Daniel Walker
OKX, a Seychelles-headquartered cryptocurrency exchange, has officially announced its entry into the U.S. market with the launch of a centralized crypto trading platform and its OKX wallet. This move marks a significant expansion as OKX establishes its regional headquarters in San Jose, California, and names Roshan Robert as the new U.S. CEO. Robert, who has experience at Morgan Stanley and Barclays, will lead the companyโs operations in the country.
โU.S. customers can now access our high-performance platform, and we are excited to roll out new features this year as part of our vision to create a crypto Super App,โ said Robert in the companyโs statement.
In line with this expansion, OKCoin, a U.S.-based crypto exchange that is affiliated with OKX, will transition its users to the main OKX platform. The company plans to roll out its services in phases, with a nationwide launch scheduled for late 2025.
Expansion Driven by Positive Momentum in the U.S. Crypto Market
OKXโs expansion comes at a time of growing optimism in the U.S. crypto sector, driven by President Donald Trumpโs push for pro-crypto regulations. This expansion reflects OKXโs confidence in the U.S. marketโs potential and aligns with the increasing regulatory clarity around cryptocurrency.
$500 Million DOJ Settlement Paves the Way for Expansion
The U.S. launch follows a significant $500 million settlement with the Department of Justice (DOJ), resolving claims that the exchange operated without the proper licensing for domestic customers. In February 2025, the DOJ announced a settlement with Aux Cayes FinTech Co. Ltd., the operator of OKX, regarding its failure to secure a proper money-transmitting license for U.S. customers.
Despite implementing a policy restricting U.S. citizens from using the platform, the DOJโs investigation revealed that OKX still pursued U.S. customers. Allegedly, one employee instructed users to falsify information in order to bypass these restrictions. As part of the settlement, OKX agreed to pay more than $500 million, including $84 million in penalties and $421 million in forfeited fees collected from U.S. customers.
OKX emphasized that all affected U.S. customers have been removed from the platform and clarified that there were no allegations of customer harm during this process.
