OKX

2013-01-01

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

2017-01-01

OKEx launched as international brand, registered outside mainland China.

2018-04-11

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

2018-07-31

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.

2020-10-16

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.

2020-11-19

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

2021-10-01

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

2022-01-01

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

2022-07-01

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

2022-11-01

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

2023-12-12

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.

2024-03-01

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

2024-08-15

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

2025-01-27

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

2025-02-24

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.

2025-03-01

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.

2025-04-15

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.

2025-04-01

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.

2026-03-05

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.