OKX

OKX is a large global exchange, founded in 2017 as OKEx and rebranded to OKX in early 2022. Its spot and derivatives trading services are operated through Aux Cayes Fintech Co. Ltd, registered in Seychelles, with a wider group led by founder and CEO Star Xu. It is not a US-regulated exchange, and its US-facing history is the main thing a safety-minded reader should understand.

Two events define that history. In October 2020, OKEx suspended all withdrawals for about five weeks because a private-key holder was cooperating with a Chinese police investigation and was unavailable to authorize transfers; no customer funds were lost and withdrawals resumed, but users could not move their coins during the freeze. Then in February 2025, the Seychelles operating entity pleaded guilty in the United States to running an unlicensed money-transmitting business and agreed to pay more than $500 million in penalties and forfeiture over serving US customers in breach of its own policy. OKX's exchange custody has not been drained by a hacker; the residual risks are the usual custodial ones plus that regulatory overhang.

OKX charges maker-taker fees on spot trades. At the base tier its published spot fee is around 0.08% for makers and 0.10% for takers, and both fall as your rolling 30-day trading volume rises through the VIP tiers or as you hold more of the exchange's OKB token. High volume and large OKB balances push maker fees toward zero.

On top of trading fees, withdrawing crypto carries the network fee of the chain you use, which OKX passes through. As with most exchanges, the headline base rate is what small traders pay; anyone trading meaningful volume should check their current tier rather than assume the entry-level number.