OKX
Company History
OKX History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 2017 in Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles
When was OKX founded?
OKX was founded in 2017 in Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles by Star Xu, making it 9 years old.
- Founded
- 2017
- Founding place
- Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles
- Founders
- Star Xu
- Headquarters today
- Victoria, Seychelles (US regional headquarters: San Jose, California)
- Milestones documented
- 11 (2013–2026)
- Current CEO
- Star Xu
- Acquisitions
- 3
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2013 | Okcoin Founded in Beijing |
| 2017 | OKEx launches in Hong Kong as an international crypto exchange focused on |
| 2020 | October-November: OKEx suspends withdrawals for about five weeks while its |
| 2021 | Exit from Mainland China |
| 2022 | January: rebrands from OKEx to OKX; signs Manchester City and McLaren F1 |
| 2025 | MiCA Licence in Malta |
| 2025 | February 24: pleads guilty in the US and agrees to pay more than $504 million in |
| 2025 | April: relaunches in the US with a San Jose regional headquarters and US CEO |
| 2025 | OKB Becomes X Layer's Gas Token |
| 2026 | March 5: Intercontinental Exchange invests at a valuation of about $25 billion |
| 2026 | May: OKX Ventures agrees to buy a 19.6% stake in Korea's Coinone for about $53 |
- Where was OKX founded?
- OKX was founded in Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles in 2017. wikidata.org
- Who founded OKX?
- OKX was founded by Star Xu.
- When did OKX start?
- OKX was founded in 2017.
- How old is OKX?
- OKX is 9 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
Star Xu, a former Yahoo China engineer and DocIn CTO, founded Okcoin in Beijing in 2013. OKEx followed in 2017 as an international platform focused on derivatives. China's crackdown on crypto exchanges pushed the company offshore, and in October 2021 OKEx confirmed it would stop serving mainland Chinese users. It rebranded to OKX in January 2022.
Founders
Star Xu
Star Xu founded OKX (originally OKCoin) in 2013. Recognizing the massive, explosive potential of Bitcoin trading in China, he built one of the very first highly liquid Chinese exchanges. He successfully navigated the incredibly chaotic early days of crypto, surviving massive hacks and intense scrutiny from the Chinese government (including being temporarily detained by police in 2020) while pushing the exchange into the massive global offshore derivatives market. Education: University of Science and Technology Beijing. Star Xu, whose given name is Mingxing Xu, was born in 1985.
Key Milestones
OKEx launches in Hong Kong as an international crypto exchange focused on
OKEx launches in Hong Kong as an international crypto exchange focused on derivatives.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgOctober-November: OKEx suspends withdrawals for about five weeks while its
October-November: OKEx suspends withdrawals for about five weeks while its founder cooperates with a police investigation.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgExit from Mainland China
October: OKEx confirms it will stop serving mainland Chinese users.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgJanuary: rebrands from OKEx to OKX; signs Manchester City and McLaren F1
January: rebrands from OKEx to OKX; signs Manchester City and McLaren F1 partnerships; July: provisional Dubai licence.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgMiCA Licence in Malta
January 27: OKX Europe receives a MiCA licence from Malta's MFSA.
Source: okx.comFebruary 24: pleads guilty in the US and agrees to pay more than $504 million in
February 24: pleads guilty in the US and agrees to pay more than $504 million in penalties.
Source: justice.govApril: relaunches in the US with a San Jose regional headquarters and US CEO
April: relaunches in the US with a San Jose regional headquarters and US CEO Roshan Robert.
Source: prnewswire.comOKB Becomes X Layer's Gas Token
August: OKB becomes the sole native gas token of X Layer.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgMarch 5: Intercontinental Exchange invests at a valuation of about $25 billion
March 5: Intercontinental Exchange invests at a valuation of about $25 billion and takes a board seat.
Source: fortune.comMay: OKX Ventures agrees to buy a 19.6% stake in Korea's Coinone for about $53
May: OKX Ventures agrees to buy a 19.6% stake in Korea's Coinone for about $53 million.
Source: theblock.coMajor Acquisitions
MiFID II-licensed entity (Malta)
2025Regulated EU derivatives for institutional clients.
Coinone (19.6% stake)
2026Strategic minority investment in a licensed Korean exchange.
OKLink Fintech Holdings
2018Listed public vehicle on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to establish blockchain compliance, on-chain AML analytics, and Web3 data explorer tools.
Keep researching OKX
OKX Company History FAQ
What are the historic milestones that define the evolution of OKX?
Key milestones include: founding of OKEx (2017), launch of OKB utility token (2018), launch of perpetual swap derivatives (2018), launch of OKX Web3 Wallet (2021), major rebranding to OKX (Jan 2022), partnership with Manchester City FC and McLaren F1 (2022), launch of zk-STARK Proof of Reserves (Nov 2022), leadership in Bitcoin Ordinals/Runes (2023), launch of X Layer ZK L2 network (2024), and securing Dubai VARA and Singapore MAS licenses (2024).
How did the 2022 global rebranding from OKEx to OKX reshape the company?
In January 2022, the company completed a large corporate rebranding from OKEx to OKX, unveiling a new brand identity designed to reflect its evolution into a decentralized Web3 infrastructure leader uniting CeFi, DeFi, NFTs, and multi-chain wallets.
What was the historic impact of OKX launching zk-STARK Proof of Reserves in late 2022?
Following the November 2022 FTX collapse, OKX led the industry by publishing monthly zero-knowledge Proof of Reserves audits, proving 100%+ backing across billions in customer assets and setting the gold standard for global crypto exchange transparency.
How did OKX become the primary partner of Manchester City FC in 2022-2023?
In 2022, OKX signed a historic multi-year sponsorship with Premier League champions Manchester City FC, becoming the official training kit partner for the men's and women's first teams and creating immersive Web3 fan experiences in the 'OKX Collective' metaverse.
When did OKX launch X Layer on mainnet?
OKX launched X Layer on mainnet in April 2024 as an Ethereum layer-2 network built with Polygon CDK. In August 2025 OKX made OKB its sole native gas token.
What is OKX's long-term vision for the future of global digital assets?
OKX envisions building the ultimate gateway to the open, decentralized internet, enabling smooth, secure, and self-sovereign financial exchange across all blockchain networks for billions of people worldwide.
What happened with OKX in 2025 and 2026?
OKX received a MiCA licence (January 2025), pleaded guilty in the US and paid more than $504 million (February 2025), relaunched in the US (April 2025) and took an ICE investment at a $25 billion valuation (March 2026).
How did OKX navigate regulatory licensing across Europe and the Middle East in 2024?
In 2024, OKX accelerated global regulatory compliance by securing a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license from Dubai's VARA, obtaining a Major Payment Institution (MPI) license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and setting up its European MiCA-compliant regional hub in Malta.
Related Strategic History
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