What is OKX and is it available in the US?

OKX is a centralized crypto exchange that lets users trade crypto, use derivatives and hold assets in a custodial account, and it also offers a separate self-custody wallet. It serves users in many countries through different local companies, and its history includes a 2025 US criminal case followed by a relaunch in the United States.

Is OKX a Chinese company?

OKX started in China. Its founder, Star Xu, launched OKCoin, the predecessor of OKEx (later OKX), in 2013, according to Caixin. In October 2020 OKEx halted withdrawals for several weeks while Xu was cooperating with a Chinese police investigation; withdrawals reopened in late November that year. Caixin reported that the group later moved its base to Malta after Beijing's crackdown on crypto trading. Today OKX operates through several regional entities. US prosecutors described the main operator, Aux Cayes Fintech, as Seychelles-based, and in the EU, OKX Europe Limited, a Maltese company, holds a MiCA licence from the Malta Financial Services Authority, according to OKX's EU site.

Is OKX legal and available in the USA?

For years the global OKX platform was not registered in the US. On February 24, 2025, Aux Cayes Fintech pleaded guilty to one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. It agreed to forfeit $420.3 million and pay a fine of about $84.4 million. Prosecutors said US customers transacted more than one trillion dollars on the platform from about 2018 to early 2024, and that some staff told US users how to get around identity checks. OKX must keep an outside compliance consultant until February 2027.

About two months later, in April 2025, OKX relaunched a US exchange and wallet with a regional headquarters in San Jose, California, and named Roshan Robert as US CEO, Fortune reported. The Block reported that services would roll out in phases and that users of OKCoin, its earlier US affiliate, would be moved to the OKX platform. Which features are available can vary by state, as of October 2026.

Is OKX legit and safe?

"Legit" usually means licensed and operating openly, and the answer depends on where you live and which OKX entity serves you. OKX says it publishes monthly proof of reserves, a type of report explained in our guide on proof of reserves, and holds EU customer funds in segregated accounts. Like any exchange, it holds your crypto for you, so the risks described in our guide on what happens if a crypto exchange goes bankrupt still apply.

Is OKX Wallet safe?

The OKX Wallet is a different product from the exchange account. OKX describes it as non-custodial: you control the private keys and seed phrase, and OKX says it cannot recover them if lost. That means safety depends largely on how you store your recovery phrase. Our guide on custodial vs non-custodial wallets explains the trade-off.