OKX app (iOS + Android; primary mobile channel) + OKX.com web exchange + OKX Wallet (Web3; Batch 27 covered) + OKX Card (Mastercard) |
| **Identifiers** | Email + phone + KYC documents (per AML requirements) |
| **License** | Crypto exchange (centralized; VARA Dubai licensed; Seychelles-incorporated + Bahamas-registered entities) |
| **Products** | OKX Spot Trading + OKX Derivatives (Perpetual Futures + Options + Inverse Perpetual + USDT Perpetual) + OKX Margin Trading + OKX Copy Trading + OKX Earn (staking + DeFi yield) + OKX Jumpstart (token launches) + OKX NFT Marketplace + OKX Wallet (Web3; multi-chain self-custody) + OKX DEX + OKX Card (Mastercard) + OKX P2P + OKX Pay + OKX Institutional |
| **Distinctive OKX Wallet (Web3) Batch 27 separately covered**: Web3 wallet brand |

## Users & growth

**2025 baseline** <sup>[1][1], [3][3], [4][4]</sup>:
- **120M+ customers worldwide** (year end 2025; up from 50M+ mid-2025)
- **~16.19% global CEX market share** (2nd spot by CEX volume on CoinGecko)
- **16% overall 2025 trading volume growth**
- **$1.4B+ daily 24-hour volume** on CoinGecko
- **190,000 new accounts daily** in 2025
- **DEX trading volume +262% globally during 2025**
- **Daily active wallets +100% YoY** in 2025

## Use cases

Global crypto spot + derivatives (perpetuals + options) + margin + copy trading + OKX Earn (staking + DeFi yield) + OKX Jumpstart + OKX NFT + OKX Wallet (Web3 multi-chain self-custody; Batch 27 separately covered) + OKX DEX + OKX Card (Mastercard) + OKX P2P + OKX Pay + OKX Institutional via OKX app + OKX.com.

## Implementations & partners

**Operator**: **OKX** (Aux Cayes FinTech Co. Ltd.; Seychelles-incorporated + Bahamas-registered entities; private).

**Major shareholders**: **Star Xu (founder + CEO; majority shareholder)** + various institutional investors.

**Major crypto exchange competitors**:
- **[Binance](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/binance)** (Binance; world's largest crypto exchange by trading volume; 300M+ users; 41.1% global spot Jun 2025)
- **[Bybit](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/bybit)** (Bybit; world's 2nd-largest crypto exchange; 70M+ registered users; $9.43T cumulative 2025 trading volume)
- **[Coinbase](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/coinbase)** (Coinbase Global Inc.; NASDAQ: COIN; US's largest crypto exchange; 108M+ customers; 60-65% US crypto exchange trading volume)
- **[Kraken](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/kraken)** (Kraken Financial; US-registered; 13M+ registered users; Federal Reserve master account approved Mar 2026)
- **[Crypto.com (Crypto.com Pay + Visa Card)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/crypto-com)** (Crypto.com; centralized + Visa card; Singapore-headquartered; 100M+ users)
- **Bitget** + **MEXC** + **HTX (formerly Huobi)** + **KuCoin** + **Gate.io** (other major centralized crypto exchanges)
- **Uniswap + PancakeSwap + dYdX + GMX** (decentralized exchanges)

**OKX sister entity**: **OKX Wallet (Web3)** (Batch 27 covered; Web3 wallet brand).

**Regulators**: **VARA Dubai (UAE) + per-jurisdiction**.

## Fun facts

- **Major centralized cryptocurrency exchange** + **Web3 wallet** (Web3 wallet covered Batch 27).
- **120M+ customers worldwide** (year end 2025; up from 50M+ mid-2025).
- **~16.19% global CEX market share** + **2nd spot by CEX volume on CoinGecko**.
- **16% overall 2025 trading volume growth** + **DEX trading volume +262% globally during 2025**.
- **190,000 new accounts daily** in 2025.
- **2017 founding as OKEx** by Star Xu in Beijing.
- **2018 OKEx moves operations out of China** post-China crypto crackdown.
- **2020 OKEx temporary withdrawal freeze** post-founder Star Xu's "police cooperation" — distinctive Chinese crypto exchange founder regulatory incident.
- **2022 OKEx rebranded to OKX** + Bahamas + Seychelles operational base consolidation.
- **Seychelles-incorporated + Bahamas-registered entities**.

## Comparison

| Feature | OKX (centralized exchange) | [Binance](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/binance) (World's largest crypto exchange by trading volume rival; 300M+ users; 41.1% global spot Jun 2025) | [Bybit](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/bybit) (World's 2nd-largest crypto exchange rival; 70M+ registered users; $9.43T cumulative 2025) | [Coinbase](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/coinbase) (US's largest crypto exchange rival; 108M+ customers; NASDAQ-listed) | [Crypto.com (Crypto.com Pay + Visa Card)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/crypto-com) (Centralized + Visa card rival; Singapore-headquartered) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | **OKX (Aux Cayes FinTech Co. Ltd.; Seychelles-incorporated + Bahamas-registered entities; private; Star Xu founder + CEO majority shareholder + institutional investors)** | Binance Holdings Ltd. (private; multi-jurisdiction; Changpeng Zhao "CZ" founder + majority; CZ stepped down Nov 2023) | Bybit Fintech Limited (private; UAE Dubai-headquartered; Ben Zhou founder + CEO majority shareholder) | Coinbase Global Inc. (NASDAQ: COIN; Brian Armstrong founder + majority class B + voting control) | Crypto.com (Foris DAX MT Limited; private; Singapore-headquartered) |
| Type | **Major centralized crypto exchange + OKX Wallet Web3 (Batch 27 separately covered) + 120M+ customers + ~16.19% global CEX market share + 2nd on CoinGecko by CEX volume + DEX trading volume +262% globally 2025** | World's largest crypto exchange by trading volume (41.1% global spot Jun 2025) + 300M+ users + $34T 2025 annual trading volume + BNB Chain | World's 2nd-largest crypto exchange by trading volume + 70M+ registered users + $9.43T cumulative 2025 trading volume + Feb 2024 $1.5B Lazarus Group hack recovery | US's largest crypto exchange + 108M+ customers + 60-65% US crypto exchange trading volume + NASDAQ-listed + Base L2 blockchain | Centralized crypto exchange + Visa Card + 400+ assets + Spotify/Netflix rebates |
| Country | Global (Seychelles base; restricted in US, UK partial, mainland China) | Global (UAE base; restricted in US) | Global (UAE Dubai HQ; restricted in US, UK, mainland China) | US + global | Singapore HQ + global |
| Users | **120M+ customers year end 2025 (50M+ mid-2025); ~16.19% global CEX market share; $1.4B+ daily 24-hour volume on CoinGecko; 190K new accounts daily 2025; DEX trading volume +262% globally 2025; daily active wallets +100% YoY** | 300M+ users (Dec 2025); $34T 2025 trading volume | 70M+ registered users; $9.43T cumulative 2025 trading volume; $29.11B avg daily | 108M+ customers; 60-65% US crypto exchange trading volume | 100M+ users (mid-2024 ~10M users; grown to 100M+ year end 2025) |
| Distinctive | **2017 OKEx founding by Star Xu in Beijing; 2018 moved out of China post-crackdown; 2020 OKEx temporary withdrawal freeze post-founder Star Xu's "police cooperation"; 2022 OKEx rebranded to OKX + Bahamas + Seychelles operational base consolidation; OKX Wallet Web3 separate brand (Batch 27 covered); 16% trading volume growth 2025; DEX trading volume +262% globally 2025; 190K new accounts daily 2025** | Jul 2017 CZ-founded in China; 2017 moved out of China; 2019 Binance.US separate US entity; Nov 2023 CZ stepped down + $4.3B US AML settlement; BNB Chain own blockchain | Mar 2018 Ben Zhou-founded in Singapore; 2022 moved HQ from Singapore to Dubai; Feb 21 2024 Lazarus Group $1.5B Ethereum hack recovery (largest crypto exchange hack in history) | Jun 2012 founding by Brian Armstrong + Fred Ehrsam; Apr 14 2021 NASDAQ direct listing (first publicly listed major crypto exchange); Base L2 blockchain on Ethereum | Crypto.com Card prepaid Visa card; 400+ assets; cashback rewards + Spotify/Netflix rebates |

## Status

**Active, major centralized cryptocurrency exchange + Web3 wallet (Batch 27 separately covered)** <sup>[1][1], [3][3]</sup>:
- **OKX** (Aux Cayes FinTech Co. Ltd.; Seychelles-incorporated + Bahamas-registered entities; private) since 2017 (OKEx founded by Star Xu in Beijing); 2018 out of China; 2022 rebranded to OKX.
- **120M+ customers worldwide** (year end 2025).
- **~16.19% global CEX market share** (2nd on CoinGecko by CEX volume).
- **16% overall 2025 trading volume growth + DEX trading volume +262% globally + daily active wallets +100% YoY**.
- **190K new accounts daily** in 2025.
- **VARA Dubai-licensed**.

## Sources

[1]: https://coinlaw.io/okx-exchange-statistics/ "OKX Exchange Statistics 2025: Uncover Key Metrics — CoinLaw"
[2]: https://www.okx.com/ "OKX — official"
[3]: https://www.coingecko.com/en/exchanges/okx "OKX Statistics: Markets Trading Volume & Trust Score — CoinGecko"
[4]: https://socialcapitalmarkets.net/crypto-trading/okx-statistics/ "OKX Users Statistics 2025 — Social Capital Markets"

- [1] [OKX Exchange Statistics 2025 — CoinLaw][1]
- [2] [OKX — official][2]
- [3] [OKX Statistics: Markets Trading Volume & Trust Score — CoinGecko][3]
- [4] [OKX Users Statistics 2025 — Social Capital Markets][4]
- [crypto-cro] In-corpus: `reports/countries/CRYPTO-global.md`

## Source

Biography extracted from [okx-exchange.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/source/wallets/okx-exchange). See `matrix.md` for standards-support matrix if present.